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www.HartfordBusiness.com October 31, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 25 BIZ BOOKS Tips for how to be an effective leader, not ruler "T ogether is Better — A Little Book of Inspiration" by Simon Sinek (Portfolio/Penguin, $22). Sinek, whose TED talks have been viewed by over 25 million people, tells the metaphori- cal story of three friends who stand up to the "king of the playground," and chart a differ- ent course for their days at play. The kids are employees; the king is the organization. The lessons learned are: "Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge." The play- ground king bullies the kids into doing what he tells them to do. Through etched-in-stone job descriptions, procedures and processes, many organizations effectively bully employees into doing what they're told to do. In such situ- ations, employees are viewed as expenses, not equity. There's no appreciation for the intellectual capital they add to the firm. The "king" believes he knows what's best for his subjects. But by constraining and insulating their ability to contribute, the "king" limits employee engagement. With- out engagement, there's little continuous improvement. Leaders who have confidence in their employees' abilities want ideas, cre- ativity and innovation; continuous improve- ment (for themselves and the firm) becomes an integral part of their workdays. Sinek expands on the engagement focus with "Bad teams work in the same place. Good teams work together." You can't have an effective team without trust and collabo- ration. Create a vision, rather than a template, for achieving outcomes. By letting the team figure out the "how," teammates recognize that dependence upon each other drives results. They put the team before their personal interests. They're also quick to share knowledge with other teams, which binds all teams together. The bottom line: Leadership involves teach- ing, not ruling. As a teacher, leaders inspire others to reach their potential. When you trust people to do their jobs, they become leaders in their own right — they own their jobs. • • • Demystifying Talent Management — Unleash People's Potential to Deliver Superior Results" by Kimberly Janson (Maven House Press, $24.95). Businesses routinely ask customers for feedback to learn more about their prod- ucts and services in the marketplace. Yet, when it comes to what internal customers (i.e. employees) need, they rarely ask. Why not? Two reasons: 1. Management tends to be more concerned with the today and the short term, and 2. HR isn't well-connected to the firm's strategy and tactics. Add employ- ees' fear of expressing their views on their career development and you end up with poorly-managed talent, which results in less-than-optimal productivity. Janson believes that conver- sations between all three affect- ed parties organized around SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time- based) goals produce better results. The initial "What do you need to do?" conversation requires significant prepara- tion. Managers and HR need to take into account the expectations of the employ- ee and those with whom the employee interacts. On the employee front, managers need input about resources (includ- ing assistance) needed to do the job. By using com- mon denominators in employee input, HR can develop training programs. Relative to interaction, there's a per- formance-assessment guide; it deals with the manager's self-evaluation and those of other stakeholders. It comes with the fol- lowing advice: "For any answer lower than nine, what are you going to do about it?" Why the high standard? It's about aligning expectations of many inputs to create SMART. The "need to do" conversation explains the "why" to obtain employee buy-in. Once there's agreement, the other con- versations — "What do you need to grow?" "How are you doing?" and "How did you do?" flow. Janson believes these conversations need to be ongoing so there are no surprises; she provides numerous assessments to keep managers on track. The key word: commu- nication. n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak THE RAINMAKER Keys to building your personal brand By Ken Cook W e are in the midst of one of the most bizarre election campaigns this coun- try has ever been through. Both major candidates are known entities. They each have, over the years, built their own unique brand image, both through words and actions. You know what you get because they and their teams have crafted their messages to tell you what you get. Each of us are no different, except our stage and context are smaller. You are your brand, and all that you say and do develops that brand in an ongo- ing, and hopefully evolutionary manner. Your values are your brand. Your uniqueness is your brand. Your accomplishments are your brand. Your imagery is your brand. You are your brand. Are you happy with it? The brand called you is your message to the world about who you are, what you stand for, and how you want to be perceived. Con- trolling that brand is entirely in your power. So, how do you build your brand? How do you create and communicate an image that astounds people and makes you positively unique in peo- ple's minds every time they hear your name? Begin with your message. As companies develop unique selling propositions for their products and services, people need to devel- op a unique brand message for themselves. Your message is not created out of thin air. Rather, it is borne out of a foundation of goals you set and value you deliver. For example, the late Steve Jobs was at times branded with the terms revolutionary, ultimate entrepreneur, leading-edge tech- nologist, or calculated risk taker. You can be assured that Jobs did not start out with these terms in mind. Jobs started with the goal of wanting to deliver a unique personal computing experience. He, along with his partner Steve Wozniak, applied their talents and skills to accomplish this goal. Decades later, Apple Computer became one of the legendary success stories in busi- ness and Jobs evolved into a uniquely branded individual. But in the beginning, Jobs had a singular goal that was clear and defined. That goal provided context and a foundation for what would ultimately become Apple's suc- cess and Jobs' unique brand message. A unique brand message also requires an understanding of the skills and value you deliver in the context of the goals you set. Are you a skilled entrepreneur, a successful sales- person, a leading-edge technologist, a financial wizard? Think of the words that describe your skills and the value you deliver. If you're not happy with the current ones, reset your think- ing and develop skills that you are happy with. Once you have defined your message, pack- age it. Visual images count, and first impres- sions matter. Create some style for yourself. Build imagery that makes you stand out in a crowd, and aligns with the values of your brand. Jobs' imagery was cool, casual, but defi- nitely in command. He empowered people to perform and contribute, yet he was auto- cratic if the effort strayed from his vision and attainment of the goal. Jeans and a black turtleneck. Products that were elegant, simple to use, and memorably packaged. An annual show that was as much about the wow factor and amazing the audi- ence as it was about introducing new products. So you've figured out your unique brand message. You developed imagery that reflects the message. Now tell the world. Communi- cate your brand. Approach it as a marketing and PR campaign. Think in terms of social media, a unique website or your own landing page as part of a corporate site, a blog, arti- cles, speaking, email campaigns, etc. Scour your web of relationships and reach out to them. Expand your relationships, con- necting with the people who could be cata- lysts for your brand. Reach out with generos- ity, looking to help others through the value and skills you deliver. If you help someone else, they will talk about you. Building the brand called you is an ongoing proposition. Work on it, refine it, and continue to expand it. A brand is a living entity that evolves because you evolve. You are your brand. n Ken Cook is the co-founder of How to Who and co-author of "How to WHO: Selling Personified," a book and program on build- ing business through relationships. Learn more at www.howtowho.com. Ken Cook ▶ ▶ Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge. ▶ ▶ As companies develop unique selling propositions for their products and services, people need to develop a unique brand message for themselves.