October 13, 2010
Review my personal mission statement.
I‘ve spent quiet moments reflecting on my purpose in life. In so doing, I have come to realize that my personal mission is to:
- Understand the world around me.
- Create order from within the apparent chaos.
- Share unconditionally the abundance in my life.
I especially find it invigorating to see how my personal mission aligns with my work as a marketing professional. Any good marketer, after all:
- Seeks to understand by listening, asking lots of questions, reading and conducting some type of market research.
- Creates content, tells stories and produces materials to help consumers navigate through the chaos of a noisy market place.
- Shares ideas using a variety of traditional and new media, helping individuals to make good decisions and wise purchases.
Life is great when one’s personal mission aligns with a noble career calling (such as nonprofit marketing).
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Posted by Duane Hallock
October 12, 2010
Review the mission statement of the marketing department.
The first thing I do when confused or needing motivation is to ask myself, “Why I’m doing this? What’s the purpose? What is my mission?”
When I began working at the American Red Cross four years ago, I clarified the role of our marketing and communication function, articulating that our mission is to:
- Build and strengthen interactive relationships with key audiences.
- Increase community support of the local chapter.
- Generate revenue, both philanthropic and earned income.
Amidst the rush of our frenetic daily activities, that mission continues to anchor me and my team as we work on a variety of important projects.
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Posted by Duane Hallock
October 11, 2010
Admit it. From time to time we all need to recharge our batteries. We need to regain momentum. We need to rejuvenate ourselves.
Recently over a cup of coffee, a friend confided that his career was losing momentum. He feared he’d lost his creative touch and he no longer felt a passion to excel.
As our conversation progressed, we began brainstorming ideas to help him get back on track. I suggested that during the coming month he identify one action per day that might help him to rejuvenate his stalled career. After mulling the merits, he accepted the challenge. He then turned the tables on me, inviting me to create my own list. Without much hesitation, I accepted.
During the next month I listed 31 ideas that I might use to rejuvenate myself, to nurture my creative spirit and to remain focused on career priorities.
At the end of the month we both were rejuvenated. We had found new energy. He shared his list and asked if I would share mine. Though my ideas had been written for my own private use, I found the process to be so invigorating that I willingly shared.
I then began thinking that others might find inspiration for adapting a similar process to their own specific circumstances. So, during the next 31 days I will publish one new blog post per day, sharing my list of things I am actually doing to improve my performance as a marketing leader. Though these ideas were written from my perspective as a marketing professional within the American Red Cross, my hope is that these posts can be adapted by anyone who feels the need for rejuvenation.
Please share additional ideas of what has worked for you or others you know. Thank you!
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Posted by Duane Hallock
September 29, 2010
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Posted by Duane Hallock
September 15, 2010
Whenever I hear Louis Armstrong sing What a Wonderful World I feel warm all over. I am reminded that I live in a full, abundant world.
Together we all share the joys and sorrows of life’s journey, though we we may be at different places along the path. In the distance I’ve traveled, I’ve learned a few things along the way. I share the following observations for the benefit of my fellow travelers:
With a commitment to living my life according to God’s plan, I believe that:
- Everything happens for a reason.
- Meaning and purpose can always be found in the midst of chaos.
- Knowing some of the questions is better than having all of the answers.
- Every thought, every choice and every action has consequences.
- What one focuses upon in life expands.
- We live in a world of abundance where there is enough for everyone.
- In a win-lose situation, there are usually no winners.
- Diversity divides when we focus only on our differences, but it enriches when we build on things we share in common.
- Life only makes sense when viewed from an eternal perspective.
- No matter how good the “good old days” may seem, our best days are yet to come.
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Posted by Duane Hallock
September 8, 2010
To achieve success, members of any marketing team must be united by a compelling vision and a shared set of beliefs.
With a commitment to teamwork, I invite you to join me in believing and internalizing the following affirmations:
- We are inspired by the mission of our team.
- As we visualize the role of marketing within the organization, we are proud to be a part of an exceptional consulting team working on projects that really matter.
- We value diversity within our group, knowing that each of us makes a unique contribution.
- We build synergy whereby the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In so doing, we recognize the interdependence of every member of the team.
- When the spotlight is on one of us individually, we appreciate and acknowledge the contributions made by our teammates, knowing that success is usually a team effort.
- We celebrate when another member of the team excels. After all, we know that one teammate’s success reflects positively on the entire group.
- When something goes wrong, we avoid pointing fingers and assigning blame. Instead, we join hands to seek solutions and to look for the learning embedded within the situation.
- We assume positive intentions on the part of others. In circumstances where there is a potential for misunderstanding, we proactively seek clarification.
- We are loyal to other members of the team, especially in their absence. We focus on the positive, affirming attributes of co-workers and teammates.
- We always operate from an abundance mentality that seeks win-win solutions. We refuse to believe that our win implies a loss for someone else, knowing that a scarcity mentality spawns fear, competitiveness and retaliation.
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Posted by Duane Hallock
September 1, 2010
Every member of a team must make a unique, individual contribution to the team’s success. I want to be surrounded by people who don’t make excuses, assume individual responsibility and work towards the greater good of the team.
With a commitment to individual responsibility, empowerment and performance, I invite you to join me in believing and internalizing the following affirmations:
- I see the big picture.
- I see how the individual pieces fit together, and I understand the importance of my unique role.
- I prioritize my work and spend considerable time working on projects that are important but not urgent. Because of this, I am proactive and in control of my projects, my career and my life.
- I think strategically before acting tactically.
- Functioning as a marketing consultant, I ask affirming, empowering questions of myself and others.
- I approach consulting projects in a collaborative manner, finding ways to say “yes” and thereby facilitating the success of others.
- I own and manage important projects where I assume the entire responsibility for the planning, production and evaluation of my projects.
- I am a collaborative team player, contributing my energy and expertise to those projects managed by others.
- Knowing that the status quo often leads to obsolescence, I have a deep desire to learn, to create and to explore. I seek innovation and welcome change.
- I do work that really matters. I make a difference.
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Posted by Duane Hallock
August 25, 2010
Helen Keller was right when she said, “The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.”
Everyone, it seems, talks about the importance of having a vision, but very few people have a vivid picture of what they hope their future will look like.
With a commitment to being visionary and strategic, I invite you to join me in believing that:
- The effectiveness of a vision statement can be measured by its ability to inspire us to rally around a shared picture of what can be—and must be—our new reality.
- A compelling vision is future-focused and usually threatens those deeply vested in the status quo.
- Progress always requires change, but not all change is progress.
- Where there is no vision, people perish.
- In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
- Tactics not tied to strategy are nothing more than busywork.
- When you and I are not pursuing the same goal, then we are not on the same team.
- When you and I focus on the same goal from different vantage points, we have stereoscopic vision that gives us better depth perception.
- Every project can be improved by periodically asking, “Why are we doing this?”
- We must, as Stephen Covey says, begin with the end in mind.
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Posted by Duane Hallock
August 18, 2010
Marketing is not as complicated as some want you to think. Good marketing is based upon common sense, though such sense is uncommon.
With a commitment to successful marketing, I invite you to join me in believing that:
- Marketing will flounder when not in pursuit of a measurable goal.
- If a product, service or even a person cannot be differentiated, it cannot be marketed.
- Marketing will fail unless strategy drives tactics, not vice versa.
- Marketing must be based upon the concept of exchanges. Without a quid-pro-quo exchange, we will never have a solid marketing program.
- Value can be defined only by the customer, not by the company producing the product or service. (Nonprofit organizations especially have trouble with this.)
- The social media revolution is the best thing to happen to marketing in a long, long time, even though the tools for achieving marketing success have forever changed.
- Old-school marketers who try to control the message will become increasingly frustrated, disoriented and ultimately obsolete.
- You are still functioning in a 1.0 world—even if you’re using 2.0 tools—when you are not creating community and engaging people in conversations.
- If we aim our message at no one in particular, we shouldn’t be surprised if no one in particular responds.
- Communications comes at the end of the marketing process, not at the beginning.
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Posted by Duane Hallock
May 20, 2010
Remember the classic tale of the emperor who had no clothes? Popularized in 1837 by Hans Christian Anderson, the story is summarized in Wikipedia like this:
An emperor who cared for nothing but his wardrobe hired two weavers who promised him the finest suit of clothes from a fabric invisible to anyone who was unfit for his position or “just hopelessly stupid.” The emperor could not see the cloth himself, but pretended that he could for fear of appearing stupid or unfit for his position. His ministers did the same. When the swindlers reported that the suit was finished, they dressed him in mime and the emperor then marched in procession before his subjects. A child in the crowd called out that the emperor was wearing nothing at all. The cry was taken up by others. The emperor cringed, suspecting the assertion was true, but held himself up proudly and continued the procession.
In this story, with whom can you identify? Where would you best fit into the plot?
Certainly, no one wants to be the self-centered authority figure oblivious to reality. Neither do we aspire to be “yes men” who refrain from speaking the truth for fear of looking stupid or being punished for political incorrectness. Of course, the dishonest weavers would never be our heroes.
But what about all the people who lined the parade route? They went along with the game until someone dared to speak the obvious truth.
Personally, I identify best with the innocent child who demonstrated transparency and authenticity. (He would have loved living in the 2.0 world of social media.) Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Duane Hallock
I communicate with passion and purpose to inspire those searching for beauty and truth.
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