I’m so very excited about today’s launch of Teachers Mutual Bank

It’s finally here. As any marketer knows, the birth of a rebrand is an exciting time indeed. And I am very proud to have been  part of the team responsible for creating it.

Today, Teachers Credit Union (TCU) [...]]]>

I’m so very excited about today’s launch of Teachers Mutual Bank

It’s finally here. As any marketer knows, the birth of a rebrand is an exciting time indeed. And I am very proud to have been  part of the team responsible for creating it.

Today, Teachers Credit Union (TCU) officially becomes Teachers Mutual Bank.

Many of us have been working diligently for months on the creation, communication and launch of a vibrant new brand that represents this transition from Credit Union to Bank.

Here’s the journey reduced  to about three minutes.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This new brand is the combined brainchild of a great many bright, creative and committed TCU staff and the good folks at Traffic (our Brand, Advertising and Design Agency).

There is a palpable pride we all seem to share for our new brand, our reinvigorated commitment to put the member first and in our core values of passion, advocacy and sustainability.

And we’re proud to be the new face of banking, we’re proud to make a commitment to put the members first and we’re proud of the 46 year journey that brought us here.

Personally, I can’t wait to see how our members react – because at the end of the day, we’re doing all this for them!

Questions of the day:

So what do you think of the new brand? Does it make you smile?

Facebook is promising improvements to Pages that include: better communication, more opportunities for expression, improved relevancy…and it’s not even Christmas!

Want the official Facebook explanation? Here  you can also preview the changes and get started using them.

For all the details around Facebook pages, take a peek here

Questions of the day

Will these [...]]]>

Facebook is promising improvements to Pages that include: better communication, more opportunities for expression, improved relevancy…and it’s not even Christmas!

Want the official Facebook explanation? Here  you can also preview the changes and get started using them.

For all the details around Facebook pages, take a peek here

Questions of the day

Will these changes change how you use pages? If so, how?

Happy 2011 everyone!

This is the time of year when many of us make promises, set goals, create that list of resolutions for the year to come. As leaders, what we do and how we do it influences so many. During this time of reflection we have a new opportunity to take the [...]]]>

Happy 2011 everyone!

This is the time of year when many of us make promises, set goals, create that list of resolutions for the year to come. As leaders, what we do and how we do it influences so many. During this time of reflection we have a new opportunity to take the first steps in creating lasting change. Now’s the time to reflect, look ahead and create a plan that plays to our strengths, minimizes or overcomes our weaknesses and sets us, and our organizations, up for a great year ahead.

How many of these are on your list or resolutions for 2011?

1.      I will work less.
2.      I will work more.
3.      I will spend more time with family and friends.
4.      I will delegate more.
5.      I will develop a succession plan.
6.      I will try new things.
7.      I will take risks.
8.      I will experiment.
9.      I will examine what we do, how we do it and why.
10.    I will work harder.
11.    I will work smarter
12.    I will take vacation time.
13.    I will trust those I work with.
14.    I will clearly communicate my expectations.
15.    I will empower people to do their jobs.
16.    I will reward and recognize jobs well done.
17.    I will say “please” and “thank you”.
18.    I will encourage ongoing quality improvements.
19.    I will invest in my own professional development.
20.    I will promote ongoing learning and development for staff at all levels.
21.    I will encourage a culture of innovation and creativity.
22.    I will respect the power of ideas.
23.    I will celebrate both small and large successes.
24.    I will learn lessons from the failures and missed opportunities.
25.    I will encourage constant improvements in all that we do.
26.    I will embrace new technology and social media and the possibilities they present.
27.    I will be a better time manager.
28.    I will support some time for play in our work day.
29.    I will develop and participate in a personal learning network.
30.    I will be a better communicator through the use of new tools, better listening, greater transparency and improved strategic focus.
31.    I will be more approachable.
32.    I will be honest and respectful in my dealings.
33.    I will call people on inappropriate actions or behaviors.
34.    I will learn more about the people I work with.
35.    I will rediscover my passions both in and outside of work.
36.    I will improve my fitness/health and wellness.
37.    I will give back to the community and encourage staff to do the same.
38.    I will be watchful of our competition and learn what I can from them.
39.    I will ensure the company’s history is communicated and revered.
40.    I will be customer centric and ensure our people, processes and systems are too.
41.    I will develop better ways of listening to our staff, our customers and our partners.
42.    I will do my best to meet the needs of all our stakeholders.
43.    I will actively promote a sense of community within these stakeholder groups.
44.    I will make public appearances and be the face of the organization where required.
45.    I will maximize the return on all of our investments, including our people.
46.    I will take my role seriously and do it to the very best of my ability.
47.    I will be open to feedback, criticism and suggestions for improvement.
48.    I will make the tough decisions as fairly as I can.
49.    I will teach, coach, and cheer lead.
50.    I will move on if it is in the best interest of the company for me to do so.

Photo credit
happy new year 2011 by 1suisse – used under creative commons attribution

This video is a fabulous illustration of a key component in creating a movement.

Have a watch….the transcript also appears below.

Questions of the day

Are you a lone nut, the first follower, the second follower or one of [...]]]> We deal with leadership, we deal with change, we know how tough both can be.

This video is a fabulous illustration of a key component in creating a movement.

Have a watch….the transcript also appears below.

Questions of the day

Are you a lone nut, the first follower, the second follower or one of the crowd?

Everyone has a role in change…what’s yours?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Transcript:

If you’ve learned a lot about leadership and making a movement, then let’s watch a movement happen, start to finish, in under 3 minutes, and dissect some lessons:

A leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous. But what he’s doing is so simple, it’s almost instructional. This is key. You must be easy to follow!

Now comes the first follower with a crucial role: he publicly shows everyone how to follow. Notice the leader embraces him as an equal, so it’s not about the leader anymore – it’s about them, plural. Notice he’s calling to his friends to join in. It takes guts to be a first follower! You stand out and brave ridicule, yourself. Being a first follower is an under-appreciated form of leadership. The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader. If the leader is the flint, the first follower is the spark that makes the fire.

The 2nd follower is a turning point: it’s proof the first has done well. Now it’s not a lone nut, and it’s not two nuts. Three is a crowd and a crowd is news.

A movement must be public. Make sure outsiders see more than just the leader. Everyone needs to see the followers, because new followers emulate followers – not the leader.

Now here come 2 more, then 3 more.  Now we’ve got momentum.  This is the tipping point! Now we’ve got a movement!

As more people jump in, it’s no longer risky. If they were on the fence before, there’s no reason not to join now. They won’t be ridiculed, they won’t stand out, and they will be part of the in-crowd, if they hurry. Over the next minute you’ll see the rest who prefer to be part of the crowd, because eventually they’d be ridiculed for not joining.

And ladies and gentlemen that is how a movement is made!  Let’s recap what we learned:

If you are a version of the shirtless dancing guy, all alone, remember the importance of nurturing your first few followers as equals, making everything clearly about the movement, not you.

Be public. Be easy to follow!

But the biggest lesson here – did you catch it? Leadership is over-glorified.

Yes it started with the shirtless guy, and he’ll get all the credit, but you saw what really happened:

It was the first follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader.

There is no movement without the first follower.

We’re told we all need to be leaders, but that would be really ineffective.

The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others how to follow.

When you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to be the first person to stand up and join in.

Are you as cooperative or as collaborative as you could be?

How well have you embraced enabling technologies?

Rheingold discusses the technologies of COOPERATION & SHARING economies. He hypothesizes that if in the past, new forms of cooperation created new forms of wealth we may be moving into [...]]]> Are you part of a smart mob?

Are you as cooperative or as collaborative as you could be?

How well have you embraced enabling technologies?

Rheingold discusses the technologies of COOPERATION & SHARING economies. He hypothesizes that if in the past, new forms of cooperation created new forms of wealth we may be moving into yet another economic form that is significantly different …

Are you prepared?

Take 20 minutes, have a listen, ponder the possibilities, then think about your answer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Howard Rheingold on Collaboration

Question of the day

If your answer is “no, you’re not prepared”, what are you going to do about it?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here, Tony, uses the phrase social marketing, not social media. I think we’ve got some serious semantics at work here.

I agree that tactics should never be confused with strategy, but so often are! To all you [...]]]> Tony Chapman of Cap C shares his views in this video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here, Tony, uses the phrase social marketing, not social media. I think we’ve got some serious semantics at work here.

I agree that tactics should never be confused with strategy, but so often are! To all you self proclaimed social media experts , ad agency types who invest an hour on Facebook before you start hyping  its’ “game-changing” benefits to your clients, you digital dudes, dude-ettes and drive by “strategists” take note of this – a twitter profile, a Facebook fan page, or single blog does not constitute an effective marketing strategy. What you are recommending, is a flavour of the day, smoke and mirrors approach that hops on the latest shiny object band wagon and preys on client ignorance, then taints the experience for clients who have entrusted you with their business and ruining the name of real strategic marketers in the process. These are the professionals who will embrace a far broader approach and encourage dialogue around a truly strategic solution to the client’s specific marketing challenge.

Why can’t we get this concept of strategy first? It’s then, and only then, can we decide on the appropriate selection of  tactics to be used in an integrated approach to ensure you achieve that strategy. And, of course, social media tools may right for that mix.

Mitch Joel, a man, whose views I really respect on this topic, had this to say  in a recent blog post about “marketers’ missing the mark on twitter

Social media may lead you to developing new strategies, to assessing how you currently approach the marketing and communications challenge. And yes, they may in fact lead you down a path of massive change and take you to a place where you do new things in new ways, to create a new way of thinking, acting, doing and relating with your customers.

But, from where I sit, I don’t see social marketing or social media as strategies. They may be the conversation starters, the instigators, but strategy is still driving force that will guide the effective use of these new tools.

So, if your potential provider can’t talk strategy – don’t waste your breath. Find someone who can and let the social media dilettantes go “help” your competition.

Question of the day:

What are your thoughts on tactics versus strategy? Social media versus social marketing? Share your thoughts…

What Matters Now is the latest free  e-book from Seth Godin and friends -it’s provocative, insightful, inspiring and just plain powerful!

Download it, read it, live it….just trust me on this…this IS what matters now.