Powerful Women Entrepreneurs – Lisa Bruckner

A Powerful Army of Women

There is a veritable army of powerful women, who have chosen entrepreneurship and Social Media to further their ambitions and their reach.

They come from all walks of life, all professions and diverse backgrounds.  And the qualities they have in common make them perfectly suited for Social Media success — even in an unpredictable economy.  

They are the leaders, explorers and prime-movers in a shock-wave that will alter the course of American business.  Never before have businesswomen marshaled such incredible force and kinetic energy, and Social Media is the platform from which their stories can best be told.

Their power is soft, but durable.  Their dogged determination assures their success and their choice of Social Media makes their businesses sustainable.

And beneath each of their images is a compelling story.  A story worth telling. Over the next few months, I will highlight their individual stories, monitor their progress and advance their message.

New and Valuable Skill Sets

For over twenty years I have been advising entrepreneurs on every aspect of their online businesses — strategy, tactics, marketing, execution and management — but mostly men I am somewhat embarrassed to admit.

For some time now I have been, in my very small way, attempting to correct that mistake by recognizing women who have proven to be innovative, industrious, and courageous in ways that are hugely valuable to our economy and to business in general.

And ironically, in this particular case I am proud to introduce my friends and followers to a woman entrepreneur who is especially adroit in new and valuable skill sets that mostly benefit her male counterparts.

Such is the fascinating story of Lisa Bruckner, co-founder of Hendricks Park.

 So Who Is Lisa Bruckner?

Traveling often gave Lisa a greater perspective on society, culture and service standards — invaluable skills in today’s global marketplace.

An independent child, since the age of ten she has been honing her entrepreneurial skills — often without realizing it.  At 5’10” in 8th grade, she was recruited for modeling and while she didn’t particularly enjoy the profession, she did enjoy the fabulous world of fashion.  This led to a lifelong obsession with style, shopping, and shoes.

She graduated with an honors degree in Psychology and pursued a career in research, (the antithesis of style, she admits). She remained restless, however, and felt a calling to do something completely different.

Right before the birth of her third child, she left her career in research to be a stay at home mom.  After a year, she realized this wasn’t the best career choice for her.

After all, her own mother was one of the first female electrical engineers in the 70’s and was fiercely career minded.  Lisa’s parenting role model was a career-mom and she recognized she should embrace it rather than run from it.

She agonized over what she wanted to do.  How could she start a new career in her mid-thirties with three young children?  Being an entrepreneur never entered her mind.

Then came the epiphany: Her husband, a Tech Executive, left the house wearing a pink Everybody Poops T-shirt.  She cringed and nagged him to change.   Jokingly, he told her to be a men’s style expert, and the entrepreneurial vision took hold.  In a moment of clarity, genius and courage she decided it was time to start her own business — Hendricks Park — naming the business after the historical park next to her home.

The rest is sartorial history in the making.  Or as her website proclaims, “Dressing Well Made Easy.”

A Word About Her Market

As a starting place, let me explain this remarkable company and its founder by personalizing the experience as a potential client.

Throughout my online business career, and before that my years as a Senior Officer of a worldwide company, I have spent 18 hours per day consumed with generating profitable sales, negotiating contracts, and managing personnel — often dismissing a hugely important aspect of every man’s career — image.

Rushing through airports, attending countless meetings and speaking engagements, and striving endlessly toward success in my field — the way I looked while on the journey always seemed secondary.  As an executive on-the-rise, my appearance was crucial to my career and lifestyle but the time and effort to coordinate it all was elusive.

Twice per year I would dart into Brooks Brothers near my downtown New York office, or into a local mall near my home, and purchase a new suit — always black or gray — and if I was lucky the shopkeeper would suggest several new ties and shirts.

In short, I always looked like the business drones in the crowds on the subways and walkways of the financial capital of the world.  I could certainly have afforded to do better, but there was simply not enough time.

Had Hendricks Park existed at the time I would have been a frequent, delighted and grateful client.

Mashable and Microsoft Took Notice

In June of this year, Mashable highlighted Hendricks Park as part of Microsoft’s The Spark of Genius Series.  In the article, entitled Men Can Skip the Mall With Skype-Based Concierge Clothing Service, they announced what they called a “Genius Idea.” 

Mashable went on to explain: “Hendricks Park is a concierge clothing service for men with neither the time nor inclination to shop. The one-year-old startup, founded by CEO Lisa Bruckner, a former model, offers style consultations and shopping services primarily over Skype.

After filling out an application online, a client meets his free personal Style Expert for a brief Discovery session on video chat to enable the stylist to see and understand his individual style and clothing needs.

After he receives his first box, the client will review all of his options with his Style Expert over Skype, get recommendations for styling and tailoring, and return whatever he doesn’t like using a pre-paid shipping label.

Every time a client is looking for new clothes — or perhaps needs advice about what to wear for an event, or what kind of razor to buy — he is invited to get in touch with his Style Expert, free of charge.”

What A Remarkable Idea

Every modern entrepreneur realizes that to be successful he or she must have a remarkable idea. 

It need not be a world-changing technology, requiring millions of dollars of Research and Development, but it simply must cause the new customer to say “Wow, this is terrific!”  

Even a cursory review of the Hendricks Park testimonials reveal a company that has captured that elusive quality.

With that as a starting place, the next pivotal step is to understand your market.  Lisa Bruckner has targeted her market niche with laser-like precision, even though her market is still developing.

The Mashable article continues, “Bruckner is the first to admit the service isn’t for everyone — Hendricks Park doesn’t offer discount pricing or products, for one thing. ‘We focus more on quality, and unique brands and products, particularly those with an environmentally responsible edge,’ she says.”

Style and environmental responsibility.  Wow!  Sign me up!

She also readily admits that the service might be ahead of its time. “People aren’t necessarily comfortable buying clothes over Skype [yet],” she says, but she believes “the increasing prevalence of webcams and applications such as Skype will make Hendricks Park viable to the mainstream.”

 The Reluctant Male Shopper

It is axiomatic in retail marketing that we male buyers are very specific, and idiosyncratic potential customers.

We shop only under compulsion, enter the store furtively and usually grab the first item the store presents to us.

In the retailers lexicon we are called, deservedly and euphemistically, “reluctant male shoppers.”

If we are lucky and persuasive, we wait outside the store — on one of those benches we men somehow know intuitively were placed there just for our benefit — while our wives or girlfriends do the shopping.

Personally, I hate those benches.  Because every woman who saunters by knows that I don’t have the courage or skill to do the shopping myself.

Imagine successful executives, who battle the business world like Titans of Industry every day, afraid that some store clerk will ask them about their style preferences.  “I like black or gray,” was my common and humiliating thought, which I always kept to myself.  Instead I would say. “What do you think?”

Therein lies the fatal flaw in men’s shopping ability.  If the shopkeeper looks like your father on a bad day, you are in very big trouble.  Even worse, if she looks like your aging grandmother, an imminent and expensive crisis is in store.

So What’s The Solution

I suppose there are two:

1. Become so wealthy and powerful that you can afford a full-time personal assistant to shop for you — a demeaning task that is rightly criticized and financially wasteful.
2. Join Hendricks Park’s loyal and passionately devoted clients, an alternative I strongly recommend.

Sartorial Splendor

According to Lisa Bruckner, the ingredients for her success have been plain old hard work, perseverance, luck, a great team and not knowing ahead of time something couldn’t be done.

“Simply do the best with what you have,” she says determinedly, “and create a picture in your mind of what you want.”

Sage advice.

“Stick with it”, Lisa continues, “believe in it, and don’t give up.  I truly believe the best rewards are saved for those who can endure the tests of hardship to show they are worthy of earning the big prize:  Happiness and success.”

Well, I certainly wish Lisa Bruckner and her team the happiness and success they so richly deserve.

They will greatly assist hapless executives who yearn for, but seldom achieve, sartorial splendor.  It’s about time.

Hidden Keys To Ultimate Success – That Most Entrepreneurs Miss

The Struggle To The Top

Countless articles have been written about the entrepreneurial climb to success.

What have we learned, exactly?

The climb is steep and arduous.  The footing is precarious.  The packs are heavy.  The mountain tops are often beyond our reach, and we often stumble.  And sadly, more of us fall than make it to the summit.

The Fortunate Few

This article, however, is written for the fortunate few who actually make it.

Against all odds, we climb and climb. Our muscles strain, our hearts quicken, and then all at once we breathlessly reach the top.  Blessed victory!

But then something unexpected happens.

We stand and cast our gaze out over the surrounding vistas — our prize for accomplishment — only to discover that we are surrounded  by endless new mountains, stretching off toward the horizon, some even higher and more dangerous than the one we just conquered.

It begs the question:  Should we stop and treasure this one success, or continue climbing until we reach the pinnacle — the highest mountain we all strive for?

What’s Missing?

To get this far has taken all of our strength and resources.  Deep down, we know that to continue we must find the hidden keys to ultimate success that we so far have missed.  What are they?  Who do we ask?

Unfortunately, these are questions unanswered by education, ignored by those who fail and closely guarded by those who succeed.  I guess we’re on our own?  So let’s consider these questions for a moment and see if any lights go on.  Let’s be creative, and give serious thought to what’s missing.

Two Hidden Keys

There exist many obvious possibilities for the missing keys to our ultimate success, but two less obvious ones come immediately to my mind.

The first key is this:

The climb to the top is more rapid and sustainable — if you help someone else.

This is a very important lesson, lost for decades by traditional business, but reemerging as a core principle of Social Media.  When before it was all about selling – the focus of Social Media has changed the landscape — now it is all about serving.

To be ultimately successful, it is imperative that you put the needs of others — your customers and potential customers, employees and stakeholders — ahead of your own.

This does not mean that you must sacrifice your own success, it merely means that you should be cognizant of the needs of others as a key starting place.  When you meet those needs first, your needs will be correspondingly met.

This key success factor seems obvious, but business has long held that products and services, whatever they are, must be sold.  Even if that sales process does not meet the actual needs of the consumer.

The founder of the Ford Motor Company once said of his first automobile. “You can have any color you want, as long as it’s black.”  That sales process was obviously successful, but in today’s world, Ford’s management has materially improved upon that approach.  Today they ask, “What do you want in your new Ford automobile?”  Through remarkably agile Social Media campaigns, led by Ford’s masterful Social Media Director, Scott Monty, Ford is gradually reinventing itself.  They have begun climbing their ultimate mountain, and when they reach that pinnacle they will be the masters of all they see.

For entrepreneurs, that same ultimate key to success applies.  For those unfamiliar with Social Media, their first reaction is to sell, and sell, and sell.  They flood their Twitter streams will sales language, thinking that the old rules still apply.  They don’t.

We now live in an era where buying patters have changed.  They are diametrically opposite to those of only a few years ago.  The imperative now is service, not selling.  For those entrepreneurs wishing to scale their last mountain, helping others is the new key to success.

The second key is this:

Collaboration with others is the new path to the top.

For those of us who make a living in Social Media, for example, I have a question by way of explanation:   Why is it that no Social Media company has captured the lion’s share of the market?  When you mention donuts, Dunkin’ Donuts comes immediately to mind.  When you mention coffee, Starbucks pops into your head.  Why is there no one Social Media company taking the leadership role? There are two reasons for this, I believe.  They both have to do with collaboration.

1.  Unwillingness to Partner.  Even the biggest money makers in Social Media are apparently unwilling or unable to collaborate with other professionals where their skills might be useful. Take Twitter for example.  The top ten agencies in the field, who daily advise entrepreneurial businesses on how to amass a large, engaged Twitter following, have a total of only 14,350 Twitter followers between them, (as of 5/9/11).  The most skilled agency has less than 5,000 followers.

Is it that they are understaffed?  Not likely, as they have hundreds of employees.  Is it that they don’t care, or possibly feel it is unnecessary since they are doing millions of dollars in business?  Perhaps.  But how is that credible with their potential customers?

I don’t wish to be critical, as all of these companies are highly professional, well-respected and hugely profitable, but if you are expecting other businesses to take your Twitter guidance seriously, should you not have a substantial Twitter following yourself?

Before I undertook to advise others on Twitter, I spent a year building a 41,000 person Twitter following.  And knowing that my customers tend to be smaller entrepreneurial firms, I did 100% of the work myself to illustrate that it could be done by one person.

The point of all this, is that companies of all sizes should collaborate for mutual success.  There is no reason for smaller companies to avoid integrating, formally or informally, into a larger whole.  The resulting organization could be formidable.

We now live in an open world, and there should be no reason for the dog-eat-dog competitiveness of years past.  Certainly, all of us that make the Twitter-sphere our home, should be open to partnering with fellow Twitter travelers.  It best serves our needs, but more importantly the needs of our customers.

2.  Unfamiliarity with the Joint Venture as an Engine for Growth. The corollary to the above unwillingness to partner, is the unfamiliarity with the joint venture as an engine for growth.

Imagine the Social Media behemoth that could be created, if the top practitioners or companies in the 14 separate Social Media disciplines — Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, WordPress, web programming, graphic design, sales, marketing, cloud computing, public relations, strategy, execution and management — were to combine their skills in a mutually beneficial joint venture.  There would be no overlap, no wasted energy or resources, and enhanced profits for everyone.

Similarly, and a more powerful key to success, would be joint ventures between Social Media practitioners and other companies that share the same market segment.  Traditional advertising agencies, with no Social Media expertise, joining forces with Twitter experts, for example.

With a little creativity, customer-centric joint ventures of all types could be created.

Conclusion

Whatever your product or service, marketplace, or skills — failure to adopt these hidden keys to success would be a real shame.   For those of us who care about achieving more than a modicum of success, these hidden keys have the power to unlock unprecedented accomplishment.  If we don’t energize around these opportunities we have only ourselves to blame.

Getting in touch with me is very easy

If you or your company are wishing to harness the power of Social Media, or if you feel a joint venture possibility exists, I am very easy to get in touch with and I am eager to help.   Simply call the number below.  During normal business hours, (8 AM – 5 PM Scottsdale, Arizona time), it is my direct line.  Otherwise, just leave a message. If you would prefer to exchange email I would love to here from you. Just email michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com or click the email badge below. I promise I will get back to you within 24 hours.

Powerful Women Entrepreneurs – Alexandra Levit

A Powerful Army of Women

There is a veritable army of powerful women, who have chosen entrepreneurship and Twitter to further their ambitions and their reach.

They come from all walks of life, all professions and diverse backgrounds.  And the qualities they have in common make them perfectly suited for Social Media success — even in an unpredictable economy.

They are the leaders, explorers and prime-movers in a shock-wave that will alter the course of American business.  Never before have businesswomen marshaled such incredible force and kinetic energy, and Social Media is the platform from which their stories can best be told.

Their power is soft, but durable.  Their dogged determination assures their success and their choice of Twitter makes their businesses sustainable.

And beneath each of their images is a compelling story.  A story worth telling.

Over the next few months, I will highlight their individual stories, monitor their progress and advance their message.

Stories Worth Telling – Alexandra Levit

In this economy, what can be more important than finding a meaningful job — quickly and simply — and then succeeding beyond measure once you get there?  The short answer is:  Nothing.

This is Alexandra Levit’s cause célèbre.  It is her ambition, her forte and her promise to those she helps.

A prominent author and syndicated columnist,  Alexandra Levit  has shared her best entrepreneurial thinking in the New York Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, ABC News, Fox News, CNBC, the Associated Press, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan.

In 2010, she was named Money Magazine’s Online Career Expert of the Year and the author of one of Forbes’ best websites for women.

And when Alexandra speaks, people listen:  Including the Obama Administration, the American Society for Training and Development, Campbell’s Soup, McDonalds, Whirlpool, Beyond Credentials, DeVry University, Intuit, and Microsoft.

Notably, in addition to her many books, magazine articles, and presentations to clients, she has also amassed a very significant Twitter following.  As of today she is followed by more than 134,000 individuals.

Her tireless efforts, while balancing her time with her husband and family, makes Alexandra Levit a Powerful Woman Entrepreneur.

She is the quintessential ambassador of Soft Power for Women, and we will be watching her career with enthusiasm and expectation.

The story of Alexandra Levit is a story worth telling.

Conclusion

By placing soft power in women’s hands, American business will achieve a level of accomplishment like never before.  Women have shown particular skill in the uses of proper strategy, execution and management in Social Media.  And while it requires an investment of time and resources, that investment can and will pay dramatic dividends.

The barriers to women in business have become the new springboards to acclaim.

Getting in touch with me is very easy

If you or your company are wishing to harness the power of Social Media I am very easy to get in touch with and I am eager to help.   Simply call the number below.  During normal business hours, (8 AM – 5 PM Scottsdale, Arizona time), it is my direct line.  Otherwise, just leave a message. If you would prefer to exchange email I would love to here from you. Just email michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com or click the email badge below. I promise I will get back to you within 24 hours.

Soft Power In Women’s Hands – The Key to Social Media Success

Women and Soft Power

In a recent blog posting on the Harvard Business Review, (January 19, 2011), Vineet Nayar made the following important comment:

“The leadership of women in politics, business, and society is becoming evident across the globe.”

Years ago, this idea might have been controversial — today it is axiomatic — particularly in the business of Social Media.

And soft power is the secret ingredient in women’s new recipe for success.

What is Soft Power?

Joseph S. Nye Jr., the former dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, defined soft power as:

“The ability to influence or lead through persuasion or attraction, by co-opting people rather than coercing them.”

While noting that “soft power isn’t the exclusive preserve of women,” Nayar continued, “women are more inclined than are men to use soft power through tools such as dialogue and engagement.”  This is a key success component in Social Media.

He also commented, that “research has shown that women are excellent mediators, great networkers, and they place more value on building relationships than do men. They also keep cool during crises.”

This form of soft power, whether wielded by businessmen or women, is the engine that is fueling the phenomenon that we call Social Media, and it may become the single most powerful key to Social Media success.

As has been noted in my previous blog postings, women like Ms. Irene Rosenfeld of Kraft Foods, Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo, and Anne Sweeney of Disney, have made enormous contributions — not only to business and Social Media — but to the human condition and to the relative impact of women in business.

The Glass Ceiling – A Little History

The proverbial glass ceiling, as it is called, and the gender inequality that forms its basis, have been unfortunate facts-of-life in American business since long before Social Media became a force.

To understand the glass ceiling’s impact on Social Media, it is first necessary to review a little history.

The glass ceiling has been legislated against, defined in the business literature, confirmed by governmental commissions, and made a substantive issue in various business appointments, as well as in political contests from the Congress to the Presidency:

• Gender inequality was legislated against in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• The term “glass ceiling” was defined as the “invisible barriers that impede the career advancement of women in the American workforce” in the March 24, 1986 edition of the Wall Street Journal.
• In a 1991 study by the The Federal Glass Ceiling Commission, it was confirmed that women encountered considerable glass ceiling barriers in their careers.
• It was dismissed as non-existent by Carly Fiorina upon becoming CEO of Hewlett-Packard, and then interestingly reasserted after her term at HP concluded.
• It was highlighted by Hillary Clinton in her run for the U.S. Presidency, which is often seen as the highest glass ceiling in America.
• And it has made its existence known twice in recent political developments:  When Michele Bachmann announced her presidential ambitions, and when Mitch Daniels, the Governor of Indiana and presumed presidential aspirant, announced that he might appoint Condeleezza Rice as his Vice Presidential running mate.

Why Is It Happening? What Are The Implications for Social Media

The Federal Glass Ceiling Commission noted a number of barriers to women in its findings.  I have listed these barriers below, with the implications of each for Social Media.

Historical barriers to women in business:

• Outreach and recruitment practices fail to seek out or recruit women. While it is true that typical recruitment practices in American business have favored men in the past, the advent of Social Media has changed this considerably.  Social networking websites like LinkedIn have now become the de facto location for executive recruitment.  Additionally, there are a large number of women active in the blogosphere — building strong reputations, considerable influence and Social Media knowledge — and modern recruitment practices have taken this change into consideration.
• Prevailing culture of many businesses is a white male culture and such corporate climates alienate and isolate women. More than any current change in American business, Social Media has begun to usher out the extant “Good Ol’ Boy” network.  While it still exists, particularly in older companies, the remarkable achievements of CEOs like Rosenfeld, Nooyi and Sweeney (linked to above), have shown irrefutably that women have the requisite skills to command even the largest companies.
• Initial placement and clustering in staff jobs or in highly technical and professional jobs that are not on the career track to the top. One of the remaining liabilities of the Good Ol’ Boy network is the erroneous presumption that women are best suited for support roles only.  This is wildly untrue.  In fact, as has been noted above, the very characteristics that are best suited for successful Social Media activity are more prevalent in women candidates.  As Social Media undertakes its logical movement toward C-Level responsibilities, more women will find themselves in executive suites than in smaller offices or cubicles.  Companies that ignore this transformation do so at their peril.  
  
• Lack of mentoring and management training. While this may have been true in the past, today there are hundreds of mentoring and training blogs, designed specifically for women, and this number will undoubtedly grow.  (Watch for future blog postings on this subject.)
  
• Lack of opportunities for career development, tailored training, and rotational job assignments that are on the revenue-producing side of the business. Increasingly, Social Media is becoming an important profit center for business.   As discussed in a previous posting, Social Media – Time Is The Wisest Counselor Of All, the time has come for business to “Read it and tweet: Social media takes a lot of time, but it pays off.”
• Little or no access to critical developmental assignments such as memberships on highly visible task forces and committees. Prominent CEOs who are currently running some of the largest companies in America, (women like Ms. Irene Rosenfeld of Kraft Foods, Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo, and Anne Sweeney of Disney) to mention only three, also sit on highly influential boards, charities and other powerful and important organizations.  This has in no way adversely affected their performance, in fact it has contributed mightily to their company’s profits, brand excellence and public visibility.
  
• Special or different standards for performance evaluation. The benchmarks for success and performance evaluation should be, predominantly:  Profits, shareholder value and contributions to society.  The women CEOs mentioned above, and countless others, have shown conclusively that their sex is irrelevant.  They deserve to be graded against the same yardsticks as men, and when they are history has shown that they will excel.
• Little or no access to informal networks of communication. Before the growth of Social Media, the Good Ol’ Boy network was the typical circle for communication.  Today, a Social Media-competent woman has at least three additional channels for communication:  The company’s Social Media following, a growing base of potential customers on Twitter and Facebook, and an increasingly engaged customer base from those sources.  Taken together, these new Social Media networks have kinetic energy never before available.
  
• Counterproductive behavior and harassment by colleagues. President John F. Kennedy once commented, “Failure is an orphan and success has a thousand fathers.”  With the growth and acceptance of Social Media, and the resulting profits therefrom, women with the soft power to make Social Media successful will be much-heralded within their companies.  Harassment will become a thing of the past for the women who marshal Social Media success.  Unless they get firmly seated on the Social Media bandwagon, their male colleagues will become the brunt of criticism and harassment.

Conclusion

By placing soft power in women’s hands, American business will achieve a level of accomplishment like never before.  Women have shown particular skill in the uses of proper strategy, execution and management in Social Media.  And while it requires an investment of time and resources, that investment can and will pay dramatic dividends.

The barriers to women in business have become the new springboards to acclaim.

Getting in touch with me is very easy

If you or your company are wishing to harness the power of Social Media I am very easy to get in touch with and I am eager to help.   Simply call the number below.  During normal business hours, (8 AM – 5 PM Scottsdale, Arizona time), it is my direct line.  Otherwise, just leave a message. If you would prefer to exchange email I would love to here from you. Just email michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com or click the email badge below. I promise I will get back to you within 24 hours.

Women’s Social Media Success Stories – Disney and Anne Sweeney

This is the 3rd installment of Women’s Social Media Success Stories.

To read the first installment regarding Kraft Foods and its prominent leader Ms. Irene Rosenfeld, please click here.

To read the second installment regarding PepsiCo and its hugely accomplished CEO Indra Nooyi, please click here.

To fully understand the selection process, please click here.

Anne Sweeney
Co-Chair Disney Media Networks and President Disney♦ABC Television Group

The temptation is great, when discussing Anne Sweeney’s celebrated career, to recite her long list of accomplishments as Wall Street would view them.  But to do so, in my view, would be to minimize the core reasons for her success in today’s rapidly changing world.

• While it is true that she has been called “the most powerful woman in Hollywood” by high-level agents, producers and even rival executives, she is much more than that.
• While it is true that she has delivered revenue to Disney Media Networks of more than $17 billion, that is not her most important contribution.
• While it is true that she oversees properties valued at a colossal $61 billion, that is not her most important corporate achievement.
• While it is true that over 10,000 employees call her boss, that is not her primary management characteristic.
• And while it is true that Forbes ranks her as one of  “The World’s Most Powerful Women,” her sex is essentially immaterial — merely an asterisk on her impressive resume.

The Core Reasons

The core reasons for her unparalleled success are more about who she is than what she does.

Anne Sweeney is the media executive who best epitomizes the magical promise that Social Media purports to deliver:  A pioneer without barriers — who admires innovation, revels in intellectual curiosity, embraces technology and expands her horizons continually.

She is a person who asks “What’s next?” not “Why should we?”

She is a person for whom the “story” is paramount, and who truly understands that brands must connect and engage with consumers.

At her stratospheric level of success, it is impossible to ignore the politics that surround her — it is a fact of corporate life — but she understands that the only safe harbor from the political storms is the bottom-line.  Accomplishment is the best weapon in her arsenal, and she is very well-armed.

Embracing Challenges

The tops of most corporations, like the tops of most mountain ranges, are remarkably similar.

Just as most mountains are crowned with snow, the tops of most corporations are surrounded by challenges.

Sometimes those challenges have been met by predecessors, or by peers within your industry, and solutions require nothing more than paying attention to what others have done in similar circumstances.  Occasionally, however, the challenges are startlingly new and without precedent.

In those singular situations, senior executives must decide whether to meet those challenges head-on, or to side-step them, looking for safer ground.

Anne Sweeney has proven her value in those challenging moments, by embracing the unknown and welcoming it.

The Video iPod

A good example was her reaction to the Apple iPod when it first appeared on the scene.

While many senior executives recoil at new technology devices, adopting an ultraconservative wait-and-see attitude, Anne Sweeney responded to the video iPod with enthusiasm and a spirit of exploration.

For her the iPod was not merely a new technology device, it was a paradigm-shifting opportunity.

She saw it as an exciting way for Disney to expand its reach — to touch an entirely new audience that intuitively she knew would develop.

That intuition placed Anne Sweeney in the rarefied air previously reserved for innovators like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

Catching the Wave

I lived in Hawaii as a young man, and I was intrigued by the surfers and the way they approached their sport.

In calm waters it was difficult to tell the novice surfers from the experts.  But as a towering set of waves appeared on the horizon, each surfer was required to make a choice.  Some would wait for the next wave until it was too late, but others would paddle like crazy until they were swept up by the power of the wave, taking the ultimate risk and flying into the exaltation that only risk-takers fully understand.

There are fundamentally two ways to approach change:  You can ignore it until it is too late, or you can paddle like crazy into an uncertain future.

Anne Sweeney has proven time after time that she is unafraid.  And that fearlessness has translated into soaring profits and wide-spread acclaim.

Innovation:  Grasp It or Fear It

One of the central mistakes made by many companies, especially in the evolving era of Social Media, is that they fear innovation.

All too often, company executives cling to the past — reinventing old strategies that have proven successful before — instead of grasping at innovation when it appears.

Social Media has forever changed the standard marketing protocols.  It is no longer acceptable to roll out a new product simply because it is what you have always done.

Instead you must listen to your customers:  Paying attention to their needs rather than your own.

Instead you must adapt to the way your customers live their lives:  Paying attention to how they integrate emerging technology into the daily expression of how they prefer to live.

Anne Sweeney is a master at grasping innovation.  She considers it a daily task, and she expects it from her entire team.  For this reason alone, she will continue to excel.

What Would You Do If … ?

Perhaps the most representative anecdote that capsulizes Anne Sweeney’s success, began with her attendance at the much anticipated Steve Jobs’ introduction of the iPad.

During that presentation, Jobs repeated what was to become the mantra of Apple’s magical new product:  “Imagine if you could hold the Internet in your hand!”

What an astonishing concept.

To her immense credit, instead of worrying about the impact of this phenomenal new technology product, or being jealous of the inevitable Apple success, Anne Sweeney asked her staff the next day:  “What would you do if you could hold the Internet in your hand?”

The resulting avalanche of new and innovative ideas, propelled Disney♦ABC toward the development of the ABC iPad App, and with it another new era of unbridled success.

Anne Sweeney had once again proven herself to be a professional of the highest stature and accomplishment.

Conclusion

We live in a world of new ideas:  An important trend that is guaranteed to continue.  Executives like Anne Sweeney, who approach innovation with excitement rather than dread, will be the trendsetters in this new world, and with fearlessness will come praise and profits.

Getting in touch with me is very easy

If you or your company are wishing to harness the power of Social Media I am very easy to get in touch with and I am eager to help.   Simply call the number below.  During normal business hours, (8 AM – 5 PM Scottsdale, Arizona time), it is my direct line.  Otherwise, just leave a message. If you would prefer to exchange email I would love to here from you. Just email michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com or click the email badge below. I promise I will get back to you within 24 hours.

Women’s Social Media Success Stories – PepsiCo and Indra Nooyi

This is the 2nd installment of Women’s Social Media Success Stories.

To read the first installment regarding Kraft Foods and its prominent leader Ms. Irene Rosenfeld, please click here.

To fully understand the selection process, please click here.

PepsiCo – Indra Nooyi

Criteria:

Performance with Purpose – It’s a Long Way From Sugar Water

PepsiCo is a fascinating company.  It has certainly come a long way since Caleb Bradham sold the first glass of “Brad’s Drink” from the counter of his soda fountain in 1893.  Steve Jobs famously asked John Sculley, the president of PepsiCo from 1977 to 1983: “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?”  Interesting, isn’t it, how we classify companies by their products?

But PepsiCo is so much more.

Today, PepsiCo is an iconic business leader, with immense profits and worldwide fame.  But that’s still only half the story.

Importantly, its present-day success — and more significantly, its heart and soul — can be attributed to the able and concerned leadership of its current CEO, Indra Nooyi.  If PepsiCo is a fascinating company, Indra Nooyi is amazing.

How do you measure a corporation and its top management?  Profit and Loss?  Well, of course.  But the true measure of a corporation is more about its worldview.  It’s more about the contribution it makes to society and to the human family.  In this respect alone, Indra Nooyi is deserving of the highest praise.

Since becoming PepsiCo’s CEO in 2006, she has made a huge impact on her company, its employees, their families and the countless lives she has touched worldwide.  Her credo, and PepsiCo’s core value system, is called “Performance with Purpose.” It’s how she runs the Company.  To use her words of explanation:  “All corporations operate from a license with society… we owe society a duty of care.”

If the definition of Social Media is the ability to reach out to your customers and potential customers; the desire to engage with them; and the commitment to solve their problems — then PepsiCo under Nooyi is the epitome of Social Media.

A New Definition of Profit

As businesspeople, we are all familiar with the profitability equation:  Revenue – Costs = Profits.

Under Indra Nooyi’s enlightened leadership, PepsiCo’s profitability equation is fundamentally different:  The Performance with Purpose equation is:

Revenue – Costs – Costs to Society = Profits.

Imagine a company that actually cares, intrinsically — not just for its customers and the revenue they bring in the door, but for the human condition generally.  Imagine a company where the employee’s do not have to check their consciences at the door when they come to work.  Isn’t this exactly what we all wish for the American economy?  An economy that’s stable and growing, but with a heart?

A Social Media Leader – Par Excellence.

According to Forbes, in 2010, “Nooyi nudged a $20 million slice of the company’s $616-million-a-year ad budget away from traditional to social media spends.  A worldwide campaign, Pepsi Refresh, lets you submit grant proposals to a website, then encourages online voters to choose the winners (amounts: $5,000 to $250,000). ‘It blurs the line between philanthropy and advertising,’ says Nooyi, whose total annual compensation package last year was $10.6 million. Refresh also allocates $1.3 million each month for a U.S. project, such as the recent ‘Do Good For the Gulf,’ which offers stipends to build a shelter for animals whose owners lost their homes to the oil spill and to provide mental health services and job training. ‘Brands have to speak to millenniums; young people want to make a difference,” she says.

So true.  It is the highest and best use of Social Media, in my opinion.

Accomplishments

Before I make Indra Nooyi sound like the Mother Theresa of American Business, it’s important to point out that she is very accomplished by whatever traditional yardsticks you care to use.  In addition to her duties as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Incorporated, here are just a few of her other accomplishments as reported on Wikipedia:

• She is a Successor Fellow of the Yale Corporation.
  
• She serves as a member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, International Rescue Committee, Catalyst and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
• She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Eisenhower Fellowships, and has served as Chairperson of the U.S.-India Business Council.
• In 2009, Nooyi was considered one of “The Top-Gun CEOs” by Brendan Wood International, an advisory agency.
• In 2010 she was named #1 on Fortune‘s list of the “50 Most Powerful Women” and #6 on Forbes’ list of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women”.
• She joined PepsiCo in 1994 and was named president and CFO in 2001. Nooyi has directed the company’s global strategy for more than a decade and led PepsiCo’s restructuring, including the 1997 divestiture of its restaurants into Tricon, now known as Yum! Brands.
• She also took the lead in the acquisition of Tropicana in 1998,and merger with Quaker Oats Company, which also brought Gatorade to PepsiCo.
• According to BusinessWeek, since she started as CFO in 2000, the company’s annual revenues have risen 72%, while net profit more than doubled, to $5.6 billion in 2006.
• Nooyi was named on Wall Street Journal’s list of 50 women to watch in 2007 and 2008, and was listed among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in The World in 2007 and 2008.
• Forbes named her the #3 most powerful woman in 2008.
• Fortune ranked her the #1 most powerful woman in business in 2009 and 2010.
• On the 7th of October 2010 Forbes magazine ranked her the 6th most powerful woman in the world.
• At its 2009 commencement, Barnard College awarded Nooyi the Barnard Medal of Honor, the College’s highest award.
• Forbes magazine ranked Nooyi fourth on the 2008 and 2009 list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
• Fortune magazine has named Nooyi number one on its annual ranking of Most Powerful Women in business for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
• In 2008, Nooyi was named one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report.
• In 2007, she was chosen as a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award by the Government of India.
• In 2008, she was elected to the Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Conclusion

Indra Nooyi is a truly remarkable CEO and a humanitarian of the first order.  She sets a marvelous example to businessmen and women everywhere.  She epitomizes all that is good about Social Media, and she disproves the myth, once and for all, that profits are driven by cold realities in the marketplace.  A wife and mother of two daughters, she stands with great power, and simple grace, at the top of American business.  She is a woman we can all be proud of, and a leader we should all attempt to emulate.

TRAJECTORY IS COMING SOON.

My new book, Trajectory, will be published in December, 2011.  If you found this article useful, you will love the book.  You may read the first chapter, Overview, by clicking here.

PREVIEW TRAJECTORY: To preview the complete Mind View, (conceptual diagram), of the new book Trajectory, click here for a free download.  

Trajectory Information

Anticipated Final Publish Date: December 13, 2011.

Anticipated Price: $24.95

AVAILABLE ONLINE: In addition to the book itself,  buyers will receive a password to the Client Login section of this website at no additional cost, where they can view the book in its entirety online, read supplementary materials and use expanded tutorials.  Importantly, as the Social Media landscape changes, additional material not available at the time of publication will be available here.

Any questions?  I am here to help.

If you are a businessperson searching for answers, or you know someone who is, I am very easy to get in touch with and I am eager to help.

Don’t be shy, be effective instead.  Take action.

Simply call the number below.  During normal business hours, (8 AM – 5 PM Scottsdale, Arizona time), it is my direct line.

If I am unavailable, just leave a message.

If you would prefer to exchange email I would love to here from you.   Just email michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com or click the email badge below.   I promise I will get back to you within 24 hours.

If you believe your company can benefit from a robust and highly professional Social Media Campaign, complete the following form for no-obligation information and an application.

Our Pricing

Women’s Social Media Success Stories – Kraft Foods and Irene Rosenfeld

Background & Apologies

Cataloging the Social Media successes attributable to women is a daunting task.  Not because of limited numbers, but instead because there are so many worthy of praise.

Some are much-heralded leaders in Corporate America, but others appear in unprecedented numbers behind the scenes, as key executives in Social Media functions, and importantly, as active Social Media consultants and bloggers who have accepted the task of supporting women in business generally.

Because I do not wish to insult any of the myriad women who deserve accolades, this will not be a single series of articles, but rather a continuous dialog on the Jericho Technology website.  Watch for it in the months ahead, and please leave your thoughts and comments to help me give credit where credit is due.

Methodology

Because this task is so immense, it cries out for structure.  So for purposes of these initial articles I have adopted the following winnowing process, admittedly flawed, incomplete and somewhat arbitrary:

The Process:

1. Researched various lists of prominent women, among them:
   • Forbes’ World’s Most Powerful Women,
   • The 100 Most Powerful Women On Twitter as cataloged by Twitter Grader,
   • Top 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Led Companies,
   • 14 Power Women To Follow On Twitter, and
   • The 100 Best Womens Blogs all as noted by Forbes Woman.
2. Removed all those women who were defined as celebrities or socio-political figures, leaving a smaller group who were identified mainly as businesswomen.
3. Compared this list against the 100 largest companies in America, as ranked by assets.
4. Researched the Twitter status of these companies, removing those without a formidable Twitter presence.
5. Finally, identified women on this filtered list whose companies have made publicly noted contributions to the growth and understanding of Social Media.

Exclusions

Not included in this list are:

• Those companies who follow a Social Media strategy not including Twitter.
• Those Women Entrepreneurs in smaller companies — who will be recognized in Part 2 — who own smaller businesses but who have contributed enormously not only to their own success, but to the growing dominance of businesswomen everywhere.
• The many praise-worthy Social Media consultants and bloggers whose contributions have been immensely valuable.  A few from this group will be highlighted in Part 3.

Companies Chosen

Finally, for purposes of the next three daily articles, I am arbitrarily limiting my thoughts to three companies whose stories I find most interesting and worthy of note.

The companies are:

1. Kraft
2. PepsiCo, and
3. Disney

Kraft Foods – Ms. Irene Rosenfeld

Criteria:

Ms. Irene Rosenfeld has been Chairman of Kraft Foods Inc. since March 30, 2007 and has been its Chief Executive Officer since June 26, 2006.  She is a 29-year veteran of the food and beverage industry.  She began her career at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample advertising agency, working in consumer research.  Among her many accomplishments at Kraft Foods, she led the restructuring and turnaround of key businesses in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.  Forbes has named Ms. Rosenfeld one of the world’s “100 Most Powerful Women” and Fortune ranks her No. 2 on its “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” list.

Nielsen’s Consumer 360 conference

Kicking off Nielsen’s Consumer 360 conference in Las Vegas, Ms. Rosenfeld addressed the ways reaching consumers have changed significantly over the last twenty years and how the Internet and social media are increasingly important components of overall marketing strategies.

Quoting Nielsen, “Previously, brands acted as teachers, according to Rosenfeld. Marketing was designed to build an image around a brand with the expectation that consumers would be attracted to it; they would aspire to the brand. Today, that ‘paradigm is upside down,’ as brands want to learn from consumers and find ways to connect with them.

Nielsen continued:

“One way to do that is to find shared values. Kraft’s Hockeyville campaign in Canada builds on a national passion by reaching consumers across the country and engaging them with the Kraft brand in a new way. Co-sponsored by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association, Hockeyville enables towns and cities to compete for the chance to host a pre-season NHL game in their community, as well as win $100,000 to upgrade local sporting facilities. The campaign crosses all of the major media – print, TV and the Internet – and enables consumers to create their own stories. Unlike traditional marketing efforts, Kraft is not the main event: consumers are the focus and the brand is simply a facilitator. “It’s amazing seeing people waving boxes of mac and cheese at a sporting event, but it warms my heart,” said Rosenfeld.

Rosenfeld also discussed how in the past, marketers would debate whether a campaign should be emotional or functional. Today, that debate doesn’t occur: campaigns serve both purposes, with culture added to the mix. Using the resurgence of Miracle Whip to highlight this trend, Rosenfeld outlined how market research – particularly Internet mining – enable the company’s marketers to find a core group of young, passionate and loyal fans for the sandwich spread: males, age 18-34. Using this information, Kraft marketers sought to make Miracle Whip part of contemporary culture with quirky, fun TV commercials which led to the campaign’s mention by Stephen Colbert. A mock “Sandwich Spread Smackdown” ensued, and Kraft strategically bought all of the advertising around one the show’s episodes. Further updating the brand was placement within Lady Gaga’s hit video “Telephone” — a video that was viewed more than 38 million times on YouTube, and the once-staid brand is adding market share in North America.

Another way marketing has changed is that in the 1980s and 90s, brands sought to reach consumers by appealing to individuality. Today, brands seek to build relationships with people, appealing to “us” as opposed to “me.”

Five Key Takeaways:

1. Yesterday – Brands were teachers: Brands had a one directional lesson to teach consumers.
   Today – Brands are students: We need to sit back listen and learn; ask consumers to help create the stories.
2. Yesterday – Take it or leave it: A mentality of brand superiority ruled
   Today – Shared values matter more than selling proposition: Successful campaigns speak directly to consumer’s sentiment.
3. Yesterday – Brands were either functional or emotional. Brands were either one or the other – not both.
   Today – Brands are functional, emotional + cultural: We no longer need to choose. Digital means you connect all three levels.
4. Yesterday – It’s all about me: Brands were marketed toward individuality.
   Today – It’s all about us: It isn’t about “I”; it’s about “we.” Successful brand’s help build relationships with friends and families.
5. Yesterday – They need us: Brands told consumers why they needed the brand.
   Today – We need them: Brands need consumers more than consumers need brands.

Speaking to the importance of mining insights and using research, Rosenfeld outlined the missing tools in the brand toolbox.

1. Need deeper consumer understanding: Know your consumers like your family
2. Need new measurement tools:  Understand which tactics work, which don’t and why in real time.
3. Need to tap into social and cultural values: Discover what is going on in consumer’s minds and find real ways to make consumer’s lives richer and more meaningful.

In closing, Rosenfeld noted that people are consuming 350% more data than thirty years ago, reading 100,000 more words a day outside of work and that 24 hours of video is loaded every minute on YouTube to demonstrate how things are changing faster than ever before. Brands have to adapt to this environment if they want to continue to be successful. ‘Let’s get going,’ concluded Rosenfeld.”

Interview with Steve Forbes

In a Forbes interview conducted late last year, Steve Forbes asked her:

“Everyone now says Facebook, Twitter.  How do you see that affecting your brands, your products?”

She responded, “… as we look forward, the opportunity to establish stronger connections between our brands and our consumer is going to be the essence of our success.”

She cited an example that is telling.  She said, “… take a brand like Philadelphia Cream Cheese.We have an affiliation with one of the celebrities from The Food Network, Paula Deen.  The segment is called Real Women of Philadelphia.  And she’s been able to engage 300,000 users of Philadelphia Cream Cheese to get them to talk to her about their recipe thoughts and how they feel about the brand.

Whereas before, we would have in the course of a year put out maybe 100 recipes in our one-way communication to the consumers. In the course of eight weeks, we actually got back 5,000 recipes from our consumers in the course of our Real Women of Philadelphia dialogue.  So I am delighted by the capability that digital media and the ability to interact more frequently and in more of a two-way dialogue with our consumer provides us.”

As a followup, Forbes asked, “What have you done internally and with the agencies you use to really push that forward?”

She responded revealingly, “… we’re demanding that we think about what we call 360 marketing from all of our agencies, which means we want to make sure that we are addressing all the potential touch points for each of our brands as we market them.

And increasingly, we’re finding some of our agencies are not as able to make that leap as others. I think we started when we began though there was a sense that we wanted to try to find one-stop shopping and I think increasingly, we’re discovering that there are different places that have different skill sets and we are well served to be able to capitalize on the strengths of each of them.”

Conclusion

Irene Rosenfeld is a stellar example of the modern CEO.  Accomplished at the multiple skills necessary for unqualified success in the Global Economy, but humble enough to realize that skill sets must adapt in the Social Media world, she sets a shining example for businesswomen everywhere.

Getting in touch with me is very easy

If you are a Woman Entrepreneur wishing to harness the power of Social Media, or you know someone who is, I am very easy to get in touch with and I am eager to help.   Simply call the number below.  During normal business hours, (8 AM – 5 PM Scottsdale, Arizona time), it is my direct line.  Otherwise, just leave a message. If you would prefer to exchange email I would love to here from you. Just email michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com or click the email badge below. I promise I will get back to you within 24 hours.

Brain Map To Success In Social Media (Pt.1)

What’s the Problem?

Social Media is a profoundly important innovation in the way the world does business.  But with a few notable exceptions, it is not living up to its enormous potential.  At least not so far. 

So, what’s the problem?

The answers are all over the brain map.

The Brain Map

By understanding the Brain Map, you can begin to understand the problems associated with Social Media.

Science has studied the dual nature of the brain for a very long time.  Many problems with Social Media stem from the divergent thinking that emanates from either side.

Let’s consider a few examples of this divergent thinking, as exhibited by key players who may inhabit your business life:

• Some say Social Media is unproven, and that it’s just a fad that will eventually go the way of the hula-hoop in the late 1950′s.
• Others suggest that it’s the wrong approach pointed at the wrong audience — that Twitter followers, for example, are disengaged, disinterested, and that their numbers are disproportionate to their value.
• And still others insist that Social Media’s effect on profits is difficult to quantify, so its wide adoption has been slow.
• These disparaging ideas are held by folks who think with the left side of their brains.

As a Social Media devotee–someone charged with its successful execution–you have a diametrically opposite view.

• You are convinced that Social Media is here to stay.
• You are certain that Twitter, for example, is a valid tool for amassing a large, fully engaged and productive following that will materially enhance your business.
• You are working diligently to quantify your results, using available techniques, and you are constantly on the lookout for new and better approaches.
• Your ideas emanate predominantly from the right side of your brain.

Who is right?

Some of the best brains in marketing have wrapped themselves around this conundrum, but it’s just possible that they are missing the real problem — and with it, the real solution.

I have made an extensive study of this question over the last year — a study based upon real-world empirical evidence — and I believe I might have stumbled upon the answer.

In a word, the real problem with Social Media is: Left-Brainers.

Left-Brainers?  Right-Brainers?  What’s Going On Here?

The are two types of people in the world, by scientific definition:  Those that are left-brain dominant and those that are right-brain dominant.  I call them Left-Brainers and Right-Brainers.

Left-Brainers can be defined this way:

♦  They are analytical, logical, linear folks with a passion for results and a gnawing fear that none will materialize.
♦  They are facts and details-oriented.
♦  They tend to think in terms of the present and the past.
♦  When they begin to understand a new concept they talk in terms of comprehension.
♦  They speak in terms of knowing.
♦  If a new idea is working, they will acknowledge the success.
♦  And they like strategies that are safe and completely practical.

Right-Brainers can be defined this way:

♦  They are conceptual, non-linear folks with a passion for possibilities and a persistent belief that good results will materialize.
♦  They often follow their feelings, (call them gut instincts), rather than logic.
♦  They are “big-picture” oriented and often follow their imaginations rather than facts.
♦  They tend to think in terms of the present and the future, instead of the past.
♦  They don’t comprehend a new concept, they “get it.”
♦  They speak in terms of believing.
♦  If a new idea is working, they will appreciate the success.
♦  They like strategies that are forward-thinking and cautiously optimistic.
♦  They are sometimes impetuous, but always committed and unafraid of risk.

What’s the Real Solution?

Now that we have defined the real problem, what is the real solution?  I certainly do not profess to have all the answers, but here are a few suggestions:

♦  Left-Brainers detest uncertainty.   They are extremely uncomfortable with uncertain results, even if they are willing to admit that the new idea has potential.  You need to counteract this problem with constant, authoritative and demonstrable proof that your Social Media activities are on the right track.  There is no such thing as too much information, as long as it is accurate, provable and non-combative.  After all, effective and efficient Social Media will eventually fall to the bottom line, which benefits everyone in the Company.

♦  Left-Brainers can be team players. It may not always seem so, but even critics within your Company want to see successful results.  If you pay attention to their analytical needs, and you position your results to conform to their bench-mark analytical requirements, everyone wins.

♦  Left-Brainers concentrate on the past, but can be moved toward the future. This is simply a matter of perspective.  Left-Brainers have been taught throughout their professional lives to rely upon past experience, and the empirical data that flows from it.  Admittedly, they can sometimes be rigid.  Your job is to continue looking forward with cautious optimism, and to demonstrate at every reasonable opportunity that the past is not always controlling.  Social Media in its current form is a product of the future — a true innovation in business — and as such requires a fresh perspective.  Just keep nudging, and as profits begin to show up, even the staunchest Left-Brainers will move toward the middle.

♦  Left-Brainers can make an important contribution to your success. Even the strongest detractors can become advocates in time.  Solicit the Left-Brainers’ suggestions, ideas and contributions.  Once he is inside the tent with you, you will find his support invaluable.

♦  Left-Brainers can be malleable. Just because he has been determinedly analytical in the past, does not mean that he can’t be conceptual if he is drawn into the excitement Social Media can deliver.  Get him involved in the process.  Let him feel the exhilaration you feel when things come together.  Right-brain enthusiasm can be infectious.

♦  Left-Brainers can learn to accept uncertainty. An important idea to share with Left-Brainers, is that most innovation is preceded by a period of uncertainty.  Uncertainty can be good.  It stimulates creativity, encourages exploration and entices people to action.  Most important changes in business require a certain amount of risk-taking, and risk-takers tend to be leaders.

♦  Left-Brainers love to evaluate. It’s what they do best.  Agree on benchmarks that you both feel are reasonable, and then studiously evaluate the situation as it evolves.  Once he knows you are as concerned about tangible evidence as he is, you can forge a lasting partnership.

What’s Next?

In Part 2 of this series, I will explore how you can apply these same Brain Map theories to your Social Media followers.  You can solve their problems and meet their needs.  As you do so, you will increase your Social Media opportunities.  And in Part 3 we will tie it all together with examples of companies that are doing it right.

Getting in touch with me is very easy

If you are an Entrepreneur wishing to harness the power of Social Media, or you know someone who is, I am very easy to get in touch with and I am eager to help.   Simply call the number below.  During normal business hours, (8 AM – 5 PM Scottsdale, Arizona time), it is my direct line.  Otherwise, just leave a message. If you would prefer to exchange email I would love to here from you. Just email michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com or click the email badge below. I promise I will get back to you within 24 hours.