The Lessons Whitney Taught Me

On Saturday, February 11, 2012, we lost an amazing woman.  Her name was Whitney Elizabeth Houston.  It took some time for me to process this.  I was extremely heart-broken at this news.  Although I did not know her, I could not help but to feel robbed for her daughter, her mother, the rest of her family, and her fans.  I’ve asked myself, what is the lesson here?  What can we all learn from Ms. Houston’s untimely death?  Here is what I have come up with:

• We cannot overestimate what our bodies can handle.  We must take care of ourselves as if we were children.  It is easy to forget that as we get older, we may not bounce back as quickly as we used to.  Be good to yourself.  Treat yourself gently.
• Say what you have to say now.  Tomorrow is not promised.  This isn’t a new concept but it needs to be said.  If you have something to say to someone, say it now.  Don’t wait.
• Live your life, now.  If there is a goal you want to attain, don’t wait to work for it. Chase it and go after it.  Work towards your life’s purpose.  You don’t know how much time you have left on this earth.

If there is something else that Whitney’s life or death has taught you, please feel free to comment below.

In honor of Ms. Houston, I’ve posted two videos showing the God-given talent that she had. May you rest in peace Ms. Whitney Elizabeth Houston.

I Am Changing:

I Love the Lord:

Black Gold – Esperanza Spalding with Algebra Blesset

I love Grammy Award winner Esperanza Spalding.  Her album “Esperanza” is simply genius.  Check out her contribution to Black History Month.  I love everything about it!

Michelle Obama Covers More Magazine

Michelle Obama covers the February 2012 issue of More Magazine.  I am not a subscriber to this magazine but when I saw the picture, I just had to pick up a copy!  I think this is one of the best cover photographs of the First Lady that I have ever seen.  She looks radiant and happy.

In the article, Mrs. Obama describes her campaign to build self-confidence in young women through her mentorship campaign.  The program pairs quietly selected teenage girls with senior female advisors in the President’s administration.  The goal is to not only motivate the young ladies, but to truly show them that anything is possible.  The young ladies are able to build one-on-one relationships with women who understand where they are in life and who can help them get to where they want to go.  The goal is to help the ladies understand that their dreams are not abstract and are totally attainable.  This program sounds like a well needed initiative.  I’m proud of the First Lady and all of the women in the Obama Administration for participating in this program.

Pick up the February issue of More Magazine to read the entire article.

Rosalind Brewer – New CEO of Sam’s Club

Ms. Rosalind Brewer has been named the new CEO of Sam’s Club.  This beautiful Spelman alumna, will not only be the first woman, but also the first African-American to hold this prestigious position at the huge retail powerhouse.   Ms. Brewer and Ms. Burns will now be the only two black women CEO’s of billion dollar corporations.  Kudos to them! 

Source.

Are You Managing Your Reputation Offline?

Picture Courtesy of Cleanreputations.com

Here I discussed the importance of managing your online reputation.  It is also important to manage your offline reputation.  How do you know if people have an accurate perception of you?  When was the last time you asked someone what they truly thought of you?

I used to work at a law firm in a department that was separated from the rest of the firm.  As a result, my coworkers and I had very little interaction with anyone outside of the department.  After working with one particular coworker for almost two years, she resigned and moved to another job.  After she left, people started to say how they really felt about the young lady.

“She was really bossy and talked too much.”

“I think we will be more efficient now.  She wasn’t much of a team player.”

“Everything was always about her.”

WHAT!!!  I was stunned.  I had no idea how strongly people felt about her.  When I started to ask questions, I learned that just because people were nice to the young lady, that didn’t mean that they liked her.  In their minds, they were being professionals.  People felt that she talked at them and not to them.  People also felt that she was selfish.  I’m sure that the young lady had no idea how she was perceived.  I’m also sure that if I were to tell her what her old coworkers had to say about her, she would be crushed.  I felt badly because I knew that she had good intentions and had no idea that she was rubbing people the wrong way.

People will always pass judgement on other people.  It is just nature.  Your job as  a person who wants to build and maintain your personal brand is to make sure the conclusions people are making about you are correct.  You have to actively make sure people are judging you correctly.  Here are my five tips to do just that:

1. Treat people as you want to be treated.  People say this all the time but do they actually do it?  Small gestures leave big impressions.  Smile more.
2. Don’t take my word for it… Or anybody else’s word for that matter.  Make your own decisions about people.  People will always volunteer their opinions about others.  But are they right?  Don’t assume they are.  This also goes back to number 1.  You would want someone to give you the benefit of the doubt right?
3. Be proactive.  Show people the real you.  If people know who you really are, there won’t be room for any misconceptions.
4. Always do your best.  This will change from day-to-day.  But if you do your best, and try to be your best self every day, you will have little regrets.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions.  Find someone you trust and ask them the questions you don’t want the answers to.  This will help you make changes for the better.  Don’t be afraid of change.  Life is change.

Want to add any tips to my list?  Add them in the comments section.

Your Brand vs. Branding

I recently read this article by Deborah Shane entitled “5 Ways Your Brand and Branding Define You.”  She gave five excellent tips to keep in mind while managing your brand and relates it to well-known corporate brands.  Her definitions of brand and branding really resounded with me.  She says,

“Your brand is you: who you are, what you do, what you stand for, your DNA personality.

“Your branding is what you do: every way you put your brand in action to create associations with you…”

I think that might be one of the most clear and concise definitions of brand and branding I have ever read.  As you work towards building and maintaining your personal brand, (keeping in mind that you must do this every day because the internet and information moves faster than a blink of an eye), what is your brand and what is your branding?  How do you use your branding to build your brand?

As I read Ms. Shane’s words, I realize I have some work to do.  I better get to it! What about you?

Super Sweets – Two Women of the WNBA

Laurel J. Richie - President of the WNBA

On May 16, 2011, Laurel J. Richie assumed the role of President of the WNBA.  Previously the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Ms. Richie is no stranger to organizations that uplift women.  She is credited with keeping the Girl Scout brand current and fresh.

A graduate of Dartmouth College, Ms. Richie has over 3 years experiences in marketing, public relations, corporate management, and branding.  She will now apply all of those skills to the WNBA.  Her goal in her new role is to “reach out to people and engage them.”

Lisa Leslie - Part owner of the Los Angeles Sparks

The WNBA has just made another amazing announcement.  Lisa Leslie has just become part owner of the Los Angeles Sparks.  She will be the first WNBA player to invest in a team.  Being first at something is not new to Ms. Leslie.  She was the first player to reach 6000 points in the WNBA as well as the first WNBA player to dunk during a game.

I’m a basketball fan but I must admit that I don’t follow women’s basketball.  I’m hoping that these two savvy business women will increase my interest in the WNBA and give basketball lovers something to follow since the NBA is still locked out with no resolution in sight.  Only time will tell.  Do you follow the WNBA?  What do you think of these two changes?