• Always on
• Brevity, brevity, brevity 
• Captivating  or die 

We apply some strict rules to everyone else when we are on the receiving end:  I’ll get on my smartphone if your presentation is not entertaining and short. I might do it anyway. I won’t read your post if it is more than a paragraph.  I probably won’t watch your video if the duration listed in the lower left corner is more than 2 minutes.   I will always mute myself on a conference call or webinar so I can do something else. Your elevator speech?  Make it an elevator tweet.  Your business case for your new project?  No more than one page please.  If I text or email you, get back to me very soon if not immediately. 

But what about when we are on the delivering end?  Do we judge ourselves by the same rules?  If so, I’m guilty of at least one broken rule with this post. 

The people we are trying to influence decide what Always on, Brevity, and Captivating are – not us.  Don’t leave your audience wanting less from you next time.

a.  Adults over 55?

b.  30 somethings?

c.  20 somethings?

d.  Under 18’s?

If you answered “d”, you probably understand the iGeneration better than most.  This generation, also known as Generation Z, is described by some marketers as ”the 13 and unders”, while others describe it as the “18 and unders.”  It’s around 50 million strong, according to a report by AdAge Magazine.

And the “i”, can stand for internet, independence, or the AdAge top choice:  influential.  They have a real say in how their parents, mostly Gen X’ers, spend money.  And, who influences these influencers?  Other iGen’ers.  Like earlier generations of young people, they look to friends to tell them what products to buy, movies to see, places to go.  But it happens a lot through social media or internet sites aimed at this group.  And, it happens on a grand scale.  As one expert says, they are not just comfortable with technology, they are uncomfortable without it.

So what?  Brands and businesses have known for a long time that kids exert influence over their parents’ decisions about vacations, technology, restaurants, food products, the clothes they (and their parents) wear, and so on.  The so what is how do you incorporate this eKid influence into marketing or selling tactics today?  Here’s an example I encountered last month:

I was in a Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas and stopped in their casual restaurant to have a quick lunch.  Sat at the bar.  I saw the small devices (see photo) sitting on a corner of the bar where wait staff pick up drinks.  Were they eletronic order pads for the wait staff?  No.  They were DVDs loaded with Disney content, Nickelodeon content, various games, etc. The wait staff gave them to children who were dining with their parents.  The cute little placemat and crayons?!  That’s so 2009. Hmmm, I remember a time when you rarely saw children in a Four Seasons hotel, but that’s another post.

1. What do you stand for – what’s your promise?  (aka your value proposition)
2. To whom will you deliver this promise?  (aka your target audience)
3. How will you connect with them?  (aka your communications & distribution)

Lists like the one above work well as checklists for the past  year, e.g. “How well did I do this year at delivering what I promised?”  And, the 3 questions should spawn all kinds of secondary questions.  Like, “How do customers think I did compared to competition?”   And,  “How do I know what my customers think?”    The questions are also good to ask yourself  for a new year.  For example,  ”What do I need to change in these 3 areas to be an even stronger brand in 2012?”  

Below is my favorite checklist for new business success.  It’s from Mackey McDonald, former client and chairman of VF Corporation, a Fortune 300 company.  For several years, I facilitated an annual week-long new business case development session for VF.   Mackey always presided over the final day’s competition among 3 teams of  carefully chosen top talent.  His questions were straight-forward, simple, brilliant.   But coming up with convincing answers?   Not so easy - even for the most talented.  If you are thinking of trying something new in your business in 2012 – and I hope you are – try answering these questions first.

1. Who is the customer for this product - why do they need it?
2. Why are you positioned to deliver it better than your competition?
3. How will you make money with it?

I have told my clients for the past decade that they cannot choose to have a personal brand or not – they already have one.  But they can, and must, choose to protect it and manage it.  We are all aware that we should not post questionable photos on Facebook.  According to personal brand guru, Dan Schawbel,  61% of HR executives say they look at candidates’ Facebook pages and 41% of them say they have rejected a candidate based on what they saw.  

But refraining from posting negative photos is not enough – you need to carefully select what you do post.  In an Adage reported survey of millenials, over 90% of them responded that they edited their FB photos so they would look their best.  Two good questions to ask yourself are “what does my profile photo convey about me and what do the other photos in aggregate convey?”

But, it’s much more than Facebook photos that define your brand.  One futurist predicts that soon when someone Googles your name, they will see online reviews about you too!    Personal reviews.  Character reviews. Performance reviews.  Your personal brand out of your personal control.  Surely, we will be able to screen out any reviews posted by our “ex’s”?!  People we fired?!   Competition!?  Our teenaged children?!  Don’t count on it. 

Dan Schwabel has 5 great tips for protecting your online persona.  Start caring for your e-brand today.

Mary Steele heads up Executive Compensation for Delta Air Lines.  Delta serves more than 160 million passengers each year in 59 countries on 6 continents and employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide! 

I first met Mary when she was the Chief  HR officer of SunTrust Banks.  In addition to her duties as the top HR executive, she was an in-demand speaker for the American Bankers Association, the Bank Administration Institute, the WorldatWork, the Conference Board, Fortune Magazine and the Society for Human Resource Management.  And she authored numerous articles for banking, business and human resources publications on everything from mergers and acquisitions to talent management and executive compensation.  As a consultant, I learned and learned and learned some more from Mary – so it’s no surprise she is also on the faculty of WorldatWork.

In this quarter’s interview, Mary shares some of her career wisdom and she gives us a peek into the direction compensation is heading. 

What is the best career move you have ever made?

A: Changing from the field of psychology and guidance counseling to the world of business. I absolutely love the variety of work that I have been able to enjoy in the business world.

What do you think is a good career move for a mid-career person today?

A: Anything to get P&L responsibility on one’s resume… and then demonstrating that you can make money for the company.

What is fun about you?

A: I have 28 nieces and nephews and when each turned 12, they got to come and spend a long weekend with Aunt Mary. Each visit was individually tailored, very educational, tons of fun, and enormously memorable.

As an executive in the business of travel, what is the best place you have ever visited?

Mary (left) and her sister in South Africa

A: That is a tough question as I have enjoyed all of my many international travels. Certainly Cape Town South Africa was a very special trip I took with my sister. The incredibly beautiful scenery was breathtaking and the people very friendly. Our guide did a great job teaching us about the culture, the area and the history of South Africa. And the wine was delicious.

Looking back, what would you change in your career?

A: I love to work and truly enjoyed the many varied aspects of my career. But I would have tried to put more balance and perspective in my life.

 What are some of the changes you see emerging in executive compensation?

A: One of the reasons I am passionate about executive compensation is that it is constantly changing. I expect we will continue to see more focus on linking pay and performance; we will intensify the struggle of defining performance; long term incentives will evolve as a portfolio of various stock/cash vehicles rather than just using one type of stock plan; there will be more performance features added to restricted stock; and we will significantly increase the dialogue with investors to counter the enormous power held by the proxy advisory groups.

What is your superpower?

A: I know that I am loved by my huge family. I want my tombstone to read, “She was a good person.”