Is it congruent or running counter to culture?
By Lisa Hochgraf
During a live Web presentation, Cornell University Professor Kathleen O'Connor describes how leadership brand is like corporate brands using several examples.[/caption] A corporate brand is the three or four words people consistently think of when they think of that company. A public figure's brand is the three or four words people think of when they think of that person. In turn, a leader's brand is ... you got it ... the three or four words people think of when they think of that leader. That's how Professor Kathleen O'Connor, Ph.D., explained leadership brand in "Leadership Brand and Shadow," a new blended learning course now in progress through a partnership between CUES and Cornell University. Blended learning (Editor's note January 26, 2015: this is now called CUES Elite Access) designed to maximize educational value, while minimizing travel and time away from work. Knowing your own leadership brand can help you decide if it is congruent with your credit union's culture, or if you are running against the current, O'Connor said. Knowing your strengths that support your brand can help you make career decisions. To illustrate, O'Connor asked participants in her live Web presentation to chat in feedback about brands and public figures. For example, when O'Connor showed a slide of the Apple logo, attendees sent her these words: innovation, value creator and game-changer. When she showed a video clip of Oprah, attendees chatted in "compassionate," "business savvy" and "best friend." O'Connor presented several brand profiles of leaders in the CU industry based on interviews she had done with them (she did not present their real names). She also described how, as part of the course, participants would be supported in crafting their own leadership brands and putting them to work for their careers and their credit unions by professional executive coaches.
Lisa Hochgraf is a senior editor. CUES Elite Access courses starting in May 2015 include Strategic HR Leadership, Leadership Brand and Shadow, and Women who Lead, all through Cornell University. Read a related post on CUES Skybox.
