Illustra Image Consulting Blog

Advance Yourself By Advancing Your Leaders

Many leaders want to use their positions as a platform to selfishly showcase their expertise because in today’s world they may be afraid of losing their jobs to downsizing. When people on their team come up with a fabulous concept that gets implemented and is extremely success, the designated leader want to take all the credit. But real leadership – the kind that earns promotions to senior executive positions – requires that you become a platform and springboard for advancing your employee and team members not yourself.

TIP: People love to work for confident leaders who are secure enough in their own abilities to give credit to the people on their teams. When you celebrate your team’s successes and give recognition to tem members your superiors realize you know how to build and manage a talented high performance team. Trust me – all organizations seek that kind of gifted leader.

Getting your people positioned to move up the corporate ladder is crucial today. Are you giving your leaders the boost they need?



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You may, as long as you include this complete bio with it:
Sarah Hathorn is a professional image consultant, certified personal brand strategist, speaker, and author. Her company, Illustra Image Consulting, works with high-achieving future leaders and large businesses by enhancing their corporate and personal brand image to take their businesses and careers to the next level.
Blog, Ezine & Website: www.illustraconsulting.com
Copyright © 2011, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

Will You Peer through the Peephole When Opportunity Knocks?

When career opportunities knock many people just peer nervously through the peephole afraid to answer the door. Others crack it open a little – but they leave the security chain on because of deep-seeded fear of success. But when yours comes around I want you to fling open the door and step across the threshold without looking back.

This month I heard a keynote speech given by Judge Glenda Hatchett, the author of the new book, Dare to Dream and the syndicated show, Judge Hatchett. As I listened to her story about changing her career path, it made me think about how true leaders can lead in any industry, regardless of title, position, or salary.

She tells of how she was the highest-ranking African American woman and senior attorney at Delta Airlines. During her career with Delta, someone asked her to become the Chief Presiding Judge of Fulton County, Georgia’s Juvenile Court. She struggled with this decision for some time, wondering whether it was an opportunity or not – until her inner voice asked, “What is your legacy?” She couldn’t answer that question.

Leaving behind a great compensation package and her familiar comfort zone was a big, scary step. But she wanted to reinvent herself as a leader in the judicial system in order to improve the lives of troubled youngsters. The rest is history – now her popular Judge Hatchett show is in its 8^th season.

I highly recommend her new book! (To learn more visit the GlendaHatchett.com website.)

When presented with a chance to change roles, accept more responsibility, or apply for a promotion do you sometimes question whether it’s the best career move? I think we’ve all experienced those moments of doubt and indecision. But natural leaders can feel when their work in one position is complete because despite the wealth and power something else essential is missing.

Glenda Hatchett knew that her ability to flourish as a leader at Delta was limited so she accepted it as a stepping stone to her real leadership legacy. Always listen to your intuition when opportunities arise. Don’t say “no” due to butterflies of apprehension. That nervousness is just excitement. Pay attention to your inner voice when it asks you to be courageous about broadening your scope and enhancing your career.

Have you ever had to make a lateral move that wasn’t on your career path the way I have done so many times during my career? Please share with me how you leveraged the experience to get you back on track for a leadership promotion.

 

 

Do you want to use this blog article?

You may, as long as you include this complete bio with it:

 

Sarah Hathorn is a professional image consultant, certified personal brand strategist, speaker, and author. 

 

Her company, Illustra Image Consulting, works with high-achieving future leaders and large businesses by enhancing their corporate and personal brand image to take their businesses and careers to the next level.

Blog, Ezine & Website: www.illustraimageconsulting.com

 

Copyright © 2010, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are You Conveying Confidence or Sabotaging Your Self Esteem?

Two weeks ago I spoke about image, brand, and executive presence at the Linkage Women in Leadership Summit in San Francisco and was asked tons of questions, including one that was wrapped around one of the best compliments I have ever received.  Halfway through the presentation a woman asked, “How does one get more confidence?” Before I could answer she did a follow-up by adding, “How can I get what you exude in how you dress, speak and present?” As you can imagine I was really flattered. But I was also touched by the fact that this highly placed executive was – like many women in the corporate world – still struggling with a nagging lack of personal and professional self confidence.

Her question made me immediately think of that restaurant scene in the movie “When Harry Met Sally” when another customer overhears Sally’s passionate moaning and sighing and tells the waitress “I’ll have what she’s having!”

But I know exactly where she was coming from and how she felt. Early in my career with Macy’s I was a total introvert who lacked self-esteem and had a conspicuous lack of executive presence. Fortunately I had some great mentors who believed in me and taught me how to think bigger and push onward even when I didn’t believe in myself.

Superiors told me that I needed to step it up and exude more confidence when corporate executives visited my store, when I called on elite clientele, and when I addressed the 500 associates who worked in my store. I also needed that power and strength when I walked into the HR office or C Suite to convince decision makers that I deserved a promotion.

The problem was that I had a self-sabotaging mindset that held me back – and with that kind of internalized negativity going one nobody could impart to me the confidence I lacked. Like so many others in the corporate arena I was my own worst enemy in terms of career advancement because I was blocking my own path to success as a self-styled confidence saboteur.

But the turning point came when I made up my mind to enhance my personal brand and professional presence. I decided to empower my image in an authentic way because I was determined to accomplish my dreams. I realized that building my confidence was a vital component of my own unique individual and spiritual growth as a person – both in terms of my career and my own private life away from the office.

As I began to experience personal growth, my visibility increased and many more opportunities began to come my way. The transformation didn’t happen overnight because it is a process, not an acute event. But when it did my career leapt forward. I exuded confidence. I felt comfortable and authentic in my personal brand, dress, and communication style. My career acceleration was tangible, and my newly found professional presence was natural, genuine, and sustainable.

 So if you hear those little negative or overly timid voices inside your head, know that you must first adopt a positive mindset.  Just like when learning to play tennis or golf, it takes practice to develop confidence and poise – but you can do it and I’m living proof of that. Once I figured it out it was like the “secret passageway” to career success and an extraordinary life.

Do you also struggle with confidence? I’d love for you to share your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

Do you want to use this blog article?

You may, as long as you include this complete bio with it:

 

Sarah Hathorn is a professional image consultant, certified personal brand strategist, speaker, and author. 

 

Her company, Illustra Image Consulting, works with high-achieving future leaders and large businesses by enhancing their corporate and personal brand image to take their businesses and careers to the next level.

Blog, Ezine & Website: www.illustraimageconsulting.com

 

Copyright © 2010, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIP Intensive Day

Does your personal presence command with leadership and charisma, or do you ever find yourself in a business situation where your confidence lags and you feel unsure of yourself because you are out of your comfort zone?

Are you hitting your benchmarks, realizing your goals, and enjoying greater career or business success? Or are those valuable promotions, ideal elite clients, and lucrative contracts still eluding you and keeping your lifelong dreams of increased income and personal fulfillment just beyond your grasp and out of reach?

 

I invite you to spend the entire day with me in Atlanta working with me one-on-one as I coach, consult and advise you on all facets of your Professional Presence ABC’s (Appearance, Behavior, and Communication).

We cover everything from effective power lunches and cross-cultural global business etiquette to non-verbal persuasion and verbal presentation skills for speeches, sales calls, team meetings, and media appearances.

Click here to learn more

Seminar in Athens, GA on 10/1/2010

If you live in Atlanta or Athens Georgia, register to hear my seminar on 10/1/10 at the Athens Chamber of Commerce's Women in Business First Friday. It's entitled - Dynamic Creation For A Brand New You. 

Location: Chamber of Commerce Board Room
Start Time: 11:45 AM
End Time: 01:00 PM
Price: $8.00

Sweet Peppers Deli will cater lunch. 

Cost is $8 if you register and pay online by Wednesday, September 29th. $10 at the door! 

Click below for more information and to register for the event.

http://ow.ly/2LHx4 

Personal Branding Catering to Corporate Executives in 2010

If you happen to be a leader who works within a corporate structure, you also need to know how to successfully enhance the company’s brand values through your overall presence. As a top professional you are held to a higher standard and expected to look, speak and act in a manner that always conveys a positive image of the firm. Your total image and brand package needs to resonate with the organizations mission statement, the firm’s values, and the unique value offering that you want to represent to your clients. You and everyone on your team is an ambassador for the firm, and each of you convey silent but potent messages about the organization that delivers an impact through every interaction you have, both inside and outside of the company.

Not only you, as the top leader and executive head, but also everyone else on your entire team is part of the best marketing tool you have at your disposal when it comes to communicating external clients about your corporate brand. As the old saying goes, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get when you’ve always gotten.” But do something truly innovative by leveraging the power of personal branding and you can make a remarkable strategic change and thrive despite the doom and gloom of the current economy. 

This is an excerpt from my FREE special report entitled, 5 Secret Strategies To Empower Your Professional Presence. If you are a top leader or high achiever working in a corporate environment download your FREE 30-page copy to learn more secrets to a strong leadership presence to take your vision to a reality!

Click here to get your free copy

I’d also love to hear your perspective about the excerpt I’ve shared with you today! Please feel free to submit a blog post.   

Do you want to use this blog article?

You may, as long as you include this complete bio with it:

Sarah Hathorn is a professional image consultant, certified personal brand strategist, speaker, and author. 

Her company, Illustra Image Consulting, works with high-achieving future leaders and large businesses by enhancing their corporate and personal brand image to take their businesses and careers to the next level.

Blog, Ezine & Website: www.illustraimageconsulting.com

Copyright © 2010, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

Personal Branding: Raising Your Web Visibility

 As a woman leader, when you belong to a few online social networking sites, participate in the company blog, join Internet groups, or have an article or book published on the web, you are raising your visibility and presence in a time when everyone needs more business.

It communicates to others that you are the celebrity expert in your industry, knowledgeable about technology, and stay on the cutting-edge of business getting ideas. You can utilize the web as your new marketing tool. When people Google you or go to your website, you are visible to thousands of people who years ago would have no idea how to find you if they did need your company’s services. The Internet is the new forum for human resource managers or the executive committee of an organization to search for leaders for specific career promotions.

Google yourself and see how many times your name comes up in the search engines! It may be eye-opening that you aren’t the expert in your industry and you may need to work on your personal brand visibility.

What does your personal branding online presence convey about you as a key leader in this competitive business environment? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Do you want to use this blog article?

You may, as long as you include this complete bio with it:

Sarah Hathorn is a professional image consultant, certified personal brand strategist, speaker, and author. 

Her company, Illustra Image Consulting, works with high-achieving future leaders and large businesses by enhancing their corporate and personal brand image to take their businesses and careers to the next level.

Blog, Ezine & Website: www.illustraimageconsulting.com

Copyright © 2010, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

Company Branding: Your Leaders Make the Brand

Today in a highly competitive market, companies are competing to obtain a greater percentage of marketing share. Brand differentiation is key to this process. While organizations are spending large sums of money on marketing their corporate brand image through their website, promotional materials, building architecture and office décor, their best marketing resource is their people. When organizations invest and train emerging leaders in visual appearance, as well as verbal and non-verbal image skills to represent the corporate brand image, employees gain greater self-confidence, become highly productive in sales and build long-term client rapport.

Your Leaders Make the Brand
In every level of the organization a leader’s image represents the corporate brand. Their presence is important because customers and potential clients associate this person’s appearance and business etiquette as a reflection of the company’s professionalism and reputation.

Educate Your Leaders
Upper level management in most companies today will agree that “business casual” has gone too far into the world of “business casualty.” Unfortunately companies today have a hard time trying to define what business casual dress should look like for their organization. Companies who invest in professional leadership consultants to help them with such image challenges will find that their leaders come away understanding how their professional image is key in representing their corporate and personal brand.

Professional Presence Seminars Enhance Organizational Effectiveness
Professional presence workshops can cover a variety of leadership training topics like business dress, the various levels of business casual, body language, communication and team-building skills, as well as business and international etiquette. These types of image developmental programs give business leaders “the finesse” to compete and flourish in today’s business world.

Do you want to use this blog article?

You may, as long as you include this complete bio with it:

Sarah Hathorn is a professional image consultant, certified personal brand strategist, speaker, and author. 

Her company, Illustra Image Consulting, works with high-achieving future leaders and large businesses by enhancing their corporate and personal brand image to take their businesses and careers to the next level.

Blog, Ezine & Website: www.illustraimageconsulting.com

Copyright © 2010, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

Prepare Your Team to Step into the Leadership Spotlight

I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal titled Leadership Training Gains Urgency Amid Stronger Economy. The write-up discussed how companies fear a shortage of qualified managers to step forward and lead projects when the time comes to shift gears into growth mode. 

I found this article especially enlightening because I offer corporate image development programs specifically tailored to “leaders and high achievers.” During the recent downturn we saw many organizations begin to panic and reduce professional leadership training for their trailblazers and top leaders. But those are the same people that these organizations want at the helm of the ship, and it does not make much sense to put them under even more pressure and stress by withdrawing valuable resources in the middle of a stormy sea.

When organizations go through the succession-planning process and identify the professional growth that key people need in order to reach their maximum performance potential, executive presence is definitely at the top of the list. So if you work in the HR department of a large organization, go through that list of high-potential leaders and high-achieving candidates. Then ask yourself these questions about each of them:

1. Do they dress in a manner that represents an unprofessional personal brand and/or reflects negatively on the corporate brand? 
2. Does their overall appearance set the example and provide the right role model for everyone else in the organization? 
3. Is their behavior ever questionable? Do employees highly respect how they treat other individuals in the organization? Or do they sometimes publically reprimand others or show inappropriate disgust or disapproval through their facial expressions?  
4. In meetings or during one-on-one consultations do they signal a lack of trustworthiness through body language? Do they have difficulty building and nurturing long-term business relationships? 
5. Does their overall image convey that they understand business etiquette and protocol in today’s multi-cultural world? Or do they make embarrassing remarks or blunders that cost your organization new business?
6. Do they understand how to convey a polished image while collaborating with teams from the four generational workforces? Or are they a bit biased or old fashioned when it comes to tapping into the attributes of a diverse multi-generational workforce in order to build high performance teams?
7. When they speak do they talk with sincerity from the heart and build interest through engaging gestures? Do they interact with their audience or are they too hurried to take the time to gauge the mood of others, listen to their valuable feedback, and make a memorable connection that continues to resonate?

All of those questions relate to critical facets of professional presence and the silent put powerful messages that top leaders are communicating within their organizations each and every day.  If you can’t answer all of them with resounding confidence in your leaders then they are hindering the growth of your company and will cost it even more once the economy rebounds.

Many Fortune 500 companies and other organizations where I provide leadership programs don’t even realize that professional consultants like myself can create customized programs and executive image coaching programs. But we can ensure that your leaders learn what no one else will teach them – how to project influential executive presence for success in today’s complex and fiercely competitive business world.

Just recently I worked with two top leaders in Fortune 100 companies. Each one was amazed how much they learned about executive presence that was nowhere to be found within their MBA curriculum, corporate training agenda, or upbringing. 

You want your leaders to step into the spotlight with confidence, grace, and ease – so start preparing them now and their polished executive presence will ensure that they are “celebrities of credibility” within the industry! 

We provide a variety of corporate seminars, customized executive image coaching programs, and individual consultations focused on the Leadership Presence ABC’s (appearance, behavior/etiquette, communication skills). To learn how to leverage those to your advantage please contact us at sarah@illustraimageconsulting.com or call Sarah at 678-528-1239. 

Do you want to use this blog article?

You may, as long as you include this complete bio with it:

Sarah Hathorn is a professional image consultant, certified personal brand strategist, speaker, and author. 

Her company, Illustra Image Consulting, works with high-achieving future leaders and large businesses by enhancing their corporate and personal brand image to take their businesses and careers to the next level.

Blog, Ezine & Website: www.illustraimageconsulting.com

Copyright © 2010, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

Dealing the Cards: Don’t play your business etiquette hand like a game of chance

I always find it intriguing how some people at a social function or formal networking event just don’t get the concept of how to react to a business card. That little 2 X 3 inch card offers them a valuable snapshot of a person’s achievements, accomplishments, education, industry, and expertise. But I still see people who will simply snatch the card and tuck it away in their wallet, pocket, or purse without even glancing at it.

Anyone guilty of that kind of indifferent behavior has just offended the person by showing a lack of respect for the card that represents who they are, what they do, and what they have accomplished in life. They have worked hard to get to where they are – so for goodness sake acknowledge it and strike up a conversation about it. You have a wonderful chance to demonstrate grace and show interest, because the card in your hand is a piece of their personal and professional history printed up in a tidy little package. By studying that card you can find out valuable information about their position, rank, and career role. So here are a few tips on how to properly accept a business card to build strong rapport and ensure better business ventures.

1) Stop to Appreciate the Card

As soon as someone hands you their card read it, looking at both sides. People are usually proud of their cards and of their careers, so ask about their industry and position or comment on the logo, colors, or graphic design of the card. People love to be recognized for their achievements, their brand, and the elements that define their professional image.

2) Handle it like a Million Dollar Check

It’s important to be respectful of another person’s business card. Handle it like a check for $1,000,000 – because it may be worth that much in future business. You wouldn’t just wad up a million dollar check and throw it in the bottom of your handbag or a pants pocket where it might get destroyed in the washing machine. Carefully and thoughtfully put it in a safe place like your business card case.

3) Don’t Forget to Reciprocate

Now hand them your card to show reciprocation. If you don’t have any cards on you – or if the ones you carry are tattered and creased – then that is a direct reflection on you, your company, and your personal image and brand. You want them to treasure your card and your business relationship so ensure that every card you hand out creates a strong positive impression.

4) Beware of Asian Business Card Protocol 

If you do work in Asia, remember this tidbit – because it could save you from losing a lucrative contract, offending a business partner, or appearing uncouth. In Asian culture it is considered disrespectful to accept a business card and place it in your back pocket where you will then sit on it. If you use your imagination you’ll understand the subtle connotation of that kind of gesture and why Asians consider it rude. So don’t just stuff the card in your wallet and then put it into your back pocket. Know the customs of the countries where you do business and you’ll succeed where others often falter and fail.

Do you want to use this blog article?

You may, as long as you include this complete bio with it:

Sarah Hathorn is a professional image consultant, certified personal brand strategist, speaker, and author. 

Her company, Illustra Image Consulting, works with high-achieving future leaders and large businesses by enhancing their corporate and personal brand image to take their businesses and careers to the next level.

Blog, Ezine & Website: www.illustraimageconsulting.com

Copyright © 2010, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS