Illustra Image Consulting Blog

Do You Know Your Career Destination?

If you get on the highway without a destination in mind there is no telling where you’ll end up, and even if you do know where you’re going you need preplanned goals along the way. To make it a successful trip you need reservations for lodging, the right clothes for the trip, and maybe GPS coordinates. Your car has to be roadworthy, and your credit better be good unless you plan to carry a suitcase full of cash.

Career goals are no different. If you don’t plan every step of the way – or if you get distracted and take the wrong exit or stop paying close attention to the road – you can experience an unexpected detour or even an accident that leaves you stranded.

Being crystal clear about where you want to go and knowing what you want to achieve is critical. I often work with leaders and high achievers who have a single goal – they want to get promoted. But when the opportunity arises they are lost and confused because they weren’t prepared for it – or they seize the wrong opportunity and it distracts them from their ultimate goal and career dream.

Do you see yourself wanting to become the next Director of Sales, Vice-President of Finance, or the CFO of your organization? Whatever your career aspiration may be, it’s important that you first believe in it, understand it, and picture it in your mind as a cohesive vision.

When you know where you are headed, announce your intention to others – through specific actions, benchmarks, skill sets, and a distinct attitude and personal brand. Most people are afraid to claim this intention for fear that if it doesn’t come true they will have failed. But that is a self-fulfilling mindset for surefire failure. You’ve got to believe it and hold it alive in your mind, regardless of what the naysayers or negative voices in your head are telling you.

Some psychological researchers theorize that when we picture something as being real in our mind and really believe it, our mind has difficulty distinguishing that imaginary self from our real self. The mind begins to accept our imaginary vision and dream as reality. That causes us to naturally act the part and attract our goal to us until it does actually become real. Visualizing in this way is a very powerful tool that many leaders don’t utilize to really bring them success, but it works every time if you do your work!

Here are Six Daily Tips to help you implement this great resource:

1) Believe You Can Achieve It!
You have to really believe with complete confidence that you will receive your next promotion. There can be no negative doubts playing in the theatre of your mind to dilute determination or express weakness. Exude successfulness and attract success.

2) Practice Daily Visualization
Start by thinking about how it feels to “be” at the next level. Try to experience the emotional rewards of that prized promotion and use them to fertilize the seeds of your vision throughout the day. If you really want to get promoted it must become a vivid mental photograph that you refer to and add details to every single day.

3) Set Your Goals with a Strategic Plan
Knowing the end game is not enough. You also need a long game that gets you from point A to point B. What developmental feedback have you received regarding what you need to do to qualify for a promotion, and what steps are you taking to accomplish those things? Outline the goals, being specific, and break down bigger goals into more manageable bite-sized chunks. That way you’ll reach incremental goals along the way to give you a continual sense of accomplishment that fuels your momentum.

4) Don’t Quit When Things Get Tough
If I had decided to quit each time I faced a new challenge or setback I would never have worked at Macy’s. But I toughed it out and was rewarded with a fantastic 26-year career in an outstanding organization. Then I faced the bigger challenge of going out on my own to start my own company. Now I have the challenge of expanding that business to build on my recent successes, but I am more confident than ever because every time I’ve embraced the challenges they have prepared me to play a bigger game in life. Yes, you’ll be nervous and maybe a little scared – but harness those feelings and use them as impetus to push you forward and you’ll be amazed at how much strength you get as that brave “can-do” attitude distinguishes you from the competition.

5) Go the Extra Mile
Every week I talk to top management in Fortune 500 companies and they tell me that what they are looking for in today’s difficult economy is self-motivated people who go the extra mile to exhibit natural leadership without being asked. If you only do the minimum then you will be noticed and remembered for that. Show your organization that you are not mediocre but have unique value and are eager to assume more responsibility. Focus on those attributes and you won’t have to ask for a larger salary and prestigious title because those who are looking for great leaders will identify you and proactively seek you out for promotion.

6) Learn the Art of Getting Promoted
I’ve always enjoyed being a short-cut girl, so I love to work with people who have already mastered whatever it is I am trying to do. It’s like standing on the shoulders of giants. This saves me a lot of time and money in the long run. That’s why I offer my own unique blend of experiences and expertise to those leaders who want to advance quickly up the corporate ladder. I can be their champion or giant.

One thing I have completely mastered over the past 30 years is the process of getting promoted in record time, and if you want to enjoy the same kind of rapid success I can show you how. I went from the accounting department to a position as a top executive, and I did it in just 18 months – after being told that I was not management material. Then I brought lots of my colleagues and protégés along by showing them the same strategic process.

I’d love to hear from you if you have some other ideas you think are important for helping leaders keep on track, motivated, and successful about their next big career move up the ladder..

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 © 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Punctuality: An essential sign of professional respect

I am amazed that although the world is moving faster than ever and time is increasingly precious, so many professionals remain lackadaisical about synching their schedules in a responsible fashion.  We all have 24 hours in a day and lead hectic lives, and it is basic common courtesy to promptly keep the appointments we make with our clients, prospects or team members. Being prompt means you value and respect your own time as well as that of the person or persons with whom you are meeting. How you stay on top of your appointments is a direct reflection on how you conduct the rest of your business, and tardiness instantly tarnishes your professional presence and reputation.

Be on Time
Are you managing your daily calendar to be where you said you were going to be? Sure, things do come up now and then to create unexpected delays, but showing up on time is a matter of personal responsibility. Far too many professionals rely on “excuses” to explain their chronic lack of punctuality, but eventually clients and prospects tire of excuses and will find someone else who behaves promptly. That means you need to allow plenty of extra time for car travel, especially if you live in a congested city like Atlanta.

Learn to expect the unexpected in case you get stopped by a colleague in the hallway, distracted by a last-minute phone call, or stuck on the road because there is a fender bender or a construction zone up ahead. You are fully responsible for getting yourself from point A to point B with grace and ease – and doing so will help ensure that you also get from A to B in terms of your career advancement.

Start on Time
Have you ever had the kind of boss who convenes everyone for a meeting but delays the start of it because one member of the team happens to be late? I understand why they might want to wait until everyone is present so they don’t have to repeat themselves and everyone hears the same message. But the problem with that kind of management is that it is highly disrespectful to the people who held themselves responsible for being there on time. It also sets a terrible precedent and example because it punishes those who are punctual and teaches everybody that it is okay to be late because meetings won’t start without you.

I remember how when I used to work at Macy’s I’d schedule weekly senior level executive meetings every Monday at 2:00 pm.  But inevitably there were always one or two stragglers who interpreted that to mean “2-ish.” So finally I began shutting the conference room door and beginning the meetings at the designated time, whether everyone was there or not. Sure enough, those few executives who missed the first half of the meeting felt embarrassed when they had to open the door and disrupt our conversation while they found a seat and tried to get up to speed. After I started doing this, however, the people who respected my time by being on time saw me as a more effective leader because I reciprocated with them by also respecting their time and their own busy schedules.

Have you noticed that everyone these days seems to disregard the importance of punctuality, as if being on time is no longer a hallmark of professionalism or a standard rule of business etiquette? If you have examples or thoughts on the subject – or maybe stories of how the value of your own time has been neglected and disrespected – I hope you’ll express and share them here.

 

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

Leaders: Discover the “You-Incorporated” Brand

“What makes you unique makes you successful.”  

(William Arruda – Reach Branding Guru)

Every leader today needs to discover and get to know their personal brand, even if they work in a corporate environment. That’s because your personal brand or “You-Inc.” is your personified business reputation. You had it prior to taking your job in corporate. You enhanced it while in corporate. Now you want to strengthen it so you can take it with you if you ever leave your current position for something more lucrative and exciting. Sure, whatever company you work for will want you to be a reflection of their brand – and by all means we work to incorporate that important element into your executive presence. But you also have your own valuable brand – and if it is strong it will actually add credibility to the overall corporate brand! 

I love to work with my clients to explore their personal brand potential. It’s fun to see the many facets of their personalities and to hear the delight in their voices when they read something amazing that someone wrote about them in a testimonial or in the media. But many people say they work or specialize in personal branding despite the fact that they don’t really have any legitimate personal branding certifications. Unfortunately there are many self-anointed personal branding specialists out there advertising their services – and the trend is growing as more people find themselves out of work and trying to reinvent themselves in a down economy by launching a consulting business on the Internet. 

But the brands they create are generic and one-dimensional and don’t distinguish their clients from the herd or prepare them for the limelight or for real executive leadership challenges.

That’s one reason why I incorporate the 360° Reach Branding Assessment Tool into my executive presence and personal branding consultations. This is a great tool to help leaders identify their strengths, talents, attributes, gifts, passion, vision, and mission in life. What can be a more valuable discovery than to uncover and identify the unique contributions that you have to offer to the world?

Here are a few of the ways I work with my top platinum clients to leverage their personal brands for more career success: 

1. Delve into the 360° Reach Branding Assessment Tool to help discover your brand reputation in the marketplace. 
2. Draw up a marketing plan to ensure that your online virtual presence communicates your brand. 
3. Design an authentic personal image package that silently communicates your core messages to build instant rapport.  
4. Develop greater visibility and confidence within important business settings, when talking to the media, or on radio and TV.
5. Display a unique charisma to bring you greater success. 
6. Discover secret tools that will transform you from invisible to influential. 

Branding today isn’t just the latest buzzword – it’s a critical tool and strategy that every leader and high achiever must invest in to ensure their career success. Don’t wait until after the economy has turned around to discover your personal brand. By then those who have already been using theirs to market themselves and leverage their opportunities will already be in the positions you were hoping to land.

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