“Know thyself.”  For centuries, this has been the motto of great leaders.  Now, here’s a tool that helps you do just that.  It’s a new twist on a SWOT analysis that will help you uncover new insights about yourself. Instead of looking at Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to your company, look at your Self, your World, Others around you, and how you use your Time and Treasure.  In this new Smartbrief on Leadership video, I introduce this new tool. You just might be surprised at what you discover about yourself! related: Leaders Need To Take a Sabbath Brand ..read more

Celebrating my 20th anniversary of being an independent practitioner! As I reflect on my journey, I’m convinced that “culture” is as important for solopreneurs, coaches, and freelancers as it is for companies of thousands. Check out my thoughts on brand-culture fusion and why it matters for people who are self-employed. Let me know what you think. related: FUSION is here Kicking Off a Brand Journey How to Set Your Brand Purpose, Values, and Attributes The post Culture Matters For Businesses Of One appeared first on Denise Lee Yohn ..read more

Mentoring is a valuable path toward growth and development. A mentor can share insights from their expertise and experiences to help you grow and develop – and being a mentor can help you achieve clarity and focus as you reflect on your own development. A few pointers to get the most out of mentoring: Start with reflecting on your goals – be clear and specific about what you want to achieve. Set clear expectations so each party knows how to engage. Make it two-way – older mentors can benefit from reverse mentoring. Learn more in my new Smartbrief on Leadership video. related: What Great Le ..read more

Your core values can’t simply be words on your website or on a poster in your office; they must be used.  Learn how Amazon uses its core values in my new post on LinkedIn:  Do You Use Your Core Values Or Just Talk About Them? related: Do Your Core Values Have Teeth? Fusion: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World’s Greatest Companies Leaders Must Go Beyond Giving Lip Service to Culture The post How To Use Your Core Values appeared first on Denise Lee Yohn ..read more

A lot of wisdom that helps teams wins on the football field also helps leaders win in business. Take for example “look the ball into your hands.”  This speaks to the importance of follow-through, whether you’re playing a game or leading a team. My latest Smartbrief on Leadership shares some of my favorite football phrases and how they apply to business.  Take a look here and let me know what other football adages or analogies come to mind when you think about business. related: Gridiron Insights for Business Success Business Is Now An Action Sport Surprising Leadership Lessons from ..read more

The principles in my book, What Great Brands Do:  The Seven Brand-Building Principles That Separate the Best from the Rest can be applied to employees, employee experience, and employee engagement. For example, in WGBD, I explain that Great Brands Avoid Selling Products.  Instead of simply focusing on selling products or services to customers, great brands create emotional connections.  Business leaders can apply this to employees by focusing on the employee experience.  Make sure that your organization doesn’t just treat employees as resources and interact with them on a ..read more

Ted Lasso, the leading character in the popular Apple+ series by the same name, provides an excellent model of exceptional organizational leadership. The leadership lessons from Lasso are about coaching, changing, and character-building. My new Smartbrief on Leadership video explains how Lasso shows what great leaders do — take a look! related: Lesson from Succession: Use Your Product What Game Are We Playing? Other popular leadership insights The post What Great Leaders Do appeared first on Denise Lee Yohn ..read more

Social media influencers and AI platforms are changing the way we connect with customers; they are also changing the way we use brands. Today brands are not only marketing outputs and strategic inputs. They are – or at least they should be – cultural cornerstones. Here is why. related: Prepare Your Culture for a Recession Assess Brand-Culture Fusion At Your Organization FUSION:  How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World’s Greatest Companies The post Welcome to a New Era of Brand-Building appeared first on Denise Lee Yohn ..read more

Love may seem out of place in a business context, but it’s actually a key leadership quality today. Employees want to feel their leaders know them, trust them, and care about them as whole persons. And, when they do, they’re more likely to be engaged and motivated to do great work. In my latest Smartbrief on Leadership video, I explain three ways to lead with love and as well as an example of former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi. Hope this is helpful. related content on leadership: Three Brand Leadership Priorities for 2021 and Beyond Use Emotion To Connect With Customers and Employees Stop Saying ..read more

How do you build a great brand?  Ever since I wrote the book What Great Brands Do, I’ve been on a quest to discover and share answers to this question.  While all seven brand-building principles that I introduced in the book still are important and relevant today, the one that has risen to the top is the first one:  Great brands start inside – they start brand-building not with communications but with culture. Moreover, in my more recent book FUSION: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World’s Greatest Companies, I explain that companies must fuse external brand identi ..read more