Kit Prendergast, PCC
Kit brings you a wealth of expertise and experience as well as a wonderful spirit, energy, and a gift for inspiring you to create the life you truly want for yourself.Kit's Tips & Books
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Author Archives: Kit Prendergast
Starting with that First Impression
First impressions are critical in both our professional and personal lives. And they are even more important when we are embarking on any kind of major life or career transition. We don’t usually take the time to think about how others perceive us – we just let those impressions happen and hope for the best. But are those impressions what we really want or who we really are?
Let’s take control of that first impression by crafting an authentic personal brand that lets others know who we are, what we stand for and most importantly the unique value that we bring others. It happens fast – people get a sense of us within minutes, so let’s make sure they see us as we want to be seen and known. To get you started here are three powerful questions:
- “What first impression do I want to give others?”
- “What do I want to be known for (reputation) in my professional & personal world?”
- “What legacy do I want to leave behind?”
The answers to these questions will help you clarify who you really are. Now, the next step is identifying the unique value you bring others and then finally, the challenge of communicating this to your greater world.
Power of Branding on SouthWest Airlines
Even though it’s crowded and a bit chaotic, I still am a loyal SouthWest Airlines customer. I fly back and forth to the East Coast frequently with two college kids in New York and my twin sister, Diane, in Boston. And I always fly SouthWest if I can. Why? Because they are more personal, they don’t give me a hard time, and those peanuts taste pretty good after the 5th hour in the air.
So I never really thought about the SouthWest corporate brand until a recent trip when I overheard two young boys talking to their Dad in the row behind me. “So Daddy, why do you always fly Southwest?” It didn’t take Dad long to respond . . . “Because the fares are cheaper. They allow two bags for free. And they are more fun.”
Wow, that’s really what powerful branding is all about. People asking each other why they do business with certain companies. SouthWest figured this out years ago . . . create customer loyalty through personal connection and proven unique promise of value. This is their personal corporate brand and it’s authentic, consistent and incredibly successful. And the yearly ratings of all the airlines always have SouthWest at the top – just like the customers are talking about. Now that is business success!
So what can we learn from SouthWest Airlines both personally and professionally? A lot. It starts with looking carefully at who we really are & how we want to be know (first impressions, reputation & legacy); the unique value we want to bring to others; who we want to be engaged with and then finally being able to communicate that value to them. The overall result is an authentic personal brand profile that is in alignment with you in this time of your life
The Pony Express – Riding as One
They ride as one. Horse and rider committed to the speedy and safe delivery of the U.S mail working in harmony each doing what they do best.
Here’s what we can learn from watching this amazing teamwork. When we have a burning passion and an unflinching commitment to accomplish something beyond ourselves we must ride as one unit. We can’t do it alone. Together we are strong and resilient. And the Pony Express annual Re-Ride demonstrates exactly that.
Watching the 2012 Pony Express Re-Ride come through Northern Nevada in June was an incredible experience. I had never seen it personally so when our Beer Club friend, Petra Keller, invited us to come watch her ride a portion of this famous trail I had to push the “yes” button.
And it gave me goose bumps to watch these beautiful and hardy horses carry their dedicated riders (from teens to80 years old) across miles and miles of Nevada desert. Each rider and horse takes a segment of the route which began this year in Sacramento on Wednesday, June 13th and ended in Saint Joseph, Missouri on Saturday, June 23rd. They travel over the original Pony Express route (1966 miles) going through eight states. 600 volunteers coordinate the logistics and support for the horses and riders including the setup of an impressive communications system.
And where’s the mail? That was interesting . . . the horse carries a 100 lb. leather mail bag called a “mochila”. The mochila has 4 compartments and lifts up and over the saddle to be as balanced as possible. Transferring it from one horse to the next is much like watching the Olympic Torch being handed off from runner to runner. But it’s even better because you are watching two horses and two riders working closely together to help each other accomplish this tricky but quick and efficient transfer.
So think about this . . . if there is something really important to you that you are passionate about accomplishing resist the temptation to be the Lone Ranger. Instead, look for a solid team mate that will put in the hard work, the long miles and the serious sweat to deliver the goal. Or in the case of the Pony Express to deliver the mail!
Weathering the Storm in an Outhouse
Now this was a stroke of genius or maybe it was pure survival. I loved this story but more importantly the lesson it gives us on how to survive the many storms in our lives. My take-away . . . we definitely need to practice more “out-of-the-box” or in this case “in the outhouse” thinking!
In June 2012, 41 young college ROTC cadets on a training exercise are caught in a torrential rain storm in the woods of Fort Lewis, WA. The storm had come on so fast and so strong that the cadets didn’t have their wet weather gear with them or even where they could get back to their packs. The cadets were quickly soaked to the bone and freezing with the nighttime temperatures dropping to 15 degrees.
To try and get some kind of protection, they first formed tight circles with the smallest cadets in the middle. My niece, Meghan, at 103 lbs, was encircled but the rain and cold was too much. There was no shelter . . . except for a bunch of outhouses in a row in among the trees. And then someone had an idea . . .
So with a quick count-off, the cadets divided themselves up into groups of four and into the outhouses they went. Ten outhouses x 4 = 40 cadets in from the storm. But what happened to the 41st cadet? One of those outhouses must have been really stuffed. In a quick phone call, I asked Meghan how did all those big guys fit in those very small outhouses? No time to be fussy . . . two stood on the bench and two on either side of the toilet. And that 41st cadet probably had to straddle the toilet seat. Not a pretty sight or smell.
But when the rain had slowed, all ten outhouse doors popped open at the same time and the young ROTC cadets marched smartly out in formation having weathered this storm in a most unique way. Of course, hopefully they marched straight back to their barracks for hot showers.
Still exhausted from 17 days out in the field and an immediate turn around to her next assignment in Korea, Meghan wasn’t seeing the humor in this experience. But she will when she gets home and drys out from the typhoon coming through Fort Casey (NW South Korea) as I write this. Home is going to look really good to her.
And our hats off to our young military volunteers for their service, commitment and good sense when weathering the many storms in our lives. Thank you for all that you do!
Never Apply for a Job Again
Never Apply for a Job Again: Break the Rules, Cut the Line, Beat the Rest, by Darrell W. Gurney, 2012.
This brand new book reintroduces many of the time-tested job strategies that actually work! But author Gurney puts a different spin on it by recommending that we all approach job searching (even when we’re still employed) as a research project.
And as you are researching targeted work that you genuinely enjoy, you are building powerful personal relationships. That’s what makes it possible to never cold call or pound the pavement again looking for a job but rather be in that enviable position of saying that job just “fell into my lap”.