Positioning/Branding
Authors are Experts
A Rock Star is an expert, and many are authors. If you an author, you are automatically considered an expert. (Author may or may not mean book) And of course some of you will immediately revolt here, as you claim you do not know how to write or perhaps are a poor writer or maybe […]
Speakers are Experts
Rockstars are experts, and many are speakers. If you are “the Speaker” you are automatically considered an expert. Some of you will immediately revolt here, as you claim you do not know enough yet to speak and maybe you are terrified of speaking. We all have useful information we can share! First of all, we […]
How to be an Instant Expert
A Rock Star is an expert! There are two ways to be perceived as an (instant) expert. Now ideally you are an expert AND perceived as an expert, but quite honestly, most of us are totally confused as to what an expert is. Before we dive in we had better agree on what an “Expert” […]
People Get What They Expect
One reason positioning, what people think about you, is so hard to change, is that people get what they expect. Here are four examples: “The project was late” vs. “Ted messed it up” At one client I could do no wrong. If a project blew up, it was a bad project or circumstances changed or […]
Be The First, the go to guy (or gal)
The spoils go to the victor, the first. Often it’s the first in the mind, the go to guy or gal. The second is frequently far far behind. The 5th is always lost in the pack. Do you want to be the BEST forensics person or pentester or whatever LOST in the pack? The first […]
In Infosec: You are what you . . .
Although it’s not quite as simple as “You are what you eat” . . . Unless you really are one of the top Rock Stars in your field and can do occasional stupid shit just because you want to (think George Clooney in “Men Who Stare at Goats), the issues below matter. They matter a […]
What Determines Your Pay the Most?
We as humans think a lot about money. Our parents probably tried to steer most of us into a field where there was lots of money to be made. At Dartmouth for example, almost everyone was “Pre Med” as it was seen as a very lucrative field. In infosec, we are in a well paid […]
Changing Positioning: Changing YOUR Success
If you can change your positioning in people’s minds, you can dramatically increase your success. For example if the hot college chicks in my gym positioned me in their minds as an ultra cool guy they’d like to date, that might have a significant effect. Perhaps an opportunity for “Field Study?” And if the position […]
Positioning: What People Think About You Matters
Positioning is the idea that everything holds a position in someone’s mind, and that position matters and is very difficult to change. If people think you and your department suck, life is going to be tough For example, if you are well respected and have a reputation for getting things done, and one of your […]
That “Personal Branding” thing
A brand is a promise It is the position something holds in your mind. It is what prevents something from being a commodity. An example is Starbucks. When I think of Starbucks, I think of a strong, although over roasted to my taste, cup of coffee and a comfortable place to sit (with all the […]
(Personal) Mission Statements: Step Zero Point Five
Companies spend millions of dollars coming up with mission statements: often they suck. Stephen R. Covey came up with the idea of having a person mission statement in The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People in 1989. Personal Mission Statements, which may also be called purpose statements or similar, are common today, a quarter century […]