Lynn Parker will be speaking in the UK at Ordnance Survey’s 2009 Location Conference on May 20-21.

Ordnance Survey is Great Britain’s national mapping agency, providing the most accurate and up-to-date geographic data, relied on by government, business and individuals. Lynn will be speaking on the topic of “Global or local: branding truths and their relationship to your market’s location.”

Check out the Ordnance Survey website to learn more about the 2009 Partner Conference.

To learn more about the topic Lynn will be speaking on, click here to read the press release.

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Mentoring Moments by Susan Canfield is a compilation of eight stories that cover UW MBA students’s experiences with their professional mentors. Lynn Parker is featured as one of the professional mentors! Check out Lynn’s section on the Parker LePla Facebook page or purchase the book at the University Bookstore.

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We can’t have a conversation about the personal brands of famous Seattleites without talking about one of our most famous and beloved sports heroes, Ken Griffey Jr. Since the news broke that Griffey would be returning to the Seattle Mariners—after leaving us in 1999—a wave of elation has swept through the city.

What is it about #24 that has us so excited about his return? Pushing 40 and riddled with injuries, do we truly believe that he will make a strong contribution this season? Or is it the nostalgia for the good ole days of Mariners baseball that gives us a new sense of hope for the team–the days when every car with a Washington license plate had a “You Gotta Love These Guys” bumper sticker?

What do you think differentiates Ken Griffey Jr. from all the other famous Mariners and MLB players alike? What do you think he represents for Seattle—the heart of his personal brand?

-Hiley Spaet

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Check out Lynn’s article on WomenEntrepreneur.com!

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What does President Obama and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan see in King County Executive Ron Sims?  The same thing we see. 

 A big part of Ron’s appeal in consensus-oriented, squeaky clean Seattle can be characterized by the old software term WYSIWYG – the ‘what you see is what you get’ factor, lacking in so many politicians today (although you could argue that the anti-Ron, disgraced ex- governor Blagojevich, is also easy enough to read that no one should have been surprised).   Sims is so high integrity that he kept his mouth shut extra tight before the announcement of his appointment, and managed to sound appropriately giddy when he got it.  So what else does the Ron Sims brand stand for?

·         New Guard  – he isn’t that young, sure, but he can learn new tricks.  He blogs!  He Twitters!    

·         Progressive – he actually has balanced environmentalism with growth, not just talked about it.   

·         Yet, practical – he is all about building partnerships. 

·         Gravitas – if you’ve felt that handshake you know he means business.  Solid as Mt. Solid there behind him in the picture. 

Hmm, so his brand sounds remarkably like both that of the President and of Seattle itself.  Could that be why we are also sending police chief R. Gil Kerlikowske to Washington to be the new Drug Czar and Governor Locke to head up commerce?  What these public officials do, unlike whoops – some other guys, is hone their stakeholder promises and then live them.  Just like any great brand. 

- Peggy Brown

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Lynn Parker will be speaking next month at the Lake Washington Human Resources Association seminar on how to lead your employees during the economic downturn.

For more information on the event, click here.

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Your personal brand is simply how others visually, emotionally and professionally perceive you. It answers the questions, “Who are you and why should I pay attention to you?” For the most part, people are motivated by their own needs, not yours. So the more needs you meet, the more influence you have, and the stronger your personal brand becomes.

A great example of someone with great influence and a strong personal brand to match is Seattle’s own Nancy Pearl, author of Book Lust, NPR commentator and erstwhile head of Seattle’s Public Libraries. Readers can’t get enough of her recommendations, book stores and libraries offer standing room only for her visits, and she even has her own librarian action figure. Nancy Pearl has essentially become the book lover’s rock star.

So… how did she do it?

First of all, she makes it clear who she is and what she stands for—she is a warm, open librarian committed to connecting the public with books. Her knowledge of and love for books is unmatched, which is her key differentiator.

Her success with the public stems from her zeal to connect with readers without pretense. Her passion to engage everyone—regardless of academic background—is driven by her personal love of books, and it’s this authenticity that leads us to value her book recommendations and adore her in return.

Follow these steps to create your personal brand:
1. Figure out who you are and what you stand for.
2. Determine what sets you apart from the pack.
3. Create your personal brand story to communicate your value.
4. Pull the key concepts from your story and weave them into everything that you say, write and do.
5. Tell your story to anyone who will listen.

-Bianca Abate

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“That’s what branding is all about – building sincere human brands – which we all instantly can relate to.” This is something I just read on Branding Strategy Insider that summed up something I have been thinking about a lot lately: the idea that branding isn’t about spin, but about honestly being who you are and owning that through everything you do, whether you are a company or just a person looking for a job. This makes you real and someone people can relate to–which often translates to loyalty because people know they can trust you. In this social landscape, you can’t get away with being someone you’re not for long. There are many waiting to call you out. So, make sure you’re marketing is a true reflection of who you are so you end up on the positive end of that powerful machine we call word of mouth.

–Jen Travis

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