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The Power of Recognition

May 13, 2010 in Inspiration, Leadership, People, Thomas Nelson with 14 Comments

There is something special that happens when you see people lifted up for their accomplishments. Most people are truly happy for those who have been recognized and it creates a sense of community not easily broken.   It also generates much excitement as people think about the possibilities in their own lives.

Lately, I’ve witnessed several different examples of public recognition that not only make my heart swell with pride and happiness for the recipients, but also gain more respect for those giving the recognition.  As I was sitting in a Business Review meeting yesterday, I watched as one leader continually put the focus back on members of her team–she was ultimately accountable for success or failure, but made sure those in the room knew that her team was making it happen.  I found myself shooting emails to several people who’d been bragged on in the meeting, and each person replied with joy, knowing that they had been recognized.  And today, we had our quarterly All-Employee Meeting where annual performance and core values awards were given out.  I teared up as I watched several of my coworker friends be lifted up for their hard work, perseverance, and innovation.  The room was electric with the happy hearts of those who’d been awarded and those who got to be a part of the celebration.

Here are some lessons I’ve learned having been both the giver and receiver of recognition:

1.Hard work Does pay off-It doesn’t take a genius IQ, a magnetic personality, or living at the office to be seen as someone worth moving up the ladder.  But getting in the trenches, showing people you want to learn, and treating others as you want to be treated are surefire ways to get noticed.

2. Being true to who you are Will set you up for success-Sucking up only gets you so far.  Sure, it can work, but only to the person you’re sucking up to (meanwhile no one else can stand you). Being real is harder, but in the end frees you up to live out your goals.

3. Recognition breeds loyalty-Mark Schoenwald, our President at Thomas Nelson, is one of the most authentic, people-focused, consistent leaders I’ve worked for.  He makes time to connect with people, is an open and consistent communicator, and makes it a priority to never miss an opportunity to brag on others. I’d follow him most anywhere because he’s earned my respect in spades.

4. Recognizing others lifts you up too-It takes confidence in yourself as a leader to step out of the spotlight and give credit to others.  And in doing so, you earn respect and credibility.

Make it a point today to lift up someone publicly.  You will make their day, and that will make yours.

“Don’t worry when you aren’t recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.”-Abraham Lincoln

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Retailers and Social Media

October 2, 2009 in People, Social Media, Thomas Nelson with 10 Comments

Connection

Connection

In the last few weeks, I’ve been to several accounts to present upcoming titles and share information on key marketing strategies.   In each meeting,  I’ve asked how the account was using social media to help grow stronger relationships with current customers and potential new ones. 

The feedback ranged from one account who totally gets it and is seeing higher traffic and a growing fanbase to another account that conveyed their fears about not being able to control consumer response and had done almost nothing in the social media world.

With publishing in a state of transition, it’s all hands on deck.  We need each other.  Print ads and top shelf placement aren’t enough to motivate consumers to buy anymore.  We’ve got to be working together to grow tribes of readers who want to buy books, no matter what format they get them in.

Had I been one-on-one with the groups moving into social media slowly and had more time to share, here’s what I would have said to them:

1. Jump In- Do Something.  Start a blog where you can control the messaging and comments.  Or start a fan page on Facebook and offer discussion topics and exclusives at your stores.  Yes, it takes a bit of someone’s time, but people are talking about you whether you are in the space or not. Wouldn’t you rather be able to chime in on the conversation?

2. Listen-Designate someone on your team to begin spending even 30 minutes a day in social media places like Twitter and Facebook “listening” to what consumers are saying about your store and key products.  Once you know that, you can start looking at strategic ways to begin talking to these people and create a group of followers who are interested in your products.

3. Learn from Others Mistakes and Successes- Marketing 101 is asking questions from people you see doing it right…and wrong, and then using that information to create programs that work for your brand.  Have your team spend a bit of time researching three companies that are doing it well.  What’s their frequency?  How are they connecting?  How are they finding new people to join their tribe?

4. Be Sincere–If you create genuine relationships, it will build your brand value with consumers.  If you just try to sell to consumers, success will be short lived.  Offer exclusive interview content, share stories of authors who stop by to visit, offer discounts available only through your social media outlets…be a resource and make sure there’s two-way conversation. 

Realistically, this info applies to more than just retailers.  It’s the same steps I worked through when I began plugging into social media , and it’s the things we suggest for authors.  But within the world of books and publishing, it’s clear that the more connection points we have collectively, the better we’ll be set to manuever through the changes ahead.

Resources? I’ve learned a ton from Michael Hyatt.  He’s a natural when it comes to these things.   And two books I’d highly recommend are Seth Godin’s Tribes and Chris Brogan and Julien Smith’s Trust Agents.  All of these folks really cemented my belief in the power of social media.

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Seeing Ourselves as Others Do

September 14, 2009 in Family and Friends, Inspiration, People, Thomas Nelson, Work with 12 Comments

mirror, mirro, on the wall

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

 

 Today, our CEO,  Michael Hyatt, blogged about an author we publish in the Fiction division (Ted Dekker and his new book, Green) .  One of the sections of the post was about the marketing done for the book.  As I read through his post, I saw this line “…and his intrepid marketing director, Jennifer Deshler“.    Though I know what it means, ”intrepid” is not a word that pops up in my vocabulary often enough so I decided to hit the dictionary and brush up on the full definition. 

  • Main Entry: in·trep·id
  • Pronunciation: \in-ˈtre-pəd\
  • Function: adjective
  • Etymology: Latin intrepidus, from in- + trepidus alarmed
  • Date: 1680

: characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance <an intrepid explorer>

Me + Intrepid?  Resolute Fearlessness?  That’s the woman I want to be every day when I wake up, but rarely feel I’ve shown the world when I lay down to sleep at night.  It was such an empowering moment. 

Why are we so held back by our own limited image of who we are and how the world sees us?  And how do we begin to see ourselves as others do?

Since I am constantly challenged here, I’m speaking to myself when I make these assumptions about how we can change our perceptions of who we are:

  1. Ask our friends, coworkers, and family for transparency-When they have good feedback, we need to know it to help transform our internal images.  And when it’s a critique, we really need to hear it.  Who wants to walk around making the same mistakes over and over?
  2. Be willing to step out of our comfort zones-When I’m not at work, I’m pretty gutsy.  There’s not much from an adventurous standpoint I won’t do; especially on a dare.  But at work, part of me wants to stay in the pack so I don’t ruffle feathers, while the other part of me feels driven to stand out from the crowd and make my own way, mistakes and all.
  3. Learn to love who we are-Boy, this is a biggie.  I can rattle off a list of my faults far easier than I can list my unique talents and abilities.  Often, the thing  that keeps me grounded is remembering that we were made in the image of God and trusting that He has a divine plan for each of us and knew this would be one of our hurdles.
  4. Face the fear of failure-One of the most freeing moments of my adult life was while sitting in a meeting with a group of leaders hearing that every person in that room struggled with a fear of failure.  I had thought for so many years that I was alone in this battle.  And it seems that sometimes the best thing that can happen is for us to royally screw up so we learn a new pattern of behavior. 

Does this boil down to an easy fix?  If yes, what would you say is the one thing helps the most? 

We all know people who exude self-assurance.  Because they know inside themselves that they are smart/talented/tenacious, they are seen by others that way.   I’m working to get there…without trepidation.   

 

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In Support of Book Marketers

September 12, 2009 in People, Thomas Nelson, Work with 24 Comments

I have watched a handful of “professionals” share insights about how authors should take their marketing into their own hands, all the while slamming what is being done at the publishing house.  In this post, I hope to help authors see the work from the publishing side and calm fears that some “fresh-out-of-college, overloaded idiot” is the person charged with promoting your books.  *Note: I’ll be saying “Marketing” often in this post–in this case the term covers everything touching promotion of your book-from the folks who book advertising to the publicists who talk to media outlets.

Yep, marketing teams are busy.  Often, we’re slammed.  The whole world of publishing is cyclical, and there is never a time when we have just one book to work on.  But there’s a big gap between being busy and being ineffective. 

Here’s what you should know:

  1. We marketers love our jobs, or we wouldn’t be doing them–Your dreams of becoming a bestseller are put before our own dreams.  We work far more than 40 hours each week making sure you shine.   Managing relationships and egos is one thing, but knowing we are usually the first people asked “what happened?” if a book doesn’t work is pressure we don’t take lightly.
  2. We do not regurgitate ideas–Sure, there are certain things that can and should be done on most books that are added into marketing plans, but each book is given it’s own set of objectives and goals, and we form a plan around things like the hooks of the story, topical interest in the media, and partnership opportunity potential.
  3. We employ outside vendors when needed-We spend a huge portion of yearly budgets on outside companies to manage online campaigns, street teams, and pr campaigns.  Why? So that we can focus on the execution, strategy, and end result.  But sometimes the best focus we can give your book is to keep things in-house.  Let’s face it-even at an outside pr firm you are not someone’s only project, and the expertise of in-house members is exceptional. 
  4.  We are educated, experienced, and professional- Almost all of the people in marketing have a degree tied to it (though I admit that I did not have any prior marketing experience when I joined our team, I had been at Nelson for seven years and knew a lot about publishing).  And while we do have interns and jr. teammembers, those are not the people charged with creating strategies, building relationships with media, or working with sales reps and accounts to get your titles promoted at retail.
  5. We look at projects with an end goal in mind, not just a budget that must be managed-Every marketer I know has gone over budget on projects.  Yes, we are accountable to bottom line numbers, but we go into each project knowing that sometimes the dollars must come second to the strategy. 

The points above speak to the marketers at the publishing house, but You, the author, must take an active role in promoting your books.  While we know that your first priority is to write the books, there are things you can do that don’t take up a ton of time that will pay off for your brand in the long run.  And without you, all we have is a book.  Here’s how you can help make the partnership better:

  • Build a relationship with us- We need to know more about you than the bio on your book jacket.  Let’s chat.
  • Share ideas–We don’t presume to have all the answers.  You know the book better than anyone.  I’ve created a worksheet of questions for our authors to help get to the core questions.  If your team doesn’t have one, start the discussion.
  • Get engaged-You can’t write a book and just return to your cave.  Your competitors will take your spot on the shelf  by creating connections with people online, blogging, and plugging their projects at stores, events, etc.
  • Step up when needed-The publishing house is not a checkbook.  It’s hard for us to respect authors who are never willing to invest in themselves.  We know we’ll be handling the bulk of the expenses, but when you aren’t willing to pay for a night of hotel or extra bookmarks, you are sending the wrong message.

I can’t speak for how other houses run, though I’ve made some assumptions here.  But I can say that my team works this way at Nelson Fiction, and we have a track record to back up the discipline and forward thinking needed to make us the #1 Christian Fiction publisher.  

Publishers have a purpose. And it’s only when you win that we win.

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