Mark Addicks, Chief Marketing Officer at General Mills, spoke as part of the Darden Leadership Speaker Series this week. Okay, I admit bias, as I am a marketer: he was great. His leadership message (and marketing advice) was simple, yet inspirational:
Start with the end in mind.
Be different.
Be authentic.
Be empathetic.
Be provocative.
Be there.
He showed samples of great marketing following these principles—from both General Mills and other companies. He inspired me and the students. Thanks Mark.
He also made me think a bit more clearly about something I was in the process of blogging on this week and actually inspired me into the ending.
Given the time of year and the place in the recruiting cycle, I have been spending a great deal of time with students on their personal story and strategies for managing their personal brand. I enjoy helping students figure out their brand and discussing strategies to manage and market it. Personally, though, I’m having a brand crisis: you see, when I was born, my two-year old sister couldn’t say little brother, so she (affectionately?) called me little Bubba. It stuck. For the past 4$%^& years, anyone who knows me OUTSIDE the professional world knows me as Bubba. Once a Bubba, always a Bubba.
However, I became Everette professionally when I graduated from Darden. Why? My resume of course said Everette at the top, and my first interviewer, and subsequent boss, thought Everette more professional (and given I was working in NY, less Southern) than Bubba, so Everette I became. Besides, it was my Dad’s middle name, and I am proud to sport it.
But, two personal brands are not recommended. For many years, living in big cities like New York, I could keep my two worlds (personal and professional) apart. But then when I moved to Charlottesville, I (like George on Seinfeld) saw my two worlds begin to collide. An example: recently, I was out bike riding, had a flat tire, and (thank goodness we’re in Charlottesville), some good Samaritan stopped to help me. Clearly a personal situation. I introduced myself as Bubba, but within a few minutes of conversation, realized that this Samaritan was connected to my professional network. Hence, a mid-stream switch to Everette. Given the size of Charlottesville, these two worlds collide frequently. Another example: my Facebook persona. I exist on Facebook because I find it useful to connect with students and alumni of Darden. Hence, Everette. Yet, many of my high school friends have discovered Everette and think Everette resembles their high school classmate Bubba. Not to mention Sally, my wife, who 25 years ago, said “I Sally, take thee, Bubba.” Everette was nowhere in the picture. Such confusion.
During Mark’s presentation, something hit me: I like being Everette and Bubba. Everette’s a pretty cool name—professional, staid, yet approachable, lends itself to its own set of affectionate nicknames (Ev, E, Big E), and carries on a great family legacy. Bubba—likes to have fun, good friend to have, boy next door. Both work for me. I thought earlier in my career that I might just force Everette into more situations—let Everette be my dominant world. But you know what: as I grow older (ouch), I think Bubba fits. I think it’s authentic. So I’m going to be a Bubba and an Everette.
So the lesson for all you Giffs, Buckys, Jimbos, Cookies, Billys, Treys, Woodys, Chrissys, KatieBeths, Jacks and Tines: be authentic. Stick with whatever fits you. Don’t let a well-intentioned boss somewhere along the way talk you out of your name. And don’t let a childhood nickname haunt you if you don’t like it and it doesn’t fit. Just abandon it at any key transition point and don’t look back. Be authentic.
Signed: Everette Bubba Fortner