In the Puddin'

Overcoming the Wall - Part I

 

In the Movies Series

It was the night before the big charity 10K. For those of you that are newer Puddin' readers, I participated in the Run for the Women of the Congo in early October. (For more details, read post: 'Brand-ching Out'). And I was feeling pretty well-prepared for a total non-athlete who gets winded traveling the stairs of my house. It had been 6 whole days since I made the commitment to run and I was set. Here's the check list:

• Running shoes: Check. Incidentally, my stylish Pumas - one of my rare pairs of shoes without heels -were definitely not meant for running. After taking a few practice 'runs' in them, (50% walking) I tore up my feet so badly, each toe and my ankles needed to be fully taped (lack of skin). Out of pity, my family gave me an early birthday present of Nike ZoomVomero3 shoes - far and away the most high tech (and most importantly, comfy)shoes ever. I recently been allowed to slip back into them now that my big toe has healed. You don't want to know anymore - Let's just say it's a good thing I'm not paying the rent with foot modeling...
• Athletic clothing: Check. No need to look any father than my own closet where the shelves offered a variety of workout outfits in pristine condition - Like they'd never been used...
• Water bottle with performance fuel: Check.The day after the first practice session, stirring coffee was painful, I was so sore. Rescued by my workout fanatic son, I tried CytoMax performance drink the next time out. I don't know exactly what's in it or if I would pass collegiate athletic screening tests, but it lowers the lactic acid level by 40% and increases muscle recuperation time, so you are not nearly as sore - very cool.
• Carbo-Load the night before: Check. The ritual of stuffing down as many carbs, usually in the form of pasta, the night before a race for maximum energy. Homemade spaghetti did the trick.
• Relax & get a good night's sleep:It was time to relax and watch an inspirational movie to get me psyched up. My family decided to make the movie selection while I cooked. What was it to be? Chariots of Fire? Rocky? Miracle? Nope - none of the above. They selected
Run, Fat Boy, Run.

Now, I consider myself a good sport and can admit there are times my jeans threaten not to fasten, but were they serious? The title of the movie alone was enough to give me a complex. Already self-conscious that I would struggle to finish the race, let alone finish well, I figured my family went too far with this one. Apparently, however, they knew exactly what they were doing. The movie was absolutely perfect for the occasion and, additionally, for what it really takes to implement change in your personal brand.

Alright - here is the part where I warn you that if you have not yet seen this movie, stop reading now or I will ruin it for you. Go out and rent it, or NetFlix it or whatever and then get back to reading this. The Puddin' takes no responsibility for spoiling the ending - read ahead at your own risk.

Run, Fat Boy, Run, is a David Schwimmer (Ross from 'Friends') directed comedy starring Simon Pegg as 'Dennis' a life-long underachiever that regrets leaving his pregnant fiance 'Libby' (Thandie Newton)  at the altar and is determined to win her back by demonstrating he is no longer the man he used to be. Proving he is 'more of a man' than Libby's current successful, athletic love interest, Dennis enters a marathon. As a mall security guard with a significant spare tire waist who is notorious for never being able to chase down shoplifters, the likelihood of Dennis completing the marathon seems absurd. Libby's boyfriend (Dennis' nemesis), a seasoned runner, is also entered in the marathon and makes it clear he does not believe that Dennis will finish the race - citing Dennis' lack of mental toughness to be the source of his failure when he 'hits the wall'.

Hitting the Wall: The moment when it feels as if you have no energy or strength left to continue the race - Every part of you begs to just quit. You cannot do it - It's just too hard. Every endurance runner faces it at some point, and so does every brand trying to implement change. Introducing change will always be met with 'brick walls' from your audience - both internally and from your consumer. The question is, what will you do when you 'hit the wall'?

Throughout the movie, Dennis is faced with the stark realities of his current brand:

• His horrid Brand Value: The poor perception from everyone in his life as an irresponsible underachiever, and
• His dismal current Brand Performance: his present actions resulting in consistently letting others down by never following through on his promises or being accountable for the poor results.

Despite these obstacles, Dennis chooses and holds firm to a few key ideals essential to changing his performance that in turn, changes the perception of his personal brand from those around him.

In fact, his authentic, steely resolve in the face of adversity - including injury and sabotage from his competition - becomes engaging, compelling & inspiring; creating an exceptional city-wide audience of champions charismatically drawn to the passionate performance of his efforts and him personally (his brand):

1. His ultimate purpose is genuinely important to him
2. His promise is truly important to his key audience
3. It is unquestionably vital that the objective be met
4. His personal comfort and security can be freely sacrificed to implement change
5. Despite any circumstances or obstacles, he must deliver on his promise

More on this will be continued in Overcoming the Wall - Part 2. Look for it to be posted Monday, March 23th when I get all worked up about the importance of committing to change. Until then, here's a few questions to ponder:

• How do you and/or your organization handle some of the negative perceptions and less then perfect performance issues?
• Are you open to change?
• Why would that change be important - really, really important?
• What does your key audience think about your proposed change?
• How committed are you to fulfilling that change? (Remember - you are promising...)
• Are you willing to sacrifice your personal comfort and security to achieve it?
• What will you do when you 'Hit the Wall'?
• And most importantly...Have you seen Run, Fat Boy, Run? Get on it...you have until Wednesday...

--Dolores McKay, ZAG Group CVO

 

 

 

Chaos in McKayville

 

It's the day before Thanksgiving once more; I've got my game face on and am psyched up.

For the past 18 years, Thanksgiving in McKayville has been an annual display of holiday plans gone sideways with circumstances much stranger than fiction. Most years are instant classics - Here are a few examples:

1. Snow Day: Trapped at home in a record-breaking snow storm, we were unable to attend Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws. Totally buried in snow - no one was going anywhere. Anticipating being hosted, there was no "Thanksgiving" food in the house. With two devastated small children crying in disappointment about no turkey on "Turkey Day", I got desperate. In the cupboards were a pack of Jet-Puffed marshmallows and a box of toothpicks. We then spent the afternoon carefully carving out sections of marshmallow and attaching them together to create "turkeys" then got out some pillar candles and "roasted our turkeys" over the flame (as well as other such food fabrications). With sticky fingers and moderate stomach aches, the mini-McKays went to bed that night telling us it was the best Thanksgiving ever.

2. The Lobster Hunt: I love lobster bisque and enjoy the drawn-out, 24 hour experience of making it from scratch with my loved ones. One year, however, I was preparing for a large number of guests at my sister-in-law's house. This required many lobsters which had been severed (head from tail) and laid out on the counter for later preparation. Apparently, just like chickens without their heads, lobsters can continue to motate without their upper halves. When I re-entered the kitchen, 4 of the 6 lobsters were missing altogether. Thus, began the APB hunt for headless lobsters. Ultimately, the crustacean fugitives were apprehended. The kids now request to go on a lobster hunt every Thanksgiving (for stuffed animal lobsters) before eating.

3. Hungry Like the Wolf: During my time in the luxury resort world, I was often asked to create experiences for others on Thanksgiving like for British rock band, Duran Duran while in town for their concert. Upon observing the holiday excitement, they requested their own personal feast for their entourage (with one band member being a strict vegetarian). After working through the impromptu execution and the "some assembly required" for Tofurkey, I was asked to join them. For the rest of the afternoon, the band enjoyed peppering me with questions about "this American holiday", what the purpose was for associated traditions & how did we honor the Native Americans that kept us from perishing (Just for the sheer fun of putting me in the hot seat, I'm sure). If you want to gain a personal, deeper appreciation for the ritual of Thanksgiving, try explaining it to an impish British rock band.

Eighteen years of Thanksgiving fiascos have made me quite sure of two things that we already know but seem to need constant reminding:

1.     There is always an abundance of things to be grateful for, and

2.     No matter how carefully you plan and craft an experience, your ability to honestly live in the moment is what will truly take the experience over the top.

 

 

Chaos can be wonderful. The unplanned event, the x-factor and the uninvited guests known as "the Murphy's" force you to wake up, fully engage and get really creative, really fast.

 

The presence of an unexpected enemy transcends the temptation to "go through the motions" and gives your community (family, business or whatever) a higher cause to preserve the intention of the experience while the details of the "how" are falling apart.

It's focusing on the importance of the end result of the experience. It's a wakeup call to why you are going through the trouble of providing the experience in the first place. It forces you to stay true to your cause (or not).

SO I SAY BRING IT ON - Let the moment out-design my finely-crafted plan. I welcome the challenge for the moment to bend my brain and make me a better provider of experience.

That said, here's last year's plan which, of course, did not occur as designed:

• I hosted / cooked
• Set loose in Whole Foods, each of my immediate family members selected 2 ingredients to incorporate into Thanksgiving dinner (completely their choice)
• I then created a 7 course menu including each of the chosen ingredients to be romanced throughout the afternoon and evening

Here's the menu (in Freytag form just for fun...)

• Exposition: Pan-Seared Diver Sea Scallops with Meyer lemon reduction, chive oil and heirloom teardrop tomatoes
• Inciting Incident: Lobster Bisque finished with chanterelle mushrooms, crème fraiche and American caviar
• Rising Action: Duck Confit Salad on a bed of organic baby mixed greens and port wine vinaigrette with Kentucky black apple, spiced pecans and gorgonzola
• Crisis: Duet of Blood Orange & Hibiscus Sorbet
• Climax: Brined Roast Turkey with rosemary sage dressing, roasted elephant garlic Yukon mashed potatoes, haricot verts sautéed in pancetta & thyme with pan gravy
• Falling Action: Savory Cheese Course of Amadeus, Sini Fulvi Ubriacone, Emmi Don Olivo, Mitica Mahon Aged and Mitica Leyenda Brandy (& Boursin for the kids)
• Denouement: Spiced Apple Napoleons with pomegranate caramel sauce. (I'm borrowing this recipe from Nashville's own Restaurant Zola...) Traditional Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Pie & Chocolate Toffee Pecan Pie

Accompanying Libations:

• Aperitif: Ginger-infused vodka & Limoncello martinis
• Early Courses: 1990 Duval Leroy, Femme Champagne
• Later Courses: 2004 Chateau La Nerthe, Chateauneuf-du-Pape
• Dessert: Nivole, Muscato d'Asti
• Digestif: Elijah Craig 18 year single barrel (#1893) bourbon

Gotta run - The kitchen and the promise of unexpected adventure awaits. Now that the day's experience is designed, something will undoubtedly "fail" to go as planned. I plan on failing gloriously where necessary by living out the moment true to its genuine purpose - in gratitude and honor of my beautiful family and blessings.

My warmest wishes to all of you and your loved ones. --Dolores McKay, ZAG Group CVO

 

Lifetimes in a Moment

 

Special Addition

Each American has their own story of how history was made in our country two days ago - Where they were, what moment impacted them the most and what it personally meant to their lives. With sincere and humble words, here is mine.

Eyes glued to CNN two nights ago, my family and I watched the predictions slowly materialize and the corresponding increase of Barack Obama's likelihood to become President unfold. Eventually, commentators began discussing Obama's approach 'when' he would take office instead of 'if',until the dramatic change in our country was officially announced in a seemingly instantaneous flash. That is, until the cameras focused on the Chicago celebration and indescribable reaction of Reverend Jesse Jackson. In that moment, staring at his image on the screen, time seemed to disappear as past, present and future melded together in an unforgettable marvel of irreversible change.

Not easily brought to tears, I was completely overwhelmed by the expression on Jackson's face and felt tears steaming down my face matching his. As the camera drew close, his eyes told a story that a thousand hours of media coverage could not begin to do justice. In that instant, his transparency made it clear his emotional response was not simply for Obama's victory, not only for the African American cultural milestone. His eyes seemed to tell the story of a man who had been brave enough to fail in his moment in the spotlight in order to pave the way for the next man to be victorious. It was the response of the ultimate hero and change agent - the one who lays themselves down for the future to prosper. It was a defining moment of pure humility I will never forget.

To ensure this article is as authentic a possible, I am intentionally breaking a huge rule in writing - I am going to get personal. Because what transpired in our country is not simply a political happening to be chronicled on a factual time line. It is a revolutionary tipping point that has the power to influence not only our country, but the perspective of the world and quality of life for billions of people. And within that, the preservation of some of the most beautiful values ever forged to empower individual people:

• Living up to the promise that all are created equal
• Protecting each person's inalienable rights
• Re-building a land of opportunity
• Cherishing the pursuit of happiness

This is an opportunity to continue the great work of heroes that paved the path for our successes with their sacrifices - So that someday, perhaps our children will never have to consider whether their leader should be black or white, male or female and can focus on which person will move our promise of the American Dream forward.

And 'Yes We Can'. But there is a lot of work to do from this point. And as progressive as our country proved it strives to be, there is more to be done:

• I am not of African decent. But I am first generation American with a wealth of heritages spanning the globe - mostly from countries not as prosperous as the US. As such, I have experienced my share of racial slurs (from several races), social stereotypes and suggested professional limitations.

I am a professional  woman that's had to deal with perceptions of limitations for my gender. A light-hearted example of this:  A few months ago, I performed a seminar with a medical theme. With no time to change, I rushed to the airport still dressed in full scrubs. Between three different cities, 12 out of 12 men that inquired about my profession asked if I was a…nurse.

• Coming from very modest beginnings, I was instructed about the proper place for people of my social standing and what I would be allowed to do. In fact, I was even warned about the less virtuous nature of those with greater wealth. I hear those ridiculous conversations around me yet today.

And I've lived a blessed life. My mere scrapes are nothing compared to the deep wounds of so many others. The bottom line is, although we are a culture of greater opportunity than any other generation before us, we still have a lot of work to do in our country.  And Yes We Can.

But it starts with believing that continuing to strive for the empowerment of all people is right. And true. And worth pushing forward for change.  I am personally grateful for all the privileges of our imperfect but constantly aspiring nation. Are there unfair struggles to contend with along the way? Of course. But there are heroic champions to help us with the cause along the path, just like there always have been.

• For me, at the height of my struggle with the lack of opportunities of being without means, there was Martin Luther King. His inspiration led me to win a state writing contest and opened the doors to educational mentors, writing jobs and eventually, professional speaking.
• And to deal with racism, there was poet Langston Hughes. I spent a year designing & performing a collection of his work as a mission to spread the awareness of racism and the beauty of diversity.  Today, my profession is devoted to showcasing distinction and empowerment as a means to creating business value for organizations.

It was out of the inspiration of these heroic champions that gave me the courage to push forward first for my change and then those of others. I hope, like so many others, our new President will continue that legacy of heroism.

But for me, if I can live to move the quality of life forward for others, even with attempts that do not come to fruition – I have succeeded. I endeavor for the chance that someday, I’ll stand in a crowd with tears in my eyes watching someone after me take things to new heights of progress. I cannot imagine anything more inspiring or worthwhile.

Thank you, Jesse Jackson, for taking a momentous occasion and adding the inspiration needed for the rest of us who will not be President for the next four years, yet still have life-changing work to do. --Dolores McKay, ZAG Group CVO

I'll leave you with the poem that concluded my speech several years ago:

I, Too, Sing America

by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

 

Brand-ching Out

In the Puddin' - Brand You Series

There are two brand principles that I emphasize more than others:

1.  Brand strength comes from what you own - what you distinctively do better than anyone else, placing you in a market position that transcends competition.

2.  A brand is a promise - and brand value is determined by how well your brand delivers on its promise through the experiences you offer.

I am constantly looking to find my clients' unique strengths and partnering with them to find new ways to leverage those strengths into their offerings and performance.

And while I place a great deal of emphasis on pushing forth what you / your brand is extraordinarily good at, that - in no way - should diminish the tremendous importance of working on the things that are not currently your strengths today.

A great basketball player can shoot with their left or right hand. Sure - one is more natural and probably has a much higher percentage of success, but a champion knows the time might come when their team relies on them to take a shot from their weak hand in order to clinch the championship. So, they will spend hours of frustrating practice to work their weaker shot for the sake of the team.

I could go on for hours with like analogies, but the point is this: to be a champion that your team can count on, you've got to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself to do things you are not 'the best at' today, in order to be an asset to others tomorrow. You must branch out in order to be able to provide new skills, services, offerings, etc. to continue increasing the value you currently provide.

It's painful to try new stuff that is not your strength. It's uncomfortable to step into a world that is not your own - especially if you are an 'expert' in something. And that is exactly why you should do it.

·       Innovation comes from stepping into the uncomfortable unknown

·       Courage and Bravery come only to those who allow themselves to walk into a fearful situation

·       Wisdom only comes to a teachable spirit who allows itself to be humbled by those wiser

·       Change only comes from new perspectives that require placing yourself in a position you've never ventured to stand in before

Big talk from a consultant who makes a living telling other people what they should do differently, right?  (It's OK if you were thinking it - I agree with you). No one should give recommendations or advice they are not willing to take themselves. I ask a lot of people to stretch and get uncomfortable by thinking and performing in new ways. It would be easy to lose sight of how difficult that truly is if I didn't practice it myself on regular basis. So, I do my best to stick my own neck out there and place myself in situations where I am personally responsible for creating new experiences that are not my current areas of expertise. And most of the time I don't broadcast it. But this experience is different:

On Sunday, October 5th (six days) I will be participating in a 10K to benefit the courageous Women of the Congo whose suffering has been unimaginable and extreme due to the violence that has plagued their area.

It is important that you know I am not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, a nasty spill down a flight of stairs last year (and other bothersome physical limitations) have kept me from normal exercise - period. And I've never, ever participated in a 10K before. So there is absolutely no glory in performing this experience for me personally. In fact, if I was worried about how this made me look, the real possibility that I will be one of the last to finish (or THE last) would probably be enough to stop me from taking on this experience. As is always the case when you find yourself in situations that stretch you past your normal comfort level, there are a myriad of 'reasons' that can be found not to this:

·       No adequate time to train, prepare or run a large campaign (wasn't sure I'd be in town & available until now)

·       It's still 100 degrees in Phoenix – upping the level of difficulty substantially

·       I have no idea 'how' to run a 10K (strategy) - can't really conceive where the finish line will be

·       It's 'ramp-up' season with work - very busy right now

Those are all great excuses, right? So why am I doing this? Here are a few reasons:

·       I have the blessing of intelligent people who challenge me to stretch and be my best. A lovely woman named Renee M. challenged me a year ago to stay vulnerable

·       Then another inspiring woman named Laura A. invited me to do this

·       Then there is the spirit of another woman, Marilyn M., who cannot run but has put her faith in my abilities to make a difference

·       And then, most importantly, there are the many women of the Congo who have experienced the devastating loss of 5,400,000 people due to one of the deadliest wars in history - struggling to re-build their lives and community. How much more motivation could I possibly need?

·       THE BOTTOM LINE IS: You don't have to be great at something to do something great for other people.

Maybe I will look foolish - But I'm willing to help

Maybe I will look as if I've failed every time I stop - But it's my victory to be active once again

Maybe I will finish last - But I will finish for the cause: the Women of the Congo

Maybe I will raise a modest amount of proceeds - But I will help someone

I am not a 10K expert. I am not even an exercise enthusiast. Running is nowhere in my current personal brand strength. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to stretch to improve this area - Especially if there is a team counting on me.

Please consider 2 things:

·       Supporting this very import cause and the lives it impacts by visiting my fundraising page at:  http://www.active.com/donate/runforcongoaz/DMcKay34

·       How can you step out of your comfort zone and work outside of your expertise for future strength and the benefit of others? What’s stopping you?

Thanks for thinking about joining me in Brand-ching Out for the Women of the Congo. I won’t win anyone a gold medal, but I won’t let the team down, either – I’ll finish the 10K and we’ll help as many people as we can.

Yours (in earnest if not speed),

Dolores McKay, ZAG Group CVO

Brand Champion Award - September 12, 2008

James Richter - Lifestyle Services Supervisor

GRIGIO Contemporary Living

Brand Champion Awards - Awarding individual team member's actions & how it delivers their organization's brand promise in an extraordinary way

"Your Wish. Our Pleasure."

That is the Brand Promise of GRIGIO Contemporary Living. What is 'Contemporary Living'? It is an innovation in multi-family housing that takes the best elements of: hotel, resort, country club, condo and apartment products and has created a new, luxury lifestyle living environment. Basically, it is the inversion of the 'co-tel' (a condo that is built within a luxury hotel or resort). GRIGIO, developed by Gray Development Group and managed by Gray Clow Residential, is a leased living environment that adds the amenities and most importantly, services, of a luxury hotel or resort.

Imagine - a condo type property in which everything can be maintained for you - including: housekeeping, turning down your bed with rose petals and even 'in-suite delivery' of your favorite snack and bottle of wine: Room service to your own home. Now that is luxury living.

Unlike the other current market offerings of million dollar for sale co-tels, Contemporary Living suites are available for rent - Making this luxurious lifestyle tangible to the upwardly mobile 'not-yet-millionaires, but working on it' consumers who are currently prioritizing their time and convenience as their most prized assets.

What does it take to make the brand promise of "Your Wish. Our Pleasure." true? A few things:

• Amenities: Does the physical space of the lifestyle community provide the basic, luxury amenities that I am wishing for? With a poolside cafe, full gym, Pilate's room, modern indoor and rooftop lounges as well as a convenience retail center with DVD 'rentals' (they are free) and wine shop...yes.
• Service Offerings: Are there basic personalized services offered that address my 4 star and diamond wishes? Yes - GRIGIO offers a myriad top requested services for their members. From delivered laundering and dry cleaning services, to housekeeping, to concierge services to arranging private parties and even in-suite spa services plus more.
• Great Orchestration: Are there brand team members who are prepared and desire to execute all of the other things I am wishing for that are not on the standardized menu as well as all of the details that accompany my requests?
• Trust: Fostered from a relationship of continual reliability on the part of the brand, why would I trust telling you, let alone ask you to try to create something I really wish for? Unless... I have a basic level of trust that you:
  • Respect me as an individual and let me know I am important to you
  • Care enough about me to listen to my desires attentively - with the same concentration as if it was your own wish
  • Have the basic knowledge and expertise to deliver on what is being asked
  • Have the professionalism to see my request through with meticulous detail until all aspects have been complete.

The individual responsible for the performance delivery of the Amenities, Services, Orchestration and Relationship of Trust for GRIGIO is Lifestyle Services Supervisor, James Richter.

Simply being responsible for the aforementioned does not make a brand champion. Every 4 or 5 star hotel has someone in a role similar to James with the task of overseeing the execution of personalized services to consumers. James' title, crafted specifically for him, is not what makes him a champion - It is how he earned the title that is important.

James was originally hired as part of the opening team for GRIGIO in the beginning of 2007 as a Maitre'd - the essential first impression and welcoming presence of the experience. A gentleman with a genuine demeanor and approachable kindness, James won over prospective consumers and journalists alike while introducing them to the unique offerings of the GRIGIO lifestyle experience.

Through the trials of opening a brand new property and dealing with the stress-charged challenges that are inevitable in the moving process for people, James continued to build valuable relationships with the current and prospective members of GRIGIO. And as a result, James gained their trust and confidence both in what they desired as well as their faith in James' ability to deliver it.

Now, almost 2 years later since the opening of GRIGIO, James has been entrusted with overseeing the specific, resort style requests of the GRIGIO members as well as coordinating special events such as:

• Sport tournaments for the members to socialize and have a little competitive fun with their neighbors
• Food and beverage themed events such as "A Night in Venice" - (They are, after all, a lake front property) with Italian food, wine and live music (James also happens to be a former wine sales rep - he knows his grapes)
• Complimentary relaxation evenings for the guests complete with chair massages
• Fund raising charity events to give back as a community to local neighboring charities
• Even Yappy Hour  - socialization time for members who love their dogs
• Plus, countless private special events for individual members - from setting up the perfect romantic evening to arranging a flawless move-in.

In order for 'Your Wish. Our Pleasure.' to be a successful brand promise, GRIGIO must build a reputation of trust from its members that the GRIGIO team members will deliver on both: sincerely caring about their members' wishes and professionally following through to execute those wishes on a consistent basis.

Fortunately, for the GRIGIO brand, they hired James to champion their brand promise from the beginning to make that promise true and he has continued to find new ways to deliver value to its GRIGIO members.

Incidentally, I am not the only one impressed by the performance of GRIGIO. GRIGIO Tempe Town Lake won the National Apartment Association’s prestigious PARAGON 2008 Community of the Year Award.  The NAA has in its federation nearly 200 state and local affiliates, comprised of more than 51,000 multifamily housing companies representing more than 6.3 million apartment homes throughout the United States and Canada.  GRIGIO competed against 9 other property finalists (other Paragon award winners) from around the country for Community of the Year.

Congratulations to James for being a superb brand champion to GRIGIO's brand promise and to Gray Development Group and Gray Clow Residential for retaining and evolving James' role as a valuable asset to the GRIGIO brand. I look forward to seeing the next evolution in GRIGIO's execution of lifestyle experiences. --Dolores McKay, ZAG Group CVO

Champion Awards Guidelines:

• Each Friday beginning 8/8/08, an individual team member selected by ZAG Group and In the Puddin' will be selected and awarded 'Brand Champion'
• Brand Champions will be featured in 'In the Puddin', and receive an honorary certificate
• A Brand Champion's direct supervisor and corporate office will also be officially notified
• Each weekly Brand Champion is then eligible for the ZAG Grand Champion prize at the end of the year.
• On September 1, 2009 - the ZAG Grand Champion will be announced. More details on the prize coming soon, but will include: airfare, hotel room and a very cool experience (of course).

Applying Obsession

In the Puddin' - Brand You Series

Like most powerful things, having great passion for your personal brand strength is both a blessing and a curse.

Due to the fact that your personal brand strength is both something that draws your interest in a compelling way and is something you probably have a fairly high aptitude for, you are apt to develop an obsession for the subject. Because of your interest and talent in that particular area, you are drawn to learn more and more about the subject - perhaps even developing an insatiable appetite for garnishing every possible tangent of information regarding the matter.

Your blessing: You are on your way, if not already there, to becoming a specialized expert. That's great. And it can certainly become a powerful advantage to your brand and / or how you represent your organization's brand assuming one thing: That anybody cares about what you know.

And therein lies the curse: It is highly unlikely, that most people will appreciate the meticulous way in which you seek and dissect information regarding your particular brand strength. In fact, the more you are obsessive about a subject, the more of a chance there is that you may be annoying people by regaling detailed pieces of information that they 'don't get'. Most talented people are highly knowledgeable at something - a 'superpower' that their teammates or customers cannot quite understand.

So, the brand strength question becomes, "How do I use my superpowers for good?"  By finding a way to make your obsession tangible to others.

Your superpower knowledge on a subject is probably not digestible to the general public. Therefore, you need to find the best way to glean the most useful pieces of your vast knowledge into appetizing, bite-size pieces. A great example of this is Matthew Weston, Resort Beverage Manager for Royal Palms Resort and Spa & T.Cook's restaurant.

Working his way up in the industry, Matthew was a fine dining food server for a number of years. His passion for pairing wine with food made him a popular experience provider with guests and Matthew had a strong following of repeat guests requesting to be in his service. Understanding that his wine knowledge was a large part of his personal brand strength and professional success, he used his obsession to learn more about wine to further his career. Matthew chose to endure the rigorous studying and testing to become a professional sommelier. Here's a quick summarization of a sommelier's role:

Their principal work is in the area of wine procurement, storage, and wine cellar rotation. They are also responsible for the development of wine lists, the overall delivery of wine service and training for the restaurant staff. Working along with the culinary team, they pair and suggest wines that will best complement each particular food menu item. This entails the necessity for a deep knowledge of how food and wine, beer, spirits, etc. work in harmony. They also work on the floor of the restaurant and are in direct contact with patrons. The sommelier has a responsibility to work within the taste preference and budget parameters of each patron. Bottom line: They are super-powered brand experience agents.

Leveraging his passion and knowledge, Matthew was promoted into management. Although, this would be a fine enough example of how to leverage your personal obsessions into brand strength, Matthew took it further. You see, in Matthew's quest to quench his thirst for more knowledge about everything related to wine, he became more of an 'expert' about wine than the current job parameters had use for.

• There is only so much about the history of wine that a service team member can digest without their eyes rolling into the back of their head.
• There are only so many anecdotes he could tell a a restaurant patron about what famous historical figure drank which wine and why.
• There was way too much 'wine knowledge stuff' in Matthew's head than could currently be used on a daily basis.
• And, as it goes with obsessions, Matthew sought even more information on a daily basis. It was only going to stock-pile higher.

There was, however, another distinctive way for Matthew to apply his ever-growing wine knowledge on a continual basis for the benefit of his personal brand and that of T.Cook's brand: He was the caretaker of the T.Cook's wine list.

T.Cook's has an unusual brand promise in which it is the intention of the restaurant to provide an experience that likens that of "home away from home". To be more specific, that your home away from home is your very rich uncle's mansion in the Mediterranean - complete with an entire staff of estate caretakers to cater to your every whim. (I, for one, would love to find that uncle in my family...)

For the past several years, Matthew has been responsible for the content of the wine list that is the only one of it's kind I've ever experienced. Yes - it lists all of the wines by varietal and shows patrons the price. But it's unique quality is everything interspersed between the items.

• Tasting notes that not only talk about fruit, oak, butter and the like - but refer to the poetic qualities of that particular wine, as one would describe a dear friend
• Tasting notes that describe the personal preferences of specific patrons and team members
• Tasting notes that evoke excitement and seem to capture what Matthew was thinking when he first tasted it
• Pieces of relativity: How wines compare in profile & value to well-known brand names
• Excitement alerts: Wines you don't want to miss considering and why
• Quotes from famous wine advocates and wine makers throughout history

The end result: Matthew takes his vault of wine knowledge and continually sprinkles delightful pieces of it into the wine list that has more of the flavor of a wine journal than an obligatory wine list. Patrons have the wonderful opportunity to experience the profiles of the wines in a very personal, tangible way before committing to which one to buy that night. And, chances are, they have noted which one they will have to come back for. Brilliant.

By the way, apparently I'm not the only one who thinks the list is extraordinary. The T.Cook's wine list , under Matthew's watch, has earned Wine Spectator Magazine's Award of Excellence every year since 2001.

And here's the beauty of it for Matthew as well as his guests: Because wine lists change frequently, Matthew has a never-ending responsibility to update the list and draw from his plethora of wine knowledge in a delightful way that adds incredible brand value to the T.Cook's dining experience.

Congratulations to Matthew for being a perfect example of finding an important, tangible way to showcase your obsession and add value. Cheers to you --Dolores McKay, ZAG Group CVO

Rendering Strength

In the Puddin' - Brand You Series

There are some principles that are perfectly unfailing. You can count on their effectiveness time and time again - in a variety of situations. I have always appreciated the principle of leverage. One of the oldest, simple machines, a lever is used to exert a large force over a small distance at one end by exerting only a small force over a greater distance at the other. But you knew that already.

I like the way Archimedes looked at leverage when he said, "Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world." Now that's my kind of a guy - a real change agent, if you ask me.

The last science-geek fact I will mention is that in physics, the point where you apply force is called "the effort". Naturally, where you decide to apply the effort determines how much you are able to leverage and lift.

So I ask you, Where are you applying your effort in your brand? What are you using as your lever? If you said "My unique strengths" you are absolutely correct and on your way. If not, today is a good day to re-examine your simple machine before you hurt yourself.

A great example of an individual who is re-branding their business to leverage their powerful unique brand strengths is Craig Jolly, owner and CEO of Studio F1 - an architectural rendering, animation and design acceleration firm. They are in the business of creating all sorts of digital images and animations related to construction projects that do not currently exist in order to help clients: sell projects to the city, investors or general public and assist architects refine the design process. Basically, they are the technical creative geniuses who have the rest of the world double-taking to wonder if the image is 'real' or not. They are also the guys that watch Pixar movies from a entirely different perspective than the rest of of the audience...

Responsible for the future growth of the business, Craig had to consider where to apply his effort - what his brand strengths were that would give him the leverage he needed. It didn't take long to discover that Craig had some powerful strengths that most of his contemporaries did not. And for awhile in business, they were easy to miss. They always are as owners attempt to juggle all the variables in day-to-day business and quality. It is very difficult to take a step back and evaluate while an operation is in full motion.

In his industry, there is no question that the best competitors in his field were creative and tech savvy - imperatives to producing good work in his industry. Craig's team was creative and tech savvy, too. But they had something that their competitors did not. They had Craig - and the fact that he happened to be an architect himself as well as having an MBA. So what difference does that make? What does that have to do with the process of producing electronic images? Everything when you think about what those images mean to the business of architecture, construction and development.

The images are a product that someone with the technical knowledge can produce. But someone with the technical knowledge plus architectural knowledge and a strong business acumen can provide a valuable service to architectural and development companies in order to refine money savings and generating strategies in addition to simply producing the image. Because of Craig's personal brand strengths, he was able to leverage his company's offerings from a product to transcending into more service-related offerings and advantages. That is some serious lift.

The official launch of his new brand and offerings is set to launch this fall and I will keep you posted on the details of how he is executing his strategic leverage and the specific types of services his firm will extend. Despite the fact that the re-brand has not officially rolled out, interest in Craig's unusual brand strengths has already been sparked not only in the local market, but requests are now coming from California, the Midwest, New York and even Dubai.

Congratulations to Craig for restructuring the future of his company to reflect his personal brand strengths and launching his company into the next phase of growth. Archimedes would be proud. --Dolores McKay, ZAG Group CVO.

Playing With Food

In the Puddin' - Break Out Brand Series

Despite the pleading of parental units throughout time, the urge to play with your food is inevitable. Besides being a life-sustaining necessity, eating, and the selection of what is to be eaten, has become a central focus of: reward, celebration, comfort, concern, romance and enjoyment. After all, what is a party without the food?

Incorporating all of the five senses, the experience of preparing and eating food inspires creativity and is recognized as an art form at its greatest execution. If you are the individual responsible for planning and preparing the food for your household, you quickly realize that 1095 meals a year stretches anyone's creativity. I'm sure one of the most stressful questions in the American family is "What's for dinner?"

Over time, preparers of food sought help and inspiration in a variety of different ways:

• Sharing the load: Different members of the community leading the direction of meal preparation
• Person to person sharing of information: Sewing circles and other domestic social networks
• The recipe card: Hand-written or typed index cards and boxes
• The cook books: Retail items for purchase
• The magazines: Retail magazines with articles of recipes
• TV cooking: Cooking shows and segments of news shows demonstrating preparing recipes
• On-line recipe libraries:Website such as epicurious.com with recipe content contributed by culinary magazines such as Gourmet & Bon Appetit

Now, a group out of Berkeley, California has created a cookbook experience that breaks out of the typical brands of recipe gathering: The TasteBook. Their goal - 'remix the cookbook to create the perfect cookbook':

• A personal cookbook that reflects individual tastes, cultures, and culinary aspirations.
• A fresh cookbook that's never frozen. You can add more recipes whenever you want.
• A collaborative cookbook that's made with a little help from your friends.

TasteBook partners with top chefs, cookbook authors, and some of the best recipe web sites, including Epicurious, Allrecipes, Food Network, and MyRecipes. TasteBook features more than 50,000 tested recipes from professional chefs and home cooks alike, and magazines such as Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Cooking Light, Oxmoor House, Sunset, Southern Living, and Coastal Living.

And then they paired up with cookbook authors, editors, and bloggers, deemed: 'Guest TasteMakers', and had them create TasteBooks anyone can order or remix themselves? Including, of course, adding personal or prized family heirloom recipes from an individual's experiementation or heritage.

The end-product: A TasteBook - an easy, customized way to collect, organize, and share your favorite recipes so you can create stunning personal cookbooks. Very Cool. And a totally new offering in the marketplace that takes the best of all previous recipe offerings and blends them together into an experience that is personal, educational, entertaining and grows with the skill level and tastes of the consumer. Outstanding.

As someone who loves to cook almost as much as to eat, I had to try the TasteBook experience for myself. The on-line experience is impressively engaging, with step-by-step instructional video, beautiful content and animations that simulate actions such as turning the pages of your cookbook (including sound effects). I am now in process of converting all of the recipes created in my head over the years of working with fabulous commercial kitchens and great chefs, and from preparing 1095 meals a year for a family of five into "Good Taste - culinary creations by Dolores McKay". I am loving breaking into the TasteBook experience and will keep you posted on what it is like to play with your food -TasteBook style. --Dolores McKay, ZAG Group CVO.

Creating Your Masterpiece

In the Puddin' - Brand You Series

What makes art so interesting is undoubtedly the perspective of the artist - The simple fact that every person on Earth can look at exactly the same thing, yet have a completely different perspective and understanding of what they see.

What makes some art an extraordinary masterpiece? When the artist labors with their hands to refine the image of precisely what is in their mind. Did the great masters of art simply complete their commissions? Absolutely not. Communicating their vision to others, in whatever tangible way they could, was always the goal.

It would be a really easy thing to simply tell you to "Go out there and create your own masterpiece." And I will. But not yet. We need to check your vision first.

How do you see things? This is an important question to answer when defining Brand You. Talk about distinction, what could add more distinctive value than the guarantee that it is impossible for anyone to look at your market, your job, your customer, your product, your spouse, your dog, whatever...with exactly the same perspective? That is so much more valuable than most people imagine. Not to mention, you are subconsciously driven to approach things in your own unique way, anyway. It ends up being more work fighting your natural inclination and has the danger of coming off as a bad attitude, insincere or unskilled when you forcibly try to conduct business in ways incongruent with your mind's eye.

An example of someone who took her personal brand and leveraged the unique way she sees things is Teresa Wilson, owner of Camelback Flowershop. 

Teresa was mentored by a professional artist since the age of five. As a young woman, she took a part-time job in a local flower shop, that turned into a full-time job with more overtime then she could have imagined. Before long, her employer announced the shop would be for sale and practically overnight, Teresa constructed a plan to buy the flower shop and turn it into a profitable business - at least for awhile - her art always beckoned.

Naturally, Teresa's artistic skills and training served her well in producing an excellent product for her clientele. No doubt, her arrangements were gorgeous and business was doing well. But now what? Buy a bigger shop and produce a higher volume to grow the business with greater profits? Maybe. She knew she wanted to do greater things with the business, but what did that mean?

Teresa describes her answer to that question as a period of soul-searching: Establishing how she wanted to view her business as opposed to her learned mentality of "This is how you run a flower shop". She started taking an inventory of what she wanted and then got out of her own head. She hired an experience consultant to assess her unique brand assets and evaluate her competition's brand assets. Guess what brand assets floated to the top? Teresa's unique perspective of how she sees things.

To Teresa, flowers were not just a product she sold. Flowers were not just an obligatory gesture or stage prop. They were art. Individual works of art commissioned to carry a special message to others that she was responsible for creating. As a matter of fact, her team members were not florists, they were 'story tellers' - messengers responsible for capturing the emotion and intent, and conveying the sentiment in a personal, beautiful way: The message amongst the petals (their brand promise).

By the way - Here is how you know your personal brand is being used: Suddenly, you have the vision for all types of possibilities - applications and actions to stretch your organization's brand that are crystal clear to you. Take a look at where Teresa took that vision next:

Teresa's Artistic Experiences:

·       Art shows: Monthly, Teresa displayed the art of up-and-coming artists within her shop leading up to an evening art show with wine, appetizers, live music and the featured artist in person to mingle with guests of the shop

·       Floral Art 101: Hosting a variety of workshops to: teach technique, enjoy food and beverage, socialize and take home a personally created work of art

·       High-Profile fashion shows - Partnering with Saks 5th Avenue, Maserati and others to incorporate the art of fashion with the art of flowers

·       Ultimate WOW Factor gift-giving - Strategic partnerships with exclusive designers such as Roberto Botticelli. Artistic presentations of tiered floral arrangements and a pair of Botticelli shoes for the ultimate Valentine's surprise.

·       Exhibiting at the Phoenix Art Museum: demonstrating how floral designs can complement and reinterpret works of art - designed to harmonize perfectly with the works of art on display. Incredible and inspiring work.

Teresa took the business of someone else's failing flower shop and transformed its business into a successful venue of floral experiences. Camelback Flowershop has been commissioned to perform some of the highest profile events and occasions as well as being entrusted to convey exclusive messages to celebrities, politicians and other public figures "amongst the petals" of her artwork. All because she took the time to really evaluate, understand and apply the very unique way she looks at things.

Thank you, Teresa, for your inspiring contributions to experience design in your field, bringing exceptional beauty to a variety of other markets and being a perfect example of utilizing your individual perspective to strengthen your brand. I look forward to what beauty your vision will produce next. --Dolores McKay

Lola's Flight Plan

In the Puddin' - Lola's Turn

Times are tough for airlines - There is no question about that. Over the past several years and now more than ever, they have been challenged with brutal economic conditions and unprecedented safety concerns.

These conditions have affected every aspect of air travel and, understandably, impacted the way airlines conduct business. Although not pleased, the public can logically understand why ticket prices, cancellations of under-booked flights, and security delays have increased. What is difficult to understand, however, is why airline customer service has decreased so severely during these competitive times.

It's Tuesday, so I’m letting my alter ego come out to play - we’ll call her Lola – and I’ll let her rant a bit:

Lola: This summer brought quite a bit of travel all over the country. It seems I was in a different city every few days for awhile. As I did not always book my own travel plans, I had the opportunity to fly a variety of airlines (most of the major brands). Head-to-head comparisons of airline brands could not have been easier - even if the travel itself was not.

There's a minutia of comparative data to play with in attempts to determine the price / value comparison between airline brands - especially with all of the 'add-on' fees that have been implemented with differing rules from company to company, loyalty 'miles' and 'points', etc. Generally, the best value of 'price per flight' was decided by city I was flying into (and how much activity that particular airlines has to that city). So, without calculating too much of the complicated 'X-factors', all airlines came out close enough to equal in price.

Also on an even playing field, was the travel experience led by customer service. Amazingly, consistently poor. Now I am not referring to airport and TSA complications out of the team members' control. I am not talking about the services and amenities that have been cut to keep airline costs down - flight attendants and ticket agents had no part in those decisions.

I'm talking about the extraordinarily poor attitude from many of the front line team members of airlines that lets the customer know, in no uncertain terms, that their life is hard and we should feel their pain. Here are some of the more memorable examples of what I observed this summer (I wish I were exaggerating - but these are actual):

• In response to a young woman requesting a blanket: "No blankets anymore. Just another budget cut to get used to."
• In response to 4 women's inquiry of other available flights when theirs had been canceled: "What are you asking me for? I'm just a peon."
• In response to a woman's request to keep the entire can of soda: "I just hope I have enough for everyone else now." (turns out the passenger was pregnant leaving a city that was 110 that day.. she wasn't showing, but still...)
• In response to a gentleman's plea to make an emergency trip to the bathroom while the 'fasten your seat belt' light was on: "You must sit down, sir. I said sit down. SIR, I SAID - SIT DOWN."
• In response to a mother traveling alone with 3 children under the the age of 4: "Move it."

First of all - These types of behavior in customer service anywhere are totally unacceptable. Everyone deserves basic respect and their needs to be honored. It does not matter how difficult things have been made for the team member, they have no right passing on their hardship to others who are in their care of service. Period.

Secondly, the fact that this type of service is happening on an airplane (a mile high in the sky), complicates things for the airline customer. In other situations when a customer is displeased with how they have been treated, they remove themselves from the situation. That's not going to happen on an airplane, so the customer does their best to swallow their dissatisfaction - which makes for a terrible experience from that point on (and usually the rest of the day). Where these customers would normally express their displeasure, most now report that they do not,  in fear that they will be arrested for causing a disturbance and processed by an on-board Marshall (with their luck, they say). Putting the customer in a position where they feel powerless to control or improve their situation is never a good experience.

Lastly, these examples represent all of the major airlines - even the ones that have the reputation for being fun and friendly. Every airline had a fair share of team members that wanted their passengers to know just how difficult their jobs were now and made sure to let people know that any request was simply making things worse for them. Not necessarily by lashing out as in the examples above, but most, by an overwhelming attitude of apathy and lack of concern for their customer's experience.

It is important to give credit where credit is due: there were certainly team members that performed their job with smiles, compassion and great composure. I have not had the experience this summer of having the crew break out in song and dance, but I know it does happen. I think that is truly wonderful. However, it is unfortunate for these team members (who are now the minority) who are honestly trying to perform at their best, that they are not getting more support from their co-workers and accountability from their leaders. Although refreshing, one song and dance does not make up for the indifferent or rude treatment of three other team members. A brand is what you consistently live out. It appears that currently, no major domestic airlines is consistently living out great customer care.

This is an opportunity for a hero. A chance for one of the major airlines to step up and insist that they will commit to consistent excellence in the one area they can control regardless of the economy or amenities: The positive attitude of their front line staff and the genuine concern for their customer's traveling experience. Please step up, take the lead and force the other airlines to chase you. I'll be waiting to cheer you on with my wallet and loyalty. --Dolores McKay