Debbie Laskey's Expert Insights On Marketing and Leadership

Debbie Laskey is one of my go-to experts when I seek advice about a number of business topics, including marketing, social media, and nonprofit marketing and leadership.

So, it's my privilege to share today some of Debbie's insights on all these topics. However, before you read the answers to my questions to Debbie, we'll set the stage with her background:

Debbie has an MBA Degree and 17 years of marketing experience in the high-tech industry, Consumer Marketing Department at Disneyland Paris in France, insurance industry, and nonprofit sector. She’s created and implemented successful marketing and branding initiatives for nonprofits including the Foundation for the Junior Blind, Exceptional Children’s Foundation, League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, and Brides for Good; and in the B2B financial sector for an insurance company and CPA firm.
Currently, she works with the Nonprofit Communications and Media Network and Special Olympics Southern California.
She’s served as a judge for the Web Marketing Association’s annual web award competition since 2002, and been recognized as one of the "Top 100 Branding Experts" to follow on Twitter @DebbieLaskeyMBA.
Her website is www.brandingandmore.net.

Question: For a nonprofit that has a limited marketing budget and that is thinly staffed, what are the couple or few things you recommend they do for their marketing plan?

Debbie: Too often, small and medium nonprofits have communications plans. If they do, they need to enter the 21st century and understand that the communications specialty is just one aspect of an overall marketing plan. There's public relations, media outreach, advertising, content marketing, website development, social media, tradeshows, special events, webinars, corporate collateral, internal communications, partnerships, and more. Therefore, if a nonprofit uses the term "communications," it not only limits its outreach but shows that it has not joined the modern era.

That said, nonprofits that have to do more with less should have a written marketing plan. Once strategies are written down, it's amazing to see who can take on various tasks. There might be a member of another department that, with appropriate training, could take on the social media role. Someone in accounting might be a fit to be a blogger. Also, a marketing plan is important because it is a living, breathing document that evolves over time, so it is meant to change.

So, after the marketing plan is written, it must be shared with all departments and team members. In the social era, social media should be part of the marketing outreach because many potential donors will learn about a nonprofit via its Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram page. If there is no digital footprint, the potential donor will question the nonprofit's validity. Also, nonprofits with limited budgets and small staffs should research strategic partnerships. There might be other nonprofits or corporate sponsors that would be good fits for special events or other forms of outreach.

Question: What is the difference you have seen in the leaders at for-profit versus not-for-profit organizations who you have worked for and with? Why are there these differences?

Debbie: Nonprofit leaders are constrained by small budgets and limited staff. But the excuse that "we've always done it this way" should be swept out with yesterday's trash. Just look at how Facebook and YouTube have changed marketing. Leaders in the nonprofit arena should think like their counterparts in the for-profit arena:

Leaders must be open to listening, really listening to the experts throughout the organization
Leaders must be open to trying new ideas
Leaders must be open to all forms of metrics - not just the obvious ones

Question: In addition to having a website, what is the single best social media channel a business should use if they can only choose one? And, why do you recommend this channel?

Debbie: In today's visual world, Instagram is the standout social platform to provide photos and quick videos. Nonprofits and businesses can create pages and utilize hashtags for a variety of content and easily engage their audiences. My favorite accounts are Sherwin Williams, Tiffany & Co, ABC7LA, Oreo, American Cancer Society, Make A Wish America, and the Empire State Building.

Question: Please finish the following two sentences:

Debbie: I would like to complete the following two sentences based on conversations with marketing colleagues across the country - these are the two most common responses:

My best supervisor...provided the tools for me to do my job and then got out of the way.
My worst supervisor... micromanaged, ultimately doing my job for me.

Question: When interviewing for a job, what do you do to determine if the leader of the company/organization is a person you believe you would like to work for?

Debbie: I always ask some key questions, and the responses speak volumes. They are:

Where do you see the company/nonprofit in five years? Too often, people will simply say, "That's a good question" and not answer it. No answer shows that they have no vision, thus, not a good fit.
What are three things you've seen change or improve since you joined the company/nonprofit? This shows a person's history with an employer.
What makes your flame grow? In other words, what is the person passionate about? I like to know what makes the person tick before joining a team.

Finally, I'd like to end with a quote from Heather Coleman Voss' Instagram page:

"When I talk to managers, I get the feeling they are important. When I talk to leaders, I get the feeling I am important." -Alexander Den Heijer

Thank you Debbie. I am always learning from you!

Comments

Seven Ways To Stay Motivated

To learn how to stay motivated, read High-Profit Prospecting , by Mark Hunter . It's a powerful read that includes counterintuitive advice and cutting-edge best practices for sales prospecting in today's business world. Today, I share one of my favorite sections of the book where Hunter describes his seven things motivated people do to stay motivated : Motivated people ignore voices in their lives . These might be people in the office and friends who have bad attitudes. They're out there, and if you're not careful, they'll control you, too. Motivated people associate with highly motivated people . Just as there are negative people in the world, there are also positive people. Your job is to make sure you spend as much time with the positive people as possible. Motivated people simply look for the positive in things . Positive people count it an honor to live each day, learn from others, and impact positively those they meet. Positive people take...

Best Reasons For Doing Employee Exit Interviews

Don't be the guy in the picture when an employee leaves your company. Instead, conduct exit interviews and surveys. Leigh Branham explains in his book, The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave , what the most favorable conditions are for conducting the interviews and surveys. And, if you need convincing to read the book, take a look at these 11 best reasons for listening and gathering the data when an employee leaves : Bringing any "push-factor" root-cause reasons for leaving to the surface. Alerting the organization to specific issues to be addressed. Giving the employee a chance to vent and gain a sense of closure. Giving the employee the opportunity to provide information that may help colleagues left behind. Providing information about competitors and their practices. Comparing information given with the results of past surveys and employee data. Detecting patterns and changes by year or by quarter. Obtaining information to help improve recruiting. Possibly heading off ...

Why Your Middle Managers Are So Important

The book, Power To The Middle , shows how managers are the crucial link between a company’s ground floor and top brass. “Too often company leaders view middle managers in a negative light as expendable employees who can slow down productivity and overall strategy,” explain the book’s authors and McKinsey partners Bill Schaninger , Bryan Hancock , and Emily Field . “However, new KcKinsey research reveals that this outdated perspective needs to change and that well-developed managers are the strategy that companies must prioritize to succeed today,” they add. Most importantly, by the end of their book, the authors sum up their insights and provide a playbook that will help senior leaders let go of the command-and-control mindset that has hobbled their managers for so long. The authors define middle managers as the people who are at least once removed from the front line and at least a layer below the senior lead...

Effective Listening: Do's And Don'ts

Here are some great tips from Michelle Tillis Lederman's book, The 11 Laws of Likability . They are all about: what to do and what not to do to be a leader who's an effective listener : Do : Maintain eye contact Limit your talking Focus on the speaker Ask questions Manage your emotions Listen with your eyes and ears Listen for ideas and opportunities Remain open to the conversation Confirm understanding, paraphrase Give nonverbal messages that you are listening (nod, smile) Ignore distractions Don't : Interrupt Show signs of impatience Judge or argue mentally Multitask during a conversation Project your ideas Think about what to say next Have expectations or preconceived ideas Become defensive or assume you are being attacked Use condescending, aggressive, or closed body language Listen with biases or closed to new ideas Jump to conclusions or finish someone's sentences

Chick-fil-A Serves Up 11 Leaders On May 6

On May 6 , the quick-service chicken restaurant chain, Chick-fil-A will serve up more than chicken. Because, that's the day when the chain's President and COO Dan Cathy brings together 10 influential leaders during a one-day leadership " Leadercast " available at hundreds of locations around the U.S. and overseas. "We desire to influence leaders at every level within an organziation. Whether you are leading a team of 2,000 or just yourself, the Chick-fil-A Leadercast is designed to help you use your voice to create positive change," explains the organization. I am a big fan of Chick-fil-A because of its customer service. It is also known as a company that has built its success on core values and its focus on developing leaders . I also like that employees respond with "my pleasure" instead of "no problem" when customers say "thank you." Chick-fil-A says leaders can express themselves with five voices (described below i...

Don't Delay Tough Conversations With Your Employees

If you have an employee who needs to improve his/her performance don't delay the tough conversation with them. If you don't address the issue right now, the employee has little chance to improve, and you'll only get more frustrated. Most employees want to do a good job. Sometimes they just don't know they aren't performing up to the required standards. Waiting until the employee's annual performance appraisal to have the tough conversation is unhealthy for you and the employee. So, address the issue now. Sit down with your employee in a private setting. Look them in the eye. First, tell them what they do well. Thank them for that good work. Then, tell them where they need to improve. Be clear. Be precise. Ask them if they understand and ask them if they need any help from you on how to do a better job. Explain to them that your taking the time to have the tough conversation means you care about them. You want them to do better. You believe they can do better. ...

How to Be a Leader – 9 Principles from Dale Carnegie

Today, I welcome thought-leader Nathan Magnuson as guest blogger... Nathan writes : This is it, your first day in a formal leadership role. You’ve worked hard as an individual contributor at one or possibly several organizations. Now management has finally seen fit to promote you into a position as one of their own: a supervisor. You don’t care if your new team is only one person or ten, you’re just excited that now – finally – you will be in charge! Unfortunately the euphoria is short-lived. Almost immediately, you are not only overwhelmed with the responsibilities of a team, but you quickly find that your team members are not as experienced or adroit as you. Some aren’t even as committed. You find yourself having to repeat yourself, send their work back for corrections, and staying late to fill the gap. If something doesn’t change soon, you might just run yourself into the ground. How did something that looked so easy ...

Why A Team Needs More Than Strong Leaders

The book, Team Players , by leadership expert and New York Times bestselling author, Mark Murphy , explains why a team needs more than strong leaders—it needs the right mix of five roles and talents to succeed. In addition, Murphy reveals that the secret to extraordinary teams isn’t making everyone the same—it’s embracing and leveraging fundamental differences through those five distinct team roles. No amount of teambuilding, trust, or cohesion can overcome having the wrong mix of people in the room. The five essential roles and talents are: The Director assumes a leadership role within the team, guiding its direction and making important, difficult, and even unpopular decisions. The Achiever immerses themselves in the details of accomplishing tasks and getting things done, with a keen eye for delivering error-free work. The Stabilizer keeps the team on track with meticulous...

10 Quotes From The 5 Levels Of Leadership -- John C. Maxwell

Soon I'll post my full review of John C. Maxwell's latest book, The 5 Levels of Leadership . In the meantime, here are some of my favorites quotes from the book that I believe should become a must-read book by any workplace/organizational leader: Good leadership isn't about advancing yourself. It's about advancing your team. Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. Leadership is action, not position. When people feel liked, cared for, included, valued, and trusted, they begin to work together with their leader and each other. If you have integrity with people, you develop trust. The more trust you develop, the stronger the relationship becomes. In times of difficulty, relationships are a shelter. In times of opportunity, they are a launching pad. Good leaders must embrace both care and candor. People buy into the leader, then the vision. Bringing out the best in a person is often a catal...

Important Questions To Ask Your New Hires

In Paul Falcone ’s book, 75 Ways For Managers To Hire, Develop And Keep Great Employees , he recommends asking new employees the following questions 30, 60 and 90 days after they were hired: 30-Day One-on-One Follow-Up Questions Why do you think we selected you as an employee? What do you like about the job and the organization so far? What’s been going well? What are the highlights of your experiences so far? Why? Tell me what you don’t understand about your job and about our organization now that you’ve had a month to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Have you faced any unforeseen surprises since joining us that you weren’t expecting? 60-Day One-on-One Follow-Up Questions Do you have enough, too much or too little time to do your work? Do you have access to the appropriate tools and resources? Do you feel you have been sufficiently trained in all aspects of your job to perform at a high level? How do you see your job relating to the organi...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog