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

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...

The Benefits Of When Everyone Leads

It’s only January and the new book, When Everyone Leads , could likely be my pick for the best new leadership book of 2023. It’s that good. There’s still nearly a whole year ahead of us so we’ll see what other books debut. In the meantime, add this book to your must-read list. You’ll learn that: Leadership is an activity, not a position. Leadership is mobilizing others to make progress on the most important challenges. Leadership is interactive, risky and experimental. Leadership comes in moments. Leadership is always about change. When Everyone Leads , by Ed O’Malley and Julia Fabris McBride , presents a revolutionary approach to leadership; not based on position or authority, but an activity that anybody can undertake by learning to spot opportunities for improvement and taking the initiative to engage others. “It can be unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but in a culture where everyone leads, organizations start to make progress on their most difficult proble...

Five Essential Principles For Sustaining Growth Through Innovation

Even though many companies strive for innovation, most struggle to achieve meaningful change. The largest reason for this disconnect? Playing it safe. Leaders and organizations want to implement new ideas, but too often they are held back by the fear of failure, even though setbacks are intrinsic to the innovation process. In the new book, No Fear, No Failure , by Lorraine H. Marchand (with John Hanc), readers will learn how to overcome the status quo that stifles creative thinking and how to create a culture that encourages innovation. Marchand provides a framework for sustained growth built on the “ 5 Cs ”: Customer First Culture Collaboration Change Chance She draws on more than 120 interviews with leaders across industries, real-world case studies, and her firsthand experience and shares step-by-step, field-tested strategies, tactics, and tools that practitioners can use to embed creativity within organizational cultures. Marchand is a former Big Tech and Big Pharma ex...

Teach An Employee Something New Today

Take the opportunity today to teach an employee something new. Nearly everyone likes to learn and is capable of tackling a new challenge. Teach your employee something that expands their current job description. Teach something that will help them to get promoted within your organization at a later date. Teach them a skill that uses new technology. Or teach them something that will allow them to be a more skilled leader and manager in the future. You can even teach something that you no longer need to be doing in your position, but that will be a rewarding challenge/task for your employee. The benefit to your employee is obvious. The benefit to you is you'll have a more skilled team member who is capable of handling more work that can help you to grow your business and/or make it run more efficiently. Be a leader who teaches.

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 ...

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 ...

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...

Five Crucial Actions That Build Unity And Foster Performance In The Workplace

“Given the research-validated outcomes and demonstrated financial impact belonging offers, organizations should make cultivating belonging a personal leadership imperative across the world,” says Brad Deutser , author of the book, Belonging Rules: Five Crucial Actions That Build Unity and Foster Performance . Furthermore, belonging predicts job satisfaction, engagement, and effort over and above employee’s perceptions of organizational culture or strategy, explains Deutser. So, what exactly is belonging? It’s: Belonging is where we hold space for something of shared importance. It is where we come together on values, purpose, and identity; a space of acceptance where agreement is not required but a shared framework is understood; where there is an invitation into the space; and intentional choice to take part in; something vital to a sense of connection, security and acceptance. As you read the book, you’ll discover vital information about the...

How To Be A More Human Leader

“To be most effective in today’s environment, leaders must be human leaders. Human leaders must be able to lead not only with their heads but also with their hearts and souls,” says veteran executive coach Hortense le Gentil , author of the book, The Unlocked Leader: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World . She adds, “In addition to being respected, seen, and valued, employees also seek leaders who feel human, not distant and perfect beings with whom they can’t connect.” Additionally, leaders need to put the collective interest before their own and work hard to make other people’s good ideas happen. “And although the book focuses on leadership at work, each of us is a complete individual, not a sum of separate, isolated parts. As such, the process presented in the book applies to all areas of your life,” shares the author. She further explains that becoming a human leader is a journey, not a desti...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog