GOLDEN RULE #3: ESTABLISH YOUR MO
Modus operandi is fancy talk for “way of doing things.” Spidey swings through Manhattan, his spider-sense alerting him to danger. Batman responds to a spotlight shining in the night sky. Hellboy works for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, which defends humanity from “things that go bump in the night.” What will be your MO?

Just another day on the job for Hellboy

When trying to decide how you will fulfil your oath, consider how much of yourself – your time, your focus, your money – you’re willing to commit. This is a highly personal decision, but one that should clarify priorities.

As you craft your identity, decide if you want to keep your work and personal lives separate (you are largely off-duty when you go home) or together (Business Superheroes like Donald Trump fit this category. The Donald is never not The Donald). Neither strategy is correct; each offers it own MO of a secret identity or a public identity. In the end, it all depends on how you define quality of life. I love what I do, and so it’s not work to me, it’s just how I live my life – BlackBerry in one hand, and coffee in the other.

GOLDEN RULE #4: CRAFT AN IDENTITY
Almost all superheroes are brands unto themselves. Batman conjures up the image of intense, brooding dedication to fighting crime. Superman conjures up the ideals of Truth, Justice and the American Way. The Hulk conjures up images of power green rage. So what is your brand?

Consistency is one of the keys in business. Regardless of what attributes you wish to assimilate into Brand You, the key is consistency. You don’t expect Batman to wear fluorescent pink, just as you don’t expect Superman to steal candy from a baby. By consciously shaping the impressions you make, you can mold those impressions into a brand. Meanwhile, ensure that your actions consistently match the brand you cultivate. You can’t build a brand based on reliability, for instance, and then be late regularly. NEXT: Keep your secrets.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 at 1:35 am and is filed under Career Track, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.