Blueprint Creative Inc.

Really excited to share my most recent FastCompany article "Why Great Leaders are Also Great Listeners" with the LinkedIn community. The article was inspired by Dr. Eldon Blackman, a leadership coach who uses his experience and leadership lessons gained as a musician and conductor to bring harmony to organizations that are being challenged by leadership disharmony. One of the most important lessons I've learned from Dr. Blackman's posts comes from his experience with a young blind woman who wanted to sing in one of the choirs that he was leading. Dr. Blackman used this experience to shape his leadership coaching and encourages CEOs, entrepreneurs and other business leaders to "lead like they are blind", listen more to the people around them, and apply what they hear to solve organizational leadership challenges. #tightenyourshoelaces #blueprintcreative #leadership #leadershiptips #Bhranding #BrandingAndHR #HRandBranding Tagging a few people who I think will appreciate the content. Dr. Eldon Blackman John Spence Dr. Oleg Konovalov Gale Manning-Weithers Tynisa Scantlebury Chelceé Brathwaite Somalia Dahlia Renee Newsam Dr. Rochelle H. Carla Balentina Kylie Rae Fitzgibbons Sybil Stershic Glenna Smith Joan H Underwood Julie Turney, (HRforHR)

Engaged employees don't say "they". Engaged employees say "we"! Happy to share my most recent article published on FastCompany. Tagging some folk who I think might find the content interesting. John Spence Dr. Eldon Bla hckman Stan Slap Gale Manning-Weithers Sybil Stershic Michelle M. Smith, CPIM, CRP Renee Newsam Tynisa Scantlebury Chelceé Brathwaite Somalia Dahlia Kylie Rae Fitzgibbons Carla Balentina Mark Levy Nigel Henry Julie Turney, (HRforHR) Tracey Knight-Lloyd Paula Walcott, FCIPD, SHRM-SCP Thaddeus Harris Dr. Rochelle H. Rochelle A. Ginger Hardage Simmone L. Bowe Stacia Howard Nicholas Roberts, BSc, SHRM-CP, MSc #tightenyourshoelaces #blueprintcreativeinc #Bhranding #TheBhrandingEquation #BrandingAndHR #HRandBranding #HR #HumanResources #HRtips #Leadership #LeadershipTips #EmployeeEngagement #EmployeeExperience

A few days ago, I ran into Barbados' Prime Minister, The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley by chance at Cafe 195, one of my favourite cafes. Fortunately, I had a copy of my book "Tighten Your Shoelaces" on me and presented a signed copy to her. I love that the Prime Minister was so accessible, friendly and down to earth. She graciously accepted the token from a total stranger and was willing to pose for a picture. I was also impressed that she didn't just accept the book and tuck it away. She immediately started to flip through the pages and read the titles of the chapters out loud with genuine interest. Lesson: always be prepared for unexpected meetings with interesting people. As they say, luck occurs when preparation meets opportunity! Happy reading Mia Amor Mottley

Today, Blueprint Creative, the agency I co-founded turned 16 years old. A big thank you to our clients who have entrusted us with helping them build stronger brands and stronger businesses. And, of course, a big thank you to all of our team members - the copywriters, designers, account executives and other creatives who made getting to 16 years possible. #blueprintcreativeinc Renee Newsam

Your brand is not your logo! It may be a part of your overall brand, but it is definitely not your entire brand.   If you ask 100 people what a brand is, there’s a good chance that you’ll get (at least) 100 different answers. On one hand, that’s understandable. Like many words in the English language, one word can have several meanings or several interpretations. On the other hand, it’s highly problematic for business leaders trying to build a stronger brand and a stronger business. Why? Because ambiguity breeds uncertainty. If you and your team are uncertain about what your brand really is, it will be much more difficult for you to build a stronger brand and a stronger business.   According to some sources, the word “brand” has its roots in the Old Norse word brandr, which means “to burn” and referred to the practice of branding livestock which dates back to more than 4,000 years.   But, language changes over time. Today, when we talk about a company’s brand, the word takes on a completely different meaning. In simple terms, your brand is what your employees, customers and the wider public think and feel about your organization, its products and its services. In some ways, your brand is your reputation.   Understanding what a brand is (and is not) is critical to understanding what branding is.   If you approach branding your organization thinking that your brand is your logo, you’ll likely focus your branding efforts on your visual brand (logo, company colours, packaging etc.) and ignore other important factors that have an impact on the way that people think and feel about your organization its products and its services – like your company culture, your levels of employee engagement and the customer experience you deliver.   Remember, your logo is not your brand. Your brand is so much more! #tightenyourshoelaces #branding #Bhranding #TheBhrandingEquation #BrandingAndHR #HRandBranding #marketing #leadership #brandingtips #customerexperience #humanresources #humanresourcesmanagement

A few weeks ago, I published my 100th article on LinkedIn. Now, I’m proud to announce that my 101st article has been published by Fast Company, one of the world's leading business media brands, with an editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, world-changing ideas, creativity, and design. Thanks to everyone who has ever liked, shared, reposted, commented on (or disagreed with) my thoughts over the past 100 articles. Of course, it’s on my favorite topic: branding and HR working together! Take a read! Hope you like! Featuring the wisdom of Dwayne Weiser, Rajeev Bhardwaj a ndThe Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) #tightenyourshoelaces #blueprintcreativeinc #branding #BrandingAndHR #HRandBranding #TheBhrandingEquation #HR #humanresources #humanresourcesmanagement #brandingtips #leadershiptips #companyculture #employeeengagement #employeeexperience #brandstorytelling Tagging a few people who have supported my writing and have been an inspiration to me (sorry if I run out of space to tag people. If you don't see your name, please know that you are still valued) John Spence Renee Newsam Eldon Blackman Resa Gooding Sybil Stershic Michelle de Caires Michelle M. Smith, CPIM, CRP Dr. Rochelle H. Chelceé Brathwaite Somalia Dahlia Tynisa Scantlebury Kylie Rae Fitzgibbons Carla Balentina Julie Turney, (HRforHR) Paula Walcott, FCIPD, SHRM-SCP Stacia Howard Stan Slap Mark Levy Jane Wight Thaddeus Harris Tracey Knight-Lloyd Daphne Ewing-Chow Joan H Underwood Gina Cummins Sueann Tannis Dr. Terri-Karelle Reid Nanette Pagán Soto Gale Weithers Nigel Henry Sheila Rankin Maria Bleasdell