Top
Brand Names

Name recognition can be huge. As an individual, you know you have hit the big time when you are universally recognized by your first name, like Madonna, Elvis, Oprah, Napoleon, Aretha, Brutus, Hillary, Tiger, Cher, Judas, Jesus, and Santa; or your last name, like Ali, Gandhi and Madoff. That’s quite a mix. Prince was apparently not satisfied with this level of recognition so he took on the moniker of “The Artist formally known as Prince” for a short while. But that backfired and now he is just Prince again, I think.

If you are seeking broad appeal, it really helps to have a unique given name, or to assume one. There have been a lot of famous Bob’s and David’s but those names are far too common to stand alone. Meatloaf, Pele, Sting, Stonewall, Bono and Twiggy are much better if you want to be remembered. In the event you are stuck with a name like William, a catchy nickname can sometimes push you up the “top of mind” list. Billy the Kid did it, though a bit notoriously. Lady Bird, Blackbeard, Old Hickory, and The Fonz also enjoyed some success. However, with the exception of “pro” wrestlers, you cannot give yourself a nickname. You have to rely on others to pin it on you, and that can be risky.

Sometimes an adjective is all that needs to be added to enhance name recognition, such as Honest Abe. Be careful though because the purpose of an adjective is to describe a noun and the combination can be hard to shake. Plenty of people have struggled to live down or live up to their nicknames. Wild Bill, Cool Hand Luke and Pistol Pete are pretty fitting. Weird Al works for Yankovic’s wacky shtick. Bozo the Clown works as well but no one else wants to be known as a Bozo or a clown, unless that is their profession.

I know of two final ways to work the name game – you can try to use your initials or partner up with somebody else. While companies like IBM and AT&T are household names, it is much harder for individuals to go the initial route. You have to be huge, like JC. As universally recognizable as MJ may be, even those initials require context, i.e., entertainment or basketball. JFK, FDR, and GW work without further elaboration. If you decide to team-up with a partner, your two names together often provide all the necessary context. Bonnie is a pretty common name. Clyde is perhaps less common. Put them together and you have instant name recognition. Again though, be careful who you pair yourself with since it is nearly impossible to separate names and personalities once they become linked together. Sonny had to change careers. I believe the Lehman brothers split town.

The point of all of this is that our performance, our track record, gets bonded to our name. That can be a very good or a not so good thing. For example, Judas and Brutus did not fare well. Worse, their names have gone on to live in perpetuity and have become synonymous with words like betrayer and backstabber. Those particular associations are provocative but tend to turn people off. You would not name a financial institution “Judas Bank & Trust” or a venture capital firm “Brutus & Associates.”

Our names are in effect our personal brands. With the explosion of social networking, blogging and e-commerce, everyone is now essentially in the branding game. Yet, unlike companies, our personal names are über-brands – they are the essence of who we are in the eyes of others. Our names evoke a mental image and emotional response from others. It makes good sense to work on our branding. Oddly enough though, we do not do this by promoting ourselves but rather by serving others. Some public figures and well known companies get this principle and live it out very successfully. They serve by sharing their very best talents, services and products with their fans, constituents and customers. For the rest of us – who may never achieve notoriety outside our relatively small circles of influence – we still have the opportunity to positively impact others within our families, worksites, communities and places of worship. Building a good name involves a lifetime of work and we will have our ups and downs. Some of us may even have repair work to do. The time has arrived for each of us to become full-time managers of our personal brand.

After crossing a milestone birthday, and surviving a few tumultuous years in my current job – I had a mid-career crisis. Should I walk away from the years invested in a company and industry I adored to find more meaningful work? Or should I get out of my personal rut and re-engage in my current setting? Knowing my spouse and family would flip at the idea of a major career move, I sought the expertise of an executive coach.

 

Not knowing what to expect, but knowing I needed a coach who had executive management experience, I asked Mark Rumbles for his help. I didn’t want someone to simply meet me where I was at, and reflect what I already knew. I needed someone to get me past the log jam that had me professionally stuck. I quickly lose interest and patience when I don’t feel progress is being made towards the goals I seek. Mark had a challenging task. Mark was consistently one step ahead of me and led me through an honest assessment and planning journey. I would never have gained the insight I needed without Mark. Mark’s style is very approachable yet candid. He guided me through the process that allowed me to answer my questions; and challenged me along the way.

 

Those questions no longer linger, and I find myself a much happier and motivated executive thanks to Mark. 

 

Coaching Client
Software Executive Research Triangle

During the last five years, I have had the privilege of working closely with Mark Rumbles at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. I have observed him successfully acting as both strategist and steward for the organization and as an amazing mentor for his colleagues. Mark is not only a leader who managed the HR function and operations team but also collaborated directly with other Executive Leaders on a range of critical business issues. Mark is a motivator and change agent who was integral in building and shaping the Duke Clinical Research Institute. Mark is an inspired business partner and leader who not only supported and implemented overall workforce strategy but also played a significant role in developing and informing HR strategy. He could always be counted on as part of the Executive Leadership of the DCRI to assist in developing strategies that were consistent with available talent and next-generation leadership and employees. Personally, Mark has been my mentor, coach, and friend. He helped me in my career development and to be a better mentor and leader to my teams.

Executive Colleague
Betsy Reid, Chief Business Officer, Duke Clinical Research Institute

One of the first things that impressed me about Mark was his ability to recognize the organization’s business challenges and to sense the internal practices and systems needed to integrate them with its values. I found him to be intellectually curious and a quick learner. He was the principal architect of a new system of human resource policies. Bringing them into practice required major efforts of communication on his part throughout the organization, as well as detailed and integrated planning with the finance and information technology departments. Mark also guided and oversaw the health system’s recruitment budget and staff. It would be difficult to overstate how competitive the employment environment was at the time, and how important success in this area was in a highly labor intensive organization. In this responsibility and others he showed himself to be an innovator and a decision maker not afraid of taking risks. Mark quickly earned the trust and confidence of the organization’s senior and middle management groups as a key advisor and consultant.  His skills were particularly strong in the areas of problem solving and judgment when dealing with complex issues and situations. When I add together Mark’s professional competence, his work ethic, and his trustworthiness I can say without hesitation that he was my best hiring decision.

Almost twenty (20) years have passed since our professional relationship first came into being.  During that period we have each followed different paths as opportunities came our way but we stayed in contact and continue to enjoy a relationship based on mutual respect and confidence. I think that puts me in a strong position to sum up who Mark is and what he can do.  he word I would choose in summing him up is extraordinary – yes, he is extraordinary and that says it all.

Denis E. Quinlan, Vice-President of Human Resources, Norton Healthcare, Ret.