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©2018 Nina Pickellninapickell.com

Living Your Inspiration: Personal Methods of Legends

Presented March 2018 to The University of Texas at Austin

McCombs School of Business Alumni


Nina Pickell – MBA 1997• Formal education: BBA, MBA from UT - Austin• Business education: 20+ years of leadership in global

companies and entrepreneurial ventures • Strategy, branding, marketing, product development, training,

talent acquisition/management, sales, tech leadership• Entrepreneur; executive; advisor; board member; owner of

Internet businesses and music ventures; marketing and branding expert; speaker; executive and entrepreneur coach; strategic consultant; charity ambassador; producer

• My passions: Growing companies and brands; helping people achieve success; teaching; adding value to the world


Great Leaders and Legends…


Topics• Using personal methods of legends, leaders and

other inspirations to fuel creativity and growth• Self assessment and development• Building and inspiring the right team• Power branding and marketing • The role of digital transformation• Developing brand ambassadors• Best practices, tools, technology• The biggest key to inspiring others


“[A legend is] an extremely famous or notorious person,

especially in a particular field.”– Oxford Living Dictionary

“A legend is someone whose coolness extends beyond

all space and time.” – Urban Dictionary


Legends We Heard About• John F. Kennedy• Ann Richards• Tom Landry, Bill Belichick• Oprah, Tina Fey• Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi• Steve Jobs, Richard Branson• The Beatles, BB King, Jeff Buckley, Leonard Cohen• Louise Hay, Tony Robbins• Vonetta Flowers • Many other everyday and living legends…


Legendary Leaders Are…

• Passionate• Relentlessly Committed • Self-motivated• Resilient• Resourceful• Leaders, reluctant or not! • Or they hire/partner for

these skills

”Fall down7 times.

Get up 8.”

- Japanese Proverb


Legendary Entrepreneurs are…• Passionate• Relentlessly committed • Self-motivated• Resilient• Obsessively open-minded• Resourceful• Masterful storytellers• Leaders • Or they hire/partner for these skills

”Fall down7 times.

Get up 8.”

- Japanese Proverb


How Do You Experience Life?


Living Like a Legend


Being The Inspiration• Can you inspire if your own mindset or passion is out

of alignment?• Leadership Passion Check™

– What’s motivating you? – Do you feel inspired? – Are you walking the talk? – What is your language? – Are you authentic? – How do you feel when you wake up in

the morning and think about your day? – How do you feel on Sunday nights?

• Strategies to stay energized, inspired


Tapping Into Why• Similar to motivations

for typical entrepreneurs

• Leaders• Internal staff team• Ambassadors /

“Super Ambassadors” • Board members• Contributors • Others

Entrepreneur Motivations


The Timing Is Right• Desire to serve, make a

difference, drive change – for both employees / volunteers

• Younger workers more likely to pursue second job as part of a passion project (33% vs 17%)

• 33% of younger & older workers more likely to take a 10% pay cut to pursue career tied to their passion

2017 Job Seeker Nation Study


The Inspired Team• Alignment of motivations, skills and commitment • Value everyone. Look for the creator, the networker, etc. • Portfolio approach – know what you want

• Mission alignment, role/duties, skills, attitude

• Growth-oriented, networks• Know what they value, where they are (online/off) • Interview for fit – start with asking instead of telling• Tools/Best practices – employer branding, recruitment

marketing, referrals (35-70% job seekers, volunteers), social media, video, events, etc.


Brands That Inspire, Appeal• What are your favorites? • Starbucks – community, the experience • Apple – people-focused, easy, innovative, anti-

bureaucracy • Richard Branson (CEO Virgin Group) – intelligent,

innovative, playful, approachable, friendly, caring• Nike – empowering real people, achievement, “Just do

it”, innovation• Lady Gaga – expression, non-conformance, theatrics• Where do you fit in locally? Among other brands?


What Makes A Strong Brand

• Great products / services – but that alone doesn’t do it • Emotional appeal• Multi-faceted – inspire, educate, etc.• Great recognition and brand recall• Stories and ideas that are memorable,

repeatable and emotionally appealing• A strong, loyal following!• Consistency in what they say and do • A reputation and image that drive results

”Your brand is the single

most important investment

you can make in your business.”

- Steve Forbes


Inspiring & Shaping Perceptions• Great brands appeal to the heart and

share theirs – motivations, values, beliefs.

• What do you need to overcome? What do you want to communicate? Describe what you do and tell your “story” in a compelling and repeatable way.

• If you don’t tell it, someone else will.

• Authenticity – what you do, say and create has to come from your heart and be true for you.


Brand Assessment Exercise• What does it feel like to interact with you? How does it

feel to…• See your team at an event? Use your services? Call

your offices? • Visit your website? Follow/Write you on social media?• Walk into your office? Email? Interview? Exit?

• How do you want people to feel? (3-5 elements) • Does your team tell a story with a clear message and

repeatable talking points? What is your story? What are 3-5 key takeaways?

• How do the people around you talk about you?


Over 7 Billion People Worldwide• How will you stand out? Inspire others to be their best? • Be your best and tell your story well• Influencers, micro-influencers• Brand ambassadors build your network, referrals

and brand because they are your biggest supporters!

• People will share your story, content, and events if done well

• Give people an opportunity to contribute, share ideas, connect

• Recognize contributions, make it fun• Perks – would motivate them


Brand Building Tools & Tips• Digital transformation – integrated, many free/low cost tools • Website, Google Analytics, newsletters, email, surveys, etc. • Effective use of content matters. It can be a powerful storyteller.

• Images, infographics, blogs, posts, hashtag campaigns, contests

• Mobile is critical. Is your website mobile ready? • Video, fireside chats, cameras for interviews, podcasts

• Social media is often undervalued – attribution models can help! • Social listening• Events and influencers – opportunities to experience your team

and create content


Leadership Success

Investing in a product or service,

not a system

Investing with friends without due diligence

& planning

Lacking the right resources,

money, people

Lack of preparation:

research, assessment,

analysis

Lacking a Good Plan:"Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We

all have 24-hour days." - Zig Ziglar

Lack of knowledge or

info about business models

Why Entrepreneurs Fail – How Does This Apply?


The Most Successful Leaders…• Know they don't have to be good at

everything. Assemble the right team, advisors. #1 board complaint: “They don’t use me.”

• Pay attention to trends, best practices, environment, their teams, themselves.

• Unite all around a mission and plan.• Align what they value, enjoy and do in life. • Invest in systems. Act more on facts.• Seek input and ideas everywhere.• Adapt, grow, innovate! Treat people well.

The only way to do great work is to love what

you do.

– Steve Jobs


Exercise: Know Your Heart1. Take a sheet of paper and

number it 1-5.2. Think about times in your life

that you were most excited by and satisfied with what you were doing. List specifics on the left.

3. On the right, list what it was that made you feel so good about it (e.g. sharing experiences to help someone else, teaching, sharing something you believe in).

Experience Liked

1.2.3.4.5.


Living Your Inspiration

“The way to your own truth, the way to a phenomenal life that only you can manifest in the greatness that you

were created to do so, is to just be yourself.”

— Oprah


Ideas To Live By


Let’s Connect!Special offer: sign up for my blog at ninapickell.comor email me to receive my new tip sheet and course list

Nina PickellPhone: [email protected]/in/ninapickellTW and IG: @ninapickellFB: @OffTheStageMusic

Join my mailing list at ninapickell.com to get invitations to events, blog posts and email newsletters!


Keep Learning!• My webinars and offline/online workshops, such as

• “Entrepreneurship: Is It For You?”• “Reinventing Yourself: You Can Do What You Love”• “Power Branding: Build YOUR Brand for Life”• “An Entrepreneur’s Getting Started Guide”• Social selling, social recruiting, content marketing, thought

leadership, digital marketing, my new online series, and more! • Sign up for event notices by email or at ninapickell.com.

• Consulting and advisory sessions, outsourcing• Determining your next career or venture• Preparing for, and being successful at, your business/product launch• Effective content marketing, social selling and thought leadership• Multiple income streams, business models, options, systems• Strategy, marketing, branding, new products, messaging, ghostwriting

living your inspiration - mccombs.utexas.edu/media/files/msb... · living your inspiration:...

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