Posted under Career Management, Career Planning, Networking, Online Identity, Resumes on July 11th, 2007
Fast Company has marked the 10th anniversary of Tom Peters’ The Brand Called You with a puffy, but motivating piece on the re-branding of Al Gore. Ellen McGirt’s cover story in the July/August 2007 issue of FC (Al Gore’s $100 Million Makeover) is required reading for anyone involved in career transition.
Gore has integrated his geeky penchant for research, his access to well-heeled connections, and his willingness to speak passionately about issues: the result is a transformation from failed politician to successful entrepreneur. No longer the butt of late-night TV jokes, he is now an aspiring media mogul as the co-owner of Current TV. He has become an adviser to two of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, Google and Apple; co-founder of an investment firm that promotes a new definition of sustainability; and, he is also involved in other enterprises that have raised his net worth from $1-2 million to more than $100 million in less than seven years. Politics aside, this transition from “almost got the job” is a story that can inspire the success of others, even those with more moderate goals than Gore’s.
A few learning points:
- Be purposeful in defining your brand: find your passion.
- Dare to be different: innovation is not as intimidating as invention - You CAN do it…
- Connect with friends, family, colleagues: “to network” can be conjugated as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb - it works at all levels
- Use technology: aside from promoting your ideas, technology allows you to listen and learn from your customers/audience
There is a lot of buzz in the careers community about this topic of branding (the book by Kirsten Dixon and William Arruda is a must-read). While Gore may not have participated in an official branding program, the transformation of his image and financial outlook speak volumes for the value of thoughtful and guided transition.
Posted by Karen P. Katz
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Skeptical on 11 Jul 2007 at 11:00 am #
Being the rich son of a rich senator doesn’t hurt. Gore’s “networking” wasn’t exactly the sort of networking the CMT discusses — he called up daddy’s rich friends and his prime connections from 8 years in veep-land, and cashed in. Not so difficult. Notice that Gore is not a climate expert per se - he’s used others’ work to populate his (excellent) slide show.
Look, I’m a Gore fan and all, but to hold him up as an exemplar of “career transition” seems a bit facetious to me.
Karen P. Katz on 11 Jul 2007 at 1:37 pm #
Hey Skeptical-
Love your comment; we’ve been waiting for some controversy on this site!
I respect your skepticism, and stand by the learning points that are posted.
You are correct: regular Joe’s don’t have access to similar funding or connections. On the other hand, Gore was essentially “laid-off,” and applied for admission to the “pity party.” After what may have been self-reflection and/or coaching, he re-branded himself based on his passions, relying on the resources available to him.
Yes, he is privileged. He is also an example of ongoing career transition; re-branding, if you will.
More comments, please…