Last week brought me a whirlwind of exciting professional experiences. I started it by speaking at the Training Magazine Conference & Exposition in Atlanta and ended it when I moderated a panel on leadership for Kendall College in Chicago.

While I could probably write several articles based on my observations, the thing that sticks out the most for me is personal branding, or should I say INTENTIONAL personal branding.

We Are All Broadcasters
The conference started with a keynote by Michelle Gielan and her husband, Shawn Achor. Michelle started her professional life as a news broadcaster for CBS and has built her career as an “expert in the science of happiness and human potential.” During her speech she said, “We are all broadcasters.” She went on to explain that everything we do and say paints a picture of who we are and that we’d better make sure, as the professionals that we are, that what we’re broadcasting is intentional. I couldn’t agree more.

What struck me, though, is that her speech was canned and uninspiring. She was well-rehearsed, and entirely bereft of human charm.

Don’t be an Equal Opportunity Offender
The following day, John Ratzenberger, who played Cliff on Cheers, also spoke. Wikipedia (I know, I know …) describes his character like this:

Cliff became known for his outlandish stories of plausible half-truths, uninteresting trivia, and misinformation, and in general for being a pretentious blowhard.

As it turns out, at least from what I witnessed during his divisive hour-long speech, his personal brand isn’t too far removed from the character he played for 11 years on Cheers. Through his stories of days gone by, he skewered parents, grandparents, hippies, millennials (especially millennials), child-protection laws, Hillary Clinton, the right wing, the left wing, and everyone in between. Mr. Ratzenberger, from what we experienced, is an equal opportunity offender. And proud of it.

From the back of the room, I looked on in amazement as people left the ballroom in droves. As it turns out, many of my fellow Learning & Development colleagues didn’t appreciate his tone or his rambling message. I didn’t appreciate it either, but when there’s a train wreck of this magnitude, it’s hard for me to look away.

Ratzenberger is a well-rehearsed speaker on the circuit. His anti-everything-but-me-and-the-good-old-days yammering was not an accident. But I have to ask: Was it really his intention to come off as an unlikable, crotchety old man? Intentional or not, that’s what we experienced. My mother taught me that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Guess that’s one lesson he failed to learn during his sepia-toned childhood.

My breakfast companion the following morning said it best when she said, “Everyone I spoke to had one word to describe his speech: inappropriate.” Some brand indeed.

Hospitality Students Get it Right
Thursday I had the honor of moderating a panel discussion at Kendall College in Chicago. Kendall is a small college focused on the hospitality industry. Think hotel, restaurant, customer service, and concierge. And these people practice what they preach. I was met at the door by a student who was my personal concierge for the day. “May I take your coat, your bag? Would you like something other than water?” These people get it right.

The panel I was to moderate a few moments later was made up of 3 leaders in the hospitality sector: a hotel concierge, a restaurant-conglomerate thought leader, and the “sales manager of the year” for a huge food distributor. The panel was fun and educational for everyone who attended. What’s worth noting, however, is the way these students handled themselves. For an hour-and-a-half: no slouching, no doodling, certainly no phones or tablets. They were well dressed, presented themselves with pride, and took notes with pens on real pieces of paper.

Afterward, they hung around to talk. This was not just idle chit chat; they engaged in real conversation. They were eager, yet respectful. Curious. Thoughtful.

I’m not sure if the students were intentional about their brand or not, but they certainly were genuine broadcasters in the most enjoyable way. And guess what, John Ratzenberger? They were all millennials. You know, the ones you called lazy and lacking common sense …

by Greg Owen-Boger, VP at Turpin Communication and co-author of the book, “The Orderly Conversation”