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Personal Branding: An IT Executive Research Report
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What Do You Think? Personal Branding: An IT Executive Research Report

MISQ Executive
By Steven Pfrenzinger
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SIM News Archive This is the third article by Steven Pfrenzinger in a series related to promoting the careers of IT executives. The first article
addressed the subject of “executive visibility” and the second addressed the value of "being your own PR agent." This article
Online Collaboration addresses the popular, but often misunderstood, subject of "personal branding" and how it has benefited top performers in IT.

Introduction – Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Meg Whitman and Scott McNealy have something in common; they all have a “personal
brand” built around their names. And so do you. Your name is your brand and represents your reputation, your image, what you
stand for personally and professionally, and what others think when they hear your name. And, more than anything else, an
individual's personal brand appears to determine the level of their career success in today's competitive business world.

Successful leaders in the Information Technology industry have used strong, well-defined and consistently communicated brands
to help them succeed. So, how did those at the top of IT today launch, build and leverage their personal brands during their
evolving careers? This article is the result of a research project that explores this interesting question in detail in an effort to
better understand this career-long evolution and the connection between great brands and career success in business. You may
find many similarities to your own career situation or possibly learn something new that could benefit you or someone you know
along the way.

Is there a connection between someone's IT career success

and having a great personal brand? Yes; here's why:
• Strong, well-defined and consistently communicated brands
are synonymous with greater confidence, determination to
succeed, and a willingness to take risks
Great • They attract great mentors, coaches and even bosses IT
• Great brands have “marketing gravity” that naturally draw
Personal many unexpected opportunities and a few “big breaks” Career
Brands • They offset the many challenges to IT career planning Success
• Brands clearly define a person’s value proposition and they
“speak for that person” when they’re not around
• They magnify strengths and minimize weaknesses
• Brands can be changed to adjust to evolving career situations
• And, they put the brand’s owner in control, not others

The detailed discussion that follows is based on extensive and candid interviews with nine top IT executives (CIOs and CTOs,
referred to here as "respondents") who were willing to share with us how they built their personal brands and how they used them
to get to the top position. While the current perils of the role of the CIO and its famous "career is over" definition are well known,
this article is more focused on the amazingly unpredictable journey, not the uncertainties of the destination.

According to Alan Weiss, author of "How To Establish a Unique Brand," a brand is a recognition factor. It creates awareness in
people’s minds that you represent a particular quality in a certain area. Branding defines your value proposition.”

Leo Collins, CIO at Lions Gate Entertainment, defines it in the following way: "I'm a business savvy technical leader who can get
things done and who enjoys the process." Short and simple, yet this very effective single statement has several elements that
could easily and consistently be communicated to both position and differentiate his brand. For example, the value to an IT
executive in gaining a solid understanding of his company's business stands out, along with a sheer enjoyment of what he does.

Every personal brand has a number of key elements that must be clearly identified and energetically communicated to others.
One thing is for sure: if you have no fear, thrive on challenges, are passionate about your work, were born to lead, are a great
communicator, or have any other characteristics that you know set you apart from others, then it's your responsibility to make
sure that others are adequately informed about you and your personal brand.

Your personal brand also says you are not a commodity and will generate many unexpected career opportunities. As Alan Weiss
suggests, great brands are attention-getting devices that create marketing gravity and will draw prospective customers and
opportunities directly to you.

The connection between someone’s career success and a strong brand is that it provides people with greater confidence to make
tough decisions, a firm determination to succeed, and a willingness to take risks – all of which can lead to continuing career
advancement. Also, strong and well-communicated brands appear to naturally grow in notoriety and regularly attract great
mentors, coaches, bosses and even career opportunities. For example, our respondents consistently stated that they had a
continuing stream of opportunities that just seem to "come their way."

Brands have to start somewhere, so let’s start with how they got launched with our IT executive respondents. And, we will finish
with a discussion on how you can better define your own brand or, for some, find out what it is in the first place.

1. Launching Your Brand – The main question to our respondents here was: When did they first discover they had a
brand with potential? They didn’t call it their "personal brand" years ago, but they all knew they were establishing a
reputation and that they had greater determination to succeed than most. Family life and sports had big impacts on
many at an early age, providing most with the basic ingredients of what would eventually become their personal brands,
i.e., their reputations, images and identities.

"My parents had a big influence on me. They were very supportive when I wanted to start my own lawn mowing
business at age 10. It taught me lessons that I still use today," said Ken Venner, CIO at Broadcom. Yasmin Shah,
Director of IT at QLogic says, "As a young girl growing up in Pakistan, I wanted to be a top electronics engineer; a career
path dominated by men, according to my parents. They were concerned, but they knew I was determined to succeed
and they supported me." "Growing up in a military family of leaders and always wanting to be the team captain in my
sport endeavors made me realize I wanted to win and had the confidence to lead others," said Tom Peck, CIO,
Entertainment Operations at NBC Universal.

Some of our respondents had to grow up fast and accept responsibility early in life, which added to their brands. "A
fatherless home life taught me at age 12 that I had to and wanted to be in charge," said Bob Houghton, CIO at Western
Digital. "Today, I still want to be in charge and drive change in my organization. My brand says I get it done." Some
have wanted to be in charge from a very early age. According to Bob Spaid, CIO at Beckman Coulter, "From day one I
wanted to be in charge. As a kid, I always wanted to pick the players and be the team captain. I had a toughness that
gave me a 'can do,' 'no fear' approach to everything I did."

All of our respondents were confident from early on in their lives that they had the potential for greater success. Some
brands were more firmly established later during the college years, some early in business careers through good old hard
work, and some from an inner need to enjoy what they did. "I got out of college with a high degree of confidence and
passion that drove me to make things happen in my career. I knew what I wanted and I went for it, said Ed Altman,
head of the Media and Entertainment Practice at Tata Consultancy Services and past CIO at MGM Studios.

According to George Suda, CIO at Apria Healthcare, "I knew my strengths. So, early on I started to identify my
weaknesses and would work tirelessly to address them. I put in some incredible hours early in my career and it paid
off.” "I find a way to have fun and enjoy whatever I do. That has always been the key for me; it keeps me passionate
about my work," said Leo Collins.

All of our respondents had an early understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, who they were, and what they
wanted, and all had the ability to generate the energy and passion needed to drive it all forward - all of which are
requirements for launching and sustaining a positive personal brand.

2. Picking Your Path – The main question to our respondents on this issue was: What decisions and risks were taken to
get them into IT in the first place and subsequently keep them on track for the top IT position? It appears that confident
decision-making and risk-taking, when picking and changing career paths, come naturally to those who have established
strong brands.

"I built a reputation for performance during my undergraduate and graduate education that led me to quality
opportunities in robotics and automated manufacturing. But, my growing interest in information flows and some 'good
fortune' led me to AT&T's Bell Lab and then to Broadcom,” said Ken Venner. According to Tom Peck, "I decided to
change my focus to business and that led me outside of the military, which fortunately led to an opportunity with GE in
their IT group. After having graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and a nine year career as a Marine
Corps Officer, it was a tough decision to change course; but it was the right decision."

Many respondents didn’t start in IT and the decision to change course was seen as very risky at the time, but, they
seized the moment and the opportunity. Leo Collins for example says that he started out as a researcher in the field of
Psychology, got exposed to IT, liked it, and found he had a knack for it. "Going from academia to IT was a big decision,
but I knew I was doing the right thing." Barney Sene, CTO at Wellpoint Health Networks started as a computer
operator at 16, but wanted to major in aviation. So, he got a license to fly and thought about starting an airline, but
ended up starting a radio station. "A keen interest in technology kept me focused on IT." Yasmin Shah wanted to be
an engineer, but an opportunity at Monsanto gave her a chance to evaluate various technologies to improve the
business. That led to a management program, and that led to opportunities to join IT as a project manager.

The path to IT was obviously not a clear cut decision for most of our respondents. But, when considering a change in
direction, confident decision-making and risk-taking came easy to this group.

3. Having a Plan – Having a formal career plan sounds like a great idea, but none of our respondents had it well
defined. As for the question about having a plan, the answers were basically "what plan? You can't really plan a career
these days.” The careers of our respondents seem to have pretty much meandered along uncharted paths from position
to position, from company to company and from industry to industry as opportunities presented themselves. "I had
some goals and directions, but no formal plan. I kept my nose to the grindstone and grabbed the various opportunities
as they came along," said Ken Venner.

Most saw their careers unfolding in an unplanned fashion as they navigated through unfamiliar waters, which seems to be
a part of every career in the current ever-changing business world. Many of our respondents had a rough idea of where
they wanted to go and how they wanted to be perceived. "My plan was simple, to always be a strategic advantage to my
organization," mentioned George Suda. Or, they had a guiding belief that they followed. "You can pick the principles
that will guide your career, but you can't plan the path," said Bob Houghton.

Who needs a plan when you’re continually attracting great opportunities? As "plans" gave way to "opportunities," the
need for a good “elevator pitch” increased. Most of our respondents had examples where they had the right answer
when asked those tough, impromptu questions; and such answers usually reflected their brand and its related
confidence. Leo Collins says, "I definitely had an elevator pitch, actually I had many. I had one ready for each
important situation that might occur." According to Bob Spaid, "My answer to every question about me or one of my
projects is always 'yes,' I can do it, I'm the right guy. Just give me the resources and I'll get it done." "I had no formal
career plan, but I was always prepared for the unexpected and took risks," added Tom Peck.
 All of this "opportunistic uncertainty" appears to have rendered detailed career planning nearly impossible for our
respondents and put a high premium on having the right words ready for all situations. As Barney Sene puts it, "I had
no plan, but had lots of unplanned opportunities. And, I knew what to say when they appeared."

4. Promoting Your Brand – If not a career plan, how about a PR plan, a road map for being more "visible" or "better
known" in the industry (e.g., via writing, speaking, interview or networking efforts)? Again, nothing formal for most, just
the knowledge that they wanted people to see and know them in the way they wanted; and in the way that supported
their brand. It would seem natural that personal brands need to be aggressively promoted to grow. Although strong
brands do appear to naturally promote and speak for themselves when you're not around and, as a result, they efficiently
create career and brand momentum.

About half of our respondents were active in personal PR and professional organizations outside of work. Ed Altman at
Tata thinks that is important to distinguish yourself from others. "I've used my membership in organizations like SIM
and IS Associates at UCLA to be more visible and to network with others in the industry. This actually led directly to two
major job opportunities for me." Bob Houghton says he is always looking for a speaking or writing engagement. "I
belong to several professional organizations like SIM which give me opportunities to network with others."

Some of our respondents, such as Yasmin Shah and Tom Peck, found it too time consuming and decided to also focus
on balancing personal lives with professional lives. "My responsibilities at work and at home don't leave much time for
being active in personal PR outside of work," said Yasmin Shah. While only half of our respondents found the time for
personal PR and general brand promotion outside of their companies, nearly all agreed that it would be beneficial to their
careers. Bottom-line - it's not enough to be great, you have to be known to be great!

Within their organizations, all of our respondents were very active in personal PR in ways that helped build their personal
brands. They all used executive meetings and presentations as a vehicle to build and promote their careers. Being a
great communicator is a key element of any personal brand. Our respondents and other successful leaders always look
for opportunities to communicate their brands and related value propositions.

An effective brand message is communicated crisply, consistently and repetitively, and its key elements magnified to
provide greater visibility and awareness of you and your strengths. You have to think of yourself as being the manager
of the marketing and sales department when it comes to your career and your personal brand. You have to get the
message out.

5. Coaches and Mentors – Great brands appear to attract great coaches and mentors. Our question here was: Did they
have coaches or mentors during their climb to the top? And, did they pick them or did they get picked? Great brands
create marketing gravity, as Alan Weiss mentioned earlier. That gravity also attracts great mentors and coaches and
nearly all of our respondents were heavily influenced by them. They were sometimes bosses, friends and even family
members who played key roles in helping most of our respondents navigate the uncharted and unexpected events that
are characteristic of great careers.

"I've had access to some great coaches that have helped me with my own gap analysis. They've helped me better
understand and operate in the real world. That has actually inspired me to be a coach myself," said Ed Altman. "I've
learned a lot from my family. I see them as coaches and mentors. They were very important to me. That includes my
wife," added Tom Peck. "I had many; some in business and some were friends of the family. I would seek out the ones
I wanted and some would find me," said Ken Venner. "I've had some great mentors, including the CEO at my current
position," concurs Bob Houghton.

Some of our respondents noted that both the journey and the destination in a high performance IT career can be lonely
and isolating at times. Having a trusted confidant can be very comforting.

6. Those Bosses Along The Way – Great brands also attract great bosses. Coaches and mentors can advise, but your
bosses have a more direct impact on your career progress (e.g., by controlling your image and reputation at the higher
levels of the firm). The key question here was: Did they play a big role in building your personal brand? Many of our
respondents said most of their bosses along the way were great and had a big impact on establishing their brands and
ultimately in helping achieve intermediate goals toward their career success. Although, as we'll hear, every once in a
while you'll get a boss that will try to block your progress and then action is required.

"I had some good and bad bosses, but it was all great experience. I found that as my career evolved, I attracted better
bosses. Part of that was being able to ask better questions before accepting a new job," said George Suda. "Most of
my bosses have been great for my career. I seem to attract good ones," points out Leo Collins. "I've been very lucky;
all of mine have been great. Most have sought me out, so that usually meant there was a good basis for a relationship,"
said Barney Sene. "In the rare case when you have a boss determined to 'block' your career advancement, you have to
expand your network within the company and find a way for peers and their superiors to notice you," said Ken Venner.

7. Getting The Big Break – Sprinkled in with all those unsolicited opportunities that great brands attract, there's always
a big break or two; those career altering moments that take you to a new level and that set you on a path to major
success. Here's what some of our respondents had to say about how such events helped promote their brand,
showcased their talent and put careers on the fast track.

Some of the answers centered on major project successes, a crisis handled well, or speaking up during at a chance
encounter. Bob Spaid, for example, mentioned that his long history of major IT project successes led him to an
opportunity to change industries from oil to medical devices and then to the top jobs as the CIO in two companies since
then. Saving projects in crisis has always created opportunities for Barney Sene. But saving a project that saved a
company from bankruptcy firmly established his brand. A chance encounter with a prospective new employer gave Bob
Houghton an opportunity to pitch his capabilities to a new job. "I spoke up, he liked what he heard, and my career
went overnight from the shop floor to the IT department as a user-savvy manager. It doesn’t pay to be bashful."

Some answers centered on taking more responsibility, a big career change, and, as usual, good old fashioned luck, such
as being in the right place at the right time. Yasmin Shah's big break was getting into consulting at IBM. "I quickly
got more responsibility, was exposed to many challenging client situations and I'm sure it prepared me for and led to my
current position. I certainly couldn't have planned this career path." The opportunity to become the CIO at MGM was
certainly a career-altering break for Ed Altman. Lately, another great opportunity allowed him to make a successful
transition into a sales executive role from a CIO role. For George Suda, the big breaks were getting a chance to build
an IT organization from scratch and getting a consulting assignment at Apria that led to his first CIO role.
 One thing is certain, if you have a great personal brand, you will have many great opportunities and a few big, career-
altering breaks that can, if you grab them, change the course of your entire professional career.

8. Changing Your Brand – Everything in life changes, including your brand. As we've heard already, successful careers
include numerous unpredictable events, many based on both solicited and unsolicited opportunities that will always occur
during an evolving career and its ever-growing skill set. The question for our respondents was: Did you have to change
your brand along the way? The main answer was, "Of course." They all had many twists and turns that required some
adjustments. The key for most of our respondents was recognizing the need for a change and then implementing it at
the appropriate time.

"I've viewed job changes as opportunities to modify my reputation. If I thought it was necessary, I'd make changes that
would alter the perception that others would have of me and my style of management," said Bob Spaid. "Changes to
your brand are inevitable in the IT industry. I went from aerospace to IBM, to financial services and now to
entertainment and at each point I had to make adjustments," added Ed Altman. "I've changed positions and industries a
number of times and have had to adjust my personal brand to better reflect those very different situations," agreed
Barney Sene.

In IT, it is highly unlikely you'll retire at the top position at any one company. So, be ready, willing and able to "re-
invent" yourself and your brand to stay viable in whatever role you may have to play next.

In conclusion, the connection between someone's career success and a strong, well-defined and consistently communicated brand
was certainly validated during the research for this article. The greater confidence to make tough decisions, the firm
determination to succeed, and the willingness to take risks were characteristic of all of our respondents. The fact that great
brands attract great mentors, coaches, bosses and career opportunities is unmistakable. The difficulty in accurately planning a
successful career in IT was obvious; but it is a manageable challenge once you understand the dynamics of personal branding.

The amazingly natural growth in notoriety of great brands is mysterious in many ways, but it somehow works and certainly has
had precedent in business and product branding for many decades. The need for extra effort in personal PR efforts (outside of a
current employer) to promote a brand was not proven, but it was seen as very beneficial for those that were able to allocate the
necessary time and efforts. Some respondents actually had examples where important job opportunities came directly from such
efforts. The need for ongoing change to one's brand during an evolving career was clear as well, requiring you to occasionally "re-
invent yourself."

Special thanks are given to our nine IT executives for sharing their valuable insight on this important subject.

Lastly, can you start by defining your own brand in a sentence or two? One that communicates the perceptions and expectations
you want others to have when they hear your name? Most IT professionals can’t quickly do this. But, it's essential to define it,
because if you don't, others will do it for you. And, you don’t want others to have that level of control over your career. If you're
still not sure what it is (or what to do next), do some additional reading on the subject.

A quick way to determine what your brand is today can be as simple as asking those around you (those who will answer honesty)
what they think it is and what they think your value proposition represents. This is not an easy exercise, but it is necessary. Be
prepared for some anxious moments. It may take some time to get the brand definition you want in sync with the one that
currently exist.

Steven Pfrenzinger is the President of The Carrera Agency™, an IT talent management firm adapted from the Entertainment
industry's agent and publicist functions. He has spent over three decades in the IT industry. During his career, Pfrenzinger has
been a developer, architect, project manager, independent IT consultant, agent and publicist to top IT executives, independent
researcher and industry analyst, founder of several successful consulting companies, author of dozens of feature articles for major
IT publications, featured speaker at national conferences, and advisor to IT venture capital firms. He can be contacted at
Steven.Pfrenzinger@TheCarreraAgency.com.

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