a)  I heard a great review on NPR

b)  I worked in TV for 20 years and can’t help myself

c)  I’m a foodie and the TV spots caught my eye

All of the above actually.  I am a bit of a reality TB

Gulf Coast University was a consideration and it actually is on the Gulf, so that’s a plus. But while that name was being debated, a college in Ft. Myers nabbed it. I guess “you snooze, you lose” applies to academic institutions. So they settled on University of South Florida Tampa Bay. Seems like a lot to fit on a athletic uniform, but I guess Tampa Bay sounded sexier than just plain Tampa. Check out the article to learn more about their mascot-naming crisis. Not to trash my former home state, but this was the land of “hanging chads,” after all.

So, what’s so important about names? Plenty! From naming your child (studies show that kids with non-weird names are more accepted and do better in school than kids with highly original names) to naming your business, finding a name that is right for you requires some thought. When it comes to naming a website or business, consider the following:

• Set up a brand expectation (just be sure you fulfill it) like CareerBuilder.com or Esurance
• Think about how your name will sound aloud and look when written.
• Make it concise and memorable
• Do some research on Amazon.com or Google to see if your name is already widely in use. If so, you may want to switch.

This is why I’m seeking to grow my wonderful community and excited to announce that I’ve started a new business endeavor. I’m now looking for a select group of people to join me. I’m partnering with Stanford-trained doctors Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields in a line of anti-aging products (which are keeping me from looking like my 57 years!) and leveraging the doctors’ established brand, impeccable credentials and clinically proven products.

I’m looking for a very specific type of colleague with a solid business sense, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a dream of a rich, expansive life – whatever that means to you. If you would welcome the opportunity to meet and work with like-minded people who inspire you to greatness, please join me for an intimate, casual evening where we can explore the core concept together.

And if you have friends, family or colleagues who would appreciate spending an evening with some very knowledgeable entrepreneurs, feel free to bring them along. Here are the details:

November 30, 2011

6:30 p.m. PT Mingle & 7:00 Discussion

Mariner’s Village Clubhouse
4600 Via Marina
Marina del Rey, CA 90292

Clubhouse/Parking: The Clubhouse is in the village on Captains Row, which is the main entrance to the Mariner’s Village complex.  There is a paid parking lot on Via Marina directly across from Captains Row and free street parking across the street and a little walk away.

Please RSVP and feel free to forward this message to anyone looking to expand their horizons.

Cheers,

Libby

Which of these do you think is the worst excuse? And what was your best-ever “can’t work, I’m too sick” call in to the boss?

What’s particularly fascinating is that the enthusiasm seems to extend well beyond just those who work for him. City hall officials love him. Business owners happily await his arrival. Residents see renewed hope in the possible rebirth of their beloved downtown Las Vegas. Hope is everywhere.

So, what do you think? Is it the vision of one or the energy of many that makes things happen? Weigh in here…

While they were focused on the studio’s problems, I’d fantasize about having my own corporate retreat attended by a team of brainy folks dedicated to sorting out my personal and professional life. My very own Support Squad. I’d picture myself at the head of the table wearing a stunning Armani suit and tasteful Tiffany earrings – this is my fantasy, after all – while my team brainstormed business strategies, overhauled my fitness regimen, and advised me on my love life.

When, in midlife, I left the relative safety of the corporate world to publish my first book and launch my own coaching and consulting firm, I knew my Support Squad would help see me through. There was just one problem. I didn’t have a Support Squad.

Not to be deterred by this small detail, I decided to enlist a team to help me jumpstart my business and adjust to single life (did I mention I was also newly divorced?). I started by asking my former boss, Andy, if he would serve as my business mentor. He immediately said yes, and only later confessed that he’d had no clue what I needed, but hoped I did. Emboldened by my first successful recruit, I added a financial advisor, a physical trainer, a landscape gardener, even a great group of girlfriends who shared my passion for theater and travel.

Some, like the financial advisor and fitness trainer, were paid professionals. Others, like the gardening pal and girlfriends, offered their support simply out of the goodness of their hearts. It wasn’t always clear exactly what role each person would play, but as long as they were enthusiastic, or at least willing, to help me change my life, I knew we’d figure it out as we went along. And we did.

What kind of support do you need to see you through the major transitions or daily dilemmas of life? Whether you want assistance with work, kids, fitness, finances or all of the above, recruiting your Support Squad isn’t as difficult as you might think. Start by making a list of friends, colleagues, or relatives who might be willing to help you meet your goals. And if you don’t know what your goals are, clarifying them can be your team’s first endeavor. Pick the least intimidating person on your list for your first recruiting conversation, working up to the more challenging ones as your confidence grows. Follow these simple steps to solicit support and build your squad:

1. State your goal. It could be, “I’d like to begin a fitness program,” or “I want to start my own business.”
2. Make your request. “I’d like you to be my workout buddy,’ or “I want to hire you as my business coach.”
3. Negotiate next steps. Whether it’s a paid professional or a friend, determine exactly what form their support will take with regard to timing, location, length of commitment and payment, if any.
4. Evaluate on an ongoing basis. If your goals are clear and measurable, you’ll be able to determine if your team has helped you reach them. Add new members as the need or opportunity arises.
5. Be sure to give back. Volunteer to be a part of someone else’s Support Squad.

Congratulations, you’re on your way to creating your own customized Support Squad to help you travel hopefully toward transforming your life!

One of the smartest things you can do today is protect your email from hackers later on. Protecting your communications is part of protecting your brand – and you owe it to yourself and your customers to take these measures. Take a peek at this recent article in the LA Times to learn the Do’s and Don’ts of online safety. After all, would you leave your house without locking the front door?

Sooner or later, every individual or organization gets stuck. It’s just part of the human condition. Maybe the “stuckness” manifests as a lack of agility or an unwillingness to innovate or take risks.    Maybe it’s a general feeling of malaise or disengagement. However it shows up, if you ignore your stuck state, you run the risk of mediocrity becoming your new normal.

Libby Gill, executive coach, brand strategist and author of award-winning You Unstuck: The New Rules of Risk-taking in Work & Life, shows you how to shift your organizational mindset to create a culture of innovation. An entertainment industry veteran, Libby held top positions in public relations and corporate communications at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Turner Broadcasting and was the branding/PR brain behind the launch of the Dr. Phil Show.

She has shared her success strategies on the Today Show, CNN, NPR, CBS Early Show, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, and in Business Week, Time Magazine, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News, O Magazine and many more.
With her proven “Clarify, Simplify & Execute” process, Libby guides audiences to clarify a bold vision for success, simplify the most direct route to get there, and execute a plan against measurable milestones – refusing to give into excuse- making, inertia or indifference.

Libby’s high-energy, high-content presentation ensures that your participants will learn to:

• Discover the benefits in Libby’s Clarify, Simplify & Execute process where you learn to “clarify the vision, simplify the path & execute the plan”
• Challenge the INR, or Immediate Negative Response, that knee-jerk resistance to change that causes us to avoid risks, even when we expect the results to be positive.
• Maximize Leadership DNA by anticipating behavioral patterns to increase productivity, accountability and camaraderie
• Reduce Riskophobia, that is, fear and resistance and replace it with exploration and creativity utilizing the 3 R’s: Risk, Reinvent, Repeat
• Re-inspire depleted employees to bring pride and passion back to the organization

Dedicated to ensuring that her message powerfully hits home with your group, Libby always customizes her presentations so that her content is timely, relevant and immediately applicable.

In these challenging times, it’s more important than ever that your brand cuts through the clutter and ‘captures the mindshare’ of your customers and clients. Because once you’ve got their trust, loyalty, heads and hearts – the market share will follow. So how do you ‘capture the mindshare’?

Executive coach, brand strategist and bestselling author Libby Gill shows association members, business owners, and executives how to create distinctive brands based on their unique gifts and authentic customer value. As the former head of PR & Communications for Universal, Sony & Turner Broadcasting – and the branding brain behind the launch of the Dr. Phil Show – Libby guides your group to articulate their brand so powerfully that they’ll stand out from the herd of competitors.

No wonder Good Housekeeping called her as “Dr. Phil’s secret weapon.”

In her high-energy, interactive presentation – including her lively audience participation game “Name That Brand” – Libby shares the 5 key strategies for creating a powerful personal brand. You’ll get bottom-line results to:

• Create your personal “success spin” so you can succinctly and memorably position yourself and your company in any situation
• Differentiate yourself from competitors, even when they offer similar skills, services or products
• Establish immediate rapport with colleagues, customers and clients
• Repackage yourself to revitalize your role within your team or company
• Learn to use the media without letting the media use you
• Master leadership skills and establish expert status in your field
• Promote team-building through improved communication, collaboration and connection
• Build a cycle of continuous improvement and brand excellence to see better bottom-line results fast

An executive coach and bestselling author, Libby has shared her success strategies on the Today Show, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, CNN, NPR, and in Time Magazine, Business Week, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News and many more.

Libby’s bestselling book, “YOU UNSTUCK: Mastering the New Rules of Risk- taking in Work and Life,” is the winner of an Independent Publishing Book Award for 2010.

In addition to keynote addresses, Libby can customize half, full-day or follow-up presentations to address specific organizational needs.

A corporate entertainment veteran, Libby Gill held senior management positions in public relations and communications at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios and Turner Broadcasting, and was also the branding brain behind the launch of the Dr. Phil Show. During her 15-year Hollywood tenure in an industry known for cuthroat competition, she survived more than a dozen management restructures, transitions and takeovers. Yet with each change, Libby positioned her company to maintain their competitive edge – and emerged as a leader herself.

Rising rapidly up the corporate ladder, Libby moved from office temp to C-suite division head in just five years. Now she shares her leadership strategies with organizations around the world who strive to create a culture of excellence, despite difficult times. With her proven “Clarify, Simplify & Execute” process, Libby guides corporations and individuals – from start-ups to CEOs – to create bold leaders at every level of the organization.

Using first-hand experience, case studies, proven business strategies, – and a dash of her trademark Hollywood dazzle – Libby ensures that your participant ROI will include learning to:

• Discover the power of Libby’s proven “Clarify, Simplify & Execute” process which guides leaders to boldly “clarify the vision, simplify the path & execute the plan”
• Identify and maximize your personal “Leadership DNA”
• Foster collaboration and camaraderie – and avoid clashes – even in times of heightened stress and triple workloads
• Reward bold risk-takers and leverage new ideas & systems overnight
• Re-engage disheartened and depleted employees to work with passion and pride
• Reframe change from negative shake-up to growth prospect
• Harness the power of personal accountability within individuals & teams

An executive coach and bestselling author, Libby has shared her success strategies on the Today Show, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, CNN, NPR, and in Time Magazine, Business Week, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News and many more.

Libby’s bestselling book, “YOU UNSTUCK: Mastering the New Rules of Risk- taking in Work and Life,” is the winner of an Independent Publishing Book Award for 2010.