In this edition:
- Thursday Thoughts – Kinda Chic to Be a Force Multiplier
- Weekly Top 5 – Awkward Moments, Hi-C Career Flex, 7 Partnership Patterns, 4 Types of Thinkers, & Leading Across the Org
- Language of Business Series – Marketing & Branding
- Reading Recommendations – Content Inc., Shoe Dog, & Building a StoryBrand
THURSDAY THOUGHTS
This week kicks off the marketing and branding segment of the Language of Business series.
So, let’s start with the “kinda chic” social media trend making the rounds…
And take a minute to consider if there a way for you to adapt this to your leader or organization before it’s gone?
Here’s my Force Multiplier Edition:
Kinda chic may be a trend, but being a great Force Multiplier is not.
✔ Being the one who asks the uncomfortable question.
✔ Thinking like a CEO.
✔ Protecting the mission and translating the vision into reality.
✔ Owning outcomes.
✔ Leading through influence instead of authority.
These are just signs of being a great leader and right-hand business partner!
Check out the full carousel on LinkedIn and share the one thing you would add to the list!
WEEKLY TOP 5
- There are a handful of very awkward moments in my career that I can remember like yesterday. Tripping up the stairs and running into a wall with a cup of coffee in hand immediately comes to mind… And, yes, there were witnesses. I wish I had some of these tips from NPR sooner!
- In last week’s Managing Up book club we discussed that not all SMEs or highly skilled independent contractors should be leaders (or even want to be!). So how do these individuals continue growing in their role and expanding their opportunities? Enter the High-impact Individual Contributor (Hi-C). Elena Verna describes a Hi-C as, “An individual contributor who can complete a project that delivers business value, end-to-end, on their own. Usually an ex-leader (manager, director, VP).” This part of the article also stood out to me because Elena is speaking truth! ➡ “For managers who wake up excited about coaching, team development, cross-group coordination… stick with it! If you love the work, there will still be chances to support these turbo-powered Hi-C folks. But for the rest of us: Can we retrain ourselves to think of the management path as truly optional?” Read the rest here. How do you feel about the Hi-C career option? Where would it work? What is missing from the conversation?
- Partnership is a choice. You’ve probably heard me say that before and I’m sure I’ll say it again! I believe that the partnership between a leader and their right-hand partner (whether that is an Executive Assistant, Chief of Staff, or other title) is the most important in the organization. It sets the tone and serves as an example for the rest of the company. Want to build an effective partnership with your Principal? Check out these 7 partnership patterns from The Chief of Staff Network.
- Leading up, down, and across the organization is all in a day’s work for Force Multipliers. Fast Company says there’s a simple way to get other people to prioritize your work (in other words: make sure they aren’t the roadblock to you getting your work done). And, it all starts with building strong relationships before you need them.
- The Guardian reports that there are four types of thinkers – The Worriers, The Domestics, The Bodily Thinkers, and The Work-Hard/Play-Hards. Which one are you? More interesting than the nuanced type of thinking… is that the study revealed that the “modern mind” is mostly thinking about work, caffeine, fatigue in some form!
LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS SERIES – MARKETING & BRANDING
- The 5 Cs of Marketing, Explained – This powerful framework helps you conduct an analysis of your company’s strengths and weaknesses. You can better understand the external environment in which you operate. By guiding your marketing situation analysis, the 5 Cs provide insight into how you can promote your brand image and plan effective product marketing activities.
- How to Position Your Founder as a Thought Leader on a Limited Budget – Force Multipliers are uniquely positioned to help their Founder/CEO become a thought leader. Who better than a Founder’s right hand to help clarify their vision, tell the story of the company, and pitch him/her for media opportunities? Check out these 10 suggestions to get started.
- LinkedIn Adds a Button to Report AI-Generated “Slop” – LinkedIn, Substack, and more are adding ways to reduce AI content, as people have grown frustrated with the computer-written, inauthentic posts filling the web. If you’re using AI in to write content… just be aware!
- The Wizard Behind the Names of Billion-Dollar Companies – What’s in a name? David Placek could tell you. Take notes.
- Marketing Trends for 2026 – We may be half-way through the year, but these trends are still shaping businesses. AI, social, and privacy-first are big factors. Click on the link to read more.
READING RECOMMENDATIONS
- Content Inc.: Start a Content-First Business, Build a Massive Audience and Become Radically Successful (With Little to No Money) by Joe Pulizzi | I first read this book in 2020 when my former Exec and I were ramping up our book marketing, podcasting, leadership training, and, of course, branding. It really helped me solidify my understanding and strategic implementation of building an audience. This updated edition includes new and enhanced coverage of platforms like TikTok, SnapChat, and Instagram, a new section about the exit strategy for the model, more practical how-tos, and current examples of companies that have successfully implemented these strategies.
- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight | The ultimate founder memoir about the start-up days of Nike and how it became one of the world’s most iconic brands. One of my top 20 favorite books!
- Building a StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller | In a world filled with constant, on-demand distractions, it has become very hard for business owners to effectively cut through the noise to reach their customers. Without a clear, distinct message, customers will not understand what you can do for them and won’t engage. In this book, Donald shares the StoryBrand framework that will forever transform the way you talk about who you are, what you do, and the unique value you bring to your customers.
“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
Jeff Bezos
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Understanding the language of business is essential for the Force Multipliers of the future–whether you’re committed to a career as a right-hand partner or plan to move from employee to self-employed.
When someone understands the language of business, they can connect their work to: revenue, profitability, growth, efficiency, risk, priorities, customer experience, organizational goals, and strategic tradeoffs. We aren’t talking about memorizing corporate jargon here! But we are talking about understanding how businesses function, what leaders care about, how decisions get made, and how work impacts the bigger picture.
For the rest of the year, each newsletter issue will focus on one key area of business fluency: financial literacy, customers & sales, marketing & brand, strategy & decision making, operations, people & organizational dynamics, and leadership.
From articles and podcasts, to book recommendations, courses and conferences, and insights and advice, we’ll dive into one key topic each month.
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