Own Your Industry - Book 23 of 52 in 52 - A Review of Douglas Kruger's latest book

The first time I became acquainted with Douglas Kruger was on DVD - he was speaking in the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking. He was extremely young, extremely thin, and had an extremely, exquisitely deep voice that anyone short of James Earl Jones would envy.

That was in 2004. 10 years later, I finally had the chance to meet him, even share dinner with him - just a few weeks ago in Kuala Lumpur. He was older (obviously), no longer thin (instead, packed with muscles that had muscles), but still with that amazing voice. Instead of being a contestant, hey was a mainstage speaker at the Toastmasters Int'l Convention, simultaneously an advocate and graduate from the program, who is one of Top Speakers in South Africa.

He's had a few other products created, but the first I've gotten my hands on is his latest book, on which his speech that week was based: 'Own Your Industry: How to Position Yourself as an Expert.'

It's built around the premise that we can each stand out on our own in some way in our businesses, as an expert, even in today's expert-heavy world, as long as we find a way to position ourselves, essentially, as OURSELVES, in a meaningful way.

The long-term benefit? He describes it with his 'Pie Man' parable - do you want to be the person tapping individual shoulders to sell your pie, or be so well known for your pies that people come to you?

The book spends a little time upfront building us up, helping us see a vision for ourselves, before getting to the nitty-gritty - 50 different strategies, some that work on their own, others that should be used in concert with others, described in 50 two to three page chapters, each with it's own pithy example or anecdote, and it's own question to the reader.

Some of my favorites include:

- understand the science of talent
- dress the part (I'm SO bad at this)
- speak the language of results
- manage popularity by design
- frame issues and create urgency

Now, I'll be honest, I've been in marketing, advertising, and speaking for a LONG time - and I can't say I wasn't familiar with a lot of what's in this book. He did manage to surprise me in a couple of spots, and, more importantly, inspired me to start acting on what I do know - which is most of the battle anyway for us as speakers.

If you're not a self-marketing guru, this is definitely the book for you. For those who think you've got it all figured out, pick this one up anyway, if only to hear what you know from a fresh and humorous perspective. If you're already doing all 50 of his suggestions effectively, well, you're either not reading this blog, or the money you spend on 'Own Your Industry' is less than you leave in your couch cushions.

Five Stars out of Five - and I'm looking forward to his next one - 'Relentlessly Relevant'.

By the way, if you've got a spare 45 minutes - check out this keynote on 'How to become an Iconic Speaker' - he knocks it out of the park.

Toastmasters Friday: Whattya Mean You're Going Into Leadership?

Yes, hell has frozen over and I'm in line to be the next Area Governor here in my local geographic cluster of clubs known as D26/F/2.

Some of you may be thinking it wasn't long ago I was stepping down as President of a club, and moving behind the scenes at another, all in protest of Toastmaster's rebranding themselves as a place "Where Leaders Are Made". Well you're right. So what business do I have going into the leadership track now?

So why try become an Area Governor? Have I drunk the Kool-Aid? Am I now a card-carrying proponent of the new branding? No - not at all. I still have yet to run into any new members who joined to be leaders, or because TM is now saying it's a great place to train leaders. Doesn't mean they don't exist, but none of 'em had stopped by to MY club.

So how can I take a leadership position? Won't I have to tow the line? I don't think so. For one, the program has yet to really change. Nothing I'll be encouraging my clubs to do will be any different than a few years ago. I don't have to convince them to buy new banners or lecterns. Primarily, I'll be checking in to make sure the clubs are meeting their goals, TM's goals, and the goals of their members, regardless of their use of a tagline.

Additionally, I'll be a resource for any issues that may come up with the clubs, and be responsible for setting up two Area Contests throughout the year. There's more, of course, but it's all doable.

Area Governor will NOT equal Drill Sergeant...

What I won't have to do is push the tagline down anyone's throats. In fact, I haven't experienced anybody beyond a Brand Manager, training at TLI, or the Board say much at all about the branding. Our trio supports it, but outside of color and logo changes, I haven't seen much dogma coming forth.

Also, let me be clear, I don't disagree that Toastmasters teaches leadership. I simply disagree with it being the lead dog. I believe leadership springs from our longtime strength - communication. It was this reasoning I used to talk to our club members about pursuing their CL manuals last night. I don't think it steers away from the new brand at all, other than putting speaking in the driver's seat, where it's always been.

I'll certainly mute my dissatisfaction with the branding, that ship has long sailed, for one, and it wouldn't be 'becoming of an officer' for another. It sounds like TM is working on creating more leadership-driven projects, so perhaps "Where Leaders Are Made", if not wholly accurate today, will be within the next few years.

In the meantime, I support our program as it stands today, and I find no issue with serving as a District Officer, and TM should have no issue, either.

On my side, I'm not competing this year - I'll be speaking at another District Conference the weekend of my own anyway. I've been wanting to step away from competing, so what better excuse for the next two years than this? I can finally get my DTM award, which I've been on the cusp of for years. Wait til my blog posts on my High Performance Leadership project!

Who knows, I might just run for a higher office next year. I could be ineligible for the next six years if I go up the chairs. But first, lets tackle AG, and see if I can Govern....& Deliver.