June 2020 - The Winding Road

Brands Make Promises, So Should You

by Travis L. ScottJune 24, 2020June 24, 20201

Marketing is a Promise I’m in the beginning phase of writing a book about marketing and, more specifically, recruitment marketing. In the beginning, I’m providing background and building a foundation based on what marketing is (and what it isn’t). This morning I wrote (in my book) about the promises that marketing makes, and it made me think about how we extend that to our careers. Every day, every bit of communication we have with people – email, phone calls, Zoom meetings, conversations at a conference – is part of building others’ perception of who you are and what you’re …

Reframing a Learning Mindset to Being More Curious

by Travis L. ScottJune 17, 2020June 17, 2020

Reframing a Learning Mindset I read, watch, and listen to a lot of things. Sometimes I write things down, usually in a notepad that I eventually misplace, but most of the time I don’t. It just stays in my head. Recently, I heard someone talking about the difference between how we learn and retain things when we’re truly curious about them. I can’t remember where I heard this or who was talking about it, but I’ve been thinking about it over the past week or so. My marketing career has mostly focused on direct marketing and digital marketing. Very little …

Career Capital – The Best Investment in Yourself You Can Make

by Travis L. ScottJune 9, 2020June 9, 2020

In his book So Good They Can’t Ignore You, author Cal Newport talks a lot about something he calls “career capital.” [1] Simply put, career capital is nothing more than building and acquiring rare and valuable skills over time. The term rare can be subjective. Rare skills don’t necessarily have to be a single rare skill. You could take several skills that a lot of people have and combine them into a portfolio or combination that is rare. Take my experience, for example. I have sales experience, technical recruiting experience, project management experience, marketing experience (and education), and leadership and management …

Should We “Brand” Ourselves Professionally?

by Travis L. ScottJune 2, 2020June 3, 2020

I’ve been thinking a lot about brand marketing, brands, and the concept of personal (or professional) brands. In the past, I’ve ignored branding and brand marketing because I didn’t think I was creative enough to be involved with it. Now I’m starting to realize that branding isn’t about being witty and creative in that way. It’s about crafting a story in a way to shape people’s perception of your products or services. It’s like a guiding hand in helping them form their own stories about your brand. It’s why storytelling is such a valuable skill to have and to practice. …