Last week we drove down the coast from Seattle to California wine country, with stops in Mendocino and Sonoma counties. It was a chance to get away, see familiar faces in socially-distanced settings, and soak up some warmth before winter arrives. The 2-day drives required to get there and back put us on roads in corners of the country that most never get to see.
Being in California.
California, for all its challenges, expresses an identity more like that of an independent country than a state, and a sense of place that few other states capture so thoroughly. This manifests itself in:
Roads as entertainment. Crossing over the border from Oregon on Highway 199, the road suddenly changes from Illinois Valley farms with misspelled signs (my favorite advertised “Cron for sale”) to a winding route of wonder through the Jed Smith Redwood Forest.
It's as if the state line at the 42nd parallel was drawn to favor California visitors with their eyes wide-open and jaws agape. Copious and unique highway and park signage are trademarks of California, and guided our way through coastal towns and cities. Mapheads can read about why here.
Preservation as tourism. Driving through Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County after having lunch in Victorian-era Eureka, preservation is all around you. Blocks of Victorian homes in Eureka -- at its heydey, the timber capital of California -- reflect, and in one case replicate, the design of homes in San Francisco to the south. Redwoods were preserved starting in the early 20th century with the help of private (Rockefeller) money that got matched by the state. As a result, redwoods stand tall and protected from loggers that threatened the largest living things on earth.
Wine as accessible agriculture. If you haven’t been to one of California’s wine regions (Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Santa Ynez or others), add it to your post-pandemic priority list. I tend to prefer French wines, but California makes you feel at home amongst the vines and viticulture.
Open space as opportunity. California’s brand was built on the Gold Rush, social freedom (cue Pet Shop Boys’ version of “Go West”), and environmental leadership. Despite being the most populous state, California remains blessed with endless hours of open land beyond the big cities and their famous traffic. Much of that lies north of wine country and Sacramento, where even the interstates wind through thinly populated expanses. It allows you to imagine the time when pioneers came across the land, found places to settle and thrive, and build on dreams of the Golden State.
Being California.
The land of golden dreams California is not just a state, it’s a brand. A brand that’s being damaged by historic fires, high taxes, and a housing affordability crisis. Like California, we all need to think about our personal brand, where it may be a little tarnished, and what should be done to spiff it up. We all need a brand refresh now and then. Here’s how to think about sprucing up your brand the way California needs to:
Focus on your inherent skills. California is sunny, warm, and made up of endless natural treasures. But climate change and social change are getting in the way of that nirvana. Similarly, jobs change, friends change, activities change. But when you know and leverage the things you do best -- in my case, analytical thinking, relationship building, negotiation skills, customer empathy — it's easier and more natural to distinguish yourself and the opportunities that open up are larger than a company or industry focus. Be bold, like Governor Newsom was with declaring the end of new gas-powered cars in the state -- set and declare a goal that gets you back on track,
Learn and relearn the basics, since they change often. California masters change by building an industry of entrepreneurs, rather than just supporting an industry like entertainment or financial services. Similarly, when I started my own marketing consulting business, I realized that the tactical skills required in marketing change all the time. In my world that meant learning website development, SEO and how to best create and leverage social media. My main skills are strategic thinking and coming up with big ideas, but knowing the mechanics of how they will be applied is not optional.
Don’t lean on linear growth. California’s aspirational brand leans on different things at different times. The state with the richest people started as the land of middle class families. Sun has become something to harness, rather than soak up. Its rise as a political power has given us the most powerful Republicans despite being a liberal bastion today. Of course, the boom and bust cycle of many California cities shows that the path is not always smooth. One thing I’ve learned from interviewing, or listening to interviews with, leaders about how they’ve scaled the ranks is that most of them had a general plan but not a linear set of expectations. Sure, some people just move up the ladder one rung at a time, but that assumes the people above you get out of the way, or that the skills you’ve already mastered are still what matters most. Find roles and projects that hone the things you love to do, then, like California, describe yourself to others in those terms to define who you want to be.
How has your personal brand changed? And did you actively set out to change it, or did it just evolve over time? If you want to change the limits you set for yourself, what are those new guardrails? Discuss with me here or on twitter @minicooper.