Are you a Jay Leno or a Conan O’Brian?

Like most of us - whether we like it or not – the news are all about the feud between NBC, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brian. It would probably be one of those unfortunate events that we would discard as trash if it wasn’t by the fact that one of the characters may be terminated right in front of the public eye.


I am not much of a TV night show follower but I went to the web and watched the Internet clips in which Jimmy Kimmel made a parody of Leno and Letterman did the same in his own style. In case you don’t know, they are the competition and have taken sides with O’Brian. Now the question is: Is it fair for Leno or O’Brian to be on the spot for a NBC decision?

And here’s how I think this matter relates to most of us.

1. Have you ever got transferred to do a job that someone else did before being terminated? Or promoted to a higher level job?

2. Have you been a new hire to replace someone who was fired?

3. Have you started a new job that you have not many qualifications for and worry that your performance may not be up to speed to what is expected?

4. Have you been transferred to a job you did not even asked for and placed under a Personal Improvement Plan just a few months after starting it?

5. Do you feel exposed and on the spotlight due to your own job scope changes and Company restructuring?

I am sure we did not have the cameras following us but we certainly had peers talking about it either on our face or in our back.

How others perceive you are at work does not have to do to whether you are the kindest person on Earth or not but how you do your job and manage relationships with others. At times, your professional brand will be placed under the public scrutiny (not as much as Jay Leno’s Brand I hope!) but if you have a clear level of consciousness on the critical elements of your Brand, then you should be able to manage either a ‘damage control’ strategy or a campaign that sells its attributes as its best.

A former manager I had taught me when I was on my early career that perception was everything. I have struggled for years with the concept (even now) but if a strong percentage on how decisions are made depends on what others think of us, wouldn’t it be nice that we assumed CONTROL of our Brand to move on and successfully into quiet waters?

I am curious how a corporation like NBC is going to manage a decision that due to the current economy will have a lot of repercussion in the public perception but I am even more interested in seeing how the story will unfold for Leno and O’Brian in their own Branding strategies and campaigns.

Now, what would you do if those were your shoes? Do you know your own professional brand well enough to manage it consistently and create an aligned perception of it across the board?

Is it funnier to laugh at someone else's expenses? Hum! well, yes, only if we are talking about Leno and O'Brian who are certainly doing a fantastic job in making us laugh at their business.