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98 The PCB Magazine • August 2016 major—and yes, extraordinary—burden off the backs of your customers, colleagues, and man- agement. Revel in reliability, relevance and be- lievability. Ever feel uneasy when you need to depend on others with unknown, inconsis- tent or questionable track records to get the job done? There's nothing worse than when you be- grudgingly need to rely on these folks to deliver performance that reflects directly on your repu- tation, your character and in summary—your brand. I believe that there's nothing considered sexier in the C-suite than a colleague you can depend upon to deliver ROI results without sac- rificing performance. The colleague becomes a trusted and relied upon resource and partner. The aura of subservience and the constructs of a traditional supplier relationship gradually melt away. Decide to make a positive difference, even under difficult circumstances. This is easy to state, but tough to realize. It can, and arguably should be uncomfortable to offer dif- ferent perspectives other than the norm, or for that matter knowing you must agree with a group for the short term, until your own posi- tion with grounded recommendations are fully formed and vetted. Indeed, silence is golden, but it should not be mistaken for indifference or worse yet, ignorance. The silence should be thought-provoking and absorbing until you can offer value that will benefit the organization and advance your brand. Determination: never give up. Revel in your failures as you will learn from them, much more so than the successes you will achieve along the way. Determination can be both men- tally and physically draining if you allow the pressure of a project or circumstance to divert your focus. Dare to be fully committed to reach the apex. Make sure to eat healthy and rejuve- nate along the way. A few reps at the gym will replenish your energy level. It can be a steep and daunting climb, but well worth the journey if you are committed to bolstering your brand. Be humble, but not timid. There's a big difference. Over the years, I've experienced some of the brightest minds vanquished due to lacking the courage of their convictions to es- tablish or maintain their brands. Although in most cases you should let the work speak for itself, thereby enabling your brand to shine, there are instances when you need to unplug a few ears from all the elevator music, that others are happy to endorse and contribute. Don't be embarrassed. It is mutually beneficial to gently, yet directly remind key stakeholders the value you created as part of a collaborative team or independently. There's no shame in the truth. Most importantly, don't let any individual or organization define you. Own your brand and you will own your destiny. Barry Cohen is president and managing director of Launch Com- munications. He can be reached by clicking here. EMBRACE YOUR BRAND A team of researchers led by Ivo Stassen and Rob Ameloot from KU Leuven, Belgium, have made it pos- sible to detect pesticides and nerve gas in very low concentrations. Researchers have built a very sensitive electronic nose with metal- organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are like microscopic sponges that can absorb quite a lot of gas into their minuscule pores. The sensor can be integrated into electronic devices by apply- ing the MOF as a thin film over the surface of an electric circuit, making it fairly easy to equip a smartphone with a gas sensor for pesticides and nerve gas. Electronic Nose Smells Pesticides and Nerve Gas