Leadership

Build a better work you - with Spinal Tap, the Onion and Charlie Chaplin.

Whether it’s Coca-Cola’s scrawl or Apple’s smooth white designs, a truly iconic brand makes you know what you’re getting straight away. Do the same in your career. Stamp your mark on your chosen field. Think Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel and his trademark guitar solos.

Promote yourself. There’s no point in having hidden talents that remain hidden – let people know your strengths. But don’t overdo it. Here Tracy Gill – the host of the Onion’s Today Now! show – recommends the hit new biography of Tracy Gill.

Spot opportunities. Keep your eyes peeled for places where you can excel. Take 1940’s The Great Dictator. Having made his name as a small, moustachioed clown satirising pomp and pretence, Chaplin must have thought he was dreaming (from a professional point of view at least) when Hitler came along.