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| Blog...short for web log, an online, regularly updated journal or newsletter that is readily accessible to the general public by virtue of being posted on a website. March 4, 2010 Investing in Respect...For more than two decades, a number of companies have downsized, rightsized, reengineered, and outsourced. Yet, these techniques didn’t necessarily lead to long-term value. They may have increased the bottom-line in the short-run, but did little to generate distinctive competitive advantage. What’s been missing? R E S P E C T. It’s a key driver of success. [more]
February 16, 2010 Play ‘Em Like You Got ‘Em...I think it’s time for all of us to begin treating our collective economic challenges like my mother did when she played cards. A little explanation is in order.
When I was a teenager and young adult, my parents, grandmother and I frequently spent evenings playing “500,” a trick-taking card game, something like bridge or euchre. [more]
February 1, 2010 It’s Too Expensive Not to Understand Your Customers...If you’re in business, every time customers or potential customers interact with you, they make an assessment of the quality of the service or product you provide. This is true regardless of whether you compete with others or are in an industry with seemingly no competition. [more]
January 11, 2010 Which are You?...My parents and grandparents lived through the Great Depression and their experiences during those turbulent and troubling years greatly influenced how they managed the rest of their lives. Hearing stories about how they coped – moving in with family, living off savings that had been put aside for a rainy day, stretching every food dollar, taking whatever work was available no matter how dangerous or difficult – also profoundly affected me. I am who I am partly because of what I heard. [more]
December 16, 2009 How Big?.... When I was a child, my mother used to laugh because I used the word ‘million” to express everything from how much homework I had (a “million pages”) to how many birds were sitting on a wire. It was a number that meant, “too big to count.” [more]
December 8, 2009 A Good Idea or Just Free Advice? Finding a job has never been more difficult. Simply applying seems equally challenging. I’ve been on both sides of the hiring desk – sometimes the applicant and sometimes the employer. And, yes, for some jobs, I gave a test. When I was hiring a research analyst, I would narrow my field of candidates down to the top five or so and then give the finalists a set of data to see what they would do with it. In an hour, could they separate the wheat from the chafe? Could they make sense of the numbers, draw conclusions and express them in well-crafted and thoughtful language? [more]
November 16, 2009 Learning from the Planet’s Teachers...Consider Velcro, passive cooling and Speedo’s Fastskin FSII swimsuits. What do these items have in common? Give up? All were inspired by the natural world. In fact, so many recent inventions have occurred from observing how nature operates that a new term has been coined. Biomimicry is literally the science and art of emulating nature's best biological aspects to solve human problems. [more]
November 9, 2009 Into a Quiet Place...My regular readers may have noticed that I did not post last week. That’s because I was camping on the desert in Anza Borrego. For those who do not know this place, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California. Named for the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish name borrego, or bighorn sheep, this area with five-hundred miles of dirt roads, 12 wilderness areas and miles of hiking trails provide visitors with a chance to see wildflowers (after spring rains), palm groves, sweeping vistas, and all manner of wildlife. [more]
October 28, 2009 A Potpourri of Links to Educate, Amuse or Fatten Your Wallet...I’m of a certain age and, perhaps, like you, remember days before the Internet – when, if I wanted to know something, I’d look it up in some type of bound volume, make a call or perhaps ask a friend. [more]
October 21, 2009 Importance of a Strong Foundation...We have a place in the mountains and, for some time now, part of our deck had been in imminent danger of collapse. This past weekend, our son John offered to repair the damaged portion. It quickly became apparent that much of the trouble was due to the foundation having been poorly constructed when the deck was originally built. After carefully considering how the weight should be distributed, John built a substantial sub-structure that will support the newly laid decking for years to come. [more]
October 14, 2009 Those Annoying Words and Phrases...Are there certain words or phrases that are beginning to drive you crazy? Ones that are being used to death by everyone and his brother? Ones that you wish would just drop out of the lexicon? Well, you’re not alone. [more]
October 7, 2009 Completely Random Musings...Generally I write about a single topic – typically something about communication, change, strategic business planning or corporate culture. A few times I have provided commentary, such as last week’s post about drowning in clutter or the series “Who’s Counting” and “Throw ‘Em a Bone.” This week has no theme. I’ll be filing it under commentary. But truly, it’s just a set of random thoughts, links, and recommendations. [more]
September 30, 2009 Drowning in Stuff...My husband and I have too much stuff. Now, I know this may sound odd because his business is “stuff.” As an antique dealer (www.vinshoppe.com), he’s constantly on the prowl for heirlooms and treasures. One afternoon recently when I was working his shop, a customer and I got into a conversation about the early pioneers who settled the West. Everything they owned – everything – had to fit into a wagon that was typically 10’ by 3 1/2’. We’re talking about bedding, food, clothing, cooking utensils, weapons, tools, and perhaps a few luxuries.
Who could do that today? [more]
September 23, 2009 Scared Speechless? The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working the minute you’re born and never stops until you get up to speak in public. – Roscoe Drummond At some point in your life, you’re going to have to give a speech. It may be in a work or public setting or something as “simple” as offering a toast at a wedding or anniversary celebration. If you’ve been on your feet in front of an audience dozens or hundreds of times, this post is not for you. But, if you know you might have to address a group of colleagues or strangers sometime in the future, and are scared speechless, read on. [more]
September 16, 2009 Throw 'Em a Bone, Ok? Last week in my piece about the many self-employed individuals who have seen their businesses slow or dry up completely, I also wrote about the millions excluded from the latest unemployment rate because they have given up the search for work. And why did they stop? It’s simple. They became discouraged. [more]
September 9, 2009 Who’s Counting? Michael Luo’s Sept. 7 NY Times article (http://tinyurl.com/lnuxtx) points out that millions of people were excluded from the latest unemployment rate, as they are every month – folks who are not counted in the rate because they have simply stopped looking for work. Not because they didn’t want a job, but because they are just too discouraged (or perhaps realistic) to keep searching.
September 2, 2009 About to Make an Important Decision? Need to make an important decision? Flummoxed by having just too many choices? Perhaps you’re lucky enough to have multiple job offers (wouldn’t that be nice!). Or, as an employer, you have dozens – even hundreds – of seemingly qualified candidates for the same opening. Perhaps you’re looking for a way to select the most competent consultant for your upcoming employee opinion survey. Or maybe as the Executive Director of a non-profit, you must reduce the number of programs you support to focus your organization’s efforts on the most vital few. [more]
August 26, 2009 Hacking My Way Through the Bog...I have loved to write, ever since I was able to pick up a pencil. I was that kid who thought, but knew better than to admit (since I did want to have friends), “Oh, boy! Three terms papers this semester!” There was something about the research, the discovery, the putting pen to paper. Now, of course, it’s fingers to keyboard, but the thrill’s the same.
Loving to do something, though, doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Ask any great athlete or scientist or artist. Sometimes it’s just plain difficult. Like today. I made a commitment to post weekly and here it is Wednesday and I don’t have a clue what to write about. [more]
August 19, 2009 A Recipe for Teamwork or Just Alphabet Soup?...Are you a member of a team? Unless you’re a hermit living in a cave, you’re undoubtedly part of a number of different groups – work, social, religious, family. Does everyone always see eye-to-eye? Probably not. That’s because each of us views the world a little differently. [more]
August 12, 2009 Two Halves are Better than One...Over the years, I’ve interviewed numerous people applying for marketing research positions. Few passed my screening, but those who did continue to be the best in the business. All have a trait that I’ve always thought of as “the chip” – that unique ability to see beyond the numbers to the meaning. Given a set of questionnaires to analyze, those with “it” would look for relationships, for the psychology of the responses, for the underlying significance and importance hidden in the data. [more]
August 5, 2009 Hire the Write Stuff...Last week, Curt MacRae, of Human Transitions who offers GET TO WORKshops for unemployed, underemployed, and at-risk employees wrote an open letter to American business. In his piece, published by www.examiner.com, he suggests that if companies want to change their culture and enhance their image, they should hire a journalist. [more]
July 29, 2009 All ATwitter?...What good are 140 characters? Well, yesterday, they were enough to tell me that a new little member had joined our family. Welcome to the world Haylee Robin! Who would have imagined just a year or two ago that this microblogging service would change (again) how we interact as friends, family, colleagues, and perfect strangers? [more] July 22, 2009 Tribute to a Mentor...Thirty years ago tomorrow, I joined a large, local San Diego enterprise, one referred to internally as “the company.” While that was the start of many interesting days, one in particular will forever stand out. It happened to be July 23, 1982. A colleague in Public Relations was being awarded a pin for 5 years of service. As I was leaving the event, I quipped to the person behind me, “It’s my anniversary, too. I wonder what I get for being here 3 years?” [more]
July 15, 2009 Lessons from the Budworm...Several years ago when strolling through my local nursery, I noticed a Martha Washington geranium. With its large brightly colored purplish-pink ruffled flowers, it was a sight to behold. I had to have it. This purchase was followed in short order with a Pillar Pink, a Harlequin Ivy, and several others.
Since adding these varieties to my container garden, I’ve observed a very interesting phenomenon. [more]
July 8, 2009 Power of the Pen...I’ve been reading Letters from Africa 1914-1931 by Isak Dinesen, which became the basis of the movie Out of Africa. This collection of thousands of letters between Baroness Karen Blixen and her family got me to thinking about the power of written correspondence. Most notably, these letters were saved – and saved long before anyone knew that Blixen, writing under her Dinesen pen name, would become an international success. They were kept and treasured for what they were – the chronicle of a life. [more]
July 1, 2009 When Less is More...Peggy Noonan is a graceful writer. She also clearly understands the importance of “focus.” In her June 26 Wall Street Journal piece, she talks about how Barack Obama’s to-do list should fit into one sentence, not 10 paragraphs. She explains it this way. [more]
June 24, 2009 Head in a Cloud?...Late last year, a client asked me to write an article about “cloud computing,” an emerging technology. As I noted in the piece, cloud computing, not even on the radar screen a few years ago, is now a fast-growing trend. All the major players from [more]
June 17, 2009 50 Handy Excuses... Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. Like the old nursery rhyme, business success today requires speed, agility and the the will to reinvent oneself over and over. Change is the operative word. Yet it's so much easier to "do what we've always done," isn't it? Do you see your company... or yourself... in any of the following? [more]
June 10, 2009 Twinkies and Root Beer...I never liked chain letters, even when they were the "snail mail" variety. You know the type. "Do such and so and send on to 30 of your best friends and in a week, good luck will come to you." With the advent of email, millions of these chain letters are circling the globe. I have never passed one on... until now. [more]
June 3, 2009 Are your employees engaged? The May 20 issue of Credit Union Times contains a few selected results from a survey by Right Management. More than half of the senior leaders and human resource professionals surveyed cited employee engagement as the most significant practice in order to achieve business goals in tough economic times. What exactly is an engaged employee? It's someone who is sincerely and verbally proud of the organization he or she works for (think "brand advocate") and does everything possible to contribute to its success. One would hope that a majority of empioyees would be engaged. Unfortunately this is simply not the case. Repeated studies have shown that fewer than [more]
May 27, 2009 A Class Act...Late last week, I received an email from a colleague, Patti Lewandowski, telling me about a book she was reading, called Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber that describes an 8-step process of successful change. If anyone knows about successful change, it's Patti and the other employees of Supply Chain Management Services (SCMS). [more]
May 20, 2009 Pens are not Cheerios...These words of wisdom from my favorite "almost 3-year-old", Harriet Sammis, pretty much sum up my feelings about trying to implement a strategic plan without giving serious consideration to cultural understanding and transformation. You're likely to get something you didn't intend.[more]
May 6, 2009 Tips for the turnaround... Things will get better. Really! History has proven time and again that no matter how bad the economy gets, ultimately it turns around. Will you be ready? [more]
April 29, 2009 It's time to celebrate... Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate) There's a party goin' on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you Kool & The Gang had it right. [more]
April 22, 2009 Who's on your guest list? Are you planning a party soon? If so, you're thinking about where to hold it, what food to serve, should it be catered? And... most importantly, who should be invited? Probably more preparation goes into the guest list for most parties than goes into figuring out who to involve in your company's strategic business planning. Of course, you will involve the key decision makers, and perhaps some stakeholders (a major supplier, or a funder, if your organization is a non-profit), but will you think to include [more]
April 15, 2009 Communicate even when you don't have anything to say... Times like these can be very stressful for employees. Even in organizations that are doing well (and there are some..really!), the ambient stress level can be high. Your employees might be worried about a spouse, friend or neighbor losing a job.. or about the possibility that your company will face some major corporate change (a merger, a plant closing or a move to a new location are three that come to mind). You probably don't have all "the answers" and the temptation is strong to wait until you do.[more]
April 8, 2009 Always have an escape route... I live in California, a place of beauty with mountains, oceans, and a nearly ideal climate. Yet, it's also home to earthquakes and wildfires. Being prepared for these uncertainties is essential. Having a disaster kit and at least one alternate escape route is an important element of being ready. Planning ahead for your business means having an escape route, too. more
March 20, 2009 (reprinted with permission from John Cox, Director, Marketing and Technical Operations, SourceSolution) Monitoring your website "Marketing in an economic downturn is extremely important. Just as important is careful monitoring of your efforts. As I have learned in discussions I have had with people over the years, many companies often cannot tell how potential clients are finding them and therefore what is effective and what is not. But you can be assured that potential clients will be looking for you online at some point and monitoring your online presence is essential. more
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