In my last post, Basic Human Nature. Good or Bad?, I suggested that how we feel about this basic question can have enormous implications on our approach to client service and relationships in general.In Edgar Schein's book Organizational Culture and Leadership, he describes values as "open to discussion", but core beliefs or "basic underlying assumptions" as non-negotiable. These are the assumptions we develop over time based on our experiences (ones we may not always espouse publicly), but ... Read Full Story

The other day I read an article in Harvard Business Review titled Leadership, Managing In A (Permanent) Crisis. When I reached the end, I thought, "here's yet another basic toolkit for leaders." The problem is great tools only work for those who can truly embrace their utility. Leadership is about who, not just what. A leader will never use tools effectively, for very long, or rely on them during a crisis if the tools don't fundamentally align with you they are.So let's put it in the c... Read Full Story

I received an e-mail morning from Ragan Communications regarding a Blogging Desktop Learning Series. The title of the first tutorial is: "You can't ghostwrite a blog—and other rules for launching a senior executive blog that employees will read AND respect." As much as I love the work Ragan Communications does, I'm afraid that unless the content of tutorial #1 offers some leeway on its "can't" ghostwrite a blog stand, then I'll tell you what I told them: Regarding your description of tu... Read Full Story

About three months ago, I had a lengthy phone call with a friend of mine who'd been charged with growing the client roster for a struggling PR agency. The firm is not located in the city where it wants to expand the client base; the agency offers no unique skill set or industry expertise (at least one it's willing to stand behind), and had no particular plan for how to help anyone. It's an agency that wants fees (fairly steep ones I might add) upfront in an effort to ensure its own surviv... Read Full Story

It's an extremely important question because your mindset serves as the foundation from where you operate. It's your guide for how you view the world. It helps you shape your priorities and values, and it drives your actions both personally and professionally.In a video I posted recently from Toni Louw, Toni explains that as a presentation trainer, he doesn't teach voice modulation, gesturing, making eye contact, etc. Why? Because if you're communicating, you'll do those things naturally. ... Read Full Story

Then spend your time focusing on subjects other than PR.I've been reading quite a bit lately about people preparing for their APR exam, as if that's going to magically transform them to become better PR professionals. Newsflash: It won't. It's the equivalent of Scarecrow receiving his diploma at the end of the Wizard of Oz. (Scarecrow's transformation had nothing to do with the piece of paper.)That said, while I don't dismiss APR preparation as being a valuable professional development too... Read Full Story

Who is Sam Arthur you ask? He's my favorite character from Robert H. Thompson's book, The Offsite - A Leadership Challenge Fable. I'd like to tell you about Sam, but my leadership challenge is to do so without giving away too much about the book or revealing what we discover about Sam as the story progresses. Suffice it to say that Sam is the gardener, or as he would call himself, "the groundskeeper" at Tucson, Arizona's La Mariposa Resort & Spa - the location... Read Full Story

I read two terrific posts recently. One from Chris Brogan titled, How USAir Turned My Grumpy Mood Around, and the other from David Mullen which leads with the lines, You Made A Mistake. Is This How You React? I was struck by their similar theme: The importance of just being human. Simple right?Simple maybe. Common, not really. The reason is a bit ironic if you think about it. We try to preserve an image of perfection in a world where everyone knows we're not perfect. It may soun... Read Full Story

As a follow-up to my post about How The Mighty Fall by Jim Collins, I thought I'd share a more personal story. How many of you remember a discount retailer called Bradlees? Operating stores from Maine to Virginia, Bradlees was the "Target of the northeast" in its day. With attractive stores and a solid reputation for its apparel, Bradlees leadership was convinced it had a winning formula.In the mid 1980's, I worked in the public affairs department for The Stop & Shop ... Read Full Story

Let me start by saying I'm a big fan of Jim Collins. Built to Last and Good to Great are both terrific books. We use Good to Great for our graduate students in the capstone module of Seton Hall University's MASCL program.I will have to say though that Collins' latest book, How The Mighty Fall is a smaller book in more ways than one. It comes off as a hastily written defense of his first two works. You need only to flip to page four before reading a highlighted page titled: Wh... Read Full Story