In November 2016 Hillary Clinton won the popular vote – by about 1.5 million votes – while decisively losing the electoral vote (the one that matters). The system is unfair, cry many Hillary supporters. It’s time to change the system. Maybe, maybe not. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in New York and California by […]
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Why I Don’t Like Movements
0Movements, for the most part, are leaderless masses of energy that are, at best, inefficient and at worst, destructive to the causes they espouse. Here’s why. Social change movements deliver this message to the government agency(s) whose practices they oppose: We have a problem. You caused it – and you must fix it. The government […]
Apologies – Some Are and Some Aren’t
0I’ve been thinking a lot about apologies and their connection to values, given what’s been going on throughout society. Business and government scandals prompt epic quasi apologies. The rape at Stanford University and the response from a young man who refuses to take responsibility for his actions is pathetic. And there’s the Presidential campaign. Good grief. […]
Brands Behaving Badly – Lessons From The Affordable Care Act For Everyone
0Well, Washington has given us yet another poster child for bad Brand behavior. The recent meltdown in the launch of the website for on-line enrollment to obtain health insurance required under the Affordable Care Act has shone a spotlight of Brand incompetence brighter than all the lights on Broadway. The technical problems, most of which were avoidable had the project been properly managed from the get-go, were only compounded by the behavior of the players in response to the web-site problems, from the President on down.
Elite Listening and Brand Strength
0What we don’t understand, we fear.
What we fear, we attack.
When we attack, we don’t just attack the “thing;”
we also attack the people who support the “thing.”
When we attack the people, we must “win.”
When we must “win,” our attack shifts to the people who favor the “thing.” Reason, understanding, listening to learn, empathy, and compromise have no place in our mind our our heart. Those qualities are seen as weakness – or worse – signs of our own ineptitude.
Personal Brands – Clarity And The Relevance Of Discussions Longer Than 140 Characters
0You can’t achieve clarity and authenticity in the space of 140 characters. You can’t achieve it when all you have to offer is your own slanted opinion, fortified by bullshit masquerading as research. You can’t do that when you haven’t invested the time needed master the art of being clear, concise, focused and thoroughly understandable about whatever you are attempting to convey. You can’t wing it, based on your years of experience.
Being clear and being authentic is a dying art in our society.
A Developing Brand: Al Jazeera America
0Its parent company is anti-America; at least many fear that it is. Al Jazeera is owned by the government of Qatar and Qatar itself is essentially ruled by one family. Qatar has lots of oil and gas. They’re obscenely wealthy. I should also point out that the US government considers Qatar to be an ally, […]
Values, Brands and Cultures – Making the Connection Real
0I know that many companies have articulated and defined their Core Values. They make sincere attempts to live those Values. Sometimes their efforts are continuous, sometimes sporadic or situational. Too often their efforts typically yield mixed results. Why is that? Here’s a big part of the answer. Leaders typically assume that Values are an unconscious […]
The Washington Post: An Epic Brand Story In The Making?
2What happens as a result of Jeff Bezos’ acquisition of the Washington Post could turn out to be the story of the resurrection of the newspaper publishing industry. If it works, it will be the dawn of a new era, one that our society desperately needs. This is the beginning of a story about a […]
Authenticity – The Clay That Molds Your Personal Brand
0I recently watched a TED talk by Julie Taymor, a brilliant film, theater, and opera director. Among the vast array of her works, she translated The Lion King from film to the theater production on Broadway. I’m paraphrasing a bit, but one of the profound things she said was, “You must be true to who […]