by Daria Steigman on October 22, 2008
Making tough business decisions is … tough. But you can protect your brand and mitigate the impact of your decisions if you can define your reasons and present a cogent argument.
Colin Powell did this in making the case for his endorsement of Barack Obama, says leadership consultant John Baldoni in a recent blog post. Baldoni argues that Powell’s approach offers a guideline for business leaders:
- describe the big picture
- make the case
- declare the moral imperative
- look to the future
- play nice to the other side
Read Baldoni’s post here.
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Tagged as:
Brand,
Business,
Colin Powell,
Communications Strategy,
Leadership
by Daria Steigman on October 21, 2008
Check out Sprint’s widget world, which depicts an assortment of information available online. It’s a random set of widgets, with a narrator with echoes of Laurie Anderson. Plus it’s a fun way to remind people what you, too, can find when you connect.
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Tagged as:
Sprint-Nextel,
Widgets
by Daria Steigman on October 20, 2008
I received an absentee ballot in the mail the other day. Only one problem: I didn’t request one. I used one in September for the local (non-presidential) primary, but planned on trekking to my polling site this time. I guess I’m voting early this year.
Before you anticipate your customer’s or client’s needs, it’s useful to make sure those needs haven’t shifted over time.
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Tagged as:
Business,
Clients,
Customers
by Daria Steigman on October 19, 2008
Worthwhile webinar on leveraging social media for business value. Although it breaks no new ground, it is a useful refresher course on how to reach out to your myriad stakeholders. They’re neither nameless nor monolithic, and David Meerman Scott does a good job of reminding communications practitioners that it’s important to tell people not what you do but what your business can do for them.
Meerman Scott also talks about the “world wide rave” that occurs when you are successful in creating buzz around your products or services.
Thanks to the International Association of Business Communicators for sponsoring this one.
Have you signed up to receive the Independent Thinking newsletter? Now’s the time! Once a month I’ll send you exclusive, subscriber-only content highlighting interesting articles I’ve found, as well as tips on marketing, social media, and how to grow your business. Sign up today!
Tagged as:
IABC,
marketing,
PR,
Social Media,
World Wide Rave
by Daria Steigman on October 16, 2008
I had a very revealing conversation with one of the officers on my condo board yesterday. Turns out that for the past year the board has been trying to restore a business focus to our operations. They’ve fired two poorly-performing vendors and read a third one the riot act. And that was just the beginning.
It’s about time:
- Time we again had a board that understood business processes and financial management. (Because it was very obvious to me from the projects that never seemed to end and the foot-dragging over problem-solving that we’ve had a few years without appropriate oversight.)
- Time someone told me they were taking steps to remedy the problems.
Transparency is a hot topic these days. And it’s not just Wall Street that needs an infusion of openness. The more you tell investors, customers, and other stakeholders what you’re doing for them, the more they will trust you.
My confidence in my condo board went up tremendously yesterday. How can your business be more transparent today?
Have you signed up to receive the Independent Thinking newsletter? Now’s the time! Once a month I’ll send you exclusive, subscriber-only content highlighting interesting articles I’ve found, as well as tips on marketing, social media, and how to grow your business. Sign up today!
Tagged as:
Business,
Transparency,
Trust
