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March 30, 2007

How are you being, as a leader?

It will come as no surprise to people reading this that we as leaders spend an inordinate amount of time in the "doing". We gauge our effectiveness by how many things we get done as opposed to how we are getting them done. Tell me: when was the last time you were talking on the phone, answering e-mail and nodding to someone at your doorway – all at the same time? Probably 5 minutes ago, right? In those moments, you are not in the "being" at all, but in the "doing". So you ask, what is wrong with that? I'm getting a lot done. Well, let's talk about the fallout of this behavior with those you lead.

Continue reading "How are you being, as a leader?"

Posted by Grace Andrews at 3:25 PM | 2 Comments

Act Now And Get Work/Life Balance At Introductory Rates

Things are always hopping here at Stern Co. Working with some of the greatest marketing geniuses in the business, I’m designing prototypes for a whole new line of Work-Life Balance Products. Here are just a few of the items you will no doubt want to pre-order before the rush:

THE WORK LIFE BALANCE BEAM
What happens is you walk on this specially-designed balance beam (actually a normal balance beam with a lithograph of my face silk-screened onto one end) while people step alongside you, trying to hand you a cell phone, an Excel spreadsheet, a Blackberry…anything that will distract you from your focus. If you fall off, you need to continue working on your overall balance. Estimated retail one thousand dollars. If you actually think you can afford this thing, then you probably need it more than anyone.

INSPIRATIONAL WALL HANGINGS
These are state-of-the-art black velvet paintings of the emotionally bereft overachievers we don’t want to become. Choose from Velvet Trump, Velvet Simon Cowell, Velvet Martha Stewart and Velvet Carrot Top.

DELICIOUS HAMBURGER ON A STRING
The most juicy, succulent, orgasmic burger on the planet. You want it bad…but you can’t have it. It’s attached to a string, on an electronically-controlled stick which keeps it out of your grasp as long as you continue to move. Developed with the leading clinical psychologists, this tool is designed to let the brain know the pleasure it is missing out on by being constantly on the go. We were going to develop a veggie burger version, but those people were already pretty mellow.

THE TALKING TOILET SEAT
When you rest your posterior on it, a recorded voice tells you that this is the only time you take to yourself, and you might want to consider grabbing a good book and sitting on there for a good while longer. Choose from a variety of good books, although we’re out of The DaVinci Code as it is the only title most people can read in one sitting.

I do hope these products will benefit you or someone you care about. Now get out there and find someone you care about.

Posted by Tom Stern at 7:34 AM | Add Comment

March 29, 2007

The New, New Manager: What Geeks Can Teach Us About Getting Stuff Done

Back in the days of yore (2001), when nearly all of my new media peers were losing their jobs, my company saw an opportunity to develop content around what we all sensed was a seismic shift in our way of thinking. The events of 9/11 scared the bejeezus out of all of us. We developed a seminar (that never got off the ground) called "Surviving and Thriving in the New Economy". We must have known how to survive and thrive, after all, because we were still employed, right? The irony in all of this was that during this time I'd never felt less competent or less able to manage the uncertaintly of that time. A better title for this seminar would have been, "How to keep your apartment in the new economy."

Professionally I had an identity crisis. Everything that I had believed about being an effective manager fell away. I once bragged to a report of mine that my job was to be the bug up his, err, backside--relentless, like a drill seargent in BCBG heels. I knew how motivated I was to get things done, so I simply applied my brand of anal retentiveness to everyone else's work. And for a long time that worked, while there was work and budget and people who could take your place if you couldn't hack it. Of course, once all of that went away and I had no projects to push, I was aimless.

Continue reading "The New, New Manager: What Geeks Can Teach Us About Getting Stuff Done"

Posted by Jory Des Jardins at 6:55 PM | Add Comment

Innovation: Dream On

Even a futurist needs to cool his jets when he thinks he just dreamt the headline that appeared at CNNMoney.com recently about the doubling of air travelers by 2025.

Is that level of growth real, you might ask, or just a daydream?

Continue reading "Innovation: Dream On"

Posted by Robert Buckman at 5:40 PM | Add Comment

5 Things you should NEVER Tell a Customer

You customers are getting tired of wasting their time trying to contact you. When a call or an inquiry come in, you have an opportunity to solve a problem, and address a perception issue. The way your customer service team handles inquiries can either make or break a relationship with your customers. It can also either reinforce or void your marketing efforts.

Here are 5 things you should never tell a customer:

Continue reading "5 Things you should NEVER Tell a Customer"

Posted by Valeria Maltoni at 10:50 AM | Add Comment

A Better Recycling Plan for Boston?

Will you help me create a better recycling plan for Boston?

I live in Cambridge and commute to Boston every morning. I subscribe to the print edition of the New York Times and read it every morning as I commute into work on the T. I always carry the paper into my office and recycle it when I get here -- the T stations I frequent (Harvard Square, Park Street, and Copley) don't have recycle bins. Most of my fellow commuters throw their copies of their morning paper (generally the Globe, Herald or the Metro - our daily tabloid) away in the garbage cans near the exit to the station.

This seems like a tremendous waste and environmental disaster that can be easily avoided. So, how can I get commuters in Boston to recycle more?

Continue reading "A Better Recycling Plan for Boston?"

Posted by Brian Reich at 9:39 AM | Add Comment

Up and Coming Indian Cities for Outsourcing

Outsourcing consulting firm Alsbridge has compiled a list of India’s top five up and coming cities for setting up outsourcing centers. A multitude of reasons ranging from infrastructure breakdowns to rising salaries and turnover rates are compelling IT and BPO majors to look outside of the Big Six cities – Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and the National Capital Region of New Delhi (includes suburban towns of NOIDA and Gurgaon). Alsbridge’s list is a well-timed effort but, in my opinion, it stops short of giving the right perspective.

Continue reading "Up and Coming Indian Cities for Outsourcing"

Posted by Anupam Mukerji at 6:08 AM | 1 Comment

Was Captain America Sacrificed on the Alter of Global Business?

Was the recent “death” of Marvel’s Captain America (reported by the AP on March 7) a bit of comic book ethnic cleansing?

Less than two weeks after the surprise death of this superhero created during World War II to embody the patriotic spirit, Marvel Entertainment Group announced a partnership with UAE-based Al Ahli Group. According to Marvel’s press release, this partnership “will bring Marvel’s full library of Super Heroes – including Spider-Man, Iron Man, The X-Men, Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer – to Dubai for a major new theme park destination being developed by AAG.” Captain America died just in time.

Apparently, there is no longer room in Marvel’s library for a super hero that symbolizes – and, indeed, is named for – America. Marvel’s website calls Captain America “a fallen son,” and laments that “Captain America's death has dealt a major blow to the heroes of the Marvel Universe.” Despite any mourning period, the AP reported on March 21 that “Marvel said it is beginning talks with the developer (AAG) to partner on additional projects in the (Persian Gulf) region.”

Since the “Captain America Complex” has been linked with the global war on terror, perhaps its namesake’s days were numbered. When it comes to the global marketplace in general, and the United Arab Emirates’ booming economy in particular, it looks to me like there is no longer room for the “living symbol of freedom” (to quote Marvel’s website). After all, when there is money to be made, sometimes freedom – however symbolic – takes a back seat to commerce.

Josef Blumenfeld • Boston, MA • jblumenfeld@tradewindstrategies.com • www.tradewindstrategies.com

Posted by Josef Blumenfeld at 12:37 AM | Add Comment

March 28, 2007

What Are You Going to Give Up?

Some people think they can do everything . Well, many executives keep doing things themselves because "it's a lot easier to just do it than take the time to train someone and then have to check the work anyway". These same people start coming in a little bit earlier and leaving a little later to just finish something when it's quiet. Then they start coming in weekends to clear up a few things, straighten their offices so they can think straight and wade through a pile of work or emails. Slowly but surely time and life evaporate.

On top of it all, budget time comes and they have a hard time justifying bringing in support because the work is getting done anyway. Right?

After a while when a lightbulb goes off and they realize it's just not sustainable, they think of bringing in a coach to 'fix things'. Coaches don't fix things. They challenge, inspire, motivate, help them evolve perhaps, but it's up to them to clear away some time and mental clutter to work with a coach to make that happen. It doesn't happen all on its own. Just as support staff have to be trained to work with them and their style. If they're not trained properly there will be more friction than a synergistic, effective working relationship and because of that things will be missed, problems occur and all that will be left is a chaotic mess.

Bringing in anyone to help them through the clutter when they don't free up time only causes them to push harder rather than live better.

So if that applies to you, my question is how can you simplify? The hardest thing to do is begin the process...giving the first things up or putting them on hold. But if you could let go of one thing, what would it be? How can you unclutter? You're not perfect. Someone else can do it too, yes, perhaps differently but the end result will still be what you need.

Just this afternoon I asked a high level executive "What is your biggest problem?" I'm getting material ready for my newsletter and thought the best approach would be to respond to clients' greatest needs. His answer was "My biggest problem would be retirement" He didn't have a life to look forward to once he retired. He was so busy, he didn't have time for the people in his life and eventually, they too evaporated into thin air. He said it was like a series of weekends and he couldn't wait to get back to work after the weekend. He didn't know any other way. Work and doing everything gave him a sense of worth, of purpose.

Before it gets to that point for you, what one thing can you pick to give up? Right now. Get rid of it, delegate it, put it on hold while you get the real priorities done. But do it. Don't just talk about it. Once you start giving things away strategically, it'll get easier. Plus you'll come to the realization that it might not be so hard to let someone else help you out along the way. That's called partnering. A great concept. And you just might have time for a life in the process.

Try it. You might like it!

Donna Karlin • Executive and Political Shadow Coach™ • Ottawa, Canada • donnakarlin@abetterperspective.com •www.abetterperspective.com

Posted by Donna Karlin at 4:30 PM | Add Comment

Questions for the Next Leader

When corporate leaders fall, they tend to fall hard. One moment they are riding in the company Gulfstream, the next moment they are flying coach. I had one former CEO tell me that the perk he missed the most was the corporate jet. But it not simply losing the plane and the perks, getting sacked from the top spot means your mug or your name gets splattered unfavorably across the pages of the business press; it may be the modern equivalent of the colonial era’s stockade where wrong-doers were yoked in the public square for all to notice or to jeer.

While it can be blood sport to pile on to the CEO’s foibles, it is possible that, like a faded action hero miscast in a melodrama, the CEO was never right for the job in the first place. That’s a proposition that David Maister has tackled in his new article, “Selecting a Leader: Do We Know What We Want?” He writes “there’s no point selecting an Olympic-level coach for a team of people who don’t want to play that game. There’s no point in appointing a skill cost-cutter if the primary strategic need is to grow revenues in new markets!”

Maister, author of True Professionalism and co-author of First Among Equals, has developed a detailed questionnaire for selection committees charged hiring the next head of firm or CEO.

Continue reading "Questions for the Next Leader"

Posted by John Baldoni at 10:14 AM | Add Comment

March 27, 2007

Always On Onion

Where do you get your news? CNN, ABC, FOX, Comedy Central? As American maintain loyalty to these mainstream news outlets, there is a growing audience (19% online political news consumers) of younger audience that seek their news from humor sites like The Daily Show and The Onion.

Not missing a step, The Onion is responding to its surge in print and online readers and advertisers by committing major investment into its soon to be launched 24-hour fake news net marketing itself as, "faster, harder, scarier and all-knowing."

Nicely executed ad-supported video and site will lean heavily on the popularity of its iTunes podcasts and the power of viral. Unlike it's Viacom backed, Comedy Central, ONN will encourage video embedding and fan distribution on YouTube, My Space and others like Helio Mobile, iTunes or TiVo. More news to come - appropriately timed to launch - April 1!

Posted by Peter Fasano at 10:29 PM | Add Comment

The New Rules of Networking

You realize you don’t know the first thing about networking after you talk with Networker Extraordinare, Laura Levitan.

Laura is the sort of person who has 16,000…yes you heard it right…16,000 contacts in her Microsoft Outlook and keeps in regular touch with almost everyone. A “Top Networker in the World” on business networking site, Linkedin, Levitan until recently had 13,000 Linkedin connections but recently weaned it down to a mere 5,000 qualified contacts. Her own personal genie, Linkedin is always open on Levitan’s desk and she wields it like an artisan.

A 21st century force of networking, Levitan is to the Internet Age what Lois Weisberg, a “connector” memorialized in Malcom Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point was to the non-electronic age. Like Weisberg, Levitan sees the world differently from most of us -- as one of endless possibility. Calling herself a “contingency thinker,” Levitan says she is “constantly thinking of whom to introduce to whom.”

Over the last three-and-a-half years, she has found jobs for 100 people and helped hundreds more in their careers. In any given month, she has some 25 people lucky enough to be taken under her wing that she’s helping search for jobs when she’s not bucking them up.

Let’s be clear. Levitan’s personal networking is what she does outside of her day job. A former marketing VP for Revlon, who had her own marketing consulting business for a number of years, Levitan now works as a SVP in business development for Word of Mouth market research firm Keller Fay Group. Talk about a perfect job fit for a master networker. In fact, Levitan says it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between her business and personal friends.

She says her boss Ed Keller, CEO of Keller Fay, teases her, “Now you get to meet all your Linkedin friends in person.”

Where most of us would see a closed door, Levitan sees opportunity. A few years ago she was turned down for a marketing job. No matter. Levitan quickly made the person who rejected her a part of her network. When several years later, the man we’ll call Jim, was out of work, Levitan helped him in his job search, providing names of people from her vast network for him to talk to. Recently, she saw on Jim’s Linkedin profile that he had landed a new position and sent him a congratulatory note. Nothing unusual about that except that Jim had just changed his profile a few minutes ago and didn’t even have his new contact information. “You’re unbelievable,” he told Levitan.

For Levitan, networking is a passion.. “While other people have their charities, churches and synagogues, this is my way of giving back, my little gift to humanity,” she says.

While Levitan is a power unto herself, there are some things we mere mortal networkers and personal branders can learn from her. To wit:

• Always offer to help someone even it you don’t know how to do it. Levitan never turns someone in need down, and if she can’t help, will find someone who can.
• Give selflessly. “When you help someone,” says Levitan, “don’t expect you’ll get something back. While some people will return the favor and others won’t, the important thing is that you’ll feel good making a difference in someone’s life. And I guarantee over time you will see it returned in spades.”
• Don’t forget people. Levitan is always finding ways to help people in her vast network and finding reasons to stay in touch.
• Be clear when you ask for help. “Don’t be frivolous when you reach out to meet people,” advises Levitan. "Give people a valid reason why you want to connect with them."

Wendy Marx • Public Relations/Marketing Communications • President, Marx Communications, Inc. • wendy@marxcommunications.com

Posted by Wendy Marx at 10:04 AM | Add Comment

I Can Dream, Can't I?

CEO Dad's Tuesday Tirade

You may not think that a comic strip character can dream. I am fictional, after all. And I know my creator, Tom Stern, might be a little freaked out to learn that his two-dimensional, three-panels-on-the-weekdays, six-color-panels-on-Sunday brainchild has a life when he’s not looking. Well, Tom, you’ve created a monster. As Frank Pitt, the CEO of Pitt Packaging, and manufacturer of the finest Styrofoam peanuts in the world, I find myself struggling with the very work-life balance issues that have been written into my character.

And so, I had a dream last night.

I was at Starbuck’s, taking a breakfast meeting with a rep from Amalgamated Widgets.

Continue reading "I Can Dream, Can't I?"

Posted by Tom Stern at 7:05 AM | Add Comment

Can Wal-Mart become the new third place?

Wal-Mart, Home Depot (and surely many others) are designing smaller stores to help simplify the shopping experience and better address the needs of female customers. According to the retail giant (quoted in Marketing Daily), the company studied customers to better understand their preferences and habits. What was the result?

"The new design package is a great example of what we know customers are seeking in this type of store," the company adds. Aimed at women, the store has a "warm ambiance," lots of fresh and organic foods, a bakery, sushi bar and "a uniquely designed health and beauty department."

It sounds like Wal-Mart is trying to create more of a shopping experience -- perhaps because low prices alone are not enough to distinguish them from the competition anymore.

Posted by Brian Reich at 5:45 AM | Add Comment

March 26, 2007

Professional Presentation Pointers: Part One

I cannot think of a better way to increase your status in your job, business or industry than becoming a skilled speaker. Standing (or sometimes sitting) in front of a group and presenting is a daunting prospect for people ranging from corporate beginners to CEOs. There is good reason for this. Most people do not get much, if any, training during their many years of school and few companies provide it to employees as part of their professional development programs. The ones that do don't provide enough.

This means that employees, business owners and even CEOs are left to their own devices because the fact is that somewhere along the road, you will be asked to stand up and deliver a presentation.

So what does it really take to master these essential, professional skills? Because this is such an important topic with so many details, I've decided to write about it in segments. Following is the first installment:

Continue reading "Professional Presentation Pointers: Part One"

Posted by Ruth Sherman at 6:39 PM | Add Comment

Innovation: Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain

Sometimes I think flyers think flying ought to be a matter of rubbing their slippers together and uttering "There's no place like home!"

Unfortunately, flying tends to be more like Dorothy missing her balloon trip back to Kansas because of the Wizard's unscheduled departure.

Flying's like that. Arcane things like database silos are really at heart of what happens when, and why. Of course, just as consumers don't want to know where their water or electricity comes from (they just want it when they want), they aren't much interested in what goes on behind the scenes.

Let me pull back the curtain.

Continue reading "Innovation: Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain"

Posted by Robert Buckman at 3:00 PM | Add Comment

Several Good Reasons to Take a Day Off

The irreverent organization Wellcat.Com has named today, March 26, Make Up Your Own Holiday Day. Those of us who strive for Work-Life Balance are always looking for a reason to take the day off from work, so here are some of my ideas for potential holidays. If you’re already at work, I suggest suddenly remembering that you and your loved ones celebrate, say, National Plankton Appreciation Day, and get your butt home.

Stove Day – As celebrated by our nation’s early log cabin settlers, this is a day set aside to remember our nation’s great pot-bellied stoves, and their contribution to both nutrition and capitalism.

E.A. Callahan Day - A day to pause and reflect on the man who, in 1867, invented the stock ticker.

I Don’t Have Tivo Day – In which those without Tivo worship the daytime television programming they have not been able to see since their VHS deck went belly up.

Jackson Pollack Day – A day set aside to hurl several different colored paints at large white surfaces.

I Finally Got Enough Sleep To Feel Like Having Sex Day – No explanation needed.

Microwave Day – Established 1975. The modern version of Stove Day.

Bill Gates Day – A day to stand in awe of a man with more money than God.

Donald Trump Day – A day to stand in awe of a man with more hairpieces than money.

When you think about it, there is no limit to the amount of reasons we could come up with for taking our own personal holiday. Feel free to comment with some of your own.

Now, I have to go. My family never misses International Borscht Week.

Posted by Tom Stern at 7:29 AM | Add Comment

Urban Evolution

People don’t have to buy what big business sells. The music business knows this all too well. What still sells is honesty and great beats. There is little of that on MTV and less on major-label Hip Hop. But “little” isn’t the same as none at all. There is still great music and there are still creators with their cultural credibility intact.

Jeff Staple heads a brilliant enterprise that is as much a cultural barometer as a business. In an industry that had prided itself on “keeping it real,” the commercialization of urban has hit the wall of hypocrisy. Jeff Staple (photographed by Haruka Demura), and Staple Design have flourished and Staple could be a sign of what’s next; smaller, smarter, and more honest merchants of cool.

JP: Your company, Staple Design, is at an intersection of several cultural trends like skateboarding and Hip Hop to name a couple – you makes clothes, you design magazines, what exactly is Staple Design? What do you do?

JEFF: Staple Design is a company I founded back in 1997 with absolutely no intention of starting a business. Everything happened by accident. I have never written a business plan nor do I plan to. With that said, we are now involved in four major forms of business: 1) An independent clothing collection called STAPLE that is distributed all over the globe in top shops and boutiques. 2) A creative / consulting agency with some of the most influential clients in the world including Nike, Burton Snowboards and LVMH. 3) A retail experiment called Reed Space with locations in New York City and Tokyo. Plans for more Reed Spaces worldwide are in the works. 4) An art gallery that functions as a base for artist relations and management. What we now have, again by accident, is a 360° view of the entire consumer market – from creators, to manufacturers, to sellers, to buyers, to marketers. Now, ten years later, we find ourselves in a very favorable position. Accidentally, of course.

JP: You have an “indy” sense even though you’re working with some of the biggest brands in the country like Nike and Levi’s – how do you keep your Indy credibility?

JEFF: I stay honest. To myself mostly. I guess it’s pretty easy for anyone to do. But I am blessed enough that clients think my honest opinions are worth their budgets. I don't want to say its all luck. There was definitely a lot of hard work involved in that. A lot of investment mostly of the blood, sweat and tears variety. But I am lucky that people took notice.

JP: When I think of your brand, I think of something that was truly born out of the Internet experience. How big a role does the Internet play for your marketing and brand positioning?

JEFF: Well when I started Staple in 1997 I didn’t even have an email address. Since then, we've just had our nose to the grindstone and been doing our thing…year after year after year. Enter 2005-06-07 and the Web 2.0 explosion. Now everyone takes notice of us because it’s simply easier access. But in reality, we've been doing the same shit we've been doing since 1997. The Internet has helped to accelerate the spreading of our positive social contagion, but other than that, it doesn't affect our daily operation.

JP: There are many types of “urban” brands from Rocawear on one side and a host of more alternative labels like BAPE on the other -- the apparel business, like the music business is changing. Did the big brands lose their audience at some point to smaller brands? What are some of the up-and-coming brands we’ll be wearing next year?

JEFF: Yeah you can see it in the stores you shop in. When I started Staple, there were three types of stores in our market: 1) Totally Wack: i.e., Mom and Pop Hip Hop shops selling urban; usually Perry Ellis America and Pelle Pelle jackets. 2) Slightly Less Wack: i.e., Urban Outfitters, Up Against The Wall...these guys would carry your Mecca, Enyce et al. 3) Dope Stores: Union, True, Fred Segal, Colette, etc carrying the hardest to find labels in the world.

Today, the "slightly less wack" and the "dope stores" are looking really similar. What does this mean? It means the mid-tier stores are wising up and placing orders with harder to get brands. They are finding out about them quicker via the Net and as you said, the bigger companies are losing a major piece of the pie. Next year, you'll be talking about VisVim, Headporter, Swagger, Phenomenon, Acronym, and maybe a little bit of Staple here and there...haha.

JP: From a youth culture perspective, what are the most relevant magazines? Can they survive in an increasingly electronic age?

JEFF: Magazines are definitely finding it difficult to keep up with the freshness of online magazines. Miraculously, Complex Magazine still manages to have meaning to this industry; Japanese magazines as well such as Huge, Boon, Warp, Woofin – they take a higher level of design and photography to the subject matter which is still sorely missing in the on-line world.

JP: Do you think Hip Hop – or lets call it “Platinum Selling” Hip Hop is just suffering from the “long tail” effect that people simple listen to a wider variety of music, or is something else going on with Hip Hop – sales have been sluggish at best?

JEFF: Hip Hop has become a parody of itself. People come up in Hip Hop music and act like what they "think" they are supposed to be acting like. There was a very poignant part of Jay-Z's documentary "Fade to Black" where he said, "See what the public did to rappers? They're scared to be themselves." Any sluggish sales that Hip Hop is facing is well justified in my opinion.

JP: Apple Computers depends on leading edge consumers, like designers and artists, for some of their cool to rub off – are they doing anything wrong by not opening up their “proprietary” music format for iTunes? Have they made ANY mistakes in marketing?

JEFF: I'm not following this so closely, but anything Mr. Jobs is doing fine by me up to now.

JP: What are the most culturally influential websites you see six months from now – will MySpace be as cool a place a year from now?

JEFF: I have never been on MySpace in my life. I look at sites that I am personally interested in. Like weather.com and espn.com...ha. So I don't ever look online to look for inspiration. In that sense, I'm kind of old school. I get much more inspired by sitting down and having dinner with someone.

JP: In mass versus niche thinking we are seeing more big marketers trying to niche-themselves by creating smaller brands that have greater appeal to fewer people – how big do you want your brands to be?

JEFF: I am torn all the time. Is there a way to be huge yet still maintain your artistic integrity? I'd like to be financially independent and retire from doing Staple of course. I'd also like to award the people that helped make Staple and Reed Space what it is today nicely. This takes cash of course. Does this mean sacrifice? Its something I'm still trying to figure out.

JP: The globalization of culture has been talked about for a long time, with MTV at the forefront because kids in Japan could see what kids in New York were wearing or listening to – the Internet has one-upped MTV, do you see any truly global media or marketers being born out of all this increased connectivity? Is MTV as important as it once was and can it be?

JEFF: I think every kid growing up today is going to be globally minded. Which is dope. It's gonna be incredible to see how that affects the upcoming generation of creatives. You never know, it might be good or bad. On the one hand, kids might be exposed to so much that its inspiring...or they might just sit their and "watch" what people are doing on their monitors. They may never actually get off their ass and "do" anything. MTV hasn't been important since Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video aired.

JP: Are we seeing a resurgence of rock music as the music of choice for young people – or maybe “post-rock” music?

JEFF: I think it never left. Sure there are ebbs and flow in musical tastes but rock is always around. Hip Hop has a lot of work to do to get back to its Golden Era. Or am I just getting old?

John N. Pasmore • New York, NY • mailto:jnpasmore@gmail.com • Next Things Next

Posted by John N. Pasmore at 1:23 AM | 1 Comment

March 25, 2007

Indie Bands Reach New Sales Heights Through iTunes

Fans of indie rock bands like the Shins and Arcade Fire are doing something peculiar: they're buying downloadable albums online. Amidst a dismal first quarter in which album sales in all configurations are down nearly 17%, the Shins and Arcade fire are selling more albums than ever before, and nearly a third of those album sales are digital.

The Shins surprised the industry in February by debuting at #2 on the sales chart, selling 118,000 copies of their new album "Wincing the Night Away." An amazing 36% of these album sales were digital. According to Billboard Magazine, "the Shins had never been higher than No. 86 on The Billboard 200 prior to this week, nor had Sub Pop [the label] been higher than No. 79."

Six weeks later, Arcade Fire also debuted at #2, selling 92,000 copies of "Neon Bible," of which 30% were digital. Billboard noted that Arcade Fire's previous album never once sold 8,000 copies in a week, and the album was the fastest seller in the history of Merge Records. Clearly, something interesting is happening.

The audience for these two bands is growing fast, and digital album sales are fueling that growth rather than cannibalizing sales of CD's. Some industry watchers have wondered if indie rock fans are buying the albums as a way to financially support their heroes. Has buying an album become like the voluntary entrance fee at a museum, something you do because you "should" rather than because you "have to?"

We have noted in this space that Apple has only sold about 25 songs for each iPod. By "unbundling" the songs on a CD, iTunes allows listeners to cherry pick their favorite songs rather than buying the whole album. With options to rip, burn, file share, and cherry pick, indie rockers have a dozen reasons not to buy an entire digital album. The music industry would sure like to know more about this emerging group of fashion-forward consumers who are willing to pay the freight for new music.

Posted by Greg Spotts at 12:05 PM | 3 Comments

March 23, 2007

"I've Been at My Job a Real Long Time: Six Months"

The other day I was in a meeting and everyone went around the table introducing themselves and giving some background information. One person (who shall remain nameless) announced that he had been with his company for eight years. He said it a bit apologetically, and a few people made some comments about his lack of mobility that were both half-joking and dead-serious.

Now we all know that the job-for-life model is dead and buried. No talented, ambitious, self-respecting woman or man is going to keep working for the same company for eight years -- unless there are some crazily extenuating circumstances. I fully recognize that the sedentary, rung-climbing approach to corporate life is deadening, can be a cop-out, and sucks the dynamism out of the economy. "Fast Company," with its "Brand Is You" mantra, has helped trigger that reformation, and that has generally been a good thing.

Even so, when this poor guy started to visibly shrink in his seat after announcing his tenure, it made me wonder if the proverbial pendulum had proverbially swung too far. There is a lot of value that resides in perspective and historical memory. Companies need people who are actually capable of institutional loyalty, and are able to strike a nuanced perspective in the delicate calculus of what's-good-for-the-company and what's-good-for-me.

I doubt if we will ever return to the era where staying in your job is a reason for pride. But it would be much healthier for all, if it wasn't seen as a reason for disdain.

Continue reading ""I've Been at My Job a Real Long Time: Six Months""

Posted by Adam Hanft at 6:17 PM | Add Comment

Lost Satellite

I travel a lot for work, and as a matter of practice will rent a car with a GPS navigation system included. My trip earlier this week – first to San Francisco and then to Los Angeles – taught me a valuable lesson. All in-car navigation devices are not created equal.

Continue reading "Lost Satellite"

Posted by Brian Reich at 7:42 AM | Add Comment

Breathing is Overrated

A friend who said they were concerned about my stress levels forwarded me a link the other day, to a book called HOW TO CALM DOWN by Fred L. Miller. They told me that in the book there is an exercise that will help anyone feel better in ten seconds. Normally, I only allot 2.4 seconds to relaxation in any given day, but I figured I’d give it a shot. This same friend (who asked to remain nameless because she’s married to me) made me promise that I do the exercise live, as it were, on my blog, giving my readers a blow-by-blow account of my groundbreaking encounter with relaxation. So here goes:

1.Inhale. 
Okay, so far so good.

2.Now exhale. 
Right. I’m on board with exhaling.

3.Feels good, doesn’t it? 
What feels good? Am I missing something?

4.Inhale again - a little deeper this time. 
I think I just coughed out a muffin crumb.

5.Now slow down your exhale. Stretch it out. 
Is that the phone?

6.One more time - a long, slow inhale. 
This whole thing could mean I am so out of balance that I need to be reminded how to breathe. I can’t deal with that, so I’ll move on.

7. Pay attention as your breath comes in. 
Just a second, I’m trying to hit the bulls-eye in one of those pop-up ads.

8. Don’t think about it; just watch your breath as it fills your lungs. 
Seriously, I could win a free Ipod.

9. Now the exhale - feel it, watch it.

Hey, you feel it, watch it, okay?

10. Exhale completely.

Swell. Now I’m out of breath.

Okay, I guess that’s over. How’d I do honey—oops, I mean, my anonymous friend? By the way, this friend also wants me to say that Mr. Miller’s book is really good, and that probably everyone BUT me can benefit from it. You should know that Mr. Miller goes on to suggest that this exercise be done ten times a day, whenever you start to feel impatient.

Whenever I start to feel impatient? Great. Now I have to do it again!

Posted by Tom Stern at 7:19 AM | Add Comment

March 22, 2007

Social responsibility = social justice?

Is social responsibility the same as social justice? Can one act in a socially responsible fashion without working towards social justice (consciously or otherwise)? And if these two are not interchangeable or inextricably linked, how does one effect the other?

It would certainly seem that the latter cannot exist without the former, and that the former can be highly correlated with the latter.

To give this philosophical query an inflammatory edge, can we as Americans achieve social justice without explicitly and concretely embracing the idea of and committing to racial justice?

For many, this may be a new term. And, no doubt, this term may be perceived by a significant subset of readers of this blog as "politically correct" jargon embraced by bleeding-heart liberals. And if this is the case, I will accept this knee-jerk reaction as the cost of writing what I hope is socially responsible commentary.

Continue reading "Social responsibility = social justice?"

Posted by Chris Rabb at 9:03 PM | 2 Comments

The Heat is on Indian Call Centers Yet Again

Indian call centers are in the news again, and yet again it’s for the wrong reasons. Faced by increasing customer complaints on quality of call handling in Indian call centers, a number of large British firms are shifting their call centers back to the UK. Having seen the Indian BPO industry and their process rigor from close quarters, I find it hard to believe that their quality of service has come under question. The customer, if not satisfied, has every right to complain and the industry needs to closely analyze these complaints and find sustainable solutions.

Continue reading "The Heat is on Indian Call Centers Yet Again"

Posted by Anupam Mukerji at 12:06 PM | Add Comment

Managing to the 2%

Consider this: You have a competent work team. They collaborate, share knowledge and ideas freely, offer and accept feedback and deliver on time. All of them, but one -- we’ll call him Bob. Bob does not participate with his team, does not appear engaged, and calls out of work and team meetings monthly. So what do you do? Coach, support, discipline? Maybe, but what I am finding is that many organizations create rules or develop policies to handle the ‘Bobs’ of the company. They create team agreements, missed meetings policies, minimum workload requirements -- even though no one but Bob shows up this way. This is called managing to the 2%, and it’s a dangerous and costly trend in our business cultures today.

Continue reading "Managing to the 2%"

Posted by Grace Andrews at 8:38 AM | 7 Comments

How can we go from CANNED to Personalized?

We’ve done it. We finally discovered that relying on scripting frontline responses only takes us so far on the frontier of great customer service. It was a study by Katzenbach Partners that illuminated this latest fad fallacy. Do we really have to write down things like: be courteous and wow your customer?

Try that with your spouse or significant other tonight, if you will. See how far you go. In our haste to standardize, we’ve lost sight of what we were trying to do in the first place: have a relationship with our customers. A great part of being in a relationship is really about knowing what to say and do in conversations with the other.

Everybody talks about it, yet few seem to know what it feels like to have a normal experience with a company. In the research reports I read I often see things like “over-reliance on escalation to form opinions of customer service”. Pray tell me what that means in plain English. Do we get upset only when customers scream at us?

Continue reading "How can we go from CANNED to Personalized?"

Posted by Valeria Maltoni at 8:24 AM | Add Comment

March 21, 2007

Vino Veritas Redux

Sometimes you discover the best insights when you least expect it. Such was the case not long ago when my father sat me down in front of his computer and played a selection of vodcasts from Gary Vaynerchuk of TV Wine Library. What struck me most was not Gary’s insights into wine, which are considerable, but his ability to communicate his point of view simply, directly and stylistically.

Make no mistake Vaynerchuk is a salesman. Wine Library, which he founded and runs, is a popular online wine retailer, even earning attention from the New York Times. But it is how Gary communicates that deserves special mention. Managers looking for insights into communicating persuasively should tune into Vaynerchuk’s vodcasts. Here’s what you may learn.

Continue reading "Vino Veritas Redux"

Posted by John Baldoni at 12:00 PM | Add Comment

Fixing Things to Move Forward

We tend to be so busy trying to figure things out, look at trends, strategize etc. that we don’t tend to fix problems. What if, instead of analyzing things to death we fixed them? What if we didn’t look at trends and the why’s and how other companies handle similar situations and worked with someone to fix things and now? What a concept! Why make things more complex than they have to be, at least in most day to day situations.

We live in a world that has to be … should be … politically correct, however sometimes we get into more trouble because of all the checks and balances we dance around for every move and decision we make rather than just fixing it.

I believe there’s a place for looking at industry trends and successes, however I also think problems have to be fixed and not studied and sometimes a fast fix is necessary to move an organization forward. If you get so mired in what’s not working and look for reasons and dynamics and everything else, you’ll still have the problem. Sometimes a quick is just the trick and will help remove all the other roadblocks that will stand in your way.

Next time you find yourself stuck, stagnating, with a defeated attitude, look at fixing the problem instead of ruminating about it or studying it. Have a generative meeting not to rehash everything that went wrong, that can be left for the analysts…but one where the rules of the game are to generate a solution and way forward right now. It might mean scrapping something and starting from scratch to look at a perspective you haven’t thought of yet. If you can’t figure it out yourself, call in a coach who will help you. Again, not a long drawn out contract but a one shot, one session meeting, where you don’t leave the room until you know exactly what you’re going to do.

Leave the trends and analysis for the strategists who will make sure the same mistakes won’t happen again in the future. That’s their jobs. Yours as leaders is to lead and get people and organizations past roadblocks and fast, before you’re left in the dust.

Donna Karlin • Executive and Political Shadow Coach™ • Ottawa, Canada • donnakarlin@abetterperspective.com •www.abetterperspective.com

Posted by Donna Karlin at 8:05 AM | 1 Comment

March 20, 2007

The Secret to Reinventing Yourself

How do you leverage the things you’ve done in the past for what you want to do in the future?

A friend and world class entrepreneur, Michael Drapkin, raised that question to me recently when we were talking about reinventing yourself.

Drapkin, over his 30-plus-year career, has been a classical musician, programmer, program manager, academic, technology consultant, CEO and business strategist. You know the sort: A polymath that’s good at so many things.

More than that, though, Michael knows the secret to career change and self-reinvention. It’s that reinventing ourselves is not a fairy tale where the ugly duckling suddenly molts into a swan. We don’t shed our old selves as we change career paths. What we do is evolve.

It’s important to realize that when you change careers, you’re not suddenly person Y when before you were person X. Don’t think simple addition but a synergistic melding of all your selves that ideally reinvigorates your personal brand.

In Michael’s case, while he no longer plays clarinet with a symphony orchestra as he did early in his career, he has never forsaken his musical roots. Over the years, he’s published several books on the classical clarinet and recently founded the Brevard Conference on Music Entrepreneurship to teach musicians to become entrepreneurs.

Michael says his serial career path has added depth, complexity and creativity to his character, allowing him to approach problem solving with a multidimensional view.

An integral part of who he is, Michael’s musical talents are woven into his personal brand. “Rather than hide my musical skills,” he says, “I turn them into strengths.”

Which brings us back to our original question. What have you done in the past that can enhance your personal brand? Remember, you’re more than the sum of your parts. You’re an evolving person who in the act of change has an edge over the other guy who doesn’t have your background. As the adage goes, you’re not getting older, just better.

Wendy Marx • Public Relations/Marketing Communications • President, Marx Communications, Inc. • wendy@marxcommunications.com

Posted by Wendy Marx at 8:55 AM | Add Comment

Dilbert: An Apology

As the main character in a comic strip, I, Frank Pitt, serve to illustrate the challenges and foibles encountered each day by a busy, hard-working, well-meaning corporate executive. But even I, overachiever that I am, was unprepared for the slimy little fast one that Tom Stern, my benevolent (or so I thought) creator has been pulling on me for the past two months.

Truthfully, I feel horribly manipulated, and even a little grimy. The only equivalent in the comic strip world would involve the private disciplinary sessions that occur below decks with Hagar the Horrible, but even the horns on his helmet cannot produce the kind of piercing I’m experiencing now.

It turns out that Tom Stern, while I lay innocently, two-dimensionally on the drawing board each day, has been subtly dropping hints about how Dilbert is inferior to me, and should be stopped. I, in turn, absorbed these negative thoughts and spewed them out to you in my blog postings. I had truly come to believe that I was right about how Dilbert was undermining the fabric of the American workplace, and so I said so, unabashedly.

But, dear friends, I have been set-up. The entire scheme was a ploy by Tom Stern to get me to stir up controversy so that he could promote his new book CEO DAD: How to Avoid Being Fired By Your Family, which comes out next month courtesy of Davies-Black Publishers. I wouldn’t be surprised if the release date is April first, because I have been the consummate fool. It all culminated in last week’s testimonial from Jerry Seinfeld, which completely won me over, blind as I was to Tom Stern’s superior talents at shameless self-promotion.

So, Dilbert, I apologize. Though I do, in hindsight, resent your passive-aggressiveness, I see now the role you fill in both your job, and in our shared world of the comic strip. That being said, I still wish you could do something about your boss’s hair.

But Tom Stern, you got me. Not hard to do I suppose, since I wouldn’t exist without you. I’m not happy about being used as a shill for your exciting new (dare I say revolutionary) new book, which describes the outrageous odyssey of a man confronting his work-life imbalance. All I can say in conclusion, as I cope with my own shame and my unwitting role as Tom Stern promoter, is CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER.

Yours fictionally,

Frank Pitt
CEO DAD

Posted by Tom Stern at 7:24 AM | Add Comment

March 19, 2007

A Clear (Deniable) Message

I was struck by parts of an article in Sunday's New York Times about the firing of David C. Iglesias, the U.S. Attorney in New Mexico. Iglesias is among several U.S. Attorneys the Department of Justice has fired in recent months and the story has been widely reported. This article had to do with the pressures that were brought to bear on Iglesias by some of his former political patrons including New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici. An excerpt follows:

“Are these going to be filed before November?” the senator asked, referring to charges in the courthouse case, Mr. Iglesias said. “And I said I didn’t think so. And to which he replied, ‘I’m very sorry to hear that.’ And then the line went dead.”

Mr. Iglesias said the message was clear. “I felt leaned on,” he testified to the Senate this month. “I felt pressured to get these matters moving.”

Mr. Domenici has apologized for making the call. “However, at no time in that conversation or any other conversation with Mr. Iglesias did I ever tell him what course of action I thought he should take on any legal matter,” he said in a statement. “I have never pressured him nor threatened him in any way."

Yeah, right.

Continue reading "A Clear (Deniable) Message"

Posted by Ruth Sherman at 6:43 PM | 0 Comments

Give Me Ten Minutes And I'll Give You a Ring...Tone

What’s your cell phone ring tone? Until yesterday, mine was the theme from M*A*S*H, until a friend told me there are actually lyrics to that song, and that the title of it is “Suicide is Painless.” I’m thinking of switching to the theme from “Laverne & Shirley.” It’s a little twee, but I find its “we’re gonna do it” message empowering.

Anyway, industrious capitalists and intellectual property owners are always looking for ways to cash in on the ring tone boom, and now you can have your favorite characters from The Cartoon Network yell at you to answer the phone. If the Aqua Teen Hunger Force can cause a panic with some suspicious packages in Boston, imagine what they can do for you when your cell phone goes off during the movie. Some of the voices, apparently, build in intensity with each successive ring.

This got me to thinking, though, about how the right ring tone can promote work-life balance. Here are a few suggestions:

Continue reading "Give Me Ten Minutes And I'll Give You a Ring...Tone"

Posted by Tom Stern at 7:45 AM | Add Comment

March 18, 2007

A Daily Dose of Urban

greg-chuck-second.try Record business analogies flew fast and furious as some very successful names in the music business were preparing to apply well learned lessons in marketing and brand creation to the then burgeoning on-line appetite for Hip-Hop news and music. In 1999 everyone in urban angled to cash in on the Internet.

But the Internet didn’t cooperate. The big name brands and big companies like Def Jam and HBO with Volume.com and even Slim Shady couldn’t translate their goals to the then new medium. And when the big dot com dust-up settled the only brands left were those that had grown a little more organically out of the Internet. And of those, AllHipHop has not only survived, but gone on to grow traffic that Alexa ranks as greater than the biggest brand in the space hard-wired into 90% of the homes in America, BET.

How does an upstart tackle giants? Well, humility reigns when speaking to AllHipHop’s founders Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur (pictured left to right: Greg and Chuck in a photo by Jerry Jack). And in an industry known for hubris, built on bravado and big claims, Allhiphop has quietly won the race.

JP: Where did AllHipHop come from and how have you climbed to the top of the on-line urban websites?

GREG: AllHipHop.com has been in existence since 1998 and was used as a tool to promote a record label I was running at the time. I started to update it with interviews to attract more visitors to showcase my artists. Around that time, Chuck was doing an online magazine as well called Tantrum Magazine. Anyway, he suggested we merge our respective brands. Shortly afterwards, we went to the "daily" concept and we haven't looked back. At the time, believe it or not, most sites updated weekly.

Our ascent is based on our value. Our aim is to be relevant to our consumer every single second of the day and we want them to take us with them wherever they go. That concept has helped and will drive our growth in the future. Consistency and an understanding of technology is another key factor in our success and continued growth.

JP: Do you consider yourself an "urban" site or African American site?

CHUCK: Well as you know, Hip-Hop is comprised of all sorts of backgrounds, colors, creeds and socio-economic statuses. However, because of the artists, the culture's background, we do from an African American perspective on certain matters, but not in a way that excludes people. To me, urban is a very generic way of saying African American. Also, urban isn't defined anymore by how you look, but more of how you think and live. Nissan has an ad campaign currently running that says "The Black Experience Is Everywhere", and features some young Asian adults in an "urban" setting; with bangled earrings, braided hair, baggy clothing, and tattoos.

JP: According to Alexa your traffic ranking is better than much bigger and more well-known brands like Vibe and even BET, are you smarter than them?

GREG: Our aim is not to be smarter than our competitors. While we monitor them, we are focused on the growth of our brand and our expansion into other forms of media. Our traffic is definitely amazing and something we are proud of. It's all organic, we have never done an advertising campaign. The growth potential is still great as we move into more of an international arena.

JP: So your ads must be pretty valuable -- how has the ad industry responded?

CHUCK: It took some time, but the industry is quickly beginning to realize the value of having a presence on AllHipHop.com. We speak directly to their target audience. In general, as you know, a lot of ad buys and budgets have shifted to online as well. All I can say is we are very fortunate.

JP: How big a part are the community features in maintaining or even achieving the kind of traffic numbers AllHipHop achieves?

GREG: The community features have been an integral part of our growth, as it shows the world and other consumers that the website is actually alive, with millions of people using it each month. We are very excited about the next version of AllHipHop.com, because our goal is to give our users as many tools as possible while they are on AllHipHop.com. So, not only will they receive valuable content in a fully customizable manner, we also have plans to introduce various tools to allow our users to connect and communicate, be it email, mobile devices, or the internet.

JP: Are you a news gathering company – I mean where do all the stories come from and who writes them?

CHUCK: We have a dedicated staff of writers and editors that collect and gather news and stories. The actual stories come from variety of places. You know, its not rocket science, especially when you narrow it down to the music industry.

JP: As you know there has been a lot of speculation about the health of Hip-Hop; is that because of music sales, or is there something greater going on?

GREG: There is nothing wrong with Hip-Hop, it's alive and well, all over the world. Physical CD sales are down across the board. The growth and the use of the internet has changed the way music is consumed and in Hip-Hop music, as with all genres, people are just sick of listening to the same music over and over again on the radio. The internet and even satellite radio has been a godsend for the billions of people who actually LIKE music and are tired of commercial radio. Hip-Hop music isn't in the best form, but it is alive and well all across the earth.

CHUCK: I agree. Hip-Hop isn't in perfect health, but its definitely not dying either. I think Nas' album was a challenge to the artists and the industry to step it up. We interviewed Gene Simmons of KISS and he even said that its time for something new. A lot of people took it the wrong way or were offended, but anything that stays the same, goes extinct. So, I would like to see Hip-Hop - on a commercial level - become more diverse and reflective of other experiences. And, labels should stop being afraid of taking risks.

JP: Any plans to extend the brand to other media?

CHUCK: We definitely are developing several brand extensions. There are a number of opportunities ahead of us and we'd prefer not to talk too much about them until things firm up a bit. Also, fielding these opportunities has been challenging but very exciting at the same time.

JP: Is traffic your most important metric and have Venture Capitalist been beating down your door?

GREG: Our traffic is a very valuable metric. Not only does it drive revenue, but it also allows us to do data mining and really learn about our consumer and what they like and don't like. Our demographic is usually the most sought after by advertisers and we over index in so many categories from page views, to time spent on the site, so information like this becomes very important when analyzing our traffic. We are, however, very conscious that these are real people, not just "traffic."

JP: What can we expect to see from AllHipHop in the coming months – what should we look for?

CHUCK: As we have advertised, expect a dramatic change to the site in the near future. We've maintained the same look and feel for a few years now and we're ready to move on. What's interesting is our traffic has grown to the point where we're almost apprehensive about changing it. But, it's going to happen. On the other side, we are going to have our 4th annual AllHipHop Week ‘07 again later in the year. Last year, we had a lot of fun and it’s time to make it even bigger.