My daughter, Shannon, a junior at top-ranked Cedarburg High School in Wisconsin, is starting that bewildering rite of passage nearly every young person making the difficult transition to adulthood faces: choosing a college or university. In case her dad and I (often in denial of how rapidly she is growing up and away from us) have not been paying attention, the signs of this tumultuous test are everywhere. Colorful brochures depicting ivory clad walls and sprawling campuses dotted with smiling, freshly scrubbed, youthful faces began arriving last fall. ACT tests are next week. Our investment advisor is talking to us about sources of financial aid and scholarships. Higher education costs […]
Even in death, David Bowie knows how to steal the show. On Sunday at the Grammy’s, Bowie’s last album, Blackstar, won Best Alternative Music Album, Best Engineered Non-Classic Album, and Best Recording Package. His eerie track, No Plan, won Best Rock Song and the video won Best Rock Performance. There are only a handful of rock stars that achieve iconic status as Bowie did. Bowie artfully tested the boundaries of music, fame and even gender, opening our eyes and hearts to wider possibilities in life, art and song. His hits, “Young Americans,” “Changes” and “Heroes” are anthems for the Boomer generation. From a late ’70s perspective, they echo (in my mind, at […]
Transparency is a word that comes up a lot these days. From business ethics to transparency in government, the notion that open, honest communication is key to building trusting relationships, reputation and performance is not new. What is new, however, is how much transparency has come under fire in our so-called “post-truth” era. We see this playing out in virtually all facets of marketing, PR and advertising. The rise of social media in the digital age has created new sources for news, opinion, endorsements and ads. Yet, the line between fact and fiction has become blurred or, perhaps more accurately, chalk. Although media hoaxes and slanted stories have a long […]