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 […]
In just over a decade social networking use has grown from just 5 percent of Americans in 2005 to nearly 80 percent today (sources: Pew Research Center and Statista.com). Social networking is now part of our daily DNA, whether we are at work or at play, and has become the most prevalent way we share and consume information. The popularity of social media is just one reason businesses have made this channel an important part of their marketing strategies. But the reward that comes with social networking is not without risk. What you say and how you say it on social media can have a dramatic impact on your business […]
What would happen if everyone said precisely everything they thought all the time? That was the premise of the popular Jim Carrey movie, Liar, Liar, the tale of a successful lawyer incapable of telling a lie for an entire day due to a birthday wish granted for his son, Max. Carrey’s performance as Fletcher Reede, a lawyer obsessed with his career, shows what can happen to your relationships when bending the truth at the expense of others becomes a way of life. Eventually, his habitual lies catch up with him. Once he finds it impossible to tell a lie, we see Fletcher wrestling with the consequences of his blunt truth-telling, […]
For the last several years I have not made New Year’s Resolutions. Not because I rarely keep them or because I don’t like change or there are simply too many things I’d like to improve about myself, so why bother. Or because I’m against the idea of “taking stock” and putting my ego (or is it my id or superego?) under the microscope to evaluate what’s working for me and what isn’t. Mainly, it’s because the idea of taking just one day a year to reflect, sharpen my focus and move on seems, well, out of touch. And since most of us vow to lose weight, quit smoking, or save […]
Is the cyber sky really falling? In the classic fable, Chicken Little causes widespread panic when he mistakes a fallen acorn for a piece of the sky, believing the world is coming to an end. After taking flight, he persuades a cast of animal characters to join him. Soon, a cunning fox takes advantage, lures them into the woods and eats them all one by one. The moral? Don’t believe everything you are told. This parable can also be applied to cybersecurity and emerging threats impacting IT business practices. But in today’s modern-day telling, the cagey fox is now a cybercriminal after your client’s personal credit card information, your company’s intellectual […]
Anyone in a business consulting role knows that the road to hell is often paved with good intentions. Becoming a trusted advisor to your customers is no easy task. Your client’s goals and current approach to achieving them may not align with your recommendations. Or your client may lack the willingness to try a new path, especially if he or she has an entrenched way of doing business. In these scenarios, your progress may be impeded if there is not a strong bond of trust in your business relationships. You remember that gut feeling you get when you know you are being lied to or you’re not being taken seriously by a boss or […]
The historic Panama Papers leak has exposed the extensive use (and often abuse) by world figures, business leaders and celebrities to set up shell companies as off-shore tax havens. Although this has been the major headline as this historic data breach unfolds, perhaps as disturbing is how easy it was for the hacker (or hackers) to acquire the data, an estimated 2.6TB of stolen records making it the biggest cyber attack ever. As Paul Ducklin of nakedsecurity (IT security firm Sophos’ online newsletter) shares here, “This was not a traditional break-and-enter, and the hacker or hackers behind it didn’t run off with filing cabinets of printed material. Presumably, the hackers needed to get in, […]
For decades Fortune 500 companies have gravitated to cause marketing and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs with the belief that doing well by doing good is good business. Now small and mid-size businesses are picking up the social responsibility gauntlet. Locally active companies are balancing support of worthy causes with their focus on growing their businesses. There are a lot of great reasons for companies of all types and sizes to embrace societal and environmental causes beyond the motivation to give back. First, there is the positive brand affinity that comes from being associated with a well-regarded charity. The right cause can be a powerful catalyst for advancing and protecting the company’s reputation with employees, customers, consumers […]