A few days ago I met with my roundtable group of 25+ marketing executives from a very eclectic group of companies and industries to discuss how they are responding to social media. Some of these executives have barely dipped their toe in the water. Others have taken the plunge and are treading water, while yet […]

The debate around using social media in the workplace continues. We basically have three camps: 1) those that are 100% “for” full access to social media sites, 2) those against, and 3) those that want to provide access within boundaries. Here is some of the reasoning I am seeing: FOR 1. Productivity is positively impacted. […]

Did you know that pandemics can increase very drastically and exponentially is as little as a few weeks, they often come in waves, each successive wave being more serious. In fact, our businesses in today’s global, ”just-in-time” economy are more vulnerable than at any time before in human history. Just imagine that 40 percent of […]

Earth Day is almost over and I promised myself I would write a blog posting to add something of value before I leave the office. So, here I go…. What did you do today to support the environment? Is your company a leader? Are you making a difference! I promise your employees will feel better […]

In a few days I will be meeting with a group of senior HR executives to discuss talent management strategies in a down economy. One could argue that in an economic downturn talent management becomes increasingly important; nevertheless, it can also quickly become a lower priority in the minds of some businesses that are faced […]

A group of HR executives recently shared a list of tactics they use in their on-boarding initiatives to get new employees integrated more quickly. All new employees: · Are brought into the corporate office to experience the company culture. Big $ commitment. · Are set up to do business their first day of work. When […]

Some time ago I met with a group of executives to discuss their personal leadership journeys. In the course of “yakking”, a list of behaviors and traits emerged that they felt effective leaders today exhibit. They: Mentor, coach and grow others Care about people Know the right questions to ask Are credible Have courageous conversations […]

Human resources executives are telling me employees are showing more signs of stress. For example: More loans out of 401K plans More referrals to Employee Assistance Programs More requests to employer-sponsored charity funds More requests to add a spouse to health insurance (spouse has lost job) More employee relations issues and complaints addressed to corporate […]

How are marketing executives responding to the down economy? Is this the time to “hunker down” or “build share”? These are some of things marketing executives are telling me they are doing: Mining current customers and focusing on retention. Doing competitive analyses. Paying attention to internal marketing. Re-evaluating marketing mix. Getting house in order. Tightening […]

A group of marketing executives recently met to tackle this question and came up with these general observations about Big M small m marketing: 1. Big M is the vision that is bigger than the year or the quarter. It’s 3-5 years out. What do I want my story to look like in 2012? 2. […]