Month: January 2011

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J&J: Dig Deeper!

Wooden tiles arranged to spell "closed" on a plain background

The window is closing for Johnson & Johnson to retain realistic hopes of regaining its trusted position with customers. Customers are moving away from the brand and are increasingly finding suitable substitutes.

Today’s New York Times offers an update on what is happening with J&J. But what is most striking to me is how this industry leader still seems unable to get to the heart of the problem. As reported in today’s article:

Those reassurances [by the company that the worst is behind them], however, have been followed by yet more recalls. What is most perplexing is the seeming inability of executives to solve — and satisfactorily explain — the manufacturing issues that dog the company.

As someone focused on culture and values, the issue seems so clear to me: J&J is not digging deep enough to uncover the root causes of the problem.

As reported in the Times, consumers were complaining as early as April 2008 about moldy-smelling Tylenol capsules manufactured at the Las Piedras, Puerto Rico plant. It J&J 18 months to start a recall of the offending products. In January 2010 the FDA sent a warning letter to J&J criticizing the delay in taking action.

My question is whether J&J has ever undertaken a comprehensive assessment of the culture, both at the Puerto Rico facility, as well as within the McNeil Consumer Healthcare division? Does J&J know why employees were hesitant to come forward? Does J&J know what were the pressures that caused leaders to not respond in a manner consistent with J&J’s Credo? It’s one thing to look at flaws in the supply-chain or in production, but that does not get to the people issue. Individuals must have known what was going on, and they didn’t come forward.

This lack of transparency is certainly one of the factors that is inhibiting the ability of J&J to act effectively, and rebuild its reputation. J&J talks about the corrective actions it is taken. But are they putting only a Band-Aid over the problem, or are they actually getting to the root cause of the problem?

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David Gebler is the President of Skout Group, an advisory firm helping global companies use their values to clear the roadblocks to performance. Send your thoughts and feedback to dgebler@skoutgroup.com.

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Most Hated Companies

An office building

Just being on this list is a crisis.

Businesses are not expected to be perfect. In fact, the public is fairly forgiving of small mistakes if they are admitted to and corrected quickly, and even big problems can be countered over time. The problem arises, though, when an organization lets things go too far. This is the situation that landed many companies on 24/7 Wall St.’s list of “The Fifteen Most Hated American Companies of 2010.” Without further ado, here it is:

1. American Airlines

2. Nokia

3. Toyota

4. Best Buy

5. Charter Communications

6. Citigroup

7. AT&T

8. Bank of America

9. Dell

10. Dish Network

11. Johnson & Johnson

12. McDonald’s

13. United Airlines

14. British Petroleum

15. DirecTV

While many on the list were there for perpetuating a culture of poor customer service and unethical practices, several of the organizations are formerly respected companies (Toyota and J&J, to name two of the biggest) whose crisis management and communication skills were found lacking when things got hot, allowing their problems to expand into reputation damage.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

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Top Ten Ways to Create Better Visuals

A woman presenting with slides

You’ve seen them. Perhaps you have created them. Bad slides.Too much detail, ugly backgrounds, tons of bullets and text. Yes, you can do better than that.

Here are some minor changes that should make a major impact in your ability to communicate effectively using slides.

Check out your next presentation and see if you can put these tips to work.

  1. Be sure to add an opening and closing slide. These can have your presentation’s title, your name, your company, the date, or an image. Don’t have data on the first slide or the last.
  2. Don’t use title case on bullets. This just belongs on the title at the top of the page. Don’t use all caps on the title, and don’t underline anything unless it is a hyperlink.
  3. Don’t bring in text from the bottom up; or from right to left. Instead, just the simple transitions “appear” and “fade in.” It is fine to use builds occasionally, but don’t call attention to the transitions, just the content.
  4. Avoid punctuation on bullets. If you are using key words you don’t need them. If you are using complete sentences, shorten them to phrases or key words.
  5. Eliminate unnecessary bullets. Everything does not have to have a bullet in front of it. Look for places where you may have only one or two items on the page. Do they really need a bullet?
  6. Use photos rather than clip art whenever possible. Make photos larger, at least 1/4 to 1/3 the size of the slide. Use pictures of your company, your team, or pictures that suggest a mood or tone that might help people remember what you said.
  7. Watch for typos. Better yet, ask someone to proof your presentation. (Remember if you use the wrong word but spell it correctly the spell-checker won’t notice.) You may spot these little errors if you print a hard copy of your slides or notes pages.
  8. Consider hyper linking to spreadsheets, videos, websites, etc. instead of cutting and pasting them onto your slides. They should be easier to read this way, with less clutter on your slides. (Note: this works best when all the links are on your laptop; if you import your presentation to a jump drive your links will be broken. Always check to make sure the links are working.) Also notes that if you send your slides to someone the linked content won’t automatically be included.
  9. Use Notes Pages for text rather than overfilling your slides. Ideally, your slideshow won’t look like a script, but rather a visual compliment to what you are saying. If you think you might need a prompt, type your “script” onto the Notes page, then print it out for practice and for the presentation if you still need it. Practice out loud several times with your slides. Don’t just read it onscreen in your head, but actually say those words out loud until you feel the flow. Chances are, if you prepare in this way you will be able to present from just the slides.
  10. When delivering your presentation, place the laptop in front of you if possible. This way you can glance at your slides without turning to the screen. It looks smooth and professional.

Which of these have you tried? What other things do you do to make sure your slides add value to your presentations?

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Use Breaking News to Break Into the Media

Young woman reading newspaper outside

Guest Writer: L. Drew Gerber

Breaking News Drives the Media

Breaking news is news in the truest sense of the word — from “hard” news about national and world events, politics or major scientific breakthroughs, to entertainment news about celebrities or sports stars. Breaking news is what drives the media; and tying your pitches to breaking news is a great way to grab the media’s attention for you or your client.

What’s great about breaking news is that it answers the “Why now?” question for the media and increases your chances to share your or your client’s insights, commentary or expert opinion. Breaking news also answers the “Why should I care?” question for media. In news meetings, editors and producers constantly ask their reporters to answer one question from the point of view of the reader, viewer or listener: “Why should I care?” As an expert or publicist, you’re there to serve the media and help them media answer that question. After you pitch, be prepared to jump when the media calls. The earlier you can get involved with the story, the greater your impact in the conversation and the greater your chance to be part of the follow-up.

Key Things to Remember:

1) Give the media your cell phone or other numbers where they can contact you 24/7. When they call, pick up. If you can’t pick up, call back ASAP!

2) For TV interviews, you or your client often must be available to fly or travel on short notice. The travel may be local or you may have to fly across the country. Be prepared for spur-of-the-moment schedule changes and be ready to make travel arrangements before you pitch.

3) Print and radio interviews can often be done by phone. Make sure the most reliable landline is used and that all sound bites are practiced and prepared in advance.

4) Provide a link to your or your client’s online press kit so the interviewer can prepare and familiarize themselves with your expertise. Online press kits are one of the most convenient and useful resources for print, broadcast and online media.

5) Expect to be thrown a curve. You can ask the media for a list of questions they plan to ask, but be prepared for spontaneous questions too. This is where media training ahead of time can be very valuable, because there is little time to train once you get the call.

6) Think like a journalist. The more you watch, listen to and read the news, the more you can anticipate and prepare to comment when news breaks.

A lot of this may seem like common sense. But when it comes to PR, it’s usually the smallest things that determine whether or not you land that placement. So being prepared and making sure you’re on top of all the details will do nothing but increase your chances of shining when news breaks.

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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L. Drew Gerber is CEO of www.PublicityResults.com and creator of www.PitchRate.com, a free media connection service for journalists, experts, and publicists. Sign up now for free publicity advice including a free online marketing course. Gerber’s business practices and staffing innovations have been revered by PR Week, Good Morning America and the Christian Science Monitor. His companies handle international PR campaigns and his staff develops online press kits for authors, speakers and companies with Online PressKit 24/7, a technology he developed (www.PressKit247.com). Contact L. Drew Gerber at: AskDrew@PublicityResults.com or call him at 828-749-3548.

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Promise (and Problems) with Microcredit

Person holding a credit card

Microcredit offers great promise in helping the world’s poor. The basic idea is that a small loan, say $100, can help someone in the developing world buy some goats or a sewing machine, and use that asset to earn a living, plus pay back the loan. The idea has proven so successful in Bangladesh and other countries that one of the pioneers of microfinance, Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, of the Grameen Bank, earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for developing this idea.

Incidentally, microfinance refers to a wide range of beneficial financial services provided to the poor; microcredit specifically relates to providing very small loans, which are called microloans. And while we’re in the “micro” area, microenterprise refers to very small business organizations, typically 1-5 employees.

Microfinance has also been used to some extent in the developing world as well, including the United States, but with some additional twists to fit different circumstances. A good resource on this work comes from the Aspen Institute’s Field Program. One place where you can participate yourself is through Kiva.

The recent problem with finance concerns its role in India, where it is a big player in the rural areas. The problem is that the cost of developing and servicing these loans can be high. As any banker will tell you, it’s a whole lot more efficient to service big loans than small loans. And tiny ones are the most expensive. And so that’s why in India interest rates for microloans can be as high as 30%, which can put a big burden on the borrower. And, if the microfinance company finds ways to improve efficiencies and increase collection rates, it can also be very profitable.

In any event, in India there has been quite a revolt against those high interest rates, putting the entire sector on notice that it must reform its ways or face extinction from government regulators, and organized campaigns not to pay back loans with unreasonably high interest rates.

For more information, here are some recent articles on this revolt, from National Public Radio, and from the New York Times. And here’s an op-ed piece yesterday in the New York Times about this crisis, from Muhammad Yunus, entitled Sacrificing Microcredit for Macroprofits.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Business Planning.

Copyright © 2011 Rolfe Larson Associates – Fifteenth Anniversary, 1995 – 2010 —– Author of Venture Forth! Endorsed by the late Paul Newman of Newman’s Own ———- Read my weekly blogs on Social Enterprise and Business Planning

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Courtroom Drama – Training Lawyers to Act

interior-view-of-a-court-room

What does an actor have to teach an attorney? Acting, improvisation, communicating, moving on stage. Sounds like an acting class. Don’t be surprised. It is.

Most of us would agree a lawyer’s education is mostly about the law; but the practical application of law requires research, practice, experience and some knowledge of speech and acting skills that may not be taught in depth in most law schools–just few classes on courtroom procedure, some mock trials, etc.

Those who will be spending time in court could use training in public speaking, interpersonal communication skills, social psychology, etc., and some lawyers do take those classes in college because they know they will be important someday. For others, even if they took the courses, they may have blown them off, seeing them as “fluff” classes. We’ve all done that. You only have so much time, right?

“After all, I’m going to be a lawyer–a mouthpiece. I can learn all I need to learn in law school,” or words to that effect–or so they say.

Let’s face it. Not everyone is a natural communicator. Sometimes you need a different approach. In this case, we’ll start with acting principles. Actors have to make real what is conceived and written in a script. Lawyers take what they know to be the truth and convey that to an audience convincingly. If they can’t be convincing with the truth…

It’s all about knowing your audience, knowing your subject and knowing yourself. If you’ve ready many of my blogs you know that is my mantra. At the heart of every communication is a need for all three elements. While some people are more natural communicators, others with fine minds as well may not be. You know about getting the training you need to do the job. Those who do get the training and learn will succeed. And, so it goes here as well if you are lawyer needing to communicate the law and persuade the jury to your way of thinking, a way any audience can understand.

So, how does a litigator gain those communication skills that help him win over a judge and jury, how does an attorney present depositions to court, help a witness remain credible, even though he or she may be scared to death of being on the courtroom stage. Believe it or not, he hires an actor. Often that actor may be partnered with an attorney or someone with a similar background.

In the Philadelphia area, I discovered an equity actor and educator, Celeste Walker who teaches a course she developed called Courtroom Drama, which almost sounds like a theatre genre, but in reality her course is designed to loosen up attorneys and prepare them for the practical uses of confident and effective communication in the courtroom. She uses theatre exercises, warm-ups, improvisation and other methods leading up to storytelling. After all, in a courtroom, it is all about storytelling.

“It’s also about audience,” Walker says.

“An attorney can’t talk to a jury if he or she isn’t aware of who makes up that jury. He has to win that jury’s trust and he’s not going to do that if he talks down to them or can’t look them in the eye while he is talking to them.”

It’s all about good communication. Yet, another job an actor can do–besides acting.

An interesting aside. I was surprised to learn that Celeste had actually performed a scene from The Verdict with Paul Newman in 1994 while she was in graduate school. Newman’s much acclaimed film, The Verdict, came out in the ’80s. Celeste holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting from The Actor’s Studio Drama School at the New School University in New York.

This isn’t just a Philadelphia phenomenon. Look around. There are other actors/educators engaged in the same business. If you are an attorney and are interested, look up the acting and presentation coaches in your area who might have a similar course to suit you. If you aren’t an attorney, but anyone in need of good communication skills in the course of doing a good job, check out those acting and presentation coaches anyway.

Good trainers are good communicators, and it can work both ways. We all need to be able to talk to and understand each other. In court, a misunderstanding has a lot of impact. The same goes for hospitals. Do doctors need training in communicating to patients and colleagues? Hmm. Maybe that’s my next blog.

As always, comments, suggestions, praise if you think we’re doing something right here, as well as links to your blogs and websites are always welcome.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

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Best Career Path: Generalist vs. Specialist

A serious young man thinking about his career goals

Best career pathAmber, a young professional at a recent workshop, asks…

“I spend a lot of my time and energy trying to build my ‘toolkit’, gaining experience and knowledge in as many different areas as possible. I hear many emerging leaders say they sometimes feel like we are stretched an inch deep and a mile wide. Are we more marketable as experts in one area or being well-rounded. What is the best career path?”

Amber, it depends. In fact it changes over the course of a career. For example:

Generalist

In the beginning of one’s career you’re asked to do everything (your job title could be program associate or junior engineer). When you start out it’s important to understand all the different areas so you can decide where you best fit. It also builds your network within the company which will be crucial in developing your career.

Specialist

Mid career you’re asked to specialize. The organization needs people who have or will develop an expertise in specific areas (finance, human resources, marketing, fund raising, etc.) Specialization leads to expertise, which means you are building a portfolio of functional knowledge and competency. Therefore, a career option is to move up the ladder in your area of expertise.

Back to a Generalist

When you are promoted to a senior leader you have to be a generalist again. You need to keep tabs on everything from budgets to leadership development to media relations, etc. What’s important at this level is to know the big picture, to be able to connect the dots, to see the interdependency between the different functional areas or departments. You have to move from your functional head into a strategic perspective – where is the company going and how should we get there?

Bottom Line: Your Career Goals

At any given point in your career, you have to ask yourself where you want to eventually end up and which next step is most likely to get you there. Perhaps you need to stay in your functional area to gain greater depth before moving on. Or make a lateral move to another division to build a broader knowledge of the company’s operations. In reality, there’s no one best career path. It depends.

Readers, what do you think? Let me know of your career experience as being a specialist or generalist or both.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Good Email Subject Lines

person-composing-an-email-for-an-organization

People may not judge books by their covers, but they certainly judge your email before they open it.

If your email message has an uninspiring subject line, it will never get opened. Go into your “deleted items” folder in your email program, and scan the emails that you never opened. Odds are, none of those subject lines appealed to you.

What makes a good subject line? It needs to entice the reader into opening the message. That’s all. Think of a great “teaser” line on an outer envelope you mail to your donors. It provokes the reader through emotion or humor to see what’s inside.

•   Really bad subject lines ensure that your email message doesn’t even get into the readers’ inbox, but instead goes straight to the “spam” folder. Avoid all caps and more than one punctuation mark.

•   Don’t give away the story in the subject line. Hint at what’s inside, but make them open it to find out.

•   A good headline might read like a newspaper story headline. “Seniors may get no Social Security COLA next year” will interest seniors and make them want to see what’s inside. “Seniors will get no Social Security COLA next year,” tells them what’s in the article, and eliminates the need for them to open it.

•   It needs to be concise. The first 30 characters need to convince them to at least read the rest of the subject line.

•   “Video: 4 ways to save the planet” will not only get more people to open the email, but more of them will click the video link inside. The same is true for “Survey:” and other calls for their involvement.

Network for Good recently published a great guide for subject line writers (and tweeters) called Big Impact in Small Places that I recommend for all involved in this process.

Tell us your best and worst subject lines, and ask us your additional email fundraising questions!

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Rick Christ has been helping nonprofit organizations use the internet for fundraising, communications and advocacy since 2009, and has been a frequent writer on the subject. He delights in your questions and arguments. Please contact him at: RChrist@Amergent.com or at his LinkedIn Page

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U is for Uniqueness

Being unique jigsaw business concept

In the issue of Parade Dec. 26, 2010 it featured Oprah and her biggest dream yet – her new OWN cable network. In the issue she talks about the power of her name. She shared how at first when she was a child she felt lonely that no one had her name. She said she would watch Romper Room hoping every time that they would “see her” and call out her name. It never happened. She reflects, “I would have to say that my deepest feeling about myself growing up, the word that would describe how I felt, would be lonely. And alone. It added to the feeling that nobody’s like me.” She shifts into the present and adds playfully, “now that’s a pretty good feeling!”

Talk about being one of a kind, someone who is known around the world by just one letter even – O! Oh, how unique Oprah is. She has created her life by following the unique mission God has given her to be herself and live her best life.

I’ll explore three symbols that are often linked to one-of-a-kind.

Heartbeat

The phrase walk to the beat of your own drummer is one that I’m sure you are familiar with. But did you know that each of us actually does have our own unique heartbeat? Our hearts all beat differently both physically and figuratively. When we are expressing our spirit, the core of who we are, is when we are in tune with our heart beats. What makes your heart sing or beat? Cari Vollmer, referred to the as the passion to profit mentor, has found that her heart beats faster when she follows her own brilliance and helps other soul-inspired women find their brilliance.

Snowflake

This is pertinent for me right now as I live in Minnesota and we’ve had a lot of snow already this season, more than normal! As I see mounds of snow everywhere, it’s hard for me to imagine how each snowflake can be unique and different. I think of this symbol as how we tap into our uniqueness during different seasons of our lives. One season in our life we were known for something and another we were known differently. This year I’ll be celebrating my 20th high school reunion. If you asked many of my other fellow classmates, yes all 40 of them, many would probably say that my uniqueness was my enthusiasm. I loved sports and showed my enthusiasm on the court or track. Now, 20 years later, my uniqueness has changed seasons into one of being enthusiastic about helping people get to the heart of what matters most.

Fingerprint

Our fingerprints are another way that we are unique and leave our marks. This is how criminals are identified and this is how we can be identified with what we touch in life. Each of us who choose to listen to our heartbeats will have the opportunity to express our spirits in a way that is unique only to us. How we live out our spirit is through the fingerprints we leave along the way. Oprah is leaving her fingerprint on the legacy of 25 years of the Oprah Winfrey show to now her expressing her uniqueness through her OWN network.

Share with us how are you uniquely leaving your mark on the world?

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
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Adaptability and Resiliency in Leadership

A-team-leader-on-crisis-planning-with-his-team-in-a-meeting.

Adaptability and Resiliency as Overlooked Leadership Qualities

In my mind the unsung hero of effective leadership are two related and overlapping qualities: adaptability and resiliency. The ability and, probably more importantly, the willingness of a leader to adapt his or her thinking, behavior, or strategy based on changing circumstances, miscalculations, or other factors, is a historically underrated quality that is starting to get its due in this rapidly changing world. And maybe even more so than adaptability, resiliency — discussed here as the capacity to bounce back from perceived and actual mishaps, set-backs, and adversity — has been overlooked as a leadership competency.

Research on Resiliency

I recently read that Ceridian Corporation conducted a study and published an executive briefing on organizational resilience. They arrived at the conclusion that resilient organizations are those that are able to respond to two seemingly paradoxical imperatives: 1) managing for performance (enhanced by consistency, efficiency, and immediate results) and 2) managing for adaptation (enhanced by innovation, improvisation, anticipation, and commitment to long-term benefits).

In my mind what is reflected here is a mindset that embraces disruption to organizational plans, strategy, and operating procedures, as normal and inevitable. The leader that maintains this mindset does not react with shock, dismay, or confusion to disruption of the best laid plans. Instead, he or she is eager to analyze the circumstances, ascertain the meaning behind the unexpected, and determine whether there are appropriate adjustments to be made. In addition, leaders demonstrating this type of leadership are able to build more resilient direct reports, teams, and ultimately organizations.

Origins of Resiliency

It is the viewpoint of many psychologists and sociology experts that resiliency is a quality that is partly inbred and partly developed through childhood experiences and modeling. The problem with this viewpoint is that it presumes that a person’s level of resiliency is pretty much set by the time they are in early to middle adulthood. It is my opinion that a certain amount of resiliency – definitely enough to make a difference as an organizational leader – can be developed in adults simply by embracing a worldview that change, disruption, and mishaps are as normal and predictable in organizations as salaries and vacation days. Or perhaps it is more analogous with the sentiments I heard expressed by a veteran of the Iraq conflict: “It is a given, no plan ever survives first contact”.

In the following weeks I will be exploring the role of resiliency and adaptability in leadership. It would be great to hear from others if they have any thoughts, questions, or references on these competencies.