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J&J: Dig Deeper!

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 …

Most Hated Companies

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 …

Top Ten Ways to Create Better Visuals

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.

Promise (and Problems) with Microcredit

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 …

Courtroom Drama – Training Lawyers to Act

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 …

Best Career Path: Generalist vs. Specialist

Amber, 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 …

Good Email Subject Lines

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 …

U is for Uniqueness

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 …

Adaptability and Resiliency in Leadership

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 …