Relationships

At the start of this new year, I started an experiment. I read neuroscience research said the simple daily ritual of writing a 2-minute thank you email had been been shown to make a person happier and improve their relationships. It’s now been three weeks that I’ve been writing thank you cards, emails and texts.…

As this first week of the new year progresses, I’ve launched a new experiment. Neuroscience research from one of my favorite writers, Eric Barker, that says that there’s a simple way to increase your happiness and productivity while also improving your relationships. And it only takes 2 minutes. Seriously? What is this simple happiness booster?…

I heard a piece of wisdom today from a client—and I wanted to share it. We were discussing the branding we’re developing for this new research center, and I was asking about her specific preferences. She gave me some basic guidance and then said, “I’ve worked with a lot talented people over the years. I…

We often hear from company leaders asking how and why their company should use social media in their business. With employee recruitment and turnover costs reaching beyond $3000 on average (according to the Wall Street Journal), recruiting talented employees through social media is a no-brainer. In fact, we’ve been saddened that so many companies have…

I cleaned my desk this week. Actually, I should say I cleaned my office because I left no surface unturned, including my digital desktop. Other than gaining some mental relief, I also read a lot. Interesting articles. Notes I had jotted down. Letters from friends. Magazines… you know the little things you keep because something…

I participated in a request for proposal (RFP) presentation yesterday. We rarely participate in RFPs because most of our work comes from referrals… but in this instance, it was my contact that had sent the RFP to me and requested our participation, and I wanted to learn more about the organization. What we learned The…

This cartoon says it all… and it is very funny. How a Web Design Goes Straight to Hell For those of us involved in design, web development, writing, videos and anything that’s not straight-up accounting, we’ve all had this experience. A client hires you for your expertise and then… well, you know. Check this scenario…

In the past few days, there’s been a somewhat heated discussion on Linked In about companies expecting creative firms to give away their design ideas on RFPs—before getting paid or selected, of course! The discussion was expanded to all RFPs and many different people, ranging from consultants to CFOs commented their varying views. I wanted…

I attended the leadership assembly for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) this week as a delegate for my local St. Louis chapter. An interesting discussion ensued among members about the difference between Public Relations and communications. Many PR professionals feel like their work is distinctly different from communications, although the general public would…

A few years ago, I read an article in John Maxwell’s leadership newsletter where he shared a tip for staying positive when you are not in charge at work. He said that when he was in a subordinate position, he started keeping a list of “Things I’ll Do Differently When I’m In Charge.” He said…

We watched an interesting documentary show on the Sundance Channel, called Iconoclasts. This particular episode focused on Sumner Redstone, who controls media empire, Viacom, and movie producer Brian Glazer. Redstone said some things that were worthy to be quoted. So I paused the Tivo and took notes. Here’s a few words of leadership wisdom from…

I’ve been devouring my “magazines to read” pile. I came across an excellent article on trust in Associations Now magazine by Michelle and Dennis Reina. It’s critical to being a good leader, which seems to be something everyone should know if they don’t. However, one little sidebar on the article really stood out to me……

With all the brouhaha recently about the Facebook user agreement, many started thinking about their privacy and their information on social networking sites. Thanks to Twitter, I came across this excellent summary on “10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know” on AllFacebook.com.  I thought it was very helpful, and since I’ve recommended it to…

We got a special invitation from Donald Trump the other day. It had gold ink, and it looks pretty fancy on the outside. On the inside, however, it was just like every other direct mail seminar pitch, except of course it included two free tickets to admit us to this special event. My husband and…

I’ve been on Linkedin for a long time, and at first, I thought it was going to just be a resume posting site. I knew it had potential, but it seemed to be lacking something. In the past 4 months, Linkedin has really started taking off. I think it’s starting to reach critical mass: everyone…

Normally I stick to communication and business tips on this blog. However, today, I will deviate to share a funny, but surprisingly true story about money. Credit cards to be specific. Considering the current “financial crisis” that’s impacting everyone’s businesses, I think it’s relevant. Last night I had to call one of our banks, Bank…

My local newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, sent me an interesting story in their news email blast. The headline read: “City threatens blind woman over unpaid 1-cent bill.” Uh-oh, I thought: PR disaster. Some auto-billing mechanism is creating a havoc. Sure enough… The city of Attleboro, Mass. sent a nastygram to a 74-year-old blind resident…

I read a very good article in Maximum Impact’s newsletter, called “7 Reasons Why Speakers Flop.” For years, I have worked with CEOs on speaking at conferences, and these are all things I worked to get across to each of them each year. As I read this article, I wanted to stand up and yell,…