soulati.com

Digital Marketing Strategy, PR and Messaging

Soulati-'TUDE!

10 Things That Disturb From News Of The Day

By

You know how sometimes you don’t have any mojo to write for your blog? You might comb Google Reader and others’ blog posts looking for inspiration. Or, you might cut tear sheets out of your fave ‘zines and bookmark other pages online. For naught…something is amiss…life’s malarkey is happening, and the positive ‘tude (this is Soulati-‘TUDE! after all) isn’t there.

I’m talking about myself…haven’t felt it, been crushing it for clients, and my time to write is spent just trying to breathe. This post is one of those where I have to clear the cobwebs of annoyances from my brain matter to yours. If you want to clear your head in comments and add what’s bugging you, too, feel free! We can all get some clarity heading into the weekend.

1.   . A man in Troy, Ohio adopted three boys (and was on his way to adopting a fourth) and he sexually abused each. He also gave them to his friends (three men) to do the same to these innocent children (I don’t know their ages; I can’t fathom knowing this).  News today says FBI is looking into this case.  Who is helping the children, damaged for life?

2.    Also in Ohio, a young teen boy picked up a gun and randomly shot kids inside the school. Three teens are dead. My heart for the families who lost their child. I have to stop writing this because I’m going to break down.

3.    Bogus Subscription Offers. On a lighter note, the Wall Street Journal sent me two subscription offers the same day – one addressed to me and the other to my company. The former cost $231.72 for a year, and the latter costs $374.40 per year. And, I’ve received a call from a telemarketer to renew with an entirely different annual fee. Can you cough and say “bullshit?”

4. . Big news in the WSJ yesterday, “Doctor Accused of Big Medicare Scam.”  This jamoke bilked us (because our insurance premiums pay for crap like this) of $350 million over a five-year period in Dallas. It is considered to be “the largest Medicare fraud scheme by dollar value linked to a single physician.”  Home health agencies and the office manager were involved, too.

5. Who isn’t perturbed by this? I read the U.S. is exporting gas because demand is down; meanwhile, pump prices are at highest levels in awhile and who’s getting rich off people who are just flippin’ tapped out with every business’s higher prices for gas getting paid by consumers?

6.  . I know someone who took herself off statin drugs; she was having incredible and crippling pain in her legs. After speaking at length with her physician (she fired that MD) who didn’t care to listen, mom decided to stop taking the drug one day. Her range of motion has improved, she has more energy, and she’s so angry she lost two years to pain. Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal had a story, “FDA Warns on Statin Drugs,” but “the concerns aren’t expected to prompt doctors to stop prescribing statins.”  I’m so concerned for our aging population; PHARMACEUTICAL DRUGS ARE NOT THE ANSWER.

7. I tried to take advantage of low mortgage rates, but because the property appraiser decided my home was worth shit, my deal fell through. My credit is higher than required; the financial are not the issue. It’s the loan to value ratio on all of our homes; we’re all stuck. The Wall Street Journal yesterday (are you seeing the pattern here?) had this story, “Home Prices Hit New Depths.”

8. Banks Suck. is going to pass along a new consumer charge. If those who have a checking account with this second-largest financial institution don’t opt-in for online banking, then a charge will be assessed. That’s today’s top story in the Wall Street Journal.

9. Customer Satisfaction Surveys.  Any worker on the frontlines of corporations who engages directly with customers is forced to act overly polite and unnatural just so they can get top scores on customer satisfaction surveys. When a bad survey rolls in, that employee is blacklisted regardless of the demeanor of the customer during the transaction. Maybe that customer is in a bad mood and always completes surveys with a negative score? Everywhere we turn, we’re asked to go online and complete a survey about our customer service and you can win a shopping spree or iPad! Employees should not be scored on a customer satisfaction survey alone; employees should not get a 1 percent raise due to a permanent bad survey in his or her file. (I know someone at Allstate with this exact experience.)

10. What’s #10, dear readers? I’m getting agitated anew writing through these top nine. Add yours below and clear your head of gobbledygook.

Aging, Death And The Workplace

By

Credit: Srinivas Rao, Kikolani.com

Everywhere I turn, I hear about someone who has committed suicide — all ages. And, I listen and watch as friends say good-bye to parents. My heart saddens with the news of my own friends passing on. This news is not random; it’s frequent and sometimes twice daily.

In your life, are you dealing with the emotions about losing someone special or hearing about your managing their loss?

As we all continue to grapple with the passing of loved ones and friends, we need to be sympathetic and empathetic in the workplace about these emotions.  I’m not going to give tips on the best way to manage workplace situations because I’m really not qualified to do that.

This issue has been affecting me and bothering me more and more, especially because my college roommate just said good bye to both her parents.  And, I have heard of four suicides by teenagers and fathers of young children (hitting very close to home).

In the workplace, when we hear our peers have lost someone special in their life, the doors open with sorrowful messages of condolence, and the recipient is too shocked to hear. When these people return to work and act “normal,” colleagues aren’t sure what to say or whether to bring up the issue. It’s awkward.

Then, after five months or so, when it really hits home that a loved one is not coming for dinner, making a phone call, or coming to your birthday party, more of grieving occur and stress rears its head with odd workplace behavior. Depression happens. It’s one day at a time to get through the raw sadness and grief. Time heals wounds slowly.

In our workplaces, we’re not prepared for the “onslaught” of the passing of an aging population. Coworkers are not trained in sensitivity around this issue. The challenge is that everyone deals with death in their own way. Which means nothing, really. That’s a mask of an excuse because EVERYONE is grieving. It’s how they show up to others that makes one suggest we all with death differently.

As our population ages and passes, will their families in workplaces be able to work efficiently? Will there be lost productivity? Will there be greater absenteeism? Should there be temp workers standing in the wings in the event that…?

For we who are small businesses and self-employed, this issue is out of our control. We don’t dictate when someone leaves our world to continue their journey elsewhere. We also can’t control the impact that loss has on our own ability to manage productivity and deliver quality service. But knowing there is no one else to carry the ball, we will get up and go…because there is no other option.

If anyone has thoughts to share on this, please do.  I have no expectation how this topic will be received, but it’s been bothering me enough to write on.

(Post-Script: In searching for links to add herein, the author of one I selected has the same name of my dear friend I said good bye to this week. What are the odds? Rest in Peace Patricia Johnson.)

 

Is “Been There, Done That” Arrogance Or Expertise?

By

When you say “been there, done that” to a crowd of peeps, what comes to mind as a bystander? Arrogance or expertise?

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used that phrase in the past, but when I think about when and how, it’s usually in jest with someone who knows me well and also knows I’m not bragging or jockeying for position.

The blogosphere produces many arrogant people; you know who they are because you either elect to read them, or you do the eyeball roll and move on. I’ve been called arrogant before; I think it’s because that person mistakes my confidence for arrogance. Maybe they think I’m just an expert so my knowledge comes across as arrogance because that person regards themselves as slightly less confident.

There are so many of us who started our blogging journeys about the same time. Others shot to stardom quickly and made names for themselves; some are still plodding along trying to determine whether and how we want to make some dough on this thing. And, many, many are blogging without confidence.

Been there, done that! Heh.

See how easy it is to use that phrase when someone shares their trials and tribulations? Imagine how recipients feel when they hear that, especially if the delivery is done without genuine warmth.  Then it’s just plain old arrogance.

What I’m trying to say is the been-there-done-that mentality will come back to bite you in the patout when you’re least expecting it. The world is small; people talk, clients complain and gossip about one service provider over another, and reputations are made or undone.

Don’t be arrogant, people. Earn your expertise, but don’t laud your skills over others as loftier-than-thou. Having expertise and sharing the lessons  you learned whilst poking fun at your own expense are the best way to build true relationships. Getting preachy about it just doesn’t fly.

Is Pointing, Yelling Free Publicity or Just Awareness?

By

Today’s guest post comes to you from my dear colleague Shakirah Dawud, a highly prolific writer I admire greatly for her style, creativity, features (in writing), and genuine interest in provoking thought. She writes for Deliberate Ink, and you can connect with her here and here.

Shakirah Dawud Says:

This article was going to be much different than it is. I was going to name a campaign whose unscrupulosity (yes, I made the word up) totally blew my mind, the reasons it did, and raise your hackles about it as much as I could, too.

But I stopped because I wondered (as I often do about these things), when does pointing and yelling raise awareness, and when does it become the business’s use of my ire to play made-you-look?

Businesses and other public entities love publicity. They like getting in the news because people pay attention to them. Most of them prefer positive attention, but a few don’t mind negative attention one bit.

I have to make a decision: do I spread their news for them or do what I can to avoid giving them the clicks they’re seeking? More often than not, I choose the latter. If I see a need to mention it publicly, I usually limit it to an indirect reference. I don’t imagine it has much effect on the world at large, but it’s always been my policy to ignore people who do outrageous things only to get attention. I wonder if I’m alone.

My respect goes to people who speak up loudly when something untoward happens according to public record.  These people’s perspectives are bold, well reasoned, and well written as often as they are coarse emotional rants. I’ve read and written both types with gusto. But how much awareness is raised in these cases?  By the time I’ve found out about a controversial issue or event involving a business or public figure, it’s usually already a trending topic.

But my gratitude goes to people who research and provide information about the things happening right under our noses that most of us haven’t noticed–the patterns of activity, observations of interactions, and statistical trends that, as it has been famously said–“they” don’t want us to know. That’s more than adding a voice to the crowd of tsk-tskers.

As a PR professional, Jayme is an awareness raiser. I want to know–from her and from you–where the line is.

Is it futile to keep your silence on an issue you feel strongly about but refuse to provide free publicity for?

How would you raise awareness if you decide you should?

What factors do you look at when deciding to give someone or something a spotlight for your crowd to gasp and point at?

And since I have your ear, what do you think of the short-lived “Unhate” campaign?

Shakirah Dawud is the writer and editor behind Deliberate Ink. Based in Maryland with roots in New York, she’s been crafting effective marketing copy as a writer and polishing many forms of prose as an editor since 2002. Clients in many fun sizes, industries, and locations reach her through the Web.

Creative Traits Scorsese & Xerox Style

By

What are the traits of creative people? Not sure I can nail this, but I’m going to present and discuss characteristics of two people, one a Hollywood producer/director, and the other a CEO of a Fortune company. These two respected professionals come to us direct from my fave ‘zine you all know, Fast Company.

Let me introduce you to some of the personality traits of Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox and the “first African-American woman to lead a U.S.  company of Xerox’s size and influence,” according to Fast Company. Extracted directly from Fast Company, these are the words and phrases written to describe this accomplished woman:

>>She has the courage to tell you the truth in ugly times.

>>Being direct is her calling card.

>>She’s not a protocol kind of person, and is always willing to push the button herself.

>>She had an early aptitude for math; has guts and intelligence with outspokenness and keen business insights.

>>She has radical honesty she doles out, but with an overlay of Zen.

>>She has become a listener-in-chief, and she’s had to learn to temper her outspokenness with the help of good coaching.

>>Her mother influences her to this day, and Burns tells of the woman who washed and ironed clothes for money and bartered for services to provide healthcare for her three children. She says she recalls her mom as supremely confident and someone who expected great things from her kids.

You may wonder if Ms. Burns is really creative or just a #RockHot business woman. She has obvious traits that support that premise. In my earlier post this week, Thinking About Creativity, I ponder whether creativity is instinctual, innate or intelligent. With the example of Ms. Burns I’m thinking YES. (I could’ve featured Conan O’Brien here, too; another poster child for creativity.)

FROM HOLLYWOOD

Martin Scorsese is the December/January cover story for Fast Company, and upon reading half his story (How To Lead A Creative Life) he inspired this post.  After all, who else  can be labeled the most consummate creative and greatest film director ever? Interestingly, from the story on Ms. Burns it was easier to extract her exact character traits; however, this list, about someone  undoubtedly creative, is more esoteric about character. It ought to get you thinking, though.

(Again, these words and phrases are extracted directly from Fast Company.)

Martin Scorsese was interviewed on the eve of creating his first 3-D kids film, Hugo, and here are some of the things he and his colleagues were quoted as saying about him:

>>Panicked about hitting a deadline and has to tame the neurotic beast of self-doubt and frets every little detail.

>>Can’t make up his mind, still gets obsessed, still gets crazed by the same kinds of things that make any creative type nuts.

>>He’s in the business of crafting a creative life, and he adheres to a few rules:

………….Respect the past.

………….Trust your confidants, (a director’s creative process is largely collaborative) but not too much. (Important to know when a collaboration has run its course as well as when to accept criticism and when to say no.

………….Play the corporate game (Sometimes you have to give in to the system.)

………….Defy them when you must.

………….Find another outlet, or eight.

………….Give back and learn.

>>He was never interested in the accumulation of money and never had a mind for business (direct quote).

>>He is a generous mentor; a regular guy and finds something positive with everything.

If I didn’t know which list belonged to whom, I’d pick the Scorsese list for Burns and vice versa. My observation is that Scorsese adheres to a set of survival guidelines for his creativity to thrive, and Burns’s personality and character are from where she derives her creative business style.  After reading about Ms. Burns, she reminds me more of marketing or PR type (we’re often labeled as creatives).

This could be a royal stretch in futility, but it was fun — to quote my fave Aussie curmudgeon Leon Noone.

Certainly creative traits for “creative” (who says) people cannot be nicely packaged, yet there may be a common thread and I’m going to call that…(please complete this sentence…what word describes the common thread?).