Measuring Up

Empathy should be word #1 in corporate America

I'm still amazed when I see how badly some companies screw up public announcements surrounding layoffs. It  really isn't that hard to understand how to play this game (even if the corporate leaders really don't give a damn.)

To me, everything, from the decisions being made, to the communications delivered, should be executed with one key word in mind– empathy. Defined as: the ability to share in another's thoughts, emotions and feelings. This basic, yet critically important way of thinking is missing in so many parts of our business world today. For employees living in these horrifying times, it simply means identifying with the fear/pain they are going through, showing that you are human and care about the poor souls who are being let go. And, then act responsibly by at least communicating the right thoughts/feelings or actions.

I think that The Gannett Company really blew it earlier this week. Sorry to pick on Gannett, but this is a great case in point that proves my thesis. This large media company made another round of employee cuts. That's kind of par for the course in the media world these days. But, the real shocker is that its management decided to cut severance pay for the first time ever. And, that is both big news and an incredibly scary reality for many reporters who were laid off after spending five, eight or 15 years at the company.

Gannett tried to communicate that the severance pay program is merely being substituted for another alternative compensation one called “supplemental employment benefits." The problem is that it's very confusing and complex because with this program the company shifts the burden of having to outlay severance $$$ to state unemployment programs. And, those terminated employees have no idea what their package will be until they fill out unemployment documents and then wait to better understand how the system actually works.

Gannett's core message on this is that most (or many) employees will actually end up receiving close to as much as they would have in a real severance package. But, according to some experts who are quoted in this New York Times article (As It Cuts Jobs, Gannett Also Cuts Severance Pay,) that isn't entirely true and some vulnerable people could actually receive next to nothing.

The main problem here is that this transitional program is incredibly complex and hard to understand (for readers and employees) and Gannett does a simply terrible job of demystifying it and offering any real empathetic stance towards those people who were once loyal employees. The kicker for me is this statement from the company's spokesperson which comes across as clueless and completely uncaring. It reads, "The 1,400 people laid off this month should not think of the program as severance. The purpose of this is to supplement your unemployment while you're getting a job. It's a transitional pay, not severance."

Well... duh. It's obviously not severance. But, when you first read the quote, it comes across as corporate speak, almost non-understandable. And, certainly uncaring. Then, after I read it a few times, I realized that she is saying that while we're ripping any severance you used to be entitled to out of your hands, we are providing a real transitional benefit to you in other ways as you naturally move into that next career job that is (of course) waiting right around the corner. I think the true meaning behind the quote (if I understand it) is actually more insulting and less compassionate than I initially thought (i.e. don't insult these former employees by making it seem that any type of job is going to be easy to find right now.)

By the way, I did a quick blogosphere check. Not surprising, there are hundreds of mad conversations taking place about how poorly Gannett handled this situation.

A very smart client of ours named Dev Patnaik from Jump Associates authored a great book called Wired to Care. Dev spends his life helping companies become more empathetic to their customers, employees and other key audiences. The results are amazing because it allows them to live for an hour, day or ongoing in those audiences shoes and to truly feel their pain and needs. One opening true story from the book focuses on a design manager from a company that makes ambulatory products for seniors. The company's sales weren't doing well because the products just weren't hitting the mark. So, this manager decided to do something pretty amazing. For a week, she became a very old person living in New York City. Meaning – she not only dressed like a 78 year-old woman (wig, shoes, clothes, etc.), but also decided to go the extra mile by wearing the strongest bi-focal glasses (for poor vision), braces on her legs (so she would have trouble even moving around) and fake dentures (just to top it off in feeling every bit of pain.) Her transformation was amazing. More importantly, a week of trying to ride the bus, hail down taxis, or even just walk down the street, made her truly understand how this type of senior lived, what minute to minute problems existed (like how to even climb stairs) and how other people either ignored or somewhat discriminated against her because of her advanced age.

The net/net of this experience was that this designer was able to help make much more effective and relevant products for her audience because she lived in the most empathetic way possible to understand it.

While I'm not advocating that companies need to go this far, it is clearly time for the Gannett's of the world to change the way they think and act and starting showing more consistent empathy or it will greatly impact their ongoing reputation and business success in the future.

The comma and those three letters mean nothing to me

John Smith, APR. Over 5,000 public relations practitioners are Accredited Public Relations professionals who use this moniker (highlighted in red) after their name and title. According to the PRSA, APR means that these professionals take a variety of courses, tests and workshops to ensure that they have the knowledge, skills and abilities to practice PR effectively in today’s business arena. My partner recently wrote on his blog that this accreditation isn’t worth a dime in today’s fast shifting marketplace. (I think he actually used the word bogus.) I completely agree.

Many practitioners wear their APR credential like a badge of honor. I see this when meeting my peers at networking functions and never really understood it. OK, I’m sure the path to accreditation offers some value through understanding important tools to leverage in public relations programs and by becoming acutely aware of certain set of guidelines (mostly ethical) that practitioners should follow. But, as my partner flatly stated, there isn’t an accredited program today that prepares PR professionals with the instinctual savvy that is so needed to operate and counsel clients in our new era of social media. Sorry, but APR is no different.

I decided to conduct a little research to better understand what practitioners actually learn as they are working to become accredited. So, I went to the PRSA site. There, I listened to a variety of Podcasts from accredited folks on the value they derived. One woman enthusiastically discussed how she excelled at developing important processes focused on campaign development and implementation. She talked about the necessity of pre-planning for (as an example) promotions with everything from proper research of target audiences and venues to budget criteria. She claims that her accreditation was critical to mastering this. Great. Awesome.  Except, we have a half a dozen professionals in our special events/promotions group (Peppercommotions) who have nothing to do with being APR accredited and can do this stuff in their sleep. And, they do it really well.

My point:  I’ve met hundreds of the most talented PR professionals out there who aren’t APR accredited. Should they be looked at as being only partially qualified because of this? On the same note, I’ve had the fortune of meeting a variety of APR professionals who are really good at what they do. And, of course, have met a few APR dopes throughout the years as well.

I have two major problems with accredited programs like APR in the public relations world. The first is that I truly believe 90-95 percent of what we do is learned through hands on, real life experience. A smart young account executive will find the most talented boss or mentor out there and grow though complete osmosis (that is watching, discovering and learning everything possible that a mentor does from client counseling to writing to strategic planning). While APR can offer great rules of thumb, theories and process tools, its real value is minimal in our world because everything is so focused on just getting that experience.

Sorry to be so blunt, but my second beef with APR is that no one cares. Let me restate that. Of course, those accredited APR people care. But, outside of that, clients, prospects, business people, Wall Street, high level governmental professionals, media, etc., etc., etc… can’t be bothered with it. And, I know that because no one (and I mean no one) has ever asked the question to me or my management team– are you APR accredited?

And, why is that? I think it’s because the main concern is always focused on what real experience do we have? Based on that experience, how smart and creative can we be? And, can we deliver on those results we agreed to based on having done it before for others? I really don’t see APR playing a key role with any of these needs.

I believe that once upon a time, our leaders felt it was critical to create real rules and ethics to live by so that the public relations field would be seen as a professional, respected industry. That is still important. But, I question whether APR or any other accredited badge of honor is needed (and more importantly) can maintain a PR person’s relevance in today’s incredibly fast changing world.

Tired of being sleepy?

The sleep industry is making a fortune. And, a big reason why is because it’s done a masterful job of bombarding us with information about how we Americans are sleeping less and less… and the harmful effects that this deprivation is causing.

Think about it. When’s the last time you read or watched something that went like this? “According to a new study, about half of all Americans don’t get the recommended amount of sleep now. Experts feel that an inadequate amount of sleep can lead to higher blood pressure, much greater stress and even diabetes…” I feel like I’m seeing this type of news/content daily these days.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure many of these studies are right. Americans (overall) are sleeping less. I know because I was one of them (knock on wood). And why are we sleeping less? According to the random Yahoo search I just did, we’re facing much more stress on the job, have less time to do things, a ton of new stimulus is keeping us awake and a variety of other things. It’s all created much groggier, crankier people who are less productive and most likely have more health issues.

But, man this industry is smart (over $110 billion dollars worth of smarts.) There are thousands of psychological specialists, pill manufacturers, consumer tea, elixir and syrup makers, self-help book and CD writers, sound machine distributors, mouth piece distributors, etc., etc., etc., who sell their “solutions” to make us sleep better by feeding on our misery. They understand our pain and create every product and service imaginable to treat our growing anxiety. And, some of them receive the most credible endorsements out there. Take this article in The New York Times from last Friday. Reporter David Pogue offers a ringing endorsement for this new-fangled product known as the Zeo sleep monitor. The device is meant to help any user form good sleeping habits. From what I understand, the product is kind of an alarm clock connected to an elastic headband (which you’re supposed to wear to bed each night.) At the center, resting against your skin of your forehead, there’s a little transmitter pod which measures your brainwaves all night long. These waves are transmitted to this technologically advanced alarm clock as well. The purpose of all this is so when you wake, a screen comes to life which shows how well you slept during various periods and an alarm can be set to zing you slightly, or can completely wake you up at problematic times during light and deep sleep which can lead to grogginess. Wow, that’s different. Oh, by the way. The cost is $400.

So, what’s my point?

We’re tired of not sleeping (sorry for the pun) and because of this, we’re also jumping at any new solution that can possibly become our instant cure. I know because that was my life for a good 2-3 years. The problem is that 95 percent of these magic solutions (including the Zeo sleep monitor, I bet) just don’t work.

I’m not saying they aren’t good products. The problem is that most Americans don’t even really understand what their problem is. That’s because they are never diagnosed properly. And, that’s why their monthly shopping bill for sleep aids keeps getting higher.

After struggling with so many frustrating panaceas, I finally decided to undergo a real sleep test at a credible sleep center. One incredibly uncomfortable night produced a surprising diagnosis– I have minor sleep apnea. What’s interesting is that over 1 million people also have this and at least half of them don’t even know it. No pill, medicine or psychologist can help sleep apnea sufferers sleep. But, it is very treatable. And, I sleep just fine now.

I think that if more people had the time and patience to actually understand why they aren’t sleeping, prior to purchasing almost anything that might provide relief (largely driven by all the successful marketing from the sleep industry), they’d most certainly be sleeping a whole lot better.

Twitter’s been unmercifully exposed… but is it all bad?

For those of you who haven’t been following this story, it’s a wild one. Seems that digital phenomenon Twitter  was recently hacked into in the worst of ways. Some thief who goes by the name ‘Hacker Croll’ found the easiest way to break into the email accounts of Twitter employees, including co-founder Evan Williams. It seems that Croll didn’t even have to work too hard to do this. No, all he did was guess or figure out new passwords as they were reset and… viola… he was in.

The damage that incurred is simply scary. Many of the company’s most sensitive business strategy/finance/competitive approaches documents were stolen and the popular tech blog/quasi media outlet TechCrunch decided to actually focus on two of them in this article.

Reading through this article is a bone chilling experience. Twitter’s business strategy and some of its deepest secretive deliberations and possible next moves are simply laid out for anyone to see. These include: How it plans to compete and/or partner with Google moving forward, real details on its goals and strategies (i.e. should it get into the licensing content game,) how it plans to deal with any possible identity crisis (not sure I get that one, but planning for this is certainly smart,) it’s acquisition strategy (according to rough notes, it has no intention of being acquired,) what it’s financial goals are (reaching $4 million by end of year,) how RSS is the enemy and what it intends to do about it, etc., etc. etc. I think you get the point.

There are many different story angles that I could pursue through this post. For starters, how ethical was it for TechCrunch to exploit Twitter’s misery by publishing all of these very confidential approaches to attack the market? Some would say that this is fair game. Even though Twitter was victimized by a theft, once the media/bloggers obtain something, it’s in their purview to report on it. Others would question the tactic since this had nothing to do with documents being leaked by an employee or someone just being careless at the company. No, they were stolen. My feeling is that (because of the special circumstances surrounding the release of this information) TechCrunch should have backed off. Of course, some other ambitious Woodward/Bernstein wannabe media outlet or blogger would have just picked up on what TechCrunch passed on. So, this issue really doesn’t matter.

We could discuss the technology ramifications behind what happened. I certainly am not knowledgeable enough to offer any views on what security platforms should have been used by these executives to ensure greater safety within their accounts. But, it does seem like the company didn’t take a whole lot of much needed precautions by allowing a hacker to break in so easily by just obtaining new passwords.

Then there’s the topic that I’d like to focus on… which I find most interesting. As I read through the excruciating details of Twitter’s thinking on so many key business and reputational issues, I cringed thinking about how the company will clearly lose a step in its competitive race to maintain dominance on the Internet because so much of what it plans to do next will be reacted to and mitigated. But, I also got to see how this global tech phenomenon thinks. And, it’s pretty damn impressive.

Many companies in Twitter’s enviable position would be more than happy to simply focus on how to maintain their current status. (I would refer to that as being complacent.) Not Twitter. Its executives are clearly thinking about hundreds of ways to move this organization (and what it offers) into the next stratosphere. From finding ways to capture even more market share, to fending off enemies, to developing various types of strategies to deal with the other Web giants (i.e. Google and Facebook,) Twitter has clearly created a fast moving, incredibly strategic, ‘what’s next’ culture that is made to compete and won’t accept anything less than success. (Just review the notes from so many of the strategy meetings laid out in TechCrunch and you can see that.)

So, while the company might feel like it is standing in front of the world, naked right now, there are also thousands of followers who are that much more impressed with its business savoir faire and who now recognize what a special organization it is.

And then, there’s one last (but important) positive here. Not all bad publicity is actually bad publicity. Yes, Twitter feels foolish. But, through this major incident it also continues to remain top of mind for millions because of the all publicity and viral chatter that surrounds it. Everyone was talking about Twitter before. And, the masses certainly won’t stop now.

Find your silver lining today

They are certainly hard to find. But I believe if one looks hard enough, it becomes clear that some positive benefits can be derived even (or especially) in these tough times.

One that I wrote about a few weeks back is how inexpensive commercial office leases have become. Actually, if you’re looking to buy any real estate now (that is if you have any available cash and a strong stomach,) most would agree that today’s market is tremendously appealing.

Another positive occurrence is that most days traffic driving in and out of New York City is about 50 percent less congested. This makes me happy (as I drive 2-3 times a week). And I do feel bad (occasionally) that I’m only experiencing this reality because well over half a million City jobs have been terminated. While those might be viewed as more ‘run of the mill’ advantages, here’s one that I’ve been thinking about for a while that isn’t so obvious.

I believe that this current climate will create important beneficial advantages for those college students who have just graduated. What did you just say? You think I’m crazy? Ok, that’s a valid initial response. But, hear me out on this one a little before you completely disagree.

My theory is that these kids will need to work that much harder, think so much smarter and do whatever it takes to nail down their first jobs now. And, those who can’t… well many of them will need to eat a slice of humble pie. That is, those without incredibly affluent parents supporting them will need to find any job now to pay their bills. That could mean using a four year degree from a top-20 university to flip burgers at McDonalds, wait tables at Fridays, or be a clerk at the Gap.

The old cliché “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is one of the best I’ve ever heard.  Most college grads have never faced today’s challenges before. Finding ways to live and deal with this economy will create a new resolve that they never knew even existed. Those who are actually strong/fortunate/savvy enough to land the job they want, will build real character that would never have come about when times were good (as they will be again in the future.)

I graduated 20 years ago in a time when the economy had also hit a brick wall. (Remember junk bonds?) No one ever wants to hear the annoying line from older generations that goes something like this: “Back in my day, we had to walk 11 miles in the snow just to get to school every winter.” That’s because those generations often use it to demonstrate just how bad things were and just how much it took to overcome the odds. I promise not to do that here. But, I will state that learning to find one’s way, under the most uncertain and often anxious conditions, can truly be a blessing in disguise.

Back then, we didn’t have the Internet to help us network and find people who knew people who could help. Instead, it was all focused on first understanding and then packaging any thread-like, tiny point of difference that could separate your resume and then (if lucky enough) interview from the pack. In my case, I hand delivered resumes to all the NYC agencies. I was told that deliveries were put in a separate pile than regular mail. I really had no clue if it would work… but figured it was worth a try. So, after delivering about 100 resumes across the city in about a day and a half, I waited. Thirty six hours later that one call came in which provided me with the competitive interview I longed for. To be honest, I’m not really sure what set me apart (from the four other candidates) in the interview to win me my first job (it certainly wasn’t the $199 JC Penny suit that hung off my body). But, as they say…”the rest is history.” And, I was on my way.

Life isn’t easy. And, it certainly isn’t fair. I think that 20 years from now, a host of today’s college graduates will look back at this point in time as being a defining moment for them, when they learned to fight through tough odds and persevere. I know that most will learn to appreciate the good, “easy” times that much more as well.

Michael, A foreign affair

It's official. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is seriously weighing a 1,500 word resolution in Michael Jackson's honor.

Why is this something that the Foreign Affairs Committee should possibly care about? Perhaps it’s because the resolution calls Jackson a "global" humanitarian. The resolution was introduced by Republican Lee of Texas. It praises the entertainer's many charitable activities that took place throughout his life. It states: Resolution Number 600-- honoring an American legend and musical icon.

Clearly, people tend to get carried away when someone famous dies. And, this resolution seems a tad over the top. But, this seems to be par for the course for Michael. I just heard this morning that a grassroots effort in Jacksonville, Florida is now underway to rename the city after the fallen pop star.

The media have also covered Michael's sad story (in both positive and negative ways) nonstop on a 24/7 basis for two solid weeks.

All of this has led to countless blogs, emails and just plain conversations from many that they are sick and tired of being forced to watch this story everywhere. I've heard some rant a few days back that after a week of coverage, no one cares any more. And, others grumble they are simply annoyed that this entertainer's death should receive the same CNN-like headlines as "more important" real stories like the Iran election battles, American journalist abductions in North Korean and our President's diplomatic discussions in Russia.

I don't disagree with any of this. But, on the other hand, I'm kind of surprised that so many people can't understand why news about the Prince of Pop has reached epic proportions.

Our culture has always been obsessed with celebrities and especially entertainers. And, that will never change. Some might claim that this is a chicken and egg question. (Which came first?) They believe the Jackson feeding frenzy is happening simply because the media won't stop reporting on it. Thus, the public are forced to consume it. On this topic, I tend to disagree. According to Nielson Media Research, over 31 million viewers watched Jackson's funeral on TV (and the Staples Center was completely sold out as well) and CNN.com served out 4.4 million video streams to a ravenous public who simply could not get enough of this story’s details.

Michael's ratings drew more views than two Presidents' memorial services (Reagan and Ford) and came in a close second to another beloved celebrity like figure years back (Princess Diana) who had 33 million people watching.

The bottom line is that after Elvis and The Beatles, Michael Jackson might be the next most influential rock/pop icon ever. The deaths of both Elvis and John Lennon incurred tremendous public interest also. And, I'm sure if either had passed away in today's age, we'd be experiencing similar 24/7 obsessions across the globe as well.

Entertainers create controversy. The media love to cover all of it. And, we consumers eat it up. Call it crazy. But, all this craziness surrounding Michael Jackson's posthumous interest seems very normal to me.

It will start to slowly fade away. My suggestion to all those people who are pulling their hair out-- turn it off whenever you can and just tune out all the time. But, stop fighting it. This is a continuing big global news story because our international society wants it. Whether you like it or not, that simply won't change.

"Perfect time" to start a business?

In this MSN story, a serial entrepreneur espouses the belief that right now is actually the perfect time to start a business. You can read Mr. Hoffman’s rationale through this link. There is no doubt that, with so many executives out of jobs, and, with so much supply and little demand today, becoming a self employed entrepreneur is a very logical decision. But, to create a business that can hold its own in this economy, or be sustainable over time, shouldn’t be taken lightly.

I agree with a few of his points (which I’ll discuss here). But, mostly, I think his belief in the fact that most anybody should and can “follow his/her dreams” to become a successful entrepreneur is a bit naïve and not always realistic.

Let’s talk about why some of Mr. Hoffman’s points make sense first. Yes, the cost of doing business (often referred to as overhead) is as cheap as ever right now. Whether it be office rent, supplies, travel or even paying other employee/freelancer salaries, a newly minted business can be assured of demanding very low costs, if strategically handled. This can play a large factor in being able to go months without needing to churn in serious sales or revenues at the onset of the venture. That creates real time and opportunity for an entrepreneur to create the right product/service or business and sales strategy to address the marketplace.

Looking at this from the lens of the marketing services industry, the other clear positive that I see is that corporations (or, in this case, marketers) are trying to keep all their costs down. Why is that good? Well, it isn’t necessarily positive for established agencies that also have firmly established rates and fees. But, for a one-, two- or three-person consultancy willing to do a lot of work for a greatly reduced rate in an incredibly flexible way, there are lots of opportunities.

As a matter of fact, I’ve probably met with 10 different former corporate communications/marketing executives over the last few months. Each is seriously looking for his/her next corporate gig. My advice to most was that they should think of temporarily hanging their own shingle out for a while until the market comes back. The most talented ones will certainly find a variety of short-term strategic and/or tactical projects from the very type of large and small corporations they used to work for. These companies need smart consultants who can do highly skilled work at cut-rate prices. And, that’s just what they can get now.

The last point that I agree with Mr. Hoffman on is that each entrepreneur needs to seriously think long and hard about what prospect/client problem is being solved with this new business. That’s where I believe we might start to disagree as well because figuring out what the marketplace pain is the first time isn’t typically too hard (as a matter of fact, it often smacks young entrepreneurs right in the face, as they experienced the pain firsthand in their corporate jobs). What is exceptionally arduous, though, is understanding how to package one’s offering around that problem or pain point, as well as figuring out how a no-name entity with zero credibility will market itself, build a brand and convince potential employees and prospects to come aboard, all while learning how to operate and handle cash flow/financial issues that need a high degree of attention.