All in Communications
Episode 24 of the podcast is now available and this month, I share stories from my life in Management Consulting, where I spent a decade prior to my entrepreneurial journey. And some of my most interesting lessons from that time had nothing to do with the work and everything to do with people.
We’re in an age of division. Everything seems to be either one side or the other. Red or blue. Black or white. With us or against us. You can’t read or listen to the news without hearing about it.
But while the social and political divisions in our discourse feel so much more pronounced these days, the fact is that this type of ‘one or the other’ mindset has been there all along, not least in our economic and personal lives.
If you ask me for my opinion on a particular topic, I like to think I’m level headed enough to tell you if I have a perspective worth sharing or not. If I don’t know much about the subject, it doesn’t bother me to say I’m not up to speed, or it’s not really my area of expertise.
And the reason I do that is because I recognize - and am quite comfortable with the fact - that I don’t know everything. (Hard to believe, I know.)
Episode 23 of the podcast is now available and this month, I share stories from my life in Management Consulting, where I spent a decade prior to my entrepreneurial journey. And some of my most interesting lessons from that time had nothing to do with the work and everything to do with people.
The word “partnership” is used quite liberally these days, across just about all aspects of our lives - from the personal to the professional, whether we’re talking about our relationships, about our work colleagues or our suppliers and customers.
But what do we really mean, in any of these contexts, when we use that term?
Episode 22 is now available and this episode wraps up our discussion about Marketing and Sales - specifically, how we casually use terms such as "marketing bullshit" and why that points to a deeper, underlying problem within the company.
Episode 21 of the podcast is out now and continues this month’s focus on Sales and Marketing.
Today, we discuss the need to engage and entertain your customers, who have a plethora of options and access, and are forcing marketers to rethink how they attract customers.
Episode 20 of the podcast is now available and today’s episode focuses on the importance of standing your ground when working with a customer. We like to say that the customer is always right, but sometimes, a little tough love goes a long way, even if it puts us at commercial risk.
Those Marketing folks - what do they do?
Why do we need to hire another marketing person?
Is it really necessary to spend that on Marketing?
You see it time and time again - organizations have this funny relationship and view of Marketing.
We love the mystique that Apple has built around its business and think it’s entirely down to its products.
Episode 19 of the podcast is now available and this episode kicks off this month's focus on Sales and Marketing - subjects that are both loved and hated.
In case you haven’t guessed already, the title of this post is clickbait. It’s meant to draw you, the reader, in and make you read this post. And if I’ve done my job right, the post will expand on and explain the title in a useful and compelling way.
But of course, the internet being what it is (one that’s rewarded for clicks and hits), such titles get used to excess and don’t always deliver on their promise.
Episode 13 of the podcast is now available and today’s podcast wraps up this month’s focus on communications. In this episode, I talk about the secret to great communications - not saying anything.
The thing about giving advice is that it’s super easy to do at a distance. You can look at the options in a cold and calculated fashion, weigh up the pros and cons, and make definite judgements about the right path forward.
We see this firsthand in any education forum - specifically, business schools like those I studied at - where the case method is utilized. You study a specific situation, whether it’s related to people, strategy, operations, etc. You analyze the variables based on the information available. And then you make a logical, rational decision on what it takes to solve the specific problem at hand. Easy stuff.
Episode 12 continues this month's focus on the art of Communication, a subject that's integral to our ability to succeed in just about anything we do. In this episode, I talk about the importance of intent in our communications.
Episode 11 of the podcast is now available and continues our exploration of the art of Communication, a subject that's integral to our ability to succeed in just about anything we do. In this episode, I share the age old story of The Curate's Egg and what it tells us about being upfront in our communications.
It’s amazing to me that the one subject that has had the most influence on our ability to get anything done in business (and, frankly, personal) life is also the one that is given the least attention (relatively) at Business School: working with people.
Don’t get me wrong - it’s not as if there isn’t any acknowledgement that it’s critical (there is) or that Professors don’t speak to its importance (they do).
Episode 10 of the podcast is now available and this episode kicks off this month's focus on the art of Communication, a subject that's integral to our ability to succeed in just about anything we do.
Conversations about great company cultures are almost always accompanied by talk of nice offices with modern conveniences, bring-your-pet-to-work days, free food and more. In fact, read about the latest hot startup, and modern media (conventional or otherwise) will be abuzz with stories about the lengths these companies are going to for their employees (from no dress code to unlimited vacations to relaxation pods).
It’s not surprising then that these ideas become comingled: that amazing work culture goes hand in hand with these kinds of tangible amenities.
Episode 7 of the podcast is out now, and in this episode, I close out this month's focus on "Story" and its role in our lives. I talk about how we use stories to define who we are and what we do and how we can begin tell ourselves better stories to change who we are.
Episode 8 of the podcast is now available and, in this episode, I continue the exploration of Story in our lives, again diving into Donald Miller's phenomenal book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. I discuss character, sacrifice and what stories we should aspire to leave behind when we're gone.
