As far as crisis communications go during a time like this, there are a few essentials to remember: Always rely on credible sources. Whether looking for or providing information, be sure you have information that makes you more trusted. Be honest. It’s okay to be vulnerable in this time; people will understand. Honesty will help keep rumors to a minimum and build a sense of sympathy with and from your audience. Make recommendations that matter. People need reassurance and they need to be kept from more harm. Reliable information and meaningful action can help them from doing more damage. Use experts to share information. The last thing people need is…

Perhaps the most common objection I hear when talking to entrepreneurs about sharing their passion is, “I don’t have anything to say.” False. You have a unique perspective. You have experience. You have an opinion. You have insights. You have product knowledge. You have training. You have lessons learned. You have something to say. More accurately, you don’t know how to say what you know. For that, there are countless tools, options, and solutions. To admit you have nothing to say robs the world of exactly that.

Take a moment today to find something to be thankful for for each person who crosses your path. If you’re a customer service representative, be thankful for each person who is calling: “I am thankful that I have the opportunity to help this person.” Be thankful for your co-worker, spouse, partner, trash can emptier, or construction zone flagger. In the moment, you may not realize how much they are making your life easier; a smoother commute, a clean workstation, or sharing the workload. The practice won’t take more than a moment, but the habit and impact can last a lifetime. And you may be surprised by who benefits the most.

Another day, another person offended or outraged. Does it seem like there’s much more to be offended about nowadays? I think the stems from two societal issues: 1. Everyone believes their opinion matters equally 2. Everyone has a worldwide stage to voice their opinion The problem is, not everyone’s opinion is equal. Certainly, everyone has an opinion, and that opinion is real to them. But real and equal are not the same. Not everyone gets a voice at the table. Secondly, the advancements of technology have given rise to a megaphone capable of reaching the world. I’ve talked before about the use of “Twitter outrage” to justify sweeping changes. Twitter…

Have you noticed as a soon as one controversy ends, another begins? Or perhaps it isn’t the other way around – when one controversy begins, another ends. It is no coincidence that we’re fed a never-ending supply of controversy. There are powers at work to keep you – us – distracted enough to be both incited and fatigued. Enough that you react to the highlight reel, but are too emotionally exhausted to look deeper. Our current world is based on selling attention. Ads, brand awareness, talking points, politicians, and corporations. They are very good at selling access to your attention. You are the product. Your attention – time, energy, thoughtfulness,…

Both use slight of hand to distract you from the trick. In the audience, we think we’re smart enough to spot it – but we are not. We are not well practiced, we are susceptible to human shortcomings, and we want to believe it’s real. When you find yourself believing the magic, perhaps it is time to look around and question what you saw. Because if you’re looking over here, you’re missing what happened over there.

In a mentorship or leadership position, these two words are extremely powerful. By using them, you are telegraphing to your student how they should complete a task, instead of allowing them to solve a problem, fail, or even surprise you with a new approach. Your choice in words has given them the way of doing it. Because they want to please you and earn acceptance, your way becomes their way. Instead, ask how they would. Aside: Of course, there are millions of times when the student has no choice in the matter. In that case, I would is a softer way of commanding. Context is key, intentionality is critical.

It’s believed that the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none,” is a misquote of Benjamin Franklin, who actually encouraged his readers to be a “Jack of all trades, and a master of one.” Whether or not Franklin uttered this phrase is irrelevant. The fact is that in order to be the best version of ourselves and help others through our vocations, we must do our work with excellence. And we can’t do our most excellent work until we discern our purpose – that which we have been created to do exceptionally well, and then, once we’ve found it, focus on becoming a master of that craft. What are…

A legitimate question came in over the weekend: “What is the worst marketing strategy?” In short: spending your resources to get your product in front of the wrong audience. You may be surprised to learn how often this happens- usually unintentionally, and unknowingly. If you’re spending time, effort, or money to get your product/service/widget in front of someone, make sure they are the right someone.

It’s reasonable to want to use social media to spread a message or promote an idea. In the early days of social, before the notions were conceived and expectations set, it was acceptable to just “put it on social media.” It was almost an afterthought. It was a catch all that received very little intentionality. Now, just “putting it on social media” – without crafting the intent – cheapens the platform, the audience, and the message. We would never mindlessly “put it on a presentation” or “put it on TV”, we would operate with the utmost concern for our cause. Social media can be casual, but it can not be…

There is no shortage in the news about “a tech company that…” Redfin is a tech company that sells real estate. NIKE is pining to be a tech company that sells shoes. Starbucks is a tech company that sells coffee. WeWork is a tech company that leases office space. McDonald’s is a tech company that serves hamburgers. In a world full of “tech companies that….”, be a human company first.

Aside from the standard advice of how to overcome stage fright, you know the kind: Picture your audience naked (terrible advice)… Rehearse your presentation… Don’t think about what can go wrong… There is one piece of advice that I rarely hear taught, but is perhaps the most powerful way of overcoming your fear of public speaking. Fear of Public Speaking Jerry Seinfeld says, “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” The best…

What is causing you particular anxiety? With the never-ending deadlines, emergencies, lists, To Dos, inconveniences, overflowing inbox, and the like, it is easy to lose perspective on the big picture. The big picture being a month, or year, or 5 years from now. How does today’s “emergency” get you closer to the goal one year from now? Does it even matter? Maybe we should triage our emergencies based on our one-year plan?

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. Harry Truman Most people who crave credit do so out of fear or insecurity. When we operate from an attitude of scarcity, rather than an attitude of abundance, credit becomes our currency. In fact, it becomes a diminishing currency because we must work exponentially harder for it to maintain its value. Whereas, when we intentionally dole out credit – flipping the equation – we actually become more well off since we are viewed more favorably by others (since we are handing out credit), our own attitude becomes others-focused, and we have the benefit of…

We’ve probably all operated a business during tough financial times. In those times, it’s tempting to say yes to projects or clients because of the potential income it may generate. But at what cost? Not all projects will align with the values you have for yourself or your brand. Not all projects will have the pay-off of something you can point to and say, “I did that.” Being proud of your work means it is congruent with what you stand for, not just the dollar signs.

The trend in today’s media is short, snappy, bite-sized bits of information. I think it started with the 140-character Tweets by then, Twttr. Vine (eventually bought and killed by Twitter) raised (or lowerd…?) the bar with looping videos capped at 6 seconds; TikTok limits videos at 15 seconds; investment platform, Robinhood sends out their “Snacks” newsletter; and news media breathlessly interrupts with 10-second “breaking news” segments. These are all designed for “people on the go” – who need to know what’s going on now and don’t have time for the fluff. But so much context lives in the unspoken. Ties are made and dots are connected. The argument I hear…

I recently tried to unsubscribe from Marriott’s email newsletter and promotional list. When I first clicked on “UNSUBSCRIBE”, the generic form forced me to re-enter my email address before unsubscribing (huge annoyance of mine). Next, it showed an a error telling me I could not unsubscribe from their digital mailings online. Instead, I was directed to contact them using their Contact Us page. Not only is this a violation of the CANN-SPAM law here in the United States, it creates such a hellacious experience for the user. Aim to make it as easy for your customer to leave as it is to join. Many of us don’t want to think…

Doing 1 push-up Drinking 1 glass of water Paying $1 towards debt Reading 1 page Publishing 1 blog Making 1 sale Deleting 1 old contact Taking 1 photo Donating 1 unused item Walking 1 lap Asking for 1 referral Attending 1 event Start today. Repeat tomorrow.

Take a moment today to find something to be thankful for for each person who crosses your path. If you’re a customer service representative, be thankful for each person who is calling: “thank you that I have the opportunity to help this person.” Be thankful for your co-worker, spouse, partner, trash can emptier, or construction zone flagger. In the moment, you may not realize how much they are making your life easier; a smoother commute, a clean workstation, or sharing the workload. The practice won’t take but a second, but the habit and impact can last a lifetime. And you may be surprised by who benefits the most.

What are you passionate about doing? What is keeping you from doing that? In an age where everything is instant, and distractions use powerful psychology against us, it is imperative that we are intentional about our attention. Whether you want to write a book, launch a business, or just fold the laundry, take a hard look at what is distracting you from moving forward with your goal. Don’t let the meaningless replace the meaningful. Take control and starve that distraction. Your purpose is much bigger than some may have you to believe. 

It said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. I think that could be expanded to include doing the same thing over and over, but not looking for a way to do it more efficiently. Have you ever found yourself repeating a process over and over? Especially at work? Recently, I realized that I was repeatedly doing a task which required 3 to 4 hours each iteration. In truth, much of the content created in those precious hours were boilerplate. Yet it took me years to realize that I could create a mega-template that would satisfy the needs of those who…

Having a connection is critical to the success of the reputation lending and borrowing economy. According to Stoute, “shared values are a critical part of how these things create new reputational capital. Whenever you try to do things without shared values, it does not work; the public sees it, but it looks like money is driving everything. When reputation borrowing or lending takes place, it only works when the impression created is that no money is being exchanged. People have to believe that it is being done with Goodwill, that it is being done for the right reasons, and not because of commerce.” The Reputation Game by David Waller Rupert…

There’s an important distinction between the news and tabloids. Ideally, one is made up of facts and substantiated evidence while the other is created entirely for entertainment value. Perusing through today’s headlines, it is difficult to discern what is fact and what is fiction. Modern headlines are specifically designed to elicit an emotional response and nothing else. …except perhaps a click. The strategically worded headlines of today’s media exist only to cause a response and strengthen the confirmation bias. It is not meant to inform, educate, to provide well-balanced discussion. When we get our news from such thin sources – often the headlines alone – it is easy to believe…

Each day, I run into people with unique experiences and expertise. At first thought, it may be hard to think of a topic or two that you have an expertise in, but I promise you: each of us possesses in-depth knowledge that others wish they had. Once you can accept that, you must then overcome a falsehood called “imposter syndrome”. We all have a fear of being seen as a fraud or outed as an imposter. But When we realize that each human battles this to a degree, we can take control of this misleading belief. Who can be made better by hearing your story? Who can hit their goals…

There’s a careful balance between being paralyzed by analysis and counting the cost before moving forward. General George S. Patton Jr. said, “A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.” How true in our lives. Certainly, it is wise to know the cost of the journey before we embark. However, when we allow the analysis phase to hold us back, we often end up taking no action at all. Be wise. Count the cost. But also choose to move forward. Taking action will reveal options that analysis will never find. What are you paralyzed by? What are you allowing to hold you back as…

Are you overwhelmed? Overwhelmed as in too many choices. Too many checkboxes on the to do list. Too many emails awaiting your response. Too many priorities begging for your attention. Today I was struck with the conceptual antonym of being overwhelmed. When framed differently, consider that you’re actually blessed with choice. Imagine how many others are working hard right now to be in your exact position. Instead of viewing “too much” as a negative, consider that you are experiencing an abundance. How can you adjust your perspective to see the blessing before you? Now, instead of being overwhelmed, you can proactively choose which path to pursue.