“Playing with the media is a game you can’t afford to lose. At worst, your reputation’s at stake. At best, you forfeit a chance to build important relationships which can benefit you, your firm, and your clients. Reporters may make the rules, but media training helps you learn to play the game to your advantage.” …

Let me start with who you shouldn’t hire: your buddy, someone who’s been “active” in the community, a “popular” person, or someone who just got out of banking or marketing. Dismiss all the thoughts/suggestions that first come to mind. This is serious stuff. The best directors of development are those who have served in various …

The Wall Street Journal Online recently published an article entitled "Ten Things Human Resources Won't Tell You." The ten things mentioned seemed to run the gamut of topics from the dangers of being fired by postings on social media to stating that the HR is not the employee advocate.

What About “Big Names”? Many Board members believe that adding a very prominent person to the Board will bring great prestige and credibility to the Board. They believe that funders and other organizations will take those Boards much more seriously. Often, that’s a big mistake. Rarely do those famous people ever show up to the …

Peter Block, in his book, Flawless Consulting, suggests that certain goals and assumptions always be primary for consultants, that is, for individuals working to help people, but not having authority over those people. He suggests the following goals and assumptions. Primary Working Goals of Consultants 1. Establish a collaborative relationship with your clients As a …

As opposed to offering opinions without having all of the background and knowledge, I thought it might be more helpful to start a discussion about the questions: Many people have written that Toyota’s problem was that it sacrificed a core value of safety for profit. To frame the issue this generally is to miss the …

1. Be clear on your objective: Most coaches have an area of expertise such as: career, entrepreneurs, life, executives, financial, or branding. Match your goal with the coach’s expertise. Ask the coach about their limitations –do they coach clients with your needs? 2. What are the coach’s qualifications? Is the coach certified and by what …

Is the learning process is valued in our organization? What constitutes a learning environment? How do we know whether or not our efforts to learn are valued in our company? Some corporations such as Steel Case in Grand Rapids, Michigan make the value on learning obvious, they have a large learning department at their headquarters …

The center of the flower provides an offering of nectar for the bees to use. This nectar gives life to other plants. Similarly, we make contributions to the well being of others and the world at large through our service. When we work spiritually we provide our gifts as an offering so that we make …

Crisis: an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs whose outcome will make a decisive difference for better or worse (Webster’s New Collegiate). How many public relations spokespersons does your company have? The correct answer is, “as many employees as we have.” Sure, any organization can and should have a policy whereby only certain …