I recently met with a young man who, on the recommendation of a mutual friend, asked if we could get together to talk.
“I dread getting up every morning to go to work, and every evening I come home drained and exhausted," he said. What should I do?”
For those of you in the United States I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday and that you had plenty of time to spend enjoying your loved ones. We spent the week in Phoenix where we enjoyed time with terrific family and friends. I planned on doing my newsletter over the holiday but had too much fun doing little things with my wife and kids. Precious times indeed.
The United States and the rest of the world has been watching the Presidential election with a wide range of emotions including fear, excitement, uncertainty, angst, and wonder. History was made with the election of Barack Obama. Many were elated, many were disappointed. Regardless of political affiliation, my faith tells me to respect the authority of our leaders and to pray for them. President-elect Obama has many challenges facing him and he deserves our respect as leader and commander in chief.
What is reality? Marketers and consumers coexist in a complicated, two-way relationship. It’s often hard to tell where marketing efforts leave off and “the real world” begins. One result of these blurred boundaries is that we are no longer sure where the line that separates this fabricated world from reality begins and ends. Will consumers pay to live in a brand-free environment?
Wow, what times we live in now. As I write this the United States Legislature is about to embark upon the most significant financial bailout of Wall Street in world history. Companies thought to be bullet-proof are now no longer in existence. FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) is prevalent amongst businesses large and small today.
Computer mediated environments like Second Life are not only a new marketing opportunity for corporations, but also a new horizon for educators, policymakers, and non-profits. Do the promises of these virtual worlds outweigh the pitfalls?
Have you ever tried to get someone to do something he or she didn’t want to do? Did you try explaining all the mutual benefits, good reasons, rationale, win/win outcomes, and still get nowhere? Did it leave you wondering what went wrong?
The answer might lie in motivation.
It happens all the time: the outstanding worker promoted to management, the star performer as leader. Maybe it’s happened to you, or to someone you know. Maybe it happened to your own boss. Sometimes it’s a recipe for disaster.
Ever since Valentine’s day, I’ve been getting asked to comment on workplace dating. Should we do it, or not? What are the risks? Things like that. The combination of romance with work can be a frightening minefield.
I am not a really big fan of devices. I was late to the microwave, late to the VCR, late to the DVD. . . Gee, I just bought a Blackberry!!! It is not the cost. They don't move me. I eventually get on board, but only when the options are the device or nothing. . . . .
