It's About More Than Blogging

My friend, Karen Anderson, has a wonderfully informative blog called Writer Way, and her recent post, Way Beyond Blogs, is certainly worth a read.

One of the challenging things for businesses right now is to adapt to the changing terrain of communications. For decades we've been told that marketing and PR are vehicles with which to shape public perception of your business. But the truth about branding is that perception is reality, and the experience people have with your business has everything to do with their perception of your brand. Customers can sense very quickly if you have integrity, if you're being honest, if you're over-stating your case. We've gone from a demand for services to a demand for experiences, and are now entering a phase of demand for authenticity.

Way Beyond Blogs offers several links and tips to get you up-to-speed on ways you can deepen your brand through meaningful partnerships and participation in the communities around you. Never underestimate the power of good, old-fashioned honesty and integrity.

Strategy and Trust: A Map's Not Enough

Yesterday I received the GuideStar Newsletter, a monthly electronic newsletter that's always full of great advice for non-profits. The second article down caught my eye: "The Most Important Part of Your Strategic Plan."

What do you think of as the most important part of your strategic plan, or any plan for that matter? Goals? Objectives? Timelines? Those all answer the question, "What are you going to do?" But what answers the question, "How are you going to get there?"

I find so often we're focused on strategy and metrics and process, that we forget to talk about what really gets us there. Partnerships and opportunities come from relationships, and relationships require . . . trust.

Trust, and integrity, drive everything these days. We're in the midst of an era of mistrust and skepticism, and the companies that will survive and thrive will do so because of their ability to engender faith and confidence. These are the companies that value relationship-building and the web of efficiency and support that come with that.

So the next time you're looking at a plan, see if you can answer the question, "How will we get people to trust us?"

Fight the Bull

I don't admit this very often, but there are times when I sit in business meetings and I haven't a clue what people are talking about. The jargon is flying, acronyms are bandied about, and well, frankly, it all just starts to get piled on a little too thickly. If you know what I mean.

I recently came across a great book, Why Business People Speak Like Idiots, that renewed my faith in my ability to detect . . . er . . . misuse of the english language. I highly recommend a visit to their site. My favorite feature: the Mystery Matador. Just copy and paste the latest missive from your lawyer or insurance company, and the Mystery Matador will highlight the "bull" and send them an anonymous message, enlightening them by pointing how that perhaps they could speak a bit more plainly.

Ole!