October 2011
Why don’t people buy more Dell MP3 players? After all, the company builds great computers.
Why do we never talk about Samuel Pierpont Langley when we discuss the pursuit of manned flight? After all, his effort at the turn of the century was funded by the War Department and the Smithsonian museum.
In a 19-minute TED talk, Simon Sinek explains why Apple inspires fanatical consumers and how the Wright brothers, neither of whom had a college education, inspired their team to engineer the first manned flight.
Sinek’s solution focuses on why a company is in business rather what it builds or how it is different from the competition.
He has also written a book about the same subject.
August 2011
Four applications continue to dominate the social media landscape. The following are some key statistics for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn:
- Facebook — 70 percent of the 149 million U.S. users log in daily.
- Twitter — Americans spend 2 hours and 12 minutes per month on Twitter.
- YouTube — YouTube accounts for 86 percent of U.S. online video watching. Hulu, the No. 2 site, receives just 7 percent.
- LinkedIn — LinkedIn exceeded 100 million users worldwide in February and went public in March.
Social media’s impact is far more than its rapid expansion or its staying power. It has changed how consumers communicate with one another, extended networks of friends, and brands.
Companies are just now beginning to measure how social media affects consumer trust. That will be a real metric worth watching.
June 2011
More than half the companies that were industry leaders in 1955 were still industry leaders in 1990. But more than two-thirds of 1990 industry leaders no longer existed by 2004.
Wow!
Harvard researcher Justin Menkes believes there are no more calm periods for leaders in any industry. It’s survival under duress for everyone.
Menkes’ research found three traits consistent in 200 CEO candidates considered “highly successful.” They were:
- Realistic optimism. They pursue audacious goals, which others would typically view as impossible pipedreams, while at the same time remaining aware of the magnitude of the challenges confronting them and the difficulties that lie ahead.
- Subservience to purpose. Leaders with this ability see their professional goal as so profound in importance that their lives become measured in value by how much they contribute to furthering that goal.
- Finding order in chaos. Leaders with this trait find taking on multidimensional problems invigorating, and their ability to bring clarity to quandaries that baffle others makes their contributions invaluable.
Read more from Menkes on the Harvard Business Review blog.
April 2011
Leadership development is a differentiator for most companies.
After reviewing more than 11,000 manager performance appraisals, Marshall Goldsmith and Howard Morgan found that one element separates leadership improvement from the status quo: regular, ongoing follow-up with co-workers.
Their research was conclusive whether or not the company provided some initial training through an external coach or internal coach. In fact, they found that regular follow-up with co-workers had a dramatic effect on leadership development even without a formal training program.
Goldsmith and Morgan summed up the impact of routine follow-up this way:
“For most leaders, the great challenge is not understanding the practice of leadership. It is practicing their understanding of leadership.”
Interestingly, the research showed that follow-up works just as well via a phone call as it does person to person.
February 2011
Atkinson Public Relations has worked with the Red White and Food campaign that seeks to allow Tennessee food stores the opportunity to sell wine. Last week, the campaign announced results of an economic impact study showing the change will generate up to 3,000 jobs and millions in state revenue.
The announcement included the traditional tactics, such as a news release and e-mails to supporters.
We also created a microsite at www.uncorknewjobs.com where reporters and others could access the entire study. Here are five advantages of this approach:
- Microsites are inexpensive. The web address cost $12, and we were able to use our existing hosting account.
- Microsites are easy. The uncorknewjobs.com microsite is just one page of facts with a link to the report. We can easily add more content in the future.
- Microsites are measurable. We created a separate Google Analytics account to track visitors. And, we can see which websites are referring traffic to the microsite.
- Microsites are useful for media. Reporters repeatedly referred to the microsite in their stories. This would be far easier than linking to a page on the Red White and Food website.
- Microsites encourage social media sharing. People want to share interesting news with their friends on Facebook and Twitter. A good microsite, especially the short web address, makes this much easier to do.
December 2010
Leadership depends on an individual’s ability to create action. Much of that depends on how you wield power.
In 1959, social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven identified five bases of power that leaders employ. The bases are:
Legitimate – This comes from the belief that you have the right to make demands and expect compliance from others.
Reward – This results from your ability to compensate someone – with money or other rewards – for doing what you ask.
Expert – This is based on your skill and knowledge.
Referent – This is the result of your perceived attractiveness, worthiness, and right to respect from others. In this case, followers admire? you and want to be? like you.
Coercive – This comes from the belief that a leader can punish others for noncompliance.
Most leadership experts agree that the best leaders rely heavily on expert and referent bases to inspire people to action.
Read more about the five based on Mindtools.
