atkinson advisor

Alterian surveyed 1,000 consumers for its “Your Brand: At Risk or Ready for Growth” report. The findings were interesting but not surprising:

• Nearly 60 percent of consumers feel that companies are primarily interested in selling any product or service to customers rather than selling the product or service that is right for a particular customer.
• Only 9 percent trust companies to act in customers’ best interests.
  About one third of respondents using social media think that companies are genuinely interested in them versus only 16 percent of the overall respondents.
• A mere 5 percent trust advertising and only 8 percent trust in what a company says about itself.
• Only 17 percent of respondents think that companies take note of their feedback. But 75 percent say that “there would be a positive impact from companies taking more time to find out about their needs.”
• More than 80 percent of respondents cited an interest in co-creating products and services. Additionally, 82 percent said that participating in the development of a product or service would increase their likelihood to recommend that company.

The full report is available on the Alterian website.

The latest Corporate Reputation Rankings index isn’t good news for Corporate America.

Negativity abounds in the public mindset when it comes to large corporations, according to the findings from Vision Critical and its public affairs arm, Angus Reid Public Opinion.

Consumer goods companies, like Johnson & Johnson (No. 1) and Kraft Foods (No. 2), computing companies, and technology firms dominated the top 10. What separated these from the financial services and health insurance companies on the bottom of the list?

• They weren’t perceived as behaving like greedy “idiots” (their words, not ours). Respondents recognized that these companies generate good returns for shareholders, but they also admired them for being good corporate citizens.
• They managed to avoid any major recent scandals. It’s no surprise that almost half of Americans hold very negative opinions of BP, in large part to the oil spill in the Gulf.
• They are well-known brands. Not only do they have great name recognition, but they also are seen as valuable household guests. Consumers trust these brands and rank them high in quality.

One of the researchers who worked on the study predicted the trend toward negativity will continue if companies don’t start communicating better about why they should be respected.

YOUR TURN: How do you build trust with your core audiences?

We love unique presentations. That’s exactly what the New York Times created with its graphic representation of economic cycles for the last four decades. 

The slideshow charts economic expansions, slowdowns, downturns, and recoveries by year and month. 

While the data is a little old, it is still a fascinating illustration of business cycles past and present.

Is your economic outlook improving?

Difficult decisions often are unpopular.

In addition to making the decision, CEOs and other senior executives have the challenging task of communicating the decision – sometimes to angry constituencies – because the business must continue to operate.

Here’s how to handle these situations:

1. Be the standard of the truth. This should be pretty easy. Say “I can’t share that information” if a piece of information is confidential or not intended to be public. 
2. Meet people on the right emotional level. It’s easy to talk numbers, margins, markets, etc. Employees don’t care about any of that until they believe your understand and accept their emotional state. It’s often fear – What does this mean for my job? It can be anger. Make sure to acknowledge the feelings and accept them.
3. Create context for the decision. “Why did the company have to [insert tough decision]?” This question shows a lack of context. Be clear and specific about what caused the problems leading to the tough decision.
4. Provide criteria for the decision. “How did they decide to [insert tough decision]?” People are more tolerant when they understand how leadership makes decisions. By sharing this information, you prevent the rumor mill from making up its own criteria, which you will undoubtedly not like.
5. Set the target. It’s impossible for companies to return to business as usual after a significant change. The change is supposed to create a new normal that is better for the company’s future. Explain what it will take to achieve that new normal and how employees can help.

Fortune has released the 2010 edition of its venerable list of Best Companies to Work For. This year’s top five companies are SAS, Edward Jones, Wegmans, Google, and Nugget Market. Two Tennessee companies – Baker Donelson and FedEx – made this year’s list.

The Fortune Web site breaks down each of the winners and lets visitors search by size, geography, best perks, etc.

On the new front, CBS’ Undercover Boss should be on every CEO’s radar. The show, in which CEOs go undercover to perform front-line jobs at their companies, is already the talk of the Internet. In the first episode, the president and COO of Waste Management cleaned Port-A-Johns at a state fair, sorted recyclable materials, and worked on a garbage truck.

CEOs are not going to learn anything about running a company from the show. But there is a good chance your company’s employees are watching. It has the potential to be a reality show that changes employees’ views – and maybe their expectations – of the C-suite. Undercover Boss airs Sundays 9/8c on CBS. It’s worth an hour of the CEO’s time to see what people are talking about.

Ah, the end of the year. Time for those all-important performance reviews and planning for 2010.

The strength of an organization is proportional to the strength of its people to lead — first themselves, then critical functions of the organization, and, ultimately, the organization itself.

The following are five levels of leadership that any company can consider when developing 2010 performance plans.