Chicago Last in Marathon Olympic Bid

Immediately after news broke that Chicago came in last in voting for the 2016 Olympics my in-box & Facebook filled quickly. Here's my own humble list of "Top 10 Reasons Why Chicago Lost Its Olympics Bid."

1. Arrogance. The Chicago organizers drank too much of the Kool-Aid they continually served.
2. Mayor Daley emphasized in closing remarks that the Olympics would be good for Chicago instead of how Chicago would be good for the Olympics.
3. There was way too much local boosterism on the part of media instead of critical thinking (and commentary) on what was wrong with the Chicago bid.
4. We sent Oprah. Rio sent Pele. 'nuff said ...
5. The IOC is quirky at best. Remember that these people took bribes (from the Salt Lake City committee).
6. When will we understand that most of the world hates us?
7. Chicago organizers pooh-poohed local, VERY VOCAL opposition who didn't want the games here.
8. Reputation matters. An ex-governor is in prison and another one is on the way.
9. Persistence pays. Brazil was rejected three times previously. They earned this one.
10. Oak Street Beach ain't the Copacabana! (Anybody got tickets for beach volleyball?)

Lessons Learned from the Summit

Last week I attended the 2009 Global Leadership Summit at Willow Creek, a big church up in our neck of the woods. This event was a little different than most in that it was designed to appeal to leaders in business, churches and community organizations.

The line-up of speakers was world class -- David Gergen, Bono, Tony Blair, Carly Fiorina, Gary Hamel, Jessica Jackley, Christian innovators, church leaders and Bill Hybels, Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Church. Hybels' opening presentation set a perfect tone for the 2-day experience. (His notes are pictured here ...)

So what I'd learn? Plenty!

• Gary Hamel, author of The Future of Management says the world we live in today "is shaken, not stirred." Five bits of advice from Hamel include "Conquer Denial," "Face Facts," "Question Your Beliefs," "Listen to Renegades" and "Generate More Options."


• Dave Gibbons, founder and lead pastor of New Song Church in Irvine (CA) challenged us to be "Third Culture Leaders" by "Focusing on the Fringe," "Realize that Failure Can Be Success," "Weakness Should Be A Guide," "Relationships Trump Vision" and "Obedience is More Important Than Passion."


• Chip & Dan Heath, brothers and authors of Switch, How to Change Things When Change is Hard, offered several provocative ideas, including: Don't worry about what's not working. Instead, "focus on the bright spots and figure out how to clone them." On growing a business, enterprise or church, the Heaths urged the leaders to "adopt a growth mindset, but be tolerant of failure. Failure may in fact be an early warning sign for success."

It was my good fortune to attend the Summit. I'll be back next year. Let me know if you want to join me.

Building a Durable Brand

I started a relationship with a particular brand on April 24, 1976 when I went with fraternity brothers to a gymnasium on the campus of Appalachin State University in Boone, NC. For the last 33 years I have remained a fan with a loyalty that borders on the evangelistic.

Over time, I've sampled every brand extension. Some stuck; others were just okay. Through it all I've come to admire the brand for what it represents: honesty, passion, fun, social consciousness, family values and community.

The boss of this brand is a charismatic leader. His hard work and attention to detail are legendary. He's been the subject of countless cover stories and books. On occasion, his personal life has been fodder for tabloid journalism but it never seems to sway him from his purpose -- to deliver each and every time the highest value brand experience to his customers.

If you've stayed with me this far -- and perhaps recognized in my photo the most famous Fender Esquire ever -- you've no doubt figured out that the brand I'm talking about is Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. I had the great fortune to join 549 other folks, including family & friends, in "the pit" for Springsteen's recent Chicago show. The pit is the standing room only area in the front of the stage. We didn't just see a show; we were in it, up close and personal. Every one of the "brand attributes" described here was in full force at the United Center on May 12th, providing ample evidence that building a durable brand really does matter.

Random Thoughts

Biz Card Management: When you dig in your pockets after a conference or networking event you'll no doubt find a few new business cards from people you've met. From now on, right after the event be sure to jot a quick note on the card to remind you where and when you met this person. Then in the day or two following send a thank you email to each person. A few days later, use LinkedIn and/or Plaxo to add the new person to your contacts list. In no time you'll find you've built a qualified list.

Get Help: A few years back I joined a business group called The Alternative Board (TAB). I had been running my agency for 6-7 years and felt that things had gone flat. My business had hit a plateau and I needed help.

TAB is built for business owners who need a new boss. A feature of the organization is participation in a local board. My board includes a great facilitator/coach by the name of Denny Coll. There's also half a dozen other entrepreneurs across a range of businesses. We meet monthly to focus on each others business which is a terrific resource for troubled economic times.

Learn from the Best: Warren Buffett is a real busy guy (and has been for the last 40 years managing Berkshire Hathaway). As he approached his 80th birthday he wanted to share his experience, thoughts and beliefs in a biography, but didn't have the time or inclination to write his own book. Instead, like any good manager, he delegated to somebody else.

Alice Schroeder was hand-picked by Buffett to write his authorized biography, "The Snowball." I'm a junkie for biographies and found this one exceptionally entertaining. I needed to hurry up and finish it since I'm attending my first-ever annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway shareholders on May 2nd -- which I'll write about in a future post.

Yikes! One more traditional newspaper bites the dust

"Time and this rotten economy" were cited by the publisher of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as reasons for the newspaper's hardcopy demise. Like others before it, though, the publication will attempt to live on as an online-only media outlet (see story below from the Associated Press).

(AP) -- The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which has chronicled the news of the city since logs slid down its steep streets to the harbor and miners caroused in its bars before heading north to Alaska's gold fields, will print its final edition Tuesday and shift entirely to the Web.

Manhattan-based Hearst Corp., which owns the 146-year-old P-I, said Monday (16 March 09) that it failed to find a buyer for the newspaper, which it put up for a 60-day sale in January after years of losing money.

"Tonight will be the final run, so let's do it right," Publisher Roger Oglesby told the newsroom.

Hearst's decision to abandon the print product in favor of an Internet-only version is the first for a large American newspaper, raising questions about whether the company can make money in a medium where others have come up short.

LinkedIn Matters

My friend and long-time colleague, Paul Holley, has been filling my head recently with thoughts about LinkedIn. I'm turning over this space for now so Paul can share his observations.

Paul's position at Manpower was eliminated recently. You'll find his contact info at the bottom of this missive.

* * * * * * *

Much of my insight on LinkedIn comes from training sessions I've attended at Right Management over the past few weeks. The sessions were led by Laura Parrino Byxbe, a Right consultant and self-proclaimed LinkedIn evangelist.

LinkedIn is NOT a job board. For individuals, however, who use it actively, the site has led to contacts by employers or recruiters -- and ultimately to new jobs. The thing to remember about social networking sites is that they are all about connecting. Some basic ground rules that will help LinkedIn work for you:

• Keep your profile updated (particularly when you land a new job)


• Join and get involved in groups


• Keep your contacts public -- because LinkedIn is a community that allows people to interact. For those of us who are, ahem, between positions, interaction is the best thing you can do for yourself and others. As Laura puts it: "It's 100 times better than pushing and pushing resumes where you're competing with perhaps thousands of other people."

One more thing -- a link to your LinkedIn profile should appear with your email signature, resume and personal business card. My signature below is humbly offered as an example:

Paul Holley, APR
Writer/editor, Public relations
Contact me:
262-637-9093 (home)
262-664-5786 (cell)
paulh_wi@yahoo.com
Learn more:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulholley

The Drumbeat Continues

PC Magazine has been a powerful publication, successfully chronicling the digital age. Effective this month, PC Magazine published its last print edition, signaling a significant change in direction since its inception in 1981.

Like others before it -- and many more to come -- PC Magazine is now an online-only play. Previously, the Christian Science Monitor and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, among others, announced the move to online-only editions.

The loss of conventional media outlets places ever-greater emphasis on companies and organizations to operate what used to be called "news bureaus" to get the word out to customers, prospects and other key audiences.

Luckily, advances in the Web -- and increased Internet literacy -- makes this easy to do. Clear, concise, credible communications via the Web, social networking media and directly to key audiences is needed for a company to create, maintain & enhance relationships.

It's easy to chop marketing in an economy like this. The best companies, though, recognize the importance of maintaining open lines of communications. Market leaders see in this era a great opportunity to differentiate themselves from the competition.

And differentiation is at the core of every terrific brand.

Social Networking in the B2B World

We had a great conversation earlier today about how social networking fits in a B2B world. Since much of our work these days focuses on B2B, we've been having more and more discussions with folks who assume that tools like LinkedIn, Plaxo & Facebook aren't for them.

Pay close attention, people ...

Social networking is a terrific way to cast a wider net for your messages. Plus, because these tools are transparent -- typically there are real people associated with user names, and businesses have the ability to pick 'n choose who sees what -- social networking amplifies your company website.

{Sorry for the run-on sentence, but I get excited about these sorts of things.}

Put differently, use social networks to drive traffic to your corporate website. When doing so, please be sure to appropriately brand your efforts. It can be as simple as re-purposing design or developing web banners based on your corporate identity.

Social networking -- it's not just for kids anymore!