Lessons from Freddie Roach

Freddie Roach is a tough son-of-a-bitch. Once a pro boxer, now a boxing trainer living with Parkinson's disease, his life is laid open on the riveting, critically acclaimed HBO series, "On Freddie Roach" (8:30 pm CST Fridays).

Sports documentaries on HBO are typically high caliber. With actor Liev Schreiber weaving together the narrative, viewers are entertained. "On Freddie Roach" is not not like that. There's no velvety, disembodied voice (sorry Liev) to move along the narrative.

"On Freddie Roach" isn't reality TV either. This series strives to be much more and achieves status as art because the pacing, grit, pathos and real-world experience shot cinema verite style can leave a viewer breathless in the span of just 30 minutes.

After experiencing the first two episodes I thought a long time about what makes "On Freddie Roach" worth seeing. Excuse my indulgence here as I look at this through a branding lens:

What makes the show work is it's real, pulls no punches (bad pun), offers insights, teaches me something new, makes me think and alters my perspective all while being unabashedly honest.

Wouldn't it be great if somebody could say the same thing about your brand?

Work-Life Balance

Keeping it real. Work-Life balance is important.

Here's how I try:http://t.co/hr5aUVk

Social Media Gains are Impressive

For the last two years the good fellows at CMO.com have published an exceptionally important chart that shows the impact of nine top Social Media (SM) tools. Everything from LinkedIn to Facebook, from YouTube to Tumblr is examined. And rated.

The CMO's Guide to the Social Media Landscape is even color-coded. At a glance you can see what tools are having the biggest impact. Lay eyeballs on this and it becomes abundantly clear that SM needs to be in the mix for any organization seeking to make valued connections to key audiences.

To see for yourself, click here (http://tinyurl.com/6bhrhjb).

Small Business Summit

The Chicago Tribune's Carolyn Rusin was kind enough to interview me recently to help preview an upcoming Barrington Chamber event designed for local business owners.

Click here to link to the story.

In 2011 I take my turn as the elected Chairman of the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce. One of my goals is to be sure that chamber membership is ever-more relevant for small business owners, especially the many new start-ups that have resulted from the economic downturn of the last couple years.

It seems more than ever that a local chamber provides a nurturing atmosphere for business owners who may be confronting new challenges for the very first time. Whether a new business owner needs help with marketing, accounting, banking, branding, sales, product development or just wants to have a friendly conversation with somebody who's "been there, done that," a local chamber is an effective tool to successfully launch a business.

When Does Passion Trump Expertise?

Ron Santo died December 2, 2010. In his 70 trips around the sun he was many things: an All-Star ballplayer, a business owner, a popular broadcaster and a humanitarian.

As a ballplayer, Santo won his share of awards (Gold Gloves & All Star games). He owned a series of mostly profitable businesses following retirement from the game as a player. His achievements as a broadcaster transcended convention. He was anything but the consummate analyst in the booth. Santo was all grunts and groans and "Ohhhhh noooooooo" exclamations. His affection for the Cubs -- a team he signed with as a rookie for 4x less than what he was offered by another ballclub -- endeared him to Cubs fans everywhere. {Cubs fans may have thick skins from years of falling short, but that doesn't mean the pain of losing isn't any less real.}

The story has been told many times over the years; when Santo was diagnosed with diabetes as a young ballplayer he hid the disease from all but his closest teammates. He kept candy bars and Cokes hidden in the dugout for those times mid-game when he felt his blood sugar dropping.

He helped raise millions of dollars for diabetes research. He poured the same energy for baseball, business & broadcasting into finding a cure.

On the field he wasn't the slickest fielder. In business he had a few clunkers. In the broadcast booth he was far from polished. For Ron Santo, what drove him to succeed was his passion. He had that special something that all of us should consider, admire and emulate.