Management Insights from a Stanley Cup Winner

Okay, these aren’t lessons from Lord Stanley himself, donor of the hardest trophy to win in sports. Instead, here’s a few observations culled from the season-long march of 

Blackhawks Owner Rocky Wirtz

an Original Six member of the National Hockey League, the Chicago Blackhawks, who recently brought home a second championship in four years.

Follow these lessons learned and you'll be more likely to claim your own version of the Stanley Cup some day:

§         Think Long-Term: When Rocky Wirtz took control of the Blackhawks after his father’s death the picture wasn’t pretty -- few fans, fewer season ticket holders, front office malaise and no TV. Wirtz hired long-time Chicago Cubs marketing whiz, John McDonough, secured a TV contract, held on to a promising core of young players and rebuilt the front office.

§         Spend Wisely: In the salary cap era the Blackhawks are the only team to win two Stanley Cups. The right balance of long-term contracts for young players and key supplemental veterans willing to be role players means the team has a player roster that’s the envy of the league.

§         Know Your Customers: Fans resented that legendary Blackhawks players from the 1960's era had been abandoned by the team. Relationships were reestablished with Hall of Famers Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito. The former players became team ambassadors at a time when the young stars of today were still finding their way.

§         Prepare for Setbacks: When the Blackhawks deposed head coach Denis Savard, a team legend in his own right, management quickly dug into the ranks to elevate one of their scouts, Joel Quenneville, to take the coaching reins. This was no coincidence; Quenneville had been in the league for years, including successful stints as head coach for both Colorado and St. Louis.

§         Take Care of Employees: Wirtz has a well-earned reputation as a boss who cares. Each year he invites parents of the players to travel with the team on a road trip, a practice that other clubs now emulate. Also, for the sixth game of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals, Wirtz picked up the tab for about 200 family members to join the team in Boston. It turned out to be one of the most stunning wins in Stanley Cup history, experienced by the players and families, thanks to the unusual generosity of the team owner.

§         Ignore the Little Things: A double-F bomb outburst at the Grant Park Stanley Cup celebration by the unlikeliest of characters, usually soft-spoken goalie Corey Crawford, was one of those things best described as “boys will be boys.” Crawford’s a goalie, not a public speaker. Stanley Cup winners deserve a pass for this sort of transgression.

§         Stay Humble: Wirtz and McDonough signed a full-page ad in the June 28 edition of the Boston Globe thanking the Bruins and their fans for their graciousness and respect during the playoffs. Both teams are a class act which seems to be found in hockey more than other pro sports leagues these days.

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.

Are You Marketing Relentlessly? (Part 2)

This entry is the conclusion to a two-part series on "Relentless Marketing," a marketing approach I use and advocate for any other small business owner.

Q. What makes the most sense for a small business when it comes to social media?

A: There are so many options these days that seem cheap and easy. I'm hard-pressed to say that one thing or another makes the most sense. Over time, if I've learned anything it's that integrated marketing works best for any company, organization or non-profit. The idea here is that the business owner uses a balance of tools -- website, point-of-sale, targeted advertising including Google AdWords, design, networking and media relations -- in a consistent, relentless manner. When it all comes together the new business pipeline stays full.

Q. Are there any guidelines for deciding what percentage of revenue or expected revenue should be spent on marketing?

A: Do what's comfortable, but don't stay locked in. A good rule of thumb is that 5-10 percent of total revenue should be spent on marketing. There are plenty of examples, though, of companies that spend far more or less and get the results they want. What it boils down to is this -- can we ever have too many customers?

Q. Is there any way besides trial and error to determine what marketing tactics are best for a particular business? That is ads vs. direct mail vs. email vs. social media, etc.

A: For my small business clients I always recommend that some sort of tracking system be instituted to see how customers find out about their business. More sophisticated outfits, regardless of size, are continually polling customers on not just satisfaction, but also on what influences them. A simple survey goes a long way in determining just what makes a customer happiest. I never like trial and error. I think it's really important to look at what the competition is doing AND saying, and then figure our how to differentiate my clients so that they stand out more. When we figure that out, sales improve and life is good!

Market Relentlessly (1 of 2)

Recently, I was asked by colleague Gary Swiontek, GrooveMaster Graphics, to share my thoughts on small business marketing. We'll share some of those ideas over the next two installments of View from the Marsh.

Gary: What do you think small businesses or start-ups should do about marketing?

MB: "I think one of the mistakes small companies make is that they stray from marketing on a regular, consistent basis. My mantra is "Market Relentlessly." The idea is to spend time and money every week on outreach to new customers. I'm a lot like many of my clients -- I always feel best when my new business pipeline is full. In the first few years of my agency we marketed in a surge-forward, fall-back manner. We'd surge ahead with marketing, sign new clients, take care of the work and when the project was completed we'd fall back to start the process all over again."

Gary: Where is the best place to start?

MB: "Frankly, way before doing a newsletter, brochure, advertisement, website or anything else, we help our clients work on an "Elevator Speech." Most small business owners would be surprised to think that something so basic is so critical to their success. A great elevator speech is concise, offers a solution to a problem and ends in a provocative way that prompts more questions from the listener. It's really a critical building block for a successful marketing campaign."

Gary: How much time is involved in what you call "marketing relentlessly?"

MB: "So many people start a business because they have some sort of expertise or technical skill. In my case, I was trained as a journalist and had years of experience working for the media before getting the bug to join a marketing agency. I caution small business owners about getting too wrapped up doing things outside their area of expertise, especially hands-on marketing. For my business I rely on outside experts for financing, tax planning and technology. As much as I may want to save some money by doing these things myself, it makes far more sense for me to hire an expert so I stay focused on what I do best."

Life Lessons from Coach John Wooden

Legendary basketball coach John Wooden passed away last week. His passing at the age of 99 brought back many memories. As a kid I rabidly followed college basketball, especially the Tobacco Road variety played by Wake Forest, Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State. This was during the Wooden Era when his UCLA teams racked up a remarkable winning streak (88 in a row) and dominated the college game (10 NCAA titles in 12 years).

In 1974 I was extremely fortunate to attend the Final Four in Greensboro when North Carolina State upended UCLA in the semi-finals, disrupting Wooden's reign. My younger brothers and I were in awe during the whole experience. Not only did our heroes win the title that year, but we were close to the court in the presence of some of the best college coaches ever -- Wooden, Al McGuire (Marquette) and Norm Sloan (NCSU).

Wooden was peerless as a coach AND teacher. Reprinted here are his tips for team development. I think you'll agree that Coach Wooden's guidance applies in any situation:

• Be thinking at all times.
• If you do your best, never lose your temper, and never be out-thought or out-hustled, you will have nothing to worry about.
• Without faith and courage, you are lost.
• Have respect for, without fear of, every opponent and confidence, without cockiness, in regard to yourself.
• Never be a spectator, be in the fight at all times.
• Unselfish team play and team spirit are two of the foremost essentials for our success.
• We have tough battles ahead. Enjoy the thrill of being in a hard fight.
• Never stoop to playing dirty -- play hard and don't complain.
• Be sure you acknowledge and give credit to a teammate who hits you with a scoring pass or for any fine play he may make.
• Be a competitor. When the going gets tough, really get going.

Smarter eMailing

What do you do when you get an email without anything in the subject line? If you are like me, you probably grouse that the sender couldn't even take the time to say "wassup." And if an email like that ever comes from someone I'm not familiar with that it goes in the trash unread a click or two later.

Like a good headline for a newspaper article, a snappy email subject line better tells the story you want to share.

When you originate an email use the subject line to be specific with names, facts, dates or anything else that gives the recipient a preview. If you are responding to somebody's email free feel to add at the front of their subject line -- "In response to ..."

Many times a lengthy email string will, like any good discussion, veer from the original topic. When that happens it's okay to modify the subject line appropriately.

Don't be afraid to edit yourself. I try to re-read every original email and/or response one or two times before I hit send. It's amazing how many typos I make and they wouldn't be caught without taking that extra moment or two to re-read.

Just as important, proofing an email usually results in a few well-placed edits. After all, emailing is intended as a means for short and concise communications. Got something more to say? Put it in a memo or better yet, make a phone call.

The Super Bowl of Social Media

At the end of last year Pepsi announced they pulled their ads for this year's Super Bowl. The brand that showcased celebrities like Cindy Crawford, Britney Spears, Will.i.am and Michael Jackson (flaming hair & all), decreed that the Super Bowl of consumer advertising didn't taste right.

For weeks marketers have wondered what's next. On February 1 Pepsi launched The Pepsi Refresh Project, a social marketing grant campaign to make the world a better place. Instead of pouring millions of dollars into the sinkhole of Super Bowl advertising, Pepsi is spending its money on projects that help communities across a range of issues, including health, culture & arts, food & shelter, the Earth and neighborhoods.

Projects are submitted by regular folks to The Refresh Project website (http://www.refresheverything.com/). Site visitors vote for their favorite projects and the top vote getters receive funding from Pepsi.

This echoes a campaign that American Express has used the last two years. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples of feel-good social marketing -- Ronald McDonald Children's Charities and Target House come to mind first.

What's most gratifying is the bold move made by Pepsi to redirect $20 million to a broad swath of smaller scaled projects that anybody can feel good about. At the time of this posting, 729 projects had been submitted to the website. Each project sponsor will no doubt launch a mini-campaign to get friends, family & neighbors to visit the Pepsi site to vote for their pet project.

Hard to knock a program that offers so many winning propositions for everybody involved. Think I'll crack open an ice cold Diet Pepsi and peruse the projects before casting my vote on this Election Day.

Don't let lemons turn you sour

For years I've carped on my kids about how to deal best with tough situations:

"When life serves you lemons it's time to make lemonade!"

Branding guru Seth Godin has a new twist on this common tale in "The Lesson From Two Lemonade Stands." Given the ever-increasing importance in creating the best possible brand experience for our customers, I thought Seth's story deserves a second look:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/01/the-lesson-from-two-lemonade-stands.html

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!