In the olden days, external advisors would be called in whenever there is a problem to be solved. Proposals would be reviewed, contracts negotiated, references checked, and the engagement would begin. The consulting team would show up, diagnose the source of the problem, and help the management team focus exclusively on getting [More]
If there has been one significant change in the area of marketing and engagement, it is the almost complete ubiquity of "programs". Some of them have names like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. Others have names like Salesforce, Marketo, Dynamics, and Infusionsoft. Yet despite the great fanfare, why does the system's promise rarely [More]
Looking back, was there really a surprise that Donald Trump won the 2016 American election? Or that Justin Trudeau won the Canadian one both in 2015 and 2019? Or for that matter, that Brexit happened? These three results have much in common: Politicians and insiders who are perceived as privileged, and think that they [More]
As a speaker or writer, one of the most powerful techniques is to look for common cause with your audience. This may mean using words or imagery that conjure up something from a shared past, or play to a shared cultural experience. Unfortunately, this very same technique is unwittingly used to the exact opposite [More]
Why are all consulting projects not wildly successful? Why are some merely acceptable, and others fail? Without a doubt, consultants are often to blame: they over-promise, under-scope, or take on assignments with unrealistic deadlines. Yet clients also control the outcome of the engagement, and often, unwittingly, sabotage their consultants. Here are [More]
What is the one lesson that appears in every newspaper article, every magazine article, and for that matter, every bestselling book? Journalists and editors realize that they have to work exceptionally hard to get people to actually read what they write. And unless you actually do so, their work has [More]
The term diversity had its start with the human rights movement, and lived in the same space with terms such as enforcement, quotas, and affirmative action. Despite these seemingly negative terms, there is a powerful case for organizations to adopt a positive and proactive approach to diversity. (Note that I [More]
You invest in events, send out emails, educate, and send invoices. But how well do you really know your target audience? Beyond the basic demographics, perhaps not as well as you might think. Test yourself: how do you think they would answer the following questions? If asked to describe [More]
Many leaders find themselves faced with the difficult task of harnessing their team's creativity to solve challenging problems. Yet so often, group brainstorming yields little or no significant benefits. Why? Sometimes it is a question of facilitation skills. Sometimes a lack of creative process. But often it is because of [More]
Have you wondered why an organization's rebrand doesn't seem particularly right? That maybe they missed something along the way? A bad rebrand can mean that at best, that the expected benefits aren't delivered, and at worst, the brand is ridiculed in the market. There are no shortage of these flubs - [More]
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