• Why Uncontrollable Factors are Norm to Great CEOs

    by  • May 22, 2013 • 0 Comments

    Every day we see or read about superb acts of leadership. The ones that occupy an indelible place in our minds are often characterized by unexpected high-pressure, traumatic conditions and courageous acts taken within a very limited amount of time – a cabbie delivering a baby, a mayor calming a city after one of the worst terrorist attack in the history of mankind, a pilot making the call to land a powerless 65 ton piece of steel on a river in the middle of a major metropolis, a primary school teacher protecting her class from a gun-wielding madman.

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    Team Of 8 Blue People Holding Up Connected Pieces To A Colorful Puzzle That Spells Out "Team," Symbolizing Excellent Teamwork, Success And Link Exchanging Clipart Illustration Graphic

    Marissa Mayer’s Big Play for Good Reason

    by  • March 5, 2013 • 0 Comments

    At the risk of adding to my reputation as yesterday’s man, I’m fully supporting Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s ban on working from home. Frankly, there aren’t many of us out there applauding this controversial big play. Several journalists, tech pundits, and business leaders have called her gambit regressive, old-school thinking, anti-family, and a giant step backward. However, none of the naysayers seem to realize that she is faced with a turnaround situation. Ms. Mayer was hired away from Google to reverse 4 years of eroding revenue. Radical change is required. To fulfill any turnaround mandate, a leader has no choice but to initiate substantial cultural and strategic change with a firm hand, not a weak wrist.

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    The Beer formerly known as Albino Rhino

    by  • February 25, 2013 • 0 Comments

    AR

    Last week I wrote about a complaint to the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal by a person with albinism – Is Political Correctness Coming to a Brand Near You? This person was offended by the brand name of a whimsical beer marketed by the Earls Restaurants chain. The powerful tribunal ruled in favor of the complainant, and after several months of dealing with the aggravation, Earls finally threw in the towel, accepting responsibility for their insensitivity and agreeing to change the name of the 25 year old beer brand, Albino Rhino. Political correctness had run amok.

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    Is Political Correctness Coming to a Brand near You?

    by  • February 17, 2013 • 0 Comments

    rhinoEarls Restaurants is a very popular casual dining chain with 64 outlets in Canada, Arizona, Washington and Colorado. Twenty-five years ago, they launched a whimsical brand of beer called Albino Rhino. I don’t know why they chose that name – maybe it had something to do with the white rhino’s keen sense of smell or the fact that the species is endangered. One thing’s for sure; Earls didn’t intend to demean or humiliate people with albinism. Yet, someone with albinism launched a human-rights complaint. Now Earl’s is pulling the Albino Rhino brand and considering a new name.

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    Blonde Joke on Starbucks

    by  • February 4, 2013 • 0 Comments

    blonde3Last week I slammed Kellogg’s for maligning the good reputation of their Special K brand. Special K has always stood for a nutritious breakfast. This brand name is now on a new flatbread sandwich of egg, cheese and sausage that contains fewer calories than fast food restaurant versions. The entry isn’t my idea of a nutritious breakfast.

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    Kellogg’s Special K: On a Slippery Slope

    by  • January 28, 2013 • 0 Comments

    sausage-egg-cheeseI have been a big fan of Kellogg’s since my days at the Leo Burnett Advertising Agency in the early 1970’s. Here was an organization whose brand and company name stood for healthy breakfasts. The marketers of the day and those of the next twenty-five years worked hard to fortify that stellar reputation.

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    Why Price Fixing Continues

    by  • December 11, 2012 • 0 Comments

    Last year, EU regulators fined P&G and Unilever to the tune of $456 million for price fixing laundry detergents in eight European countries. Henkel, their competitor blew the whistle on the cartel. This begs several questions.

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    The Human Capital Advantage

    by  • December 5, 2012 • 0 Comments

    Without leadership, a business enterprise will eventually fail. Survival is possible without a strategy but seldom over the long haul. Great strategy with lousy execution isn’t worth the piece of paper it is written on. The consequence of these proclamations is obvious. Get it right, bring it all together and you have commercial magic.

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    A Canadian’s Tribute to US Thanksgiving

    by  • November 20, 2012

    Last year, I came out of retirement to take a temporary assignment in southern California. This meant moving to Ventura from British Columbia for the better part of a year. I happened to be there for the third Thursday of November. Thanksgiving in America is a much bigger deal than it is above the 49th parallel. The days surrounding the holiday are the most travelled of the year. Families and friends come together to give thanks. Strangers wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Americans believe no one should be alone on this important day. I’m certain that’s the reason my wife and I were invited to Thanksgiving dinner by people we barely knew. 

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    In Praise of Average Joes

    by  • November 13, 2012

    This website was created to share my views and experiences with the next generation of business leaders. That meant reflecting on past situations and determining the factors that were critical to the outcome. The times have changed, but the tools that determine success or failure have not. Companies, large and small, cannot survive without great leadership, sound strategy and flawless execution. Those that thrive, go a step further; they worship innovation and breathe culture.

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    Linds Redding’s Short Lesson in Perspective

    by  • November 4, 2012

    Last week, Mathew Creamer of Advertising Age said Linds Redding’s ‘Short Lesson in Perspective’ was the best piece of advertising writing you’ll ever read. As an ex-ad man and a lifelong aficionado of great creative, whether it is art or copy, I could not resist the urge to check it out. I’m glad I did. Turns out that Linds Redding, an illustrator and designer, spent most of his career crafting advertising in the UK and New Zealand, before opening an animation studio. Towards the end of 2011, he was diagnosed with inoperable esophageal cancer. Linds gave up the studio and spent his remaining days walking Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, taking pictures, drawing, making music and writing about living and dying.

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    3 Small Steps for a CEO, One Giant Leap for a Leader

    by  • September 24, 2012

    CEOs by nature are time-starved species.  Critical to their success and the success of their organization is how they carve up the hours on the clock. Those who invest their time advancing their company’s business model or seeking a new one are adding value to their organizations. 

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