Monday Mornings with Madison
August 11, 2014

When a Company’s Brand Sends Mixed Signals – Part 2

Issue #340

Eliminating Mixed Messages with the Three Cs

In many ways, the brand is the Achilles heel of the corporate world.  As companies shift more and more to being all about brand meaning and brand image, the more vulnerable they are to attacks on image.  That is why it is increasingly critical for companies to protect every aspect of their brand, and work hard to avoid having any mixed messages about the company’s purpose and position.   That includes guiding – as much as is possible or practical – what the company’s own people say about the company.  This is a challenge for even the most successful businesses. Continue reading →

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August 4, 2014

When a Company’s Brand Sends Mixed Signals – Part 1

Issue #339

A Mixed Message Mess

Every company, no matter its size or purpose, has a brand.  Regardless of whether the owners and leadership know what the brand is or what it stands for, the company brand exists.  In theory, a company’s brand speaks about its purpose, voice and values.  The brand reflects what the company does and does not do and how it wants to be viewed by the world.   In practice, it also reflects what others – customers, potential customers, vendors, investors, and the general public — think about it.  A brand reflects how the company is actually perceived by the world. Continue reading →

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July 28, 2014

On Your Mark. Get Set. Start.

Issue #338

When a runner is getting ready to run a race – whether a sprint or a marathon — the runner typically has a routine or series of actions to prepare for that race.  There is, of course, a lot of conditioning leading up to race day.  A couple of hours before the start, a runner might pop a few Advil and drink a lot of water.  He might eat a hearty breakfast to provide the body with adequate fuel.  Then shortly before the start, he might check the laces on his running shoes.  He might also do a lot of stretching and warm-up exercises.  When the race is about to start, the runner will probably line up at the starting line, get into a running position, and listen for the countdown, whistle or buzzer that signals to go. Each of those actions work as tiny cues to get the body’s adrenaline pumping and prime the runner to go swiftly from inertia to movement. Continue reading →

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July 21, 2014

Appetizing Alliances: The Ingredients of a Successful Partnership

Issue #337

There are similarities between creating a successful partnership and cooking a great dish. In order to create a meal that is a culinary success, a good chef starts with the right ingredients. Certain ingredients are essential. Without those, the dish will taste either wrong or bad. But it’s not just important to have the right ingredients. The quantity and quality of each ingredient also matters. Continue reading →

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July 14, 2014

Redeeming Reputation in the Digital Realm – Part 2

Issue #336

A company’s reputation is its most important asset.  A person’s individual reputation is his or her most important possession.   Yet, most people and companies are entirely unaware of their online reputation.  While ignorance may be bliss in some things, it is incredibly risky to be ignorant of one’s online reputation.  Attention all business owners, managers and professionals:  what you don’t know about what others think of you can hurt you!  That is why there are now professionals – reputation management experts — who make a living helping people and companies monitor, protect, and (if necessary) redeem their online reputation. Continue reading →

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July 7, 2014

Redeeming Reputation in the Digital Realm – Part 1

Issue #335

Some 2,300 years ago, Publilius Syrus (a writer of Latin) penned that “A good reputation is more valuable than money.”  About 2,000 years later, Ben Franklin said “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.”  Recently, billionaire and investment guru Warren Buffet said essentially the same thing… “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”  For thousands of years, wise people have understood the importance of reputation.  Reputation is a fundamental instrument of social order, based upon distributed, spontaneous social control. A person’s reputation reflects the overriding opinion held by others about him, and a company’s reputation reflects the opinion held by most about the business or its products and services.  Once tarnished by bad behavior, a damaged reputation can have a profound impact on success and career. Continue reading →

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June 30, 2014

Do Less: Eight Things to Give Up – Part 2

Issue #334

There are many things people know they should give up because it’s just plain bad for them.  Putting too much salt in food.  Smoking cigarettes.  Texting and driving.  Drinking alcoholic beverages in excess.  Getting sunburned often.  Then there are a number of things people do that they think are perfectly fine but it turns out they aren’t.  Chewing ice (which is bad for teeth).  Protecting clothes using mothballs (which are stuffed with pesticides that are toxic and are ingested when smelled).  Drinking skim milk instead of full-fat milk (which is fortified with powdered milk that oxidizes cholesterol and causes plaque buildup in arteries and increases the chance of a heart attack).  Using a computer for more than three continuous hours a day (because it causes carpel tunnel syndrome, impacts posture, strains eyes, and – because of being increasingly sedentary – increases the propensity for heart disease). Continue reading →

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June 23, 2014

Do Less: Eight Things to Give Up – Part 1

Issue #333

We are forever reading and hearing about the things we should do more.  Exercise more.  Eat more healthily.  Walk more.  Laugh more.  Read more.  At home and at work, there are evermore demands.  Do.  Do.  Do more.  Well, here’s a thought.  Perhaps instead of doing more, we should be doing less? Continue reading →

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June 16, 2014

Travel Etiquette: Dos, Don’ts, and Super Don’ts

Issue #332

The solstice — which heralds the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere – officially begins on June 21st this year.  In addition to hot weather, summer also ushers in the end of the K-12 school year and summer break for colleges and universities.  It is the time of year when families and professionals alike take vacations.  And it is also the time of year when many professional associations hold business conferences.  All in all, it makes for a very busy travel period.  That is why, in addition to packing sunscreen and sunglasses, travelers should also make sure to pack their best manners and patience.  Travel can be daunting and it can also bring out the worst in people.  Without a huge supply of good graces and respect for others, one person’s bad manners can ruin someone else’s good time or worse. Continue reading →

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June 9, 2014

Specialist or Generalist?

Issue #331

It seems that professionals and businesses alike are constantly pulled in two directions, like a rope in a game of tug-of-war.  On the one hand, intense competition and increased complexity beckons people and companies to specialize not only in a particular field, but to further specialize within that field to a subspecialty, and perhaps even a niche area within that subspecialty.  The specialist is the authority on a given topic, with a depth of knowledge that far exceeds most others.  The specialist may know very little about most things but knows practically everything there is to know about one particular thing. Continue reading →

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