We have been having a debate in our household this week.
The debate centers around the 26 Acts of Kindness movement started by the tweet of news correspondent Ann Curry. I suspect most of you have heard of it by now. I hope many of you have participated in your own way. If you don't know about this, check out #26Acts on Twitter.
The debate we have been having is not anything about the value of doing random acts or paying it forward. We are all in favor of that. We have practiced it from time to time.
Rather, some in my family feel that by tweeting or blogging about the random acts you do, you take away the randomness of the act. By publicly declaring that you did an anonymous good deed, some of my family members feel, it is no longer anonymous and is no longer just about the good deed.
Does publicly announcing that you have done a philanthropic deed diminish the value of that deed? Or does it help to magnify it by inspiring others? Does it make an act of kindness smaller or larger?
I prefer to believe in the altruism of people and the value of publicity. I prefer to think that by sharing the random acts you have done or you have experienced, you help get others thinking about how they could do the same. You show, by example, the awesome impact even the smallest random act of kindness can have.
That is how I prefer to think of it. What do you think?
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Blurring the Lines
Reposted: This blog first ran on 12/18/12
I read an article in my local newspaper last week that breathlessly reported about a recent study indicating that a huge percentage of employees (60%) check personal social media sites more than once a day while at work. The article goes on to calculate the lost productivity and the unfairness of this to employers.
I think the reporter is looking at this issue too narrowly. The issue, as I see it, is more about the blurring of the lines between home and work. I acknowledge that many people access personal social media sites at work. I acknowledge that when you are updating your Facebook account you can't be balancing the ledgers or helping customers. But what the reporter didn't explore was how often employers do the same thing to employees traditionally non-work hours.
With the prevelence of smartphones, tablets and laptop computers, employees can access their work email accounts, if not the entirity of their computer files, from the comfort of the kitchen table. Furthermore, as this access has become more prevalent, access beyond the work day is not considered going above and beyond the call of duty, it is expected. How many of you have had someone ask you on Monday morning why you hadn't yet responded to the email that they sent you on Saturday?
Working at home has always happened. My Dad's had his briefcase and "paperwork" that needed to be worked on. I have replaced his briefcase with a laptop and a cellphone. What is different now is that with cellphones, tablets and laptops many of us are expected to be on call 24/7. Even vacations aren't sacrosanct.
Understand, I am not complaining about this. I have chosen to work in the field of marketing communications. As a media spokesperson, I have usually have had to be on call. Before cellphones, I often wore a pager. Likewise, I have also almost always brought work home. Some of that is because I sometimes find it easier to write away from the office.
But if we are going to have a conversation about how mobile technology has allowed more people to access personal social media during work hours, I think it is important to also acknowledge that the same media has also made it possible to access work from home. More and more, defining "work hours" has become difficult.
I read an article in my local newspaper last week that breathlessly reported about a recent study indicating that a huge percentage of employees (60%) check personal social media sites more than once a day while at work. The article goes on to calculate the lost productivity and the unfairness of this to employers.
I think the reporter is looking at this issue too narrowly. The issue, as I see it, is more about the blurring of the lines between home and work. I acknowledge that many people access personal social media sites at work. I acknowledge that when you are updating your Facebook account you can't be balancing the ledgers or helping customers. But what the reporter didn't explore was how often employers do the same thing to employees traditionally non-work hours.
With the prevelence of smartphones, tablets and laptop computers, employees can access their work email accounts, if not the entirity of their computer files, from the comfort of the kitchen table. Furthermore, as this access has become more prevalent, access beyond the work day is not considered going above and beyond the call of duty, it is expected. How many of you have had someone ask you on Monday morning why you hadn't yet responded to the email that they sent you on Saturday?
Working at home has always happened. My Dad's had his briefcase and "paperwork" that needed to be worked on. I have replaced his briefcase with a laptop and a cellphone. What is different now is that with cellphones, tablets and laptops many of us are expected to be on call 24/7. Even vacations aren't sacrosanct.
Understand, I am not complaining about this. I have chosen to work in the field of marketing communications. As a media spokesperson, I have usually have had to be on call. Before cellphones, I often wore a pager. Likewise, I have also almost always brought work home. Some of that is because I sometimes find it easier to write away from the office.
But if we are going to have a conversation about how mobile technology has allowed more people to access personal social media during work hours, I think it is important to also acknowledge that the same media has also made it possible to access work from home. More and more, defining "work hours" has become difficult.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
in Memorium
This is not the blog post that I had intended to write for today. My original plan got upended by the tragic events last Friday in Newtown, CT and Sandy Hook Elementary School. I wish my blog had been the only victim.
I cannot imagine what it must be like to be a resident of Newtown. The grief, sorrow and sense of loss for everyone in that town must be overwhelming. My heart and thoughts go out to them.
I do not want to be political with this post. I do, however, want to shine the spotlight on a couple perspectives which seem to resonate with truth and honesty to me.
The first centers around comments that were originally attributed to Morgan Freeman regarding the role of the media in perpetrating massacres such as this. That now appears to be a hoax. Regardless, the sentiments expressed in the statement warrant some consideration. One of the things that the now mysterious author of this statement says is that the media deserve some of the causal blame for tragedies like this. Too rarely do we hear the stories of the heroes of these events, of which there are many. Heroes like Victoria Soto, the 27 year old teacher who protected her students and paid with her life. Heroes like Principal Dawn Hochsprung, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach, who allegedly rushed the perpetrator when he broke into the school. They were killed valiantly trying to protect others. There are, I am sure, dozens of other heroic acts, large and small. It seems to me that this should be the focus of media attention. Focus on the heroes and the victims of each tragedy.
Instead, the media tends to focus their attention, their pages and their airwaves on the perpetrators of these crimes, building them up in a way that many of them cannot dream of achieving in life without taking extraordinary measures. To a person who is struggling with their grasp on reality, watching coverage like this can arouse thoughts of a copycat crime and copycat fame. It is for this very reason that many newspapers and media outlets often do not report on teen suicides, or at least do not discuss the details. I think this is a wise policy.
Which raises another issue that too often goes under discussed in the wake of these tragedies. 100% of the people who perpetrate these tragedies are mentally ill. I don't care what their official diagnosis is, they are mentally ill. As a nation, we need to figure out a better way to identify, treat and care for those who are wrestling with inner demons. We cannot continue to hide from this issue or ignore these people who deserve our care and attention.
Mental health care has always taken a back seat to physical health care in our country. I don't know why that is, but it has to change. For an exceptionally personal perspective on what these issues look like from inside the family, please read an unbelievable blog by The Anarchist Soccer Mom here. I thank her for her frank and heartfelt revelation.
I don't have any answers regarding what has happened in Connecticut and too many other places around the world. I think we need to do something, and I always prefer taking positive, preventative action over negaitve, reactive action. I don't think the answer is turning our schools into prisons or locking away anyone who shows signs of mental instability. I do think there are answers and solutions out there. I know that for me, the first step was and is hugging my family.
Peace.
Please.
I cannot imagine what it must be like to be a resident of Newtown. The grief, sorrow and sense of loss for everyone in that town must be overwhelming. My heart and thoughts go out to them.
I do not want to be political with this post. I do, however, want to shine the spotlight on a couple perspectives which seem to resonate with truth and honesty to me.
The first centers around comments that were originally attributed to Morgan Freeman regarding the role of the media in perpetrating massacres such as this. That now appears to be a hoax. Regardless, the sentiments expressed in the statement warrant some consideration. One of the things that the now mysterious author of this statement says is that the media deserve some of the causal blame for tragedies like this. Too rarely do we hear the stories of the heroes of these events, of which there are many. Heroes like Victoria Soto, the 27 year old teacher who protected her students and paid with her life. Heroes like Principal Dawn Hochsprung, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach, who allegedly rushed the perpetrator when he broke into the school. They were killed valiantly trying to protect others. There are, I am sure, dozens of other heroic acts, large and small. It seems to me that this should be the focus of media attention. Focus on the heroes and the victims of each tragedy.
Instead, the media tends to focus their attention, their pages and their airwaves on the perpetrators of these crimes, building them up in a way that many of them cannot dream of achieving in life without taking extraordinary measures. To a person who is struggling with their grasp on reality, watching coverage like this can arouse thoughts of a copycat crime and copycat fame. It is for this very reason that many newspapers and media outlets often do not report on teen suicides, or at least do not discuss the details. I think this is a wise policy.
Which raises another issue that too often goes under discussed in the wake of these tragedies. 100% of the people who perpetrate these tragedies are mentally ill. I don't care what their official diagnosis is, they are mentally ill. As a nation, we need to figure out a better way to identify, treat and care for those who are wrestling with inner demons. We cannot continue to hide from this issue or ignore these people who deserve our care and attention.
Mental health care has always taken a back seat to physical health care in our country. I don't know why that is, but it has to change. For an exceptionally personal perspective on what these issues look like from inside the family, please read an unbelievable blog by The Anarchist Soccer Mom here. I thank her for her frank and heartfelt revelation.
I don't have any answers regarding what has happened in Connecticut and too many other places around the world. I think we need to do something, and I always prefer taking positive, preventative action over negaitve, reactive action. I don't think the answer is turning our schools into prisons or locking away anyone who shows signs of mental instability. I do think there are answers and solutions out there. I know that for me, the first step was and is hugging my family.
Peace.
Please.
Friday, December 14, 2012
My Blog is 100: Celebrating Milestones
In this blog, I have frequently written about the importance of celebration and recognizing milestones. It seems appropriate then that I practice what I preach. This is my 100th published post to my blog "Everything is Marketing." Yeah me!
It seems remarkable (and a bit humbling) that it took me this long to hit this milestone. My first post was in August 2009. I have had many fits and starts, a barren gap of a year and a half and other gaps of a month or more. I have stepped away from writing this blog many times and I have always failed to contribute to it in anything resembling a regular schedule. But I keep coming back to it and I keep getting indicators that a few brave souls are actually reading what I write. That is the humbling part.
This blog has been surprisingly rewarding in many ways. Creating a space where I can think and write about marketing in a non-job specific way helps to give me some perspective and balance. Having a venue to write and think creatively is very precious to me. Having an audience is even more precious. I treasure those of you who comment about what I write, either online or to me in person.
I fully intend to keep at this. After all, I have been picking up steam a bit...two thirds of my posts were written this year. My goal...and I am actually foolishly stating it on here...is to hit 200 posts in 2013.
So welcome to the party! Have a slice of cake (guaranteed to have no calories!) and sit back and have fun. I plan to!
It seems remarkable (and a bit humbling) that it took me this long to hit this milestone. My first post was in August 2009. I have had many fits and starts, a barren gap of a year and a half and other gaps of a month or more. I have stepped away from writing this blog many times and I have always failed to contribute to it in anything resembling a regular schedule. But I keep coming back to it and I keep getting indicators that a few brave souls are actually reading what I write. That is the humbling part.
This blog has been surprisingly rewarding in many ways. Creating a space where I can think and write about marketing in a non-job specific way helps to give me some perspective and balance. Having a venue to write and think creatively is very precious to me. Having an audience is even more precious. I treasure those of you who comment about what I write, either online or to me in person.
I fully intend to keep at this. After all, I have been picking up steam a bit...two thirds of my posts were written this year. My goal...and I am actually foolishly stating it on here...is to hit 200 posts in 2013.
So welcome to the party! Have a slice of cake (guaranteed to have no calories!) and sit back and have fun. I plan to!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Expectations
“High expectations are the key to everything.”
~ Sam Walton
I recently got an iPad. I had very high expectations for it. EVERYTHING I had heard or read about iPads, led me to believe that I was now holding in my hands a true marvel of modern engineering. My new work tool (I am trying really hard not to call it my new toy) has a lot of wonderful features. I can access the Internet with lightning fast speed; I can read and respond to email and manage my calendar and To Do lists without fumbling with scraps of paper and pens that are out of ink. My iPad is a wonderful thing...except....
Except I am a writer. I spend a good part of my work day and even a fair amount of my personal time writing. If you are writing anything more an a brief response to an email, iPads ARE NOT an ideal tool!
I am writing this blog on my iPad and the amount of time that I have to spend checking spelling, formats, rechecking spelling, correcting auto correct, and the rest really has me distracted. When I write, I prefer to let the words flow and then go back to edit what I have written. I cannot do that on this device.
Part of it stems from the fact that iPads don't have real keypads. Part of it stems from the fact that this tool isn't designed as a computer but as something between. Between a smart phone and a laptop. Between an Internet portal and a productivity tool. Between.
Ultimately, this comes down to high expectations. I expected my new iPad to be the next best thing since, well, the iPhone (which actually came out AFTER the iPad, but never mind...). I expected a solution to ALL my mobile computing needs. What I got was a solution to some of my mobile computing needs. And no keyboard.
I recently got an iPad. I had very high expectations for it. EVERYTHING I had heard or read about iPads, led me to believe that I was now holding in my hands a true marvel of modern engineering. My new work tool (I am trying really hard not to call it my new toy) has a lot of wonderful features. I can access the Internet with lightning fast speed; I can read and respond to email and manage my calendar and To Do lists without fumbling with scraps of paper and pens that are out of ink. My iPad is a wonderful thing...except....
Except I am a writer. I spend a good part of my work day and even a fair amount of my personal time writing. If you are writing anything more an a brief response to an email, iPads ARE NOT an ideal tool!
I am writing this blog on my iPad and the amount of time that I have to spend checking spelling, formats, rechecking spelling, correcting auto correct, and the rest really has me distracted. When I write, I prefer to let the words flow and then go back to edit what I have written. I cannot do that on this device.
Part of it stems from the fact that iPads don't have real keypads. Part of it stems from the fact that this tool isn't designed as a computer but as something between. Between a smart phone and a laptop. Between an Internet portal and a productivity tool. Between.
Ultimately, this comes down to high expectations. I expected my new iPad to be the next best thing since, well, the iPhone (which actually came out AFTER the iPad, but never mind...). I expected a solution to ALL my mobile computing needs. What I got was a solution to some of my mobile computing needs. And no keyboard.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Counter-intuitive in the counter business
Earlier this year, Wal-Mart did away with their people greeters, a hallmark of the stores for more than 30 years. A Wal-Mart spokesperson said that the move was a way to rein in costs and prices. While the company has said that the greeters have been reassigned to other roles, including serving people in high traffic areas within the stores, many analysts and former greeters seem skeptical that the jobs will remain for long.
It is conventional wisdom that the key to success in retail is to work to keep your costs as low as possible and your revenues as high as possible. The manifestation of that conventional wisdom is that many retail stores are populated with fewer and fewer poorly paid part time employees. As Zeynep Ton states in her recent Harvard Business Review article, "The conventional wisdom is that many companies have no choice but to offer bad jobs—especially retailers whose business models entail competing on low prices. If retailers invest more in employees, customers will have to pay more, the assumption goes."
But in her research, Ton shows evidence that the truth is counter-intuitive. In her study, she profiles four retailers that operate in the low-price arena. Trader Joe's, QuikTrip, Costco, and Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona buck the trend. All four companies pay their employees higher wages, provide them better training and have more of staff on the floor. All four of these companies have higher labor costs than their competitors. They also have higher employee loyalty. That is to be expected. What goes against the grain of conventional wisdom is that all four of these retail organizations is also more profitable than their competitors. They enjoy more sales per employee and per equivalent store.
The advantage is pretty straight forward. First, the profiled companies tended to keep employees longer. So, in the long run, they spend less per employee hour on recruitment and training costs.
On average, their employees were more knowledgeable and more experienced than the staff of competitors who focused on minimizing HR costs. That means that there is more experienced help on the floor for customers. The chances of a customer getting assistance that really helps answer their question or solve their problem goes way up.
Which leads to the second tangible benefit. It is cheaper to get existing customers to make additional purchases than it is to attract new customers to make first time purchases. By having experienced, knowledgeable staff on the floor, helping customers, Trader Joe's, QuikTrip, CostCo and Mercadona help customers find, and purchase, what they are looking for. Customers actually end up purchasing more because the knowledgeable staff helps them find answers to their problems, helps them find what they are looking for, and makes recommendations for additional purchases.
Zeynep Ton's research seems to bear this out. I am including a link to her recent blog about her research if you want to read more. http://blog.zeynepton.com/
Ultimately, there are many ways to run a retail business, some of which are actually profitable. It seems to me that striving to be the lowest cost provider is a tough position to sustain. There is always a company around the corner that will figure out how to lower their costs a bit more so that they can lower their prices a bit more.
Better, it seems to me, to be a lower cost, high value retailer. Add a little value to the customer experience and you most likely see sales and customer loyalty increase. Customer loyalty is harder for a competitor to beat you on, because all of the sudden you are not selling commodities but unique experiences. In order to provide high value, you need a knowledgeable, experienced work force that can successfully and efficiently address customers' needs and concerns. Experienced and knowledgeable staff do not tend to congregate to the low pay employer.
It is conventional wisdom that the key to success in retail is to work to keep your costs as low as possible and your revenues as high as possible. The manifestation of that conventional wisdom is that many retail stores are populated with fewer and fewer poorly paid part time employees. As Zeynep Ton states in her recent Harvard Business Review article, "The conventional wisdom is that many companies have no choice but to offer bad jobs—especially retailers whose business models entail competing on low prices. If retailers invest more in employees, customers will have to pay more, the assumption goes."
But in her research, Ton shows evidence that the truth is counter-intuitive. In her study, she profiles four retailers that operate in the low-price arena. Trader Joe's, QuikTrip, Costco, and Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona buck the trend. All four companies pay their employees higher wages, provide them better training and have more of staff on the floor. All four of these companies have higher labor costs than their competitors. They also have higher employee loyalty. That is to be expected. What goes against the grain of conventional wisdom is that all four of these retail organizations is also more profitable than their competitors. They enjoy more sales per employee and per equivalent store.
The advantage is pretty straight forward. First, the profiled companies tended to keep employees longer. So, in the long run, they spend less per employee hour on recruitment and training costs.
On average, their employees were more knowledgeable and more experienced than the staff of competitors who focused on minimizing HR costs. That means that there is more experienced help on the floor for customers. The chances of a customer getting assistance that really helps answer their question or solve their problem goes way up.
Which leads to the second tangible benefit. It is cheaper to get existing customers to make additional purchases than it is to attract new customers to make first time purchases. By having experienced, knowledgeable staff on the floor, helping customers, Trader Joe's, QuikTrip, CostCo and Mercadona help customers find, and purchase, what they are looking for. Customers actually end up purchasing more because the knowledgeable staff helps them find answers to their problems, helps them find what they are looking for, and makes recommendations for additional purchases.
Zeynep Ton's research seems to bear this out. I am including a link to her recent blog about her research if you want to read more. http://blog.zeynepton.com/
Ultimately, there are many ways to run a retail business, some of which are actually profitable. It seems to me that striving to be the lowest cost provider is a tough position to sustain. There is always a company around the corner that will figure out how to lower their costs a bit more so that they can lower their prices a bit more.
Better, it seems to me, to be a lower cost, high value retailer. Add a little value to the customer experience and you most likely see sales and customer loyalty increase. Customer loyalty is harder for a competitor to beat you on, because all of the sudden you are not selling commodities but unique experiences. In order to provide high value, you need a knowledgeable, experienced work force that can successfully and efficiently address customers' needs and concerns. Experienced and knowledgeable staff do not tend to congregate to the low pay employer.
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