Tuesday, February 15, 2011

PIG PEN KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING

by Wendy J. Miller

According to The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, and the scientific journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, we are living in a cloud of dust and have a dust problem. I could have told them that!

Apparently, the amount of airborne dust doubled in the 20th century, and cleaning can have an unintended consequence - it actually breeds dust. I could have told them that, too!

Charlie Brown's buddy, Pig Pen, was the first to self actualize the cloud of dust he was living in. I didn't realize the impact dust had until I left my Mother's constantly clean home and found that my dark brown furniture became a soft gray colour over time.

So what is the problem, really? Cleaning is one of the three main sources of household dust. Cooking is second, and movement is the third. Every step disturbs tiny particles of dirt, fibre, soot, pollen, paint, food and dead skin. And as soon as you move anything (even a TV remote), you induce air currents that propel dust particles around the room.

Those of you who know me personally know that cleaning and cooking are not sources of dust in my home. Moving the TV remote, however, is a big contributor as I go through life emitting my personal cloud of dust.

But don't sweat the small stuff. It continues to grow until you have something large enough to weave into a melton jacket suitable for winter wear. There you go, something positive that can come from dust!

Monday, February 14, 2011

COMMIT

by Wendy J. Miller

We've all experienced personal frustration - the person who always waits for you to call or initiate; the complainers who resist/shoot down any new approaches; the "seeing is believing" types who drain your time and energy with demands for information and then still don't commit. What more can you do when you've done all that you can? Right - the answer is "nothing" - absolutely nothing!

In a working context, the frustration is compounded. One industry contact of mine likened working in our current market to "always being on a job interview." What a great analogy! You've never "really" got the job - there's always someone waiting in the wings to jump in and do the work - not necessarily as well as you, but they might be offering a "start up discount" for service, or be new in town, or be a relative or friend of someone.

What fuels this lack of commitment? And why is there trepidation about change or moving forward? Typically, it's fear, but there are a number of factors impacting the wishy-washy, noncommittal state of our world:

  • Economic factors have caused us to doubt/question everything and every one

  • Over-analysis paralysis and fear, or lack of trust, that someone really has the knowledge and/or experience that they say they do

  • Unrealistic expectations and deadlines that can't be met (so we'll find someone that can, except can/do they really?)

  • Not a fit - accept that you are on a different page and walk away
Commitment implies respect, trust and partnership - elements that are also in short supply in a fickle, fast-paced world. Is the prognosis for commitment completely grim? No, there are still those who value the ease, efficiency and security offered by established relationships. They recognize the advantages and benefits of commitment:
  • You don't have to "start over" every time because there is established knowledge of your history, culture and goals

  • Your workplace is augmented by a team with other, or at least complementary skill sets, knowledge, experience and bench strength

  • You can dedicate more time to focus on your core, revenue-generating responsibilities

  • You might actually feel an alleviation of stress and worry, knowing your team has you covered

It's about commitment.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

TASTE

By Pam Hadder

In Bad Taste
Every so often we used to see a print ad, hear a radio spot, or see out-of-home material that made us ask, "Who approved this?" or "What were they thinking?" - we would laugh, gasp and/or shake our heads and move on.
Shameful & Tawdry
Unfortunately, the scales have tipped to the point where questionable advertising is rampant in our market. Are there too many

do-it-yourselfer folks on the loose? In the interest of saving $$$ are companies allowing supplier technicians and sales people to create and manage their marketing message? These are all factors, no doubt, but nothing really can explain or excuse the appalling lack of good taste and professional judgement.


Outward Bound or Out of Bounds?
Outdoor advertising (also called out-of-home) includes all venues for promoting your message in the outdoor environment: print and electronic billboards; bus wraps and signs; building banners, bus shelters and so on. Due to the 100% public visibility of the message, thought has to be given to the audience in the broadest sense - that is, men, women and children of all backgrounds and ages.

We are an increasingly mobile population, and this adds to the likelihood of more broad audience members interacting with out-of-home messaging. In our local market, this reality has been shockingly ignored. The red and black ad series featured above is part of a Manitoba Government campaign against domestic violence and has been in bus shelters around Winnipeg. Would you want to wait in this bus shelter every day while you took your kids to daycare?

The "Sexy Show" ad beside it was on full-size outdoor board around the city - you are only seeing a snippet of the full-size image of a young woman wedged between hairy male thighs.

How do you feel about the young female in the Sexy Show billboard - bear in mind that you are not seeing the whole image? She appears to be 18-20 years old and she's in her underwear - are you comfortable with your child looking at this, reading the message, or asking what that lady and man are doing, while you wait at a red light? One of these was positioned right by a Toys R Us location, by the way...

Responsible advertising and marketing professionals know where to draw the line. The bottom line - advertising should not be vulgar and potentially exploitative or offensive, and certain messages are not intended for broad appeal. If you want professional, effective results, steer clear of the amateurs.

APPEAL


By Wendy J. Miller

Your Top TEN
Quick - name your top ten personal strengths! If you are like most people, you will stumble after three or four items, all the while waging an internal tug-of-war between modesty and healthy self-esteem.

Human resources and staffing professionals advise that at all times we should be in touch with our strengths and abilities, but more commonly we get caught up in day to day activities and forget our unique personal offerings both in the workplace, and after office hours.

February is the month for expressions of love, so give yourself a little TLC this month and make your personal top ten a priority. As with creating your CV, don't forget to consider previous work roles and extra-curricular activities when compiling your top strengths. Employees are more mobile today, and businesses are more subject to reinvention than they were 10-15 years ago, building the case for looking beyond your current working context - you never know when you will have to draw on your total experience to extrapolate for the future.

UP the Ante
As with a personal top ten list, each member of your organization should have the ability to easily list off the top ten corporate attributes - not as a rote list, but naturally peppered throughout their internal and external communications. Some caution when establishing a corporate top ten list - avoid generalities and keep it real! Your corporate listing should be carefully thought out and meaningful to all stakeholders, versus "feel good" language that does not accurately describe or align with whom you are and what you do.

That said, everyone from entry level employees to the "grand fromage" should relate to the descriptors. Ultimately your corporate top ten will serve as a framework for your corporate image - what makes your company stand out and why it is the preferred choice.