The Monthly Memo.
An Election Year Plan for a Peaceful Workplace
A subset of my work these days deals with the delicate area of political discussions in a toasty hot election year. The question comes up, “How can we provide direction to our employees while also respecting their rights of free speech? We can’t afford to be seen as a...
A White Guy Talks About Race
One of the healthiest outcomes from the increased discussion about race in this country has been the number of white people who have spoken up. Count me in that group. After years of thinking of myself as “aware” I found I wasn’t nearly aware enough. If you are a...
How to Conduct Sensitive Conversations
Without fear of contradiction, the discussion around race and racism in this country has moved to an across-the-board focus, including in the business world. That means leaders of all races and backgrounds need to be able to have company-wide conversations they may...
The Zoom Call Strategies You Have Overlooked
My hope is you are managing the uncertainties of these days as well as possible – and rest assured, no one is doing it perfectly! During this time I’ve had a chance to observe all kinds of video meetings and want to offer some overlooked elements you can share with...
Zoom Etiquette We All Need to Keep in Mind
First, thinking of you and hoping you are safe. Second, been on any Zoom calls lately? Or any of the other platforms that are now our new office conference rooms? Yea, me too. Because a lot more of these meetings are taking place, here are seven things to keep in mind...
Correctly Messaging During Difficult Times
First, I hope you are safe - and think this might be helpful. Walking a fine line, you want to reach out to colleagues and clients, but you don’t want to seem opportunistic or inappropriate. Perhaps you have a specific way to be helpful, but how do you let them know?...
Communicating with Employees in a Divisive Election Year
The scenario is on the minds of leaders at companies large and small going into Election 2020. “What do we do about employees combining our brand with their opinions during the most divisive election season this country has seen in decades?” Organizations envision...
Think of Each Communication Experience in 3-D
There are three important moving parts in any communication experience – and keeping each in mind will serve you well every single day. Seeing and understanding the three parts helps you balance your message and heighten the impact of that message – otherwise, and...
Avoid These Crisis Missteps That Never Seem to Go Away
If there was a surefire way to stay out of trouble, would you take it? Of course you would. So why do we see the same stumbles again and again in public life? I was reminded of these oft-repeated mistakes during a recent episode involving a senior leader with the...
Need to Come Up with Good Ideas? Here’s a Roadmap
After writing 167 different Monthly Memos it can be hard to come up with a new idea – which proved to be the inspiration for this very one! We all face it at one time or another. A new idea or approach is needed and you end up as the “Committee of One” to handle that...
