“A man walks into a bar and says…”

Sorry, I’m not about to make you laugh with one of my outdated bar jokes. Something more sobering came across my desk today.

The Conference Board released their 22nd report on job satisfaction in the U.S. After surveying over 5,000 households, they learned that only 45% of people surveyed are satisfied with their jobs.  That dropped from 61% in 1987.

To make matters worse, they found that 51% currently find their jobs interesting. …

This has been a hectic, yet challenging year for many of us, and we deserve some reflective time. If you're like me, you are REALLY looking forward to some quiet time over the holidays!
 
If you have been working to grow your business for a while now, and things are not happening as fast as you want, then I’d like to help you create a breakthrough.
 
Here’s why this is important to me…

    Last month, I surveyed small and mid-sized business executives from across the globe. Here is what I learned…

In my previous post, I expressed my concerns with Accenture’s slow response to the Tiger Woods pandemonium.  Within just three days, Accenture announced that they have terminated their six-year Tiger Woods sponsorship.

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Here is their official statement: “After careful consideration and analysis, the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising.…

Just savored a lovely meal and bottle of wine at Capriccio’s in Providence, Rhode Island. Multo benne!

I endured a three hour layover at Hartsfield International Airport last night, I could not escape the Tiger Woods cacophony.   Every gossip publication imaginable plastered his image on their front cover. 

I certainly expect that Us Magazine, People, and OK! will capitalize on Woods' indiscretion. What floored me was the huge Accenture billboard across from the newsstand. There stands Tiger, hovering over a golf ball. The ball is situated in a precarious spot beside a babbling brook.  No mere mortal could ever swing their club adeptly to rescue this one.  Ironically, the ad says, "It's what you do next that counts."
Really?  If that is true, then Accenture has clearly dropped the ball. 

As a corporate sponsor for Tiger Woods, they certainly did not make the right move by leaving this ad in the airport walkway.  Much like Woods, the Accenture marketing team has waited a tad too long to continue basking in the glow of Wood's fleeting fame.

What strategies or brands do you keep carrying in your portfolio that are now producing negative returns?

Few can explain the phenomenal success of "The Blind Side," a movie starring Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aron.  Even fewer can explain how the relationship between independent production companies and big studios has completely shifted in the past year.  Here are some observations on how innovation happens in the "playing field" called the film industry.  See how this story might just inspire you to think differently about your game plan for growth.