I grew up hearing the verse, “Where your ‘treasure’ is, there your heart will be also,” and I think about this often.  Treasure can mean different things to different people; however, I think many people would replace this word treasure with time and/or money.  I value both of these assets and go to great lengths to protect them for myself, and others.  So much so that when I hear the word FREE my ears perk up like a dog and I search for more details.  This word FREE motivates and excites me as much as saving money with a coupon.  For me, it is a natural high when I can save money on something I like. What surprises me is when great offers, great sales promotions fall flat. Why is that especially during an economic downturn?

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One night after work, I found myself flipping through hundreds of channels on cable when I casually stopped on a re-run of “Undercover Boss.”  It was the Season 2 finale where the president of 1-800-FLOWERS went undercover.  By the end of the show I found myself wiping tears from my face watching all the wonderful things the president learned from his experience, and the amazing things he did for those few employees he had the privilege to work with—even serving as a “mentor” for one of the youngest managers in the company and offering him $25,000 to start his own 1-800-FLOWERS franchise.  After that first episode, I was hooked.  Or, was I? Read the rest of this entry »

The three key tenants of Heart & Mind® Branding apply to the Apple founder.

With Steve Jobs announcing he is stepping down from his role of CEO of Apple, people are speculating about what made him so powerful, so successful and so iconic. Everything from his off-the-charts intelligence, his insane attention to every detail, his intensity and his relentless micromanagement just to highlight a few.  But I’ll say it is all of these and none of these at the same time. That’s putting too much emphasis on the micro aspects of a macro human being, a total person. Read the rest of this entry »

Call it the product of 20 years of marketing experience. Or maybe it is the clarity that comes only from being a part of great success stories, but I’ve discovered the four keys to success with any marketing program, maybe even any business. They are simple. And unless you possess all of them, your marketing and your resulting growth will be marginal at best, regardless of what ad agency, PR firm or graphic designer you choose. Even a branding company like HEASLEY&PARTNERS can’t bring to fruition the full potential of a company that is missing even one of these vital key success factors. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wonder what it takes to have a great company—the kind that accomplishes not just great things, but exponentially more great things than other companies year after year?  It just seems like those companies have the magical ingredient, and I would argue, they do.  They have executed on a simple rule that guarantees success.  Yes, guarantees it. Here’s the rule: In every chair, people who care.

Can it really be that simple?  Of course it is.  The hard part is actually creating an environment where people care.  But read on because this article is your pathway to a caring—winning—culture within your company. Read the rest of this entry »

There are days when I wonder what kind of leader I am and whether I’ve found the sweet spot. Everyone is a leader in some aspect of their lives, whether we care to admit it. Even those who shun it because they see it as yet one more responsibility or don’t feel they are up to the challenge.

But the fact remains; life calls on all of us to brazenly take charge and call others to action (particularly in our workplaces). There, leadership comes in the form of things like managing a project team, selling in a new way of doing business, and what often appears the biggest leadership challenge of all–leading a company. But in reality none of these challenges are any harder or easier, bigger or smaller, than another to the person leading. The responsibility feels quite the same regardless.

No matter the level of our leadership or the relative importance of it, within the tasks is the opportunity for greatness. What I mean is that as leaders we have the power to not just get the job done or get our way, but also the power to shape lives. I believe this should be the fundamental charge of any leader because in shaping lives, you get results for the very long term. Read the rest of this entry »

Conflicts are inevitable.  There’s no getting around the fact that in business, leaders are going to encounter conflicts.  In fact, it’s been said that in business when two people always agree, one of them isn’t needed.  Actually, there’s great value in having healthy conflict within an organization because healthy conflict brings to light the best ideas and the most viable solutions to problems.

Look at history, conflict has and will always be, the catalyst for change.  Change in most cases which is long overdue.  It’s been my experience that conflicts most often arise over differences in goals, methods and beliefs.  And the pain we feel during a conflict is actually within ourselves.  We want to get our way, but at the same time… we want to preserve the relationship with the other person.  Our fear, another important aspect of conflict is that we can’t have both.  We’ll have to choose between our “way” and the relationship and in that is our pain. Read the rest of this entry »

“I’d rather have spiders crawl all over my body than speak in public.” “A pit of slithering snakes is more appealing than walking onto a stage in front of an audience of even twenty people.”

These are the kind of comments I’ve heard people say when I so much as suggest that in order to fulfill their destiny and their mission, they are going to have to learn to speak in public. I can relate to their fear. I used to dread presenting. I was fine in the conference room, but the minute I had to take a stage, my knees would shake, my voice would quiver and my heart rate would accelerate to the point of palpitations.  But before you call 911, read on. This article is how I overcame my fear so you can too.

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It’s been a decade, maybe two since the merger of communications and technology. Some could argue it started with the old Wordstar word processing program. Or maybe it was Lotus Notes internal email application. But whatever that monumental moment was, the full merger of communications and technology has happened. Today if you are even the slightest bit technophobic, then it might be best to choose a career other than marketing or branding. But if you don’t mind delving into the world of computers, the cloud, and a host of apps that bring your brand to life and get your message out, here are the technology musts.

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Have you ever put your best foot forward only to discover that instead of everyone loving your work you’ve triggered a rash of criticism? It happens, and with social media the critics have a bigger soap box than ever before. Some people say any press is good press, but that’s only if you make it so. Here’s what to do if you find yourself or your brand in this uncomfortable predicament.
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