While I am not proud of how some of the leaders at Penn State chose to cover up the wrongdoing of Jerry Sandusky, who during my time as an undergrad there was a pillar of the community, I am proud of how the university is taking the medicine issued by the courts and the NCAA.  It’s not easy to see our beloved Nittany Lion logo next to the words “scandal” and “sanctions” and “ban” and “failure,” but it is what it is. Read the rest of this entry »

I am a fan of sports and always have been, I haven’t always been a fan of basketball, but ever since I moved to Arizona I have been fascinated with the Phoenix Suns.  More specifically, I am fascinated with Steve Nash. To me he exemplifies all of the reasons why people should involve themselves in team environments, whether we’re talking sports, work, school or just life in general.  To me, he’s an excellent athlete, role model, in essence, he is a winning brand unto himself. Here’s what I mean. Read the rest of this entry »

I was never really a big fan of “America’s Got Talent,” and with a 4 and 6 year old, I don’t have much time to watch television. However, I am a fan of Howard Stern, so I was finally compelled to watch.

As I watched a recent episode of “America’s Got Talent,” there was a split second after one of the performances in which Howie Mandel leaned over to Sharon Osbourne and said, in all sincerity, “Now that was a moment.” Howie’s comment got me thinking about “moments.”  What is a moment? Read the rest of this entry »

We humans are social creatures. Just look at the rise of social media. We share, we keep in touch and yes we even eavesdrop through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and a host of other hot social media sites. I’ve embraced social media and believe it is a great way to stay connected and build business, but in addition to, not in place of, face-to-face meetings. In fact, if anything, social media has taught us all just how hungry employees, franchisees, users, and any other constituents you serve are for meaningful connection. That’s great news for your brand if you know how to do more than just share information through face-to-face meetings. Read the rest of this entry »

In case you haven’t figured this out by now. Your logo is not your brand. Your words are. What we see has a huge impact on us, no doubt, but what we say and hear and read does too. I happened to catch a fun article titled 66 Great Movie Taglines From the Past 30 Years. Scanning through it, I couldn’t help thinking, this is total branding. These lines hooked us, made us laugh, got us to wonder and even shocked us into noticing and remembering them. So what is your company’s movie tagline?   Read the rest of this entry »

Kodak announced they’re out of the digital camera business. Instead they will focus on other products like consumer and commercial inkjet printing, packaging printing and workflow software. After filing for bankruptcy last month, Kodak has one year to devise a restructuring plan. I have owned and carried a digital camera since I was about 13 years old, and it holds a special place in my heart. As a member of the “Internet generation,” I documented my life with photos, capturing memories of my friends and me inside the cafeteria at school, dressing up at home, acting goofy at parties, whatever and wherever. Kodak was part of my life. No occasion needed.

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Ah! The holiday season. It’s a time when we all do a little more for those we love. And all with the best of intention. But sometimes those intentions fall short, not because the giver misses the mark, but because the company the giver trusted, completely blows it. That happened today when we received a gift in the mail. It was one of the best examples of false advertising I’ve ever experienced, and sadly, I’m sure in this industry it happens far too often because it is just not cool to say anything. Read the rest of this entry »

In light of the news of Steve Jobs’ death, and as I have read more about the “purpose-driven” work environment he created at Apple, I got to thinking about other companies that inspire their employees to a “higher purpose,” like Apple. Are they out there?

For some of you the term “higher purpose” may be a foreign one. What I mean by this is “a reason for being greater than yourself.” In the workplace, it’s feeling like you can’t wait to get to work in the morning to start your day and make a difference. It’s feeling like you want to work harder, contribute more, and challenge yourself to become a better you because it matters.   Read the rest of this entry »

Great things. A simple mission in complete alignment with Steve Jobs, the company he named Apple, and the products he and his team created. Clearly his death was just a matter of time. My mother died of pancreatic cancer, so I could see the physical signs of the inevitable for far more than a year. He beat a lot of odds with his disease, just as he did with his life. Read the rest of this entry »

My younger brother just graduated high school and made a very important decision for his future: He decided to join the U.S. Navy. He’s about halfway through boot camp in Great Lakes, IL and I was overjoyed to start receiving his letters. My mom and dad, auntie and uncle, and grandma and grandpa were thrilled to hear from him too. So naturally the next time we were all together and got to talking, we all  shared our letters with each other. We found his accounts of boot camp very interesting…

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