PRESIDENTIAL PARALLELS, ONE

We were seriously entranced with Bloomberg Businessweek’s op-ed on why Hillary Clinton lost her first POTUS campaign.

So much so that we read it twice, and mused about parallels to our business.

The reasons for her demise, asserts writer-pundit Joshua Green, were multiple, specifically:

• No clear overarching justification for candidacy
• Not focusing squarely on the issues
• Trying to be all things to all people
• Delaying a response to uproars and turmoils and
• Not recognizing her own shortcomings.

First things first:  The business case.  Right now, it’s clear that Hillary is concentrating on middle-class economic advancement and, as a sub-theme, making Washington work better.  That’s a singular target – and though overall motifs might vary (depending on the audience), messaging potentially will carry the same narrative.  It’s simple, impactful, and just might be as powerful as Obama’s ‘change.’ 

On the other hand, it could be subjected to the candidate’s (and her/his strategists’) boredom and continual polling.  Hear it now:  “The economy has changed; the middle class isn’t as worried as before.”  Or:  “Xyz is much more critical these days; let’s zero in on that issue.”   And:  “The opposition is attacking us on abc now; we need to answer.”

Squirming yet?  Check how you’d respond to these questions:

• How often do we abandon our messaging at the drop of a survey – and latch onto another hot topic? 
• Are we easily dissuaded from pursuing original goals? 
• Can we withstand corporate requests and continue our mission?

Next up:   The stuff that campaigns are made of …

AN HOMAGE TO AWARENESS

Everyone’s doing it.

E-bookstores overflow with Mindful Work, Mindful Teen, even Mindful Birthing.  Participants at the Davos’ World Economic Forum could opt to sit in on a session.  Phil Jackson of the Knicks credits it with promoting general well-being.  Even Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini, having introduced yoga and meditation throughout the healthcare giant, says those practices have reduced stress levels and pain while improving sleep levels and productivity.

With its origins in the Buddhist concept of sati, or the memory of the present, mindfulness was appropriated by a savvy scientist in the 1970s, who then parlayed it into a worldwide movement.

Is it mainstream yet?  Well, sorta.  Ellen Langer, a researcher into this topic for more than four decades, explains that, bottom line, mindfulness simply helps you appreciate why people behave the way they do.  Her perspective:  That life consists of moments – and if you make the moment matter, everything will matter. 

It reminds us of the reason many of us started in this business:  To make things matter and, by extension, to make ourselves matter.  By starting with awareness, the foundation for all of advertising and marketing and communications work, or so our thoughts went, we can awaken people to new things, new philosophies, new ways of being.  The challenge today (other than mastering the chaos around us):  To ensure that we’re mindful of what truly matters. 

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

Simon and Garfunkel got it right – almost 50 years ago.

Extolling the virtue of quiet, their song foreshadows what the media calls “the ultimate luxury.” 

Hospitality chains now promote tranquil Zen-like retreats. 

Amtrak’s Quiet Car has an almost cult-like status – and, we suspect, a long waiting list. 

Hotels are installing double layers of drywall, triple-pane glass windows, extra carpet padding, and programmed TVs that won’t exceed a certain volume, all to stave off the number-one complaint of guests worldwide:  Noise.

Even somewhat-unlikely product manufacturers talk about the quietest dishwasher, the ultra-silent vacuum cleaner, the noise-cancelling headphones.

And who can blame them?  Forget the individual who’s always on the speakerphone – or the constant beeps of incoming e-messages.  Noise (from the Latin word for pain) has been linked to elevated levels of stress hormones, high blood pressure, sleep loss, heart disease, and tinnitus (a/k/a ringing in the ears).

Phew:  Enough to drive a non-curmudgeon to the Fijis.

In part, we in the marketing and communications biz are to blame.  Believe it or not, the 24/7 nature of what we do can be stopped.  Why not a one-day moratorium on all voicemails and emails, presentations and unnecessary meetings?  A quiet zone where we can, literally, hear ourselves think?  Or, simply, a silent period of X time where we can focus on what matters

This conscious quiet has its roots in science:  Two hours of silence daily helped mice form hippocampus cells, the brain part concerned with memory.  And its philosophical foundation goes way back:  Nineteenth century seer Arthur Schopenhauer noted, “Noise is the most impertinent of all forms of interruption.  It is not only an interruption, but also a disruption of thought.”

“Sshh” never sounded as sweet.

PSSST ... DID YOU HEAR ... ?

In most places, the grapevine works overtime – though its practitioners might not.

It’s human nature to gossip and complain, agree most psychologists.  Yet what’s not so humane are the times that management either doesn’t know or ignores the issues.

And if frequent enough, those bitches and moans just might lead to anonymous reviews on glassdoor.com, to workplace incivility, higher absenteeism (and lower productivity), and retention issues.  Not to mention legal actions.

New software provider Memo has it solved (it thinks).  It’s designed an anonymous e-forum to vent – and yes, management reads and responds.  Major employers like Amazon and Deloitte have subscribed.  Later this year (pre-IPO), Memo will launch tools that collect data on employee sentiment, moderate comments, and engage with workers.

Which is where we, as marketers and communicators, gotta step in.  Software that interacts with employees?  Seriously.  How about leaders who share issues, validate that problems are real and that solutions are in the works? 

Today, working for companies with a purpose is more than a candidate request.  Balancing (or blending, the word we prefer) work-life demands is not just the fervent wish of millennials.  And transparency, very soon we predict, will be mandated by potential new hires.  And why not?  Those companies with the highest morale and greatest collegiality, research shows, are also those where employees can respectfully complain.

Where is your company on the kvetch scale?

MAKE NEW FRIENDS ...

Any former Girl Scouts in our readership?

The phrase should be familiar – and it stayed in our memories after attending a GS Tribute Dinner a few weeks ago.   Where we were, indeed, meeting new acquaintances.

But ‘pinged’ in a different way.  There’s been much ado, for years, about networking:  the how-tos, not-tos, remember-tos, and business card-tos.  A number of MBA schools are now, in fact, teaching the soft skills of U.S. work connections to international students who don’t understand the intricacies of our culture.  So they learn, at lunches and after classes, the ins and outs of email greetings and small talk at networking events.

What, however, is lacking in many American skill sets is the art and craft of relationships.  A number of our colleagues, having found a new job, quickly drop all the connections they’ve carefully garnered to get employed.  Or they, suddenly, forgot the help and kindnesses of strangers. 

No, it’s not a complaint.  Rather, we’re pointing out that relationships in the workplace can make or break a career.  Genuinely caring about your compatriots is not necessarily a gender trait.  Nor is touching base frequently with peers, upper management, team members, and staff a brown-nosing activity.  It’s through the give and take, the honest exchange that, quite frankly, builds business and success.  Sharing knowledge, stories, and emotions gives us a personal face, one that’s okay to reveal in the workplace.

Technology makes it oh-so-easy to connect, hassle free.  Isn’t it time we take the IT out of our relationships?