Another Climate Prank: Sen. Arlen Specter Chased by Yes Men in Survivaball Suits

On October 21, 2009

Another Climate Prank: Sen. Arlen Specter Chased by Yes Men in Survivaball Suits

The Yes Men, the environmental and corporate ethics activist group responsible for this week's fake press conference prank against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is at it again. This time they chase Sen. Arlen Specter in giant Survivaball suits and create a little havoc on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. The Yes Men first used the Survivaball prank on Halliburton, where they posed as company executives presenting the phony $100 million global-warming protection suits at a 2006 Catastrophic Loss conference in Florida. Whether the organization's climate change pranks are effective is hard to say. They sure are hilarious, though. There's something irresistible about watching people inside giant inflatable balls try to catch up to a senator, regardless of the message. Consider this a small distraction to other...
On October 21, 2009

As ‘Keystone’ Crumbles, Crist’s Insurance Plan Looks More Sketchy

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has a history of flogging the insurance industry. As major insurers like State Farm flee the state, he says "Good riddance," while pursuing the U.S. Senate seat that will be open in 2010. With luck, he'll be there before another big storm hits the Sunshine State. But Crist's plan for helping Floridians deal with future hurricanes - and, eventually, they will - leaves something to be desired. Apart from praying at Jerusalem's "Wailing Wall," his basic strategy has been to replace major insurers such as Allstate, Travelers and, of course, State Farm with about 30 mini-insurance companies propped up by reinsurance and the state's underfunded catastrophe fund. If this sounds like a house of cards, well,...
On October 21, 2009

Will Fox News Cause Collateral Damage to News Corp.?

As is my habit, on the ride home from Manhattan the other day, I bought a copy of News Corp.'s The New York Post, indulging in a guilty pleasure that I make sure to revel in every time I'm in the city. Nothing like a silly, substance-free read to make the commute fly by. But this time, i was feeling guilty for another reason: that I was supporting News Corp., the same entity that owns Fox News, the cable channel that the Obama Administration recently classified as "a political opponent." Though I quickly dismissed that thought as being silly in and of itself, I wonder, as the debate has gotten more partisan, if other people will actually act on those...


On October 21, 2009

Developing Your Leadership Presence

What about when you are pushed in front of the microphone or given very little prep time for something like an introduction of a guest speaker?

This question came from Tonya in response to my previous post on developing your leadership pitch.

Here's the quick answer, you walk to the microphone and you smile. You take a moment to size up the audience and then you say what you have to say briefly and to the point. Most importantly, as they advise running backs who score touchdowns, act like you have been there before. The great ones hand the ball back the referee; the wannabes whoop and holler.

At the microphone, remain calm. Why? Because you are in control! Your stomach may be churning and your palms may be sweaty, but you must realize the microphone is in your hands. This is a little secret that I share with people I coach: people have to listen to you. Whether you croon or wax eloquent, the audience is at your mercy.

You are the master of your destiny, or at least the next five minutes. When you keep that thought in mind, you will realize that yes, you can do this. You can speak in front of an audience and you will be okay.

Such behavior is how you cultivate your leadership presence, a topic I address in, Lead Your Boss, The Subtle Art of Managing Up. I define leadership presence as earned authority. You may have a title, but you need to earn the respect and trust of your coworkers. Presence is rooted in fundamental competence, and for anyone who aspires to lead, presence is essential. Developing this is a long process that goes far beyond speaking in public.

Some people confuse presence with charisma, but the two are not the same. The former is developed over time; the latter is what you are born with and is a matter of looks, charm, personality, and appeal. Charisma adds to presence, but you do not need to have movie-star looks to be a person of presence. An example of this was Mother Theresa.

Picture this petite woman in her white sari trimmed in blue. Old and wrinkled, Mother Theresa was never mistaken for royalty. Yet because of her lifetime of work in creating a religious order to care for the "poorest of the poor" in India, she had a radiant presence around her. Her conviction about her work was so strong that she could approach heads of state for funds to run her mission. She also had a wonderful sense of humor which added to her personal warmth.

No matter your looks or body type, you can have presence if you work on your ability to connect with others, from behind a microphone or otherwise. And don't worry if you flub a word, or mispronounce a name. Correct yourself, smile, and keep moving. The audience is yours. So leverage your presence, and be the confident speaker you have always wanted to be.

On October 21, 2009

Frequent Styling Changes Increase Market Share, Study Says

Earlier today, I reported on a CNW Market Research study claiming that today’s auto buyers are fickle, with only 20 percent choosing to stick with the brand they’d most recently bought. But now a Virginia Commonwealth University study says that the most important reason consumers switch brands is a failure to freshen up styling. This phenomenon favors Japanese companies, says George Hoffer, a VCU economics professor and frequent auto industry consultant. Hoffer said that American models tend to go two years without a cosmetic update, compared to just one year for Japanese cars. VCU’s analysis indicates that a “restyling bump” carries an uptick in sales into the second year without a change, but “there’s no impact at all by the third...
On October 21, 2009

Setting Goals for Success

Sometimes goals are like New Year's resolutions -- they don't get very far. With business goals however, it is important that they are well planned and established to ensure that they are achieved.

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On October 21, 2009

How to Play Nice with your Web Designer

(A few tips from a fly on the wall) As co-owner of a graphic design company for the past three years, I’ve taken full advantage of my fly-on-the-wall status.  I get to see details that work to my advantage as a professional blogger, and I successfully miss the curve balls that many of my fellow Web-based [...]
On October 21, 2009

Oracle’s Acquisition of Ailing Sun Stuck in Mire

Oracle's $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems appears threatened by recent developments, starting with difficulties in gaining regulatory approval in the EU and ending with a startlingly decline at Sun Microsystems -- a company that was on a downward trajectory long before Oracle made its play for it.
On October 21, 2009

Nvidia to Deliver Graphics Via Cloud — Big New Thinking

It seems like about a third of the tech stories these days have to deal with cloud computing. There's been a sameness to them, the way I described e-book readers as being too similar and even boring. Put storage up there, or run CRM, or accounting, or business intelligence analytics, or essentially some other neatly defined category of software, and then use the resources via the web. Useful, but predictable. That's what makes Nvidia announcement of what is essentially a graphics rendering farm as a cloud surface as inherently interesting as the Spring Design e-book reader that I described yesterday. Even if you don't have any personal interest in what they're doing, this is an important concept because it starts...
On October 21, 2009

Say on Pay: Complaints About Debt Collectors Surge

As Americans sink further into debt, so does their distaste for paying it back. Complaints about debt collection rose 34 percent from 2004 to 2008, according to a new FTC report. The agency last year received roughly 79,000 complaints regarding those third-party debt collection services everyone loves so much. That amounted to nearly one-fifth of all consumer complaints to the FTC. The most common complaints about debt collectors involved, in order of prevalence: (1) misrepresentation of the amount or legal status of a debt; (2) excessive telephone calls; (3) telephone calls from collectors looking for other individuals; (4) use of obscene, profane or abusive language; and (5) threatening to sue if payment was not made. In some ways, this is...


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