Do you know what a little bird told me?

I love Twitter, I really do.

I love the way it can be used to campaign for change and as a force for good.  I love the way it introduces us to people we'd otherwise probably never have cause to interact with.  I love the quick wit and the humour - like a good bunch of mates in a pub on a Friday night.  From my own business's perspective I love the way I can network online - has to be better than walking into a room of unknown men in grey suits and striking up a conversation at 7.00 o'clock in the morning.

I love the discipline of 140 characters - forcing me to focus on what I'm really trying to say.

Yes it can be one hell of a time-waster, but generally it's fun, it's good for business and it's an easy way to keep up to speed with what's going on in the world.

But sometimes it seems to be like the malicious gossip I'm sure we can all recall from school days - the girl with the inside knowledge she would quietly share, with anyone who'd listen.  Poisonous, evil, unpleasant stirring.  And just like that girl it can bring out the worst in us all. It can be all too easy to jump on the bandwagon and join in the name calling. Sometimes it can be quite tempting to join the gossip because it's done in a witty, funny way.  But it's still malicious, still potentially ruining someone's life and reputation and dragging them through the dirt.  Or worse - what is it about an online environment which encourages people to say things behind the veil of anonymity, or sometimes not even that, which they'd never dream of saying to someone's face - vile, vitriolic and abusive ranting?  So I'm all for Lord McAlpine's efforts to bring his detractors to book - and to do it in a sensible and sensitive way with a donation to charity for those with less than 500 followers.

Let's hope it causes people to stop and think twice before they tweet. 

Wear sunscreen

Below is the essay of Mary Schmich published in the Chicago Tribune  in 1997. Although I would like to say I know this essay as intimately as I do because of this publication, it is infact because of the Quindon Tarver song that was released by Baz Luhrman for which I can credit knowing these words as I do. When I am having a bad day, if you see past the rubbish song, the sentiment of the essay always inspires.


“Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” written by Mary Schmich 

Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who’d rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there’s no reason we can’t entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.

I encourage anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt.

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’97:

- Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

- Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

- Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.

- Do one thing every day that scares you.
- Sing.
- Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
- Floss.
- Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.
- Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
- Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
- Stretch.
- Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.
- Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.
- Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.
- Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
- Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
- Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
- Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
- Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
- Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
- Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
- Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
- Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
- Respect your elders.
- Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
- Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.
- Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Photos taken from Posterous

Is it a bird, is it a plane???

No it's Felix Baumgartner as he attempts to skydive from the edge of space.

Baumgartner is one of the world's most celebrated B.A.S.E. jumpers and extreme athletes.
 
At around 1.30 p.m. UK time today Baumgartner will attempt to skydive from an altitude of 36,576 meters. The jump will take place above Roswell, New Mexico and Baumgartner is attempting to become the first human to break the sound barrier unaided by a vehicle. After

The highest skydive record is held by retired US Air Force Col Joe Kittinger,  who lept from a balloon at an altitude of 31.3km in August 1960. He is also part of Baumgartner's team and will be the only voice to talk to him over the radio during the ascent and descent.

Good luck Felix I hope you are successful (I can't even begin to imagine how you are feeling as you look down at earth)

To watch the event live please go to www.redbullstratos.com

A little inspiration

Saturday was Layla’s day, around 200 people rallied around some wonderful friends whose daughter has sadly been diagnosed with a very rare form of leukemia; she is believed to be the only child in the UK with this type. At two and a half years old the amount of treatment they can give Layla at any one time means it will last 2 years. The amount of volunteers, donations and money spent on the day was phenomenal, over £12,000 was raised for the Royal Marsden Hospital who are caring for this little star.

Since being diagnosed Layla has taken everything thrown at her in her stride, she is an amazing, inspirational, brave little girl. And no matter what she always has a smile on her face. Inspiration to us all.

"Uggh a culture we must change"

So said a respondent to Woodreed's recent survey in our Brand Inside Report.

And it seems they weren't alone, with only 29% of respondents reporting that their organisation has "a great culture of people living our values." A worrying 20% reported a culture yes, but "not the one we want" and over a quarter of respondees said their organisation had "no sense of what we stand for internally" at all.  Not great results for UK plc but, given the recent wake of corporate scandals and misdemeanours, not perhaps that surprising.

So what's the answer?

Engaging on an emotional level is four times more valuable than rational engagement when it comes to driving employee effort, yet all too often internal comms are cold and rational - devoid of the emotive power a brand can deliver.

A well defined cultural framework, grounded in brand values and delivered through a strategic and integrated internal communications programme can effectively fix the disconnect and successfully embed the values amongst employees in a sustainable way to help create the right kinds of values-based cultures for the long-term.

Employee engagement is becoming a board issue and rightly so.  What boards now need to do is direct HR and Marketing to work together, to combine their brand and people expertise and share some resources too.  But don't panic Marketeers, a little spent inside goes a very long way and don't forget there's a direct and proven link between engaged employees and your bottom line revenue.

Can I have a bottle of volunteer spirit please?

My wife Rosemary spent two and a half  weeks as a volunteer during the Olympics, a venture which has left her, and the other 70,000 volunteers totally inspired.

Not withstanding the fact that she travelled up to London from Kent everyday, she also received no pay whatsoever. Yes she was still motivated throughout and after the whole experience.

I applaud her and the other volunteers, a sentiment echoed by our Prime Minister who sent a personal letter to her, thanking her for her loyal services, a lovely encore for a brilliant performance.

So, a giant dedicated workforce working for nothing, seemingly motivated throughout the whole occasion.

Yes of course, part of this commitment is based on wanting to take part in history, another doing something for one's country and probably for the love of sport.

But wouldn't it be fantastic if all our giant brands could create such a dynamic effect on their employees?

Interestingly, there were over 250,000 applicants for 70,000 positions. The interviewers were trained for technique by McDonald's, during the whole Olympic and Paralympic event, there were only 100 absentees and not one person objected to wearing the uniform.


An unforgettable experience, and a lesson on how to incentivise and motivate (unpaid) employees!

Recognition and reward - the greatest missed opportunity

Right now the need to keep your people engaged, motivated and productive has never been greater.  We know there's a direct, proven link between engaged employees and increased turnover and profitability - it's called the Service Profit Chain.

So engaging your employees really matters; and recognising and rewarding your people is one of the best ways to do this.

According to Jeffrey Pfeffer*, “high involvement companies (those who empower, actively engage, recognise and reward employees (in good times and bad) have consistently outperformed their competitors over the long haul."

In organisations where big remuneration packages and the annual bonus are not the core reward mechanism for the majority, and where salaries of those at the coal face are more in line with the national average, brand-centred recognition and reward programmes can represent the biggest opportunity to engage staff each and every day.

The best recognition and reward schemes are created directly in line with the brand and have a powerful ripple effect through a company, creating a culture of recognition. A place where people enjoy their time because they know the contributions they make are noticed. It allows an organisation to shine lights on those best living the brand, encouraging others to do so as they go.

So why in Woodreed's Brand Inside Survey were 37% of organisations still approaching R&R with generic token offerings made in an ad hoc way and a shocking 20% having no process of reward and recognition at all?

*Jeffrey Pfeffer, The Human Equation. Building profits by putting people first