Who Owns Those Followers Anyway?

Whether or not we agree, it is very likely that the courts will side with the employer as related to the ownership of multimedia followers that were established and supported by employees on company time. Many companies are beginning to understand the  value of multimedia marketing and are making investments to build and maintain a following through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. These investments build over time and are often a key element of a company’s branding strategy.

Capture and Protect Company Information

The loss of a single employee can cause significant recovery costs if the benefit of their knowledge, skills, and experience walks out the door with them. This is especially true for smaller companies with fewer people having broader and more indepth knowledge. We often think that because we have documented job descriptions and written policies and procedures that we are adequately protected. Though these documents are important for many reasons, they are only the foundation upon which the actual work performed is built.

Too Much Information Can Lead to Doubt

As I have watched our Nation’s leaders struggle with the issue of the debt ceiling and how best to deal with our Country’s ever-growing, out-of-control National Debt, I wondered if perhaps we have not gone too far with respect to freedom of information. The media, motivated by their own profit motives, have not only reported and speculated on every nuance, but they have also been used by the participants on all sides to promote and gain support for their positions. If when this is over, what is achieved is a balanced decision to raise the debt ceiling and an agreement to cut government spending to bring the National Debt back under control, isn’t that what is really important? Was it really necessary to expose every facet of the disagreements? Has this exposure strengthened or weakened your trust our leaders’ ability to do what is right? Can you imagine this kind of exposure in a private enterprise?

Employee Engagement – A Critical Element

I have taken the time over this summer to read some of the classics that I avoided reading in my youth. I recently read ‘Anna Karenina’ by Leo Tolstoy, completed in 1877. One of Tolstoy’s characters, Konstantin Levin, was a land owner and professional farmer who spent a great deal of time thinking about how to engage his farm workers so that they would be more emotionally engaged in the success of the whole to the mutual benefit of all. Since Tolstoy took as much time as he did to explore this topic through Levin, one can only assume that the challenge of employee engagement was important to him as well. As I read Tolstoy’s account of Levin’s efforts to understand and implement programs to enhance the farm’s success, I found it interesting how it was the land owner’s willingness to yield something of value to get something of value even in the face of opposition from his peers as well as his workers that helped him to achieve his goals. Perhaps there is a lesson in that for those of us in management today.

Emergency Response Preparedness

When you hear, “Oh, $@%#, TROUBLE!” it is too late to draft an emergency response policy or to practice emergency procedures to ensure the safety of your personnel and work environment. We are all quite competent in developing business plans, policies, and procedures that govern the way our businesses operate under normal circumstances, but what happens when things are not normal? Will your staff follow the appropriate emergency procedures or will chaos ensue potentially exacerbating the situation?

Is That Lipstick on That Pig?

As my team finished remodeling the 71 year old residential property, I looked at the changes we made and took a few moments to appreciate the restored beauty and charm.  When I think about the history of this old house I realize how similar it is to the stories of some businesses. The house was purchased from the original owner sometime around 1960 for use as a rental property. It was soon rented to a family who lived in the property for 33 years. During that time, very little was done to maintain or update the property, after all, it was rented and the renters were not complaining, and its charms eventually succumbed to the passage of time.

Lessons From Grandpa

Much of what I know about life I learned from my grandfather. He was a tough old New England farmer with an 8th grade education. Life was hard for him and he took it as his responsibility to let us know that life was not easy. When we asked him to give us a ride to town for example, a distance of approximately 5 miles, he would say: “If you are too lazy to pedal your feet to give your behind a ride, you probably won’t get far in this world.” Taken literally, he was right of course, and it was an amusing way to tell us “no.” As I got older I realized the metaphorical value of his statement. You have to be willing to work for what you want.

I didn’t realize that while I was grousing about working so hard around the farm, that the character he said I was building was the foundation of the person I would become.