Book Short: On Employee Engagement The first time I ever heard the term “Employee Engagement” was from my colleague David Sieh, one of the better managers I’ve ever worked with. He said it was his objective for his engineering team. He explained how he tried to achieve it. I Quit, But forgot to Tell You, by Terri Kabachnick, is a whole book on this topic, a very short but very potent one (the best kind of business books, if you ask me). It’s got all the short-form stuff you’d expect…a checklist of reasons for disengagement, an engagement quiz, the lifecycle of an employee that leads to disengagement, rules for dealing as a manager. But beyond the practical, the book serves…
Archives / July, 2008
Most scenic airport. Ever.
Most scenic airport. Ever. If all business travel started or ended like this (Jackson Hole), the world would be a happier place, I’m certain.
Why Do People Behave Like Jackasses Online?
Why Do People Behave Like Jackasses Online? I won’t disclose the name of the person who did this, but here’s the chain of events: Person registers for our Postmaster Direct service to receive targeted offers via email. This is a closed-loop, double opt-in registration process (so the person had to register and then click on a confirmation email) Person receives a handful of relevant, targeted offers from us Person finds my name on our corporate web site and messages my wife on Facebook to tell her that her husband is a dirty spammer who needs to learn a lesson, and would she please make him and his company behave? Person finds my blog and comments on it saying “don’t give…
Book Short: Stick Figures That Matter
Book Short: Stick Figures That Matter I have read a bunch of books lately to try to improve my presentation skills. The latest one, The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures, by Dan Roam, was good, and quite different from some of the others I’ve read recently like Presentation Zen and Beyond Bullet Points, both of which are much more focused on effective use of Powerpoint. The Back of the Napkin takes a different approach. The focus is much more on creating compelling visuals. It’s not about Powerpoint so much as it is about teaching how to crystallize concepts into tight and compelling schematics. Roam creates two pretty good frameworks for thinking about this: one…
Pendulum Swinging Back?
Pendulum Swinging Back? The TechCrunch news du jour is that Jason Calacanis has stopped blogging and is instead using email to communicate with his circle. It’s interesting to note that after months (years?) of “email is dead” stories specifically around blogging, RSS feeds, and social media in general, the pendulum seems to be swinging back to email. You should read Jason’s words yourself, but his notes are mainly that there’s too much noise and self-promotion in the blogosphere, while email promotes intimacy and efficiency. Not surprisingly, TechCrunch is a doubter, but we’ll have to see.
Learn Word of Mouth Marketing
Learn Word of Mouth Marketing Our friend, former RP colleague, and WOM guru Andy Sernovitz is hosting a small-group word of mouth marketing seminar. Usually he only does private training for companies at a very large price, so this is a rare chance for 50 people to get the best introduction to word of mouth that there is. I blogged about his book a while back here. We’ve arranged for a $250 discount for our clients. Use code “welovereturnpath” when you register (kind of catchy code, isn’t it?). This is a very practical, hands-on course. In one intense day, you will: Master the five steps of word of mouth marketing Construct an action plan that your…