Tony Hsieh of Zappos

Here’s a news flash! When you talk about your company, about your organization or about yourself … NO ONE CARES!

People – your clients, customers, vendors, employees, etc. – only care about the benefit … the value of what you are doing … to them. Your sales, stock value, market share, growth and everything else is driven by the value of what you are doing, and not by your talking about yourself.

Yet, most of the PR industry and most corporations consume interminable time and resources in talking about themselves.

When I interviewed Tony Hsieh – the truly remarkable guy who founded Zappos – for my new book, “Making News in the Digital Era,” this is what he said:

PR used to be about who you say you are. I think today it’s much more important to focus on who you are rather than who you say you are, and that really just comes down to whether every employee is committing to and living the core values of the organization.

Tony is absolutely right. You can talk about yourself until the cows come home. You can slap boring “about” boilerplate at the end of each news release. The reality is – no one cares. It’s what you achieve … the value you bring to the world … that really matters.

Every week, if not everyday, we hear of more newspapers failing or struggling to stay alive. Newsrooms are cutting staffs, cutting sections, cutting pages. Papers are trying to find a silver bullet to attract more readers and larger revenue streams online. They are not having much luck so far.

Faced with the reality of changing needs of traditional journalists, a broadcast media that has become more entertainment than news, and today’s fast-developing online world of social media, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, how do we attract attention and communicate accurately, effectively and clearly?

Here are six suggestions for organizational leadership in today’s competitive world:

• Advocate change – Learn the styles, trends and new protocols of today’s mainstream and online media as it shifts and jockeys to find a niche. Champion change in your own organization. Old habits die hard at many organizations, slowing them from learning new styles and embracing new techniques. While it might be an old habit and more comfortable, for example, to send out a press release, that kind of outreach has become less effective in today’s competitive world.
• Embrace storytelling – Learn how to tell what your organization has to say in an appealing story. Storytelling is the singular most powerful technique for any organization or business to attract attention and trigger word of mouth buzz that will ultimately enhance leadership positioning. The media, whether mainstream or online, is always looking for a good story.
• Think plain language – The communications clarity of business and organizations is too often polluted by obfuscated language of industry short-hand or over-worked business school jargon. As a communicator, translate opaque into plain and clear language that everyone will understand.
• Reach out to few to achieve more – Develop working relationships with those individuals – whether journalists, bloggers, analysts or others – who are opinion-leaders in your industry or business sector. Chances are the list of authentic influencers is astonishingly short. Become a valued and trusted resource aside from promoting your own organization. The payoff will be exponential because of enhanced credibility, and the fact that the top thought-leaders in your industry will begin turning to you and your organization to learn more. With regard to the media, the days of blasting out press releases to thousands of people are fast coming to an end for the simple reason that a release sent to everyone is the antithesis of what any journalist wants or needs for a story.
• Stop marketing and promoting, start listening – We are living and working in a new world influenced by vast choices online, a world of diminished influence for traditional advertising, marketing and promotion. This is the hardest thing for many organizations to grasp – that we must let go of old ways, and listen to the people who matter most to our organizations – customers, clients, buyers, stakeholders, the media – and get into conversations with them. There’s an old belief that the best kind of promotion is when a third-party person says something nice about you … and it’s never been truer than today. Listening and conversations lead to those who matter most to your organization telling others nice things about you. They become an army of ambassadors who build the best kind of awareness.
• Become the credible voice and face of your organization and industry – Look around at today’s most respected organizations. In many cases, the top executives have high visibility, and are recognized as leaders – Tony Hsieh of Zappos, John Chambers of Cisco, Richard Branson of Virgin, Steve Jobs of Apple. They define and differentiate the image, integrity and reputation of their organizations through their own consistent openness and transparency as industry leaders, often leaving less outward CEOs to stand in the shadows.

It is not that difficult to achieve organizational leadership to capitalize on all the changes around us. It begins with the discipline of letting go of old habits that often no longer work, and recognizing that if we do not get more savvy as communicators, we might wake up some day to find that our competitors have.

“Journalists are taught to talk and write in human terms. Tell me a story.”

We are all part of a storytelling culture in America. It’s been that way forever, and it’s no different in countries, cultures and communities around the world. We share stories … an infinite variety of stories … about the human experience, and often, the best stories are repeated over and over.

Stories are the bedrock of interaction, building blocks of knowledge, the foundation of memory and learning. Stories connect us with our humanness, and link past, present, and future by teaching us to anticipate the possible consequences of our actions. Stories help to define what is authentically special about something or someone.

Yet, the power of storytelling is too often overlooked or dismissed as companies, not-for-profits, associations, and other organizations strive to get attention. They embrace, instead, a copycat style of communications – press releases, statements, promotions, marketing tactics, and run-of-the-mill advertising – in an attempt to promote, sell or push publicity. And … it does not work, especially in today’s online world.

We are not living in a time when promoting, selling and pushing publicity works as it might have in the past.

Let me share an example of storytelling. High school students in Pomona, California – a town hard-hit by the economic downturn – worked with their teacher to create a video, called “Is Anyone Listening?” In it, they shared stories of how each of their lives were impacted by home foreclosures and layoffs. They told of how their families were suffering, and how they were going hungry.

They put the video on YouTube, and a local newspaper picked up the story. Then, John Larson of KCET Television – the PBS station in Los Angeles – reported the story. His story was a magnificent example of journalistic storytelling. Then, the national PBS news program, NewsHour, aired Larson’s story. President Obama heard about the plight of the students, and personally visited with them last week, pledging that he, the President of the United States, was listening.

The students in Pomona captured enormous worldwide attention by sharing their story.

How can this apply to you? Any company or organization … any small business or individual consultant … has a distinctive story. Find it. Share it. Discuss it. Build upon it. Get your story repeated by others, over and over.

Remember … storytelling has been the bedrock of interactive communications for at least a gazillion years before the Internet came along. Things like blogs, Twitter and the sort are merely delivery tactics. Strategic communications leadership begins with learning the craft of storytelling.

Storytelling and many more elements of contemporary communications leadership are detailed in my new book, “The Media Savvy Leader: Visibility, Influence, and Results in a Competitive World.”

In business and everyday living, we are awash in Top 10 steps to solve this or that. Top 10 things to make money … top 10 things to get attention … top 10 ways to look more beautiful … top 10 things to be recognized as a winner, etc. All just tactics. Nice smelling salve that doesn’t last.

People love tactics because they require little thought, seem fun, and are check lists of things to do that make us think we’ve accomplished something. It’s just a delusion.

Tactics without a carefully thought-through strategy almost certainly lead to unsatisfactory results, missteps or failure. Tactics lack cohesive purpose and focus. It’s like walking in circles, getting no where meaningful.

Yet, we are living in a culture where tactics are popular … because they are easy. Strategic purpose, on the other hand, requires imaginative ideas, intelligent process, organization … work. Strategies deliver desired results, and strategic planning is not rocket science. And, here’s the best part … developing strategies is fast and quite easy.

I will be writing about the value of strategic planning on this blog over the next few days, and will strive to connect it with timely issues. I would welcome your feedback.

“World Wide Rave” is, I believe, one of the most important books about marketing in the Internet Era that I have read. The author is a man with deep credentials and perspective, and who, himself, has created world wide rave for his new approaches and ideas to marketing, and for his books.

David explains that we must “lose control,” that we must understand that creating visibility in today’s online world means releasing control of old approaches, like promoting messages, and capturing sales leads. The old PR agency idea of counting press clips is antiquated and silly in today’s world. We can measure success but no longer through outdated business school Return on Investment (ROI) calculators.

Nobody cares about your organization or your products, David writes. What people care about are themselves and ways to solve their own problems. In order to have people talk about you and your ideas, he writes, you must resist the old urge to sell or hype your products and services. Today’s style is rather one of finding “triggers” that stimulate attention and harness the power of the digital revolution. Rave is finding ways to get people talking about you.

“World Wide Rave” is filled with practical examples and guidance on how anyone can create world wide buzz about their organization or products or themselves. And, the best part is that we are living in an age when we have the ability to create rave … or, a splash of significant awareness … at little or no cost.

As an author and journalist, myself, who has studied and consulted on evolving trends of image-making and getting attention for many years, I would rank David Meerman Scott’s “World Wide Rave” as one of the distinctive, trend-setting works, in the same category as Blanchard’s “The One Minute Manager,” and Beckwith’s “Selling the Invisible.”

After reading the 194 pages, I sat back, and thought, Wow!”

What one single quality distinguishes a good leader in today’s world?

My answer, based on research for my book and my own experience, is always the same – the ability to listen.

If there is a common thread between today’s outstanding leaders – from President Obama to Zappo’s CEO Tony Hsieh – it is the ability to listen. Listen to staff, listen to customers, listen to audiences, listen to the media. Just listen. They rarely act without first listening.

It makes me wonder about the CEOs of the Big Three troubled automakers. They appear to be only in sell mode, and not listeners. Or, the CEOs of the big financial and insurance companies that are now falling like dominos. Did they listen to anyone? I suspect that hubris got in the way of listening.

The subject of listening also reminds me of the worse boss I ever had. It was after I sold my PR agency and had gone to work for a global manufacturing company as head of worldwide communications. The CEO there never listened. His favorite phrase was, “I’m on transmit; you’re on receive,” which meant he didn’t want anyone to respond to his orders, just obey him … or else. You may have met one of those guys.

He fancied himself like a Top Gun ace, complete with large photo of a fighter jet on his office wall. He labeled staff meetings, “Roll-Downs,” because, he said, “s**t always rolls down the hill.”  He never listened.

I suspect there are a lot of CEOs similar to him still in corner offices. They may have fooled a board of directors into hiring them for a big salary package, but they are not, however, leaders.

“As with most of the business world, the majority of agency heads are excellent managers and sales people—not media savvy leaders,” believes veteran media strategist, blogger and Emmy Award winning former CBS News correspondent David Henderson, who has worked for several top national agencies and whose new book “The Media Savvy Leader” hit bookstores this month after nearly two years of research and analysis of top corporate leaders. “They know how to sell the business, manage people and work on the bottom line—but they’re not leaders who step out in front of the industry and inspire greatness.”
The exceptions, however, are obvious, according to Henderson. “Steve Cody, of Peppercom, is a man I would call an authentic, media savvy leader. He is guided by one word: reputation. That reputation is built by action and direct, ongoing relationships. That’s especially the case when he works with the media. He communicates with the press even when he or his agency isn’t after something,” Henderson explains.

Another example: “Richard Edelman inspires greatness—as did his father, Dan. Richard is charismatic. When he speaks, he speaks from his heart and soul. You believe it, because he believes what he’s saying. He speaks in stories, which is a key trait of media savvy leaders. Not long ago, for example, Richard had prostate surgery and he wrote straight out of his heart on his blog about it. Any man over 50 would be touched by his candor in talking about what he went through and sharing information transparently.”

So why is “media savvy” leadership so important these days—particularly in the agency world—and what exactly are the traits of a media savvy leader? Henderson spills the details here, along with his take on how PR firms can stay in the black when everything’s looking red:

Why is it more critical now than ever before to be a media savvy leader?

Two concepts: competitive differentiation and “earned media.” Take a look at the economy; advertising doesn’t do it anymore. It used to be you’d advertise on TV or in the paper to achieve that. Now, that’s changed. So it’s imperative that leaders of organizations understand how to talk with the media, both online and mainstream—that has replaced advertising. That’s why they call it earned media.

Why’d you write this book—what gave birth to the idea of a media savvy leader?

I’ve been researching this topic for a long time. I was a journalist by training and was always fascinated by leaders of organizations who could stand in front of a microphone and communicate their mission, control the message and communicate their excitement. I was also struck by how few executives could do this. So, I gathered material on this over the years—and decided to write this book a few years back.

Bringing it back to present: We live in competitive times, punctuated by the demise of traditional media, declining ad revenues, and the explosion of digital media and Web 2.0., brought on in part by blogs and interactive data management platforms for sites like Twitter and Facebook. So, we live in times of great change in what is called “the media.”

And yet, we still have this small group of leaders who seem to “get it” and understand the importance in these competitive times of having a trusted face and voice—that’s what a media savvy leader is all about. I am talking about the likes of people from Oprah and Steve Jobs to Richard Branson and Gary Shapiro, who heads the Consumer Electronics Association. Some of the best are equally communicating across traditional platforms and social media. Good examples are Mark Cuban and others who invite people and customers to meet up with them on Twitter or Facebook or wherever, and who check their own emails.

They are out there controlling their image, excitement and reputation—the brand, if you will. They’re also rolling up their shirt sleeves and taking ownership for driving the visibility of their organizations.

What is the result or ROI of their driving that visibility?

The results are greater credibility, trust and perception of value for their organizations. Ultimately, it impacts the bottom line. Leadership can translate to sales success and higher profits. For nonprofits, it translates to greater funding, media attention and involvement by influencers. For example, I interviewed Layli Miller-Muro (executive director of the Tahirih Justice Center) for the book. She personally takes charge of how the communications of her organization is run. She is a media darling of Washington. She gets coverage and communicates her messages clearly, and has been doing so for eleven years.

So what are the common threads between these outstanding communicators you studied? How do you define a media savvy leader—what are the traits?

The first thing is they accept ownership for communicating the image of their corporation. They don’t delegate it to an agency or corporate communications department.

Second is they practice daily engagement and relationship building with the media. They develop their own personal and trusted media contacts. For example, Steve Jobs “courts” Walt Mossberg at The Wall Street Journal and David Pogue at The New York Times. These are the two most influential tech writers in the world. He interfaces with them via email and telephone. They have direct access to each other. Gary Shapiro at CESA says he is talking to business reporters and trade reporters directly every single day—not just during media tour or announcements. That builds this exec’s trust level with the reporter. That way, an exec isn’t a promoter, but a trusted resource. Reporters like that access. But at most companies, a reporter calls up and there’s a buffer of communications or lawyers—as opposed to real dialog.

It’s important to note that you develop media contacts to build up rapport and trust, not to pitch them a story. You do it to be a resource for them. That’s the purpose, you’re not after something. If you see it that way, then the returns will be there over the long run.

A third trait is understanding the importance of storytelling. When they talk, you feel their excitement. It’s charismatic—but charisma really can be learned. It comes along with storytelling. If we parrot slogans and jargon, we sound impersonal and phony. But if we’re speaking from the heart, people feel it. Anybody can be charismatic in their own field, because it’s grounded in belief. So the secret sauce is truly believing your story and telling people why what you do excites you. Telling the truth and being transparent communicates excitement—by telling our story. A big element many companies overlook is that authentic storytelling isn’t about you. Instead, it’s about speaking to why your audience should care. What is the value for them? Sharing a personal vision and experience gets to that.

A fourth trait, really, is grasping and using online tools and social media. I write in the book how businesses and organizations that need public relations are being let down by agencies. I think the inability of the PR business to really comprehend what Web 2.0 is about is shocking. So, real leaders get in there and they take a look at the trends in media and online and get active there. For example, if you’re going to offer a CEO blog, you have to be prepared to spend an hour a day doing it—not every other day. Also important is understanding and respecting the online world’s mindset of sharing—it’s all about developing conversations with constituents.

A fifth trait is getting into conversations with stakeholders. The CEO of Zappos is a great example. This is a terrific company with great customer service. And you can even have a conversation with the CEO of Zappos on Twitter. He also has a blog.

A sixth trait is understanding that perception is a fragile thing. A recent study, referenced in the book, found that 82 percent of shareholder value is perception—it’s intangible and feeling. Each one of these leaders understands that. They get that one single misstep can hurt their reputation and that of the organization. When you recognize that, you see the importance of rolling up your sleeves and taking charge of it yourself.

The book included red flags indicating ineffective leadership. Can you share some of those here—as they relate to agency management?

I met with a major agency recently and they were talking about doing a speakers bureau for a client. I haven’t heard that idea for ten years. Some agencies are still sending out paper press kits. They just don’t get it—the media has outpaced those ideas. Agencies are into “faux newswires” like PR Web, and so on. Well, you might as well take your money and have a nice party. Those things don’t work. You can do this stuff yourself for free using del.icio.us or Digg if you want your release to show up online. Tools like Stumbleupon and Flickr let you do all this quickly online—and it costs nothing.

Again, this shows a complete lack of understanding of where media is going—it’s based on an old concept that press releases result in stories. They don’t. It’s not important to use a wire service to send out a press release to a gazillion media points because it won’t result in a story, and what you’re doing is the antithesis of what reporters want in today’s competitive world: exclusivity. That’s how they keep their jobs. A release on the wire or online is already read by everybody. That’s the opposite of media leadership.

Jobs, Branson and others don’t do that. For any company, there are six to ten reporters who really matter—and media savvy leaders like these guys build relationships with them. So, a common trait among leaders, again, is that they have direct media relationships.

What’s the number one mistake you’ve seen agency leaders make in downturns when working with clients?

I think the number one thing is trying to fix what the client is saying they need right now, but not looking forward to see the potential of what lies ahead. What they need to be is more strategic. For example, a CEO blog is a tactic. Why do you want it? Where are you going with this—what is the purpose and how does it fit in with your long-term plans? Answer those questions before picking up on the tactics.

So, the number one thing agency leaders need to do in providing counsel to clients now is helping clients see long-term opportunities and potential. And in that, the Web is a major factor. The mistake is thinking short term. The Web is truly the competitive differentiator for companies—and will only get greater.

Based on that, and what you outline in the book—what are clients looking for now?

I talk to a lot of corporate communications people about this. Contrary to belief, size doesn’t matter in a PR agency. It doesn’t matter if an agency comes in and says, “We have 97 offices worldwide.” Each office has its own franchise and demands for profit. Beyond that, agencies often bring in expensive suits and silver hair in expensive presentations to prospects and clients. What they should do is bring in the people who are going to do the work—that’s more honest and credible.

Chemistry is also important to clients. It’s not unlike dating. I talked with Barbara Robinson at Dun & Bradstreet for the book. She said it’s all about the chemistry between the agency and the internal team. She said whether the agency would be fun to work with is important. PR is hard work, why not make it fun?

Also important is the reputation of the top PR strategist—clients are looking for expertise, articles and even books by the key agency strategist they’ll be working with. They need to have top quality strategists with recognizable names on the account.

Finally, clients want PR people who can help chart a bold new direction for their company. You’ve got to not be afraid to push the client to make some tough decisions and take bold new directions. It’s almost like what Obama is telling the country.

While at the Changing Times Conference this past Christmas Holiday I attended a workshop lead by Holiday Reinhorn (who just so happens also to be Rainn Wilson’s AMAZING wife). She is also an award-winning author in her own right. We did some writing exercises to get our writing juices flowing and this is one of the pieces that I did. For each piece we were literally given 5-7 min so please bear that in mind… well, i also did clean mine up more than a wee bit, so bear that in mind too. Despite doing my PhD, which by default means that I should be a good writer I am not a writer. One of the ‘comments’ that I was given by my dear Professor during my Master’s degree was, “Clare, your writing is a breath of fresh air because you write very parochial, you write using very basic English”. I decided to take it as a compliment and embrace the fact that my writing is very simple, like many other things about me.

Forgotten Remembrances

I remember. I remember giving away the only thing that I thought I had left to give. I remember love.

And then I seem to have forgotten…

I remember counting down the days left till my period of service days I had given, wishing they would soon come to an end.

I remember the bugs in my bed, the green mamba I tried to catch and the friendly dog I named Rafiki, meaning friend.

I remember the Earth’s skin was turned red.

I remember the IVs in my arm, I remember the hospitals I frequented and the endless injections in my bum

I remember the tears, i wonder if I ever forget them or the sad puddle they formed in my path, and yet I fear that one day I will not remember them anymore and I will forget.

I remember the pain, the pain and the pain. I remember the days of endless nights.

I remember the shame that I felt, the shame of not being being perfect, of wanting to run away, of being tired of pioneering and ready for comfort and change.

Every morning as I would open my eyes it was first the foreign visions that filled up my mind. I would ask myself, as I did everyday, “why is it again that you wake up to these sights?” and then I would remember, I am here in love for You. And I was happy and tried to see the beauty where I didn’t see it before.

Every month as I got sick and visited the hospital with bucket in hand and fever on brow, I would ask myself, over and over again, “What do you love more than you love yourself?” and then I would remember, I am here in my love for You. And I was happy and waited for the sickness to pass.

Every time I had a lonely moment, and I had a lot of those, I Would ask myself, “why is it that you are here and not at home in the company of friends and family?” and then I would remember, I am here because of my love for You. And I was happy and tried to make friends.

I remember now that it was my pain, my tears and my discomfort that helped me to remember, when I started to forget, that it was my love for You that made me a pioneer. And I am happy once more.

Please visit Clare’s blog, Football and Faith.

They, like so many others, read the job postings but they become disillusioned at the lack of distinction. What these young adults – with degrees from places like MIT and Oxford – see is not a description for a career but rather a boilerplate of human resources gobbledegook to simply find someone to fill a slot.

The problem seems endemic to the United States. Here’s an example of what they were talking about. It’s for a mid-level position in communications for Sodexo USA, but the oblique language has become standard, regardless of the position:

In this role, you will:

• Create strategy for internal (multi-directional – multi media) communications which serve as a key driver/enabler of corporate strategy
• Segment communication by targeted audience (including senior management to front line) through management of communication channels (i.e. intranet, face to face meetings, webinars, video conference, etc.)
• Create and implement a strategy to evolve the intranet into a knowledge management tool for all management
• Lead the design and development of creative publications/presentations for all levels of management
• Coach senior management and their teams on effective communications that will support their business objectives
• Manage communication projects and materials, e.g., articles, brochures, newsletters, collateral material
• Analyze thematic company-wide issues and create and implement communication strategies to address them
• Assure company-wide communications/messages are uniform and consistent with corporate brand strategy
• Direct and advise on the most appropriate media and strategies for various types of communication and business objectives

This isn’t a vision for a career; it’s an unattainable checklist, given the position level.

How can you counsel someone who has an intimidating IQ and more achievements by the age of 25 than most people achieve by 40 about a job that has unrealistic mediocrity written all over it? While the descriptions are grand to read, corporate realities are different.

How can business and organizations find the best and brightest if all the HR people are able to do is cut and paste together essentially meaningless language for job announcements, and then rely on computer programs to search for keywords in resumes to find possible matches?

My old friend, Dr. Bill Charland, wrote a book called “Life-Work: A Career Guide for Idealists” while a professor at the University of Denver. He took a sort of utopian approach that bright people should only strive for and accept work that fulfills their personal quests and dreams, and never accept a job that inanely just fills a slot because that will never bring happiness.

So, even though he lives in New Mexico now and didn’t know it, Bill’s idealism was guiding me when I counseled those amazing future leaders to be wary of and avoid HR gobbledegook, perhaps the greatest impediment to leadership.

What the world needs, instead, is their intelligence … and their dreams.

The five organizers all have “day jobs” yet have found the time to communicate and coordinate … mostly by email … a major conference that focuses on defining visionary leadership principles. In the process, they have attracted speakers from all over the world, ranging from actor Rainn Wilson and Italian business leader Giuseppe Robiati to Dr. Moshe Sharon, a distinguished scholar from Hebrew University.

It’s intense – daily lectures and workshops for eight to 12 hours.

I have never before seen, known or participated in such a meaningful conference. My wife, Kit Bigelow, who is one of the speakers, has described the event simply as, “humorously soul uplifting.” I look at the faces of the young adults, and see the world’s future.

Here’s another animation, created by Animoto …