Logic+Emotion

Goodbye Logic+Emotion, Hello Armano Design Group

This will be the last blog post I'll write on this Website. 

Let me take a step back.

In February of 2006, before TikTok, Snap, Facebook, and Twitter, there was a form of social media built on the open Web where like-minded people found others like them, (as well as audiences). They were called blogs. 

I picked a weekend during this coldest of months in Chicago to dig into what it would take to learn more about this space. I was intrigued by the potential and had become a reader of blogs myself. I started writing about what I knew most about back then—my first blog post was about user experience design (we call it UX now). 

Blogging opened up a whole new world to me as the Web started becoming more social. Before I knew it, I had built an audience, started getting invited to speak all over the world, and I had new career opportunities which stretched me in entirely new directions from advancing leadership abilities to learning communications and public relations to expanding my knowledge through practice in the broader category of marketing as well as business transformation. 

The world has changed much since 2006, and a recent Pandemic has accelerated decades of change and transformation in less than two years. We're only just at the beginning. Like many others, my career was unceremoniously disrupted and faced with uncertainty; I started my own venture with the fortune of securing some early contracts while dealing with my own fairly substantial case of Covid. I am happy to report—that which doesn't kill you, does in fact make you stronger. Yes, I've learned firsthand about the over-hyped word "resilience."

And as it turns out that when change is accelerated—experience in managing change comes in handy. I've found myself working with some amazing partners and hope to share more on that later when the time is right. 

So, a new chapter begins. I'll still be writing and sharing insights, but not here. You can find me at the following places:

Armano Design Group
We’re a design-inspired strategic consultancy that untangles complexity with purpose and passion so projects can be executed with precision.
We help organizations solve complex marketing, communications, and business problems—by design.

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@Armano on Twitter

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"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road."
~Stephen Hawking

The Mentor / Mentee Value Exchange

Originally posted on David by Design

For the past five years or so, I have been informally mentoring people. I’m happy to report that some of the earliest are ridiculously successful and I still keep in touch. I’m also a mentee to a few people I look up to. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

Understand Your Motivation Before You Become A Mentor or Mentee

You’re entering an informal agreement and you should know what’s motivating you and clearly articulate that to the other person. In my case, I realized I had not been seeking out mentors so becoming one was an intentional act.

Embrace That It’s A Two Way Learning Street

Regardless if you decide to seek or provide mentorship, you are accepting the role of both teacher and student. As a mentee, you will be teaching your mentor on a daily basis. Understand this dynamic works both ways.

Be A Mentor Means Being An Active Listener

If you want to become a valuable mentor, you either are a serious active listener or want to get better at it. Don’t become a mentor if you don’t value listening. It’s the number one requirement.

Being A Mentee Means Being You

If you’re not comfortable being yourself, you may not be ready for mentorship. Being a mentee means bringing your true self to the informal arrangement. There’s no room for anything less.

The Mentor/Mentee Value Exchange Transcends Professional Development

Being professional is a core value of my being. I strive to act ethically. I’m also a follower of radical candor and encourage mentees to explore a degree of personal life as part of professional development.

Trust Is The Literal Foundation Of Mentor/Mentee relationships

In every engagement where I have been both mentee as well as mentor, I seek to build trust. It’s the bedrock of the Mentor/Mentee value exchange. And it also flows both ways.

Don’t Become A Mentor or Mentee If You Can’t Make The Time

Time is our most precious asset and it’s limited. We have demanding projects, family duties, self-care, etc. all competing for time. If you can’t prioritize being either, you aren’t ready for it.

The Mentor/Mentee Value Exchange Is A Human Investment

In the age of crypto and a red hot housing market — becoming a mentee or mentor is an investment in another human being. If you value the ROI that comes with human investment, you’ll benefit from being either.

Six Thoughts On Career Transition

This past week I “celebrated” a year of career transition. It seems like a strange thing to celebrate as I didn’t find career transition, it found me. But unless you’re one of those rare creatures in life where everything goes according to plan — a career transition is just like one of any other’s life curveballs like the end of a relationship, or an accident, or maybe getting some news from the doctor that impacts your health and lifestyle. During this time, I have kept busy with contract work and conversations — lots of them. Not just career-focused conversations, but relationship reinforcing ones. I realized that this is not a topic people discuss openly, even though so many people go through it in some shape or another. There’s something not right about that — it’s like not talking about any other significant life milestone or even death for that matter. The fact is, some version of career transition, reinvention, reframing, or transformation comes for all of us — or we come for it. Either way, it’s a learning experience.

So, I took to Twitter to share a few things that I have learned during my career transition experience. Here are six things you’ll learn if you keep an open mind and heart:

You’ll find out who’s really in your corner:
And it will be surprising. Some of the surprises will be pleasantly unexpected and truly wonderful. Others will be a surprise that you didn’t see coming. The good news is, knowing who is truly in your corner is AWESOME.

You’ll experience loss, gains, and personal growth:
Life without the security of full-time employment (if this has been your career path) is transformational. Some days you wake up feeling like you lost something — other days, you take in the gifts. Either way, you grow.

You’ll learn to lean:
On others for support. That’s something I’ve traditionally been not great at and have taken pride in my self-sufficiency to an extent. But career transition underscores the importance of connections, relationships, and even being vulnerable.

You’ll learn:
A ton, if you’re really smart. I’ve been much more observant of how others are navigating careers and life and challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone. Since a career transition naturally removes comfort, it’s a no-brainer.

You’ll adapt:
A forced career transition + a global pandemic + a summer of social unrest + a year of “new normal” = adapt or die trying. Having had Covid induced pneumonia on top of it all tends to underscore the old adage “that which doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”.

You’ll get perspective:
And that’s the most important thing. A career is a huge deal because we spend so much time doing it. But I have other identities… father, partner, brother, friend. Your perspective on life broadens and if you allow it, becomes enriched.

I hesitated greatly when I hit the publish button on the first tweet of that thread. But then I thought about all of the people and leaders that I admire. They aren’t the ones with iron-clad armor who are always ready for professional battle and climb up the corporate ladder, stepping on others to climb higher — they are the ones who embody strength through relatability, who lean into their humanity and genuinely care about others. They aren’t afraid to share their experiences and help others along the way.

And the thing about transition is that it’s temporary. Like that butterfly about to emerge from the chrysalis. It’s a period of incubation between here and there. We’d all be better off openly discussing the in-between moments as much as the milestones because there’s a lot we learn during the transition.

A Year of Personal Disruption

On an evening in March (you know, the night), I knew something had changed significantly but, like many others, couldn't see past the fog of shock. At the time, I was watching in real-time as the NBA canceled games, the government canceled flights, and Tom Hanks canceled our collective Covid bubble—and despite what was unfolding before my very eyes, my life looked relatively stable. I had recently celebrated a decade with the same employer, and I was living comfortably with my fiancé—both my boys were living with their mother, we had wedding plans made and were on track for saving for it. After some transitional touch and go post-divorce years, things were settling in. 

But what is the saying? Ah yes—man plans... God laughs. 

In the span of just a few months, I transitioned both of my boys out of their mother's house, moved my younger son in with me, moved my fiancé out, back into her old place, assisted with her renovation in the process, canceled wedding plans and found myself unemployed along with many of the Covid-disrupted workforce. And really, these things were the tip of the Iceberg—there were struggles and traumatic experiences that are only appropriate to share with more intimate social circles—but I suspect it's not all that distinct from the stories that make up our collective trauma that is/was 2020. 

Disruption can be a good thing. I recall reading about the health benefits of being immersed in bone-chilling water (when done appropriately), but the thing about shocks to the system—it is a blurry mix of benefits and detractors. And blur is a great word for 2020 as every day became Blursday, and some of our defense mechanisms kicked in, especially during those early days. I remember learning about the third least known response to a threat. There's flight, fight, but there's also freeze (playing dead). Many days felt like everything was happening in slow motion, time was frozen, and fatigue was just a part of the everyday new normal, no matter how many walks or meditation breaks one took. 

Despite all the disruption, I still look back with a grateful spirit. Growing up in a blue-collar town has made me sensitive to the plight of the small business owner. While I spent the summer, like so many others grappling with the sights, sounds, and struggles of social justice playing out—I also could not help but think how these small business owners would ever mount a comeback. I sometimes wonder what "the new world" will look like with fewer small business owners and more big corporate entities who benefitted from the disruption. I think a part of me has been mourning this transition and still is. A decade from now, we are going to be living in a world completely dominated by only the biggest and most resourceful global corporations, with the technology players leading in size, influence, and dominance. The great consolidation has been greatly accelerated. 

I write this thinking about the past and wondering about the future—overlooking snowy rooftops and a frozen Lake Michigan. Chicago, my adopted home, which allowed me to raise a family and prosper, is unlikely to be my home in the not so distant future, and I am still a bit undecided on where, but it will be warmer and smaller, and I'll be skating to where the puck will be in five years or so (or at least this is the hope). 

Everyone has their own word for 2020. Professionally I advocated for resilience. Personally, I experienced disruption. Disruption, as positioned by the business evangelists, is a positive thing—it's dynamic and innovative. It's also uncomfortable and stressful. But it can definitely foster personal growth if you permit it. 

Looking forward, after a year of disruption comes the possibility of rebuilding and resetting and recalibrating for a time in my life where age holds a different meaning. The hustle of my 20s and 30s becomes replaced with purpose and intent—I must know why I will be working so hard, and to what end and to what purpose does it serve? 

So here's to 2021—from personal and professional disruption to something else that isn't likely to be predictable but hopefully is purposeful. 

An Open Letter To My Younger Self

Hi, it's me. 

You don't know me, but in time you will. I have the benefit of time and experience on my side and wanted to share some thoughts with you if you're willing to listen. If you receive this, please know that it comes from a good place. 

Let's talk about that time in high school when you ran with the cool kids for a short while before they rejected you. What they rejected was how hard you were trying to be something that you weren't. You'd think this experience would have taught you not to repeat this mistake, but you'll end up making similar mistakes. The good news is that you'll find your own path, make your lifelong friends, and care less about what others think of you. Please Don't be so hard on yourself because we live and learn. You'll get there, but I know if you could read this—you would have gotten there faster. 

How about one of the best decisions you made in your youth? One evening you came home from work and told your mother that you knew what you wanted to do. You knew that you had a visual talent and felt compelled to see if it could take you somewhere. You didn't feel good enough for a prestigious design school like Pratt, but you got your mother to agree that if you got accepted, you'd work harder there than you ever did in high school, and this would be the foundation you will build your future on. Never second guess this decision, even when you're up all night working like mad to finish a project that you want your talented classmates to respect. 

You're going to fall in love young—too young. You won't know any better because you will think "this is as good as it gets", but you were too young to understand how life truly works. On the bright side, this relationship will bear fruit in the form of two boys who you'll love unconditionally and will give you tremendous purpose in life. They will allow you to offer the fatherly guidance you didn't have, and they'll challenge and reward you in ways that force you to grow and mature from a young man into a fully functional adult. And you'll find love again and have the experience and wisdom to know what this word should really mean, as complex and mysterious as it is.

You're going to take a leap of faith and leave your hometown of NY, where you started your career to land in the midwestern city of Chicago. You'll lose your Long Island accent and get homesick, but you'll grow an appreciation for the more modest and hard-working style of midwesterners. At first, Chicago won't know what to make of your New York ways, but you'll adapt and change your professional and personal style. This adaptation will serve you well in the years to come. 

As the early days of social media literally change the Web, you will transition from a designer and "creative" to a strategic thinker who knows how to execute. You are going to find yourself in the weird and wonderful position of developing a professional "following," and the attention will make you feel uncomfortable. Don't be. Go with it because it won't last forever, and while you don't know it, you'll actually be positively impacting people's lives as you help yourself. 

You'll stay working on the "agency side" for too long. You'll take a risk to do something different, and it won't work out—so you'll go back to what feels familiar. However, you will still grow professionally and work with some absolutely top-notch people and clients and you'll learn much in the process as the internet re-shapes the world in some ways you predicted, and in other ways, you didn't.

You'll experience much in your adult life: from the joys of bringing new lives into the world to the emotional toll that comes with divorce to the appreciation of seeing your parents grow old to the historic moment when the country that your parents immigrated to finds itself grappling with a global pandemic and civil unrest at once. In some ways, the culmination of these experiences, both good and bad will help you stay grounded when the world feels unmoored. You'll be grateful that you've built so many meaningful relationships, so don't ever feel like you aren't "productive" when you're investing in someone else and forging a new connection. 

As previously stated, you'll make mistakes—some you'll learn from and others less so. Only invest in a business model you understand, only invest in others that respect your time, and only be as hard on yourself as much as it makes you better vs. worse. 

Don't forget where you came from, what you believe in, know who you are, and find ways to serve others. Time will go fast, so make it count because we only have so much time here. 

With love and respect
Older (and wiser) you 

What They Don't Tell You About Life "In-Between"

It's been just over three months since I've had a place of full-time employment to call home. As I previously mentioned, this has been a first-time experience having gone from one professional opportunity to another without much of a break in between. Like much in life, there always seems to be discrepancies between what you envision vs. how reality plays out. If I am really honest—life in the "in-between," as I like to call it, is a strangely ambiguous mixed bag filled with both blessings and challenges. Here's what I'm learning as I navigate this space, and maybe it could be of help to others who find themselves there now or sometime in the future... 

Take The Time To Tend To Your Personal Garden
By "personal garden," I mean your personal life. I don't know if it was fate, coincidence, or divine intervention, but my break came when I had (and still have) many personal challenges that need tending to. With a little bit of time looking into the rearview mirror, I wonder how I could have tended to these critical life challenges with a demanding full-time job at a demanding time in history. While I didn't ask for the break, its come with a silver lining of being able to weed, prune, and save some of the dying plants in my personal garden. I'm grateful that I was able to do this when it was needed most. 

Reject The Ideals
Ideals are everywhere—you would think that a pandemic would have the reverse effect. Still, many of us wonder if we're baking enough sourdough bread or learning enough new hobbies or career skills during this time of reduced commutes and remote everything. Imagine being in between jobs as the world exists in a somewhat in-between space—somewhere between normal and abnormal, routine, and chaos. I find myself regularly questioning if I am doing enough of anything—networking, self-improvement, applications, etc. etc. The single most challenging part for me is reminding myself that the ideals out there of how this time should be spent are not custom-tailored for my life. Life in the in-between is a personal experience. There is no right or wrong way and everyone has to find their own path without an instruction manual or tour guide. Rejecting what you perceive is the ideal way to navigate this strange state of being is probably the best gift you can give yourself. 

Put Your Faith In Karma
Nobody tells you that you're going to look at so many of your professional peers who are in seemingly secure jobs with companies on your wish list and wonder what you did wrong to end up on the sidelines. It doesn't put you in a natural state to want to help others when you are grappling with helping yourself. And this is exactly the moment when you have to put your faith into something bigger than yourself and think of others while resisting the temptation to only think of yourself. So call it Karma, the universe or a higher power, but living life in the professional in-between means you are going to be networking and that gives you the opportunity to help others even if they are already gainfully employed. Do it if you get the chance—it's healthy and it's putting positive energy into this world which will come back to you in some way, even if it's only knowing that you're trying to make a positive impact somewhere. 

Exercise Your Body + Mind
I was fortunate enough to order a Peloton while I was still employed full time and it was delivered during the still early-ish days of my in-between—another signal from the universe. It's been a lifesaver as I've found that getting the heart rate up, breaking a good sweat and the bonus of feeling connected to a community is a perfect life hack for staying regulated during a time that feels highly unregulated. The same goes for the mind—I recently penned a thought piece for a well-known tech company that required dusting off some cobwebs and tapping some memory muscle. I was glad to do it, and it made me realize how important it is to keep the mind and body sharp and ready. 

Be Open To Multiple Possibilities
In my first few weeks, a number of really perfect potential opportunities manifested only to disappear as quickly as they came. This experience forced me to adjust my mental construct from trying to shape my next move as the perfect role at the perfect time, to be open to a number of possibilities including opportunities that could eventually lead to something else or building my own thing incrementally or moving into different directions or fields that I had not anticipated. Being open to multiple possibilities is freeing in some ways and complex in others—you have to balance where you could make an impact without opening the aperture too broadly and spinning your wheels in the process. But better to be flexible and pliable than rigid. 

Life in the in-between can so easily be misinterpreted as something you'd envision as the extended vacation or sabbatical you've always dreamed of. I'm sure some have successfully written books and launched new ventures during this time—necessity is after all the mother of all invention. What I am most curious about is how I look back at this experience a year from now. Will I remember it as a moment of reflection, of reinvention, or something else? That's all TBD as the story is still being written but I thought I'd take a moment to pause as I work through this phase of life. 

This Too Shall Pass

In my younger years, I found myself working at a digital agency during the height of the dotcom bubble burst. This was the early 2000s.

We closed offices, let people go and grappled with the fact that the economy we helped build in code seemed to crumble before our very eyes. It was humbling, to say the least. During these same years, we also endured 9/11 and on a personal front, we had just brought two new lives into this world—a world in transition and turmoil. The uncertainty was palpable.

I can remember thinking to myself that I might have to move back home with my parents if things got really bad and if I lost my ability to provide. We were a single income family facing uncertain times in an even more uncertain world.

Today, things are feeling uncertain once again. Markets are in flux, oil prices are plummeting, and of course, a virus triggering fear and impacting economies...

But wait. We’ve been here before.

Maybe not exactly. Every time it’s a little different. But this isn’t the first time. We’ve been through much together. And we’re more resilient than we give ourselves credit for.

This too shall pass...

Investing In The Future Is Investing In Yourself

Recently, I spent an hour with a colleague who is just starting out in his career and wanted to learn more about what I do, how I do it and how he can apply that knowledge to his exploration of a career path.

If you have the opportunity to have conversations like these—you should take them. First, because if your professional life has been good to you (and mine has) you have an obligation to pay it forward, especially to those who will build the future.

Secondly, it's not just an investment in someone else's future but it's also an investment in yourself. When you are faced with the energy, passion, and curiosity of someone just starting out, it's a great inspiration and a reminder of why you do what you do.

In a world where win-wins are becoming less frequent, this is one. So make time for that person just starting out and don't be surprised if you both leave the meeting better than when you started it.

The investment is mutual.

True Leaders Are Forged In Fire

I’ve had some success and some failures in leadership.

Leadership opportunities come in many forms—from formal to informal. I’ve done both kinds and probably more of the latter.

I’ve also seen other leaders in action. Some great ones. Others less so. The great ones have something in common—they really step up when things are at their worst. This is a sign of true leadership. Actually it’s a great test to see who’s manager material vs. the stuff of leadership.

Some of the best managers know how to fly under the radar when times are tough. And I don’t blame them for it at all—leadership is meant for the few and even fewer excel at it.

It’s fun to watch leaders work when they are at ease but it’s educational to watch the really good ones go to work when they are under duress. They take it all on. The challenges, the responsibilities. The fire.

True leaders are forged in it.

Intelligent Generosity + Successful People

You’ve heard this before no doubt and it’s true. I’ve been reminded of this recently when...

-A senior executive of one of the world’s top tech companies agreed to take time with someone they’ve never met before whom I introduced out of the blue

-One of my mentors, now a wildly successful CEO took time to meet and encourage me

-I see so many people in my network doing making time for others when they are busy themselves

These are acts of Intelligent Generosity. Successful people are intelligently generous because they understand that life and business aren’t only about performance and professionalism but also relationships and relevance. And we’re only as relevant as the strength of our relationships.

This makes me think of a conversation I had with Rishad Tobaccowala not ago. You should see how he does this. He’s a master at it—generosity that is (amongst other things). When times are tough, it can be tempting to conserve energy, keep what you know to yourself and limit your exposure.

There is a time and place to say “no” (more on that later) But Successful people know how and when to give. They reach out, connect and share—knowing that positivity given is positivity received.

And that’s why they’re successful.

Being Creative vs. “a Creative” vs. Creativity

I’ve been called creative, been “a Creative” in my career and like to think I was born with an innate ability to create (we all were).

But In the business world, especially in marketing where I spend the majority of my days, creativity can be a tricky topic...

-Creative: You might not get paid professionally to be this but you probably already are, especially if you’ve ever solved a problem unconventionally or applied your imagination to accomplishing a task.

-A Creative: Your professional role in an organization or position of self-employment that pays you to apply a level of creative craftsmanship to produce professional-quality output in the form of created deliverables.

-Creativity: The fuel behind “being creative”. When creativity levels are high, we are most creative. When they are low, we are the least creative. When someone says “my creative juices are flowing” they have high levels of creativity.

When I work with “Creatives” I always strive to appreciate their craft and role and respect both. When I work with “everyone else”, I try to stimulate creative problem-solving potential. Being creative can be a full-time job, a quality or a state of being, but it’s also a part of being human.

Because we’re not robots. Yet.

Client Meetings: More Jazz Than Classical

I was recently prepping with the team for a client meeting...

We were doing the usual drill—moving slides around, clarifying roles and practicing our talking points for what we wanted to accentuate and where we hoped we could lead the meeting.

It’s all good practice. Meeting preparation that is. No matter how informal a meeting, one should be prepared and knowledgeable of the topics to be discussed.

However, more times than not, client meetings turn into jazzy jam sessions vs. a classical music concerto where the solo presenter performs for their captive audience.

Reading sheet music and reading the room doesn’t have to be at odds but put yourself in the shoes of a client on the other side of the table who is depending on you to help them do their job—do they need perfection or professionalism?

The two aren’t the same.

Being a professional in a meeting means knowing when to stick to your sheet music and when to riff, following the client’s lead. More times than not, meetings with clients both new and familiar should be more like improvised Jazz than perfectly performed classical.

The client isn’t your audience, but an integral part of the band.

Professional vs. Personal Brand: What’s The Right Mix?

I’ve been managing the mix between professional and personal before social networks became mainstream. Whenever I talk to someone who’s looking for advice in this area, I usually say something like…

See what Gary Vee does? Don’t do that. 

Well, let me take a step back because there’s a huge caveat here. Gary’s got a near perfect professional/personal brand model if you’re one of the following:

- An entrepreneur/business owner
-CEO
-Full time digital influencer
-Your only job is to be an Internet personality for your company 

For everyone else—Specifically employees of companies who expect your focus to be on building value for the company NOT building your personal brand, you can follow something of the 80/20 or maybe 70/30 rule:

Bring some of your personality into what you do professionally and do it purposefully to build equity for both you and your company. It’s not easy and gone are the days of the traditional employee so some personal brand building is now expected by employers. But a good rule of thumb is that you should never shine brighter than your company and what benefits you should benefit them. 

It’s not a perfect mix, but if it’s not your name on the check, it’s a decent guideline. 

Do Not Go Quietly

Once upon a time I was the youngest kid in the corporate conference room. I never thought twice before I spoke and digital jargon rolled effortlessly off my tongue. There was some good reason for this.

I had decent knowledge of HTML, taught myself Flash (some of you may need to look that up) and when digital media went social, I mastered that as well, at least in the early days. I can still remember the son of a local ad agency owner calling me “the digital guy”. These were heady pioneering years...

Now I’m often one of the older people in the corporate conference room and it’s striking how different my role is today. While there are times I’m vocal, there’s even more times I am actively listening so when I do speak, it’s informed and meaningful (or I hope it is).

Wisdom is earned through experience.

But outside the boardroom is where I’ve noticed the greatest change. Something happens as you advance in your career. That blind confidence is replaced with caution. You become quieter. In fields like marketing and tech, you wonder if your experience is as valued as youth. Going quiet is the last thing you should do at this point. My output is the best it’s ever been. It deserves a voice that goes with it. Not loud, but selectively impactful.

Do not go quietly.

If You Want To Make A Point, Make It Real

I started my career as a visual designer. For the first few working years of my professional life, my days were dominated by pictures over text. Over the years my skill set, tools, and approach to work evolved. Written communication helped manage team and client expectations.

Verbal communication was also useful, especially in situations where you find yourself going toe to toe with fellow A-type executives where a sharp mind and wise tongue are mandatory requirements. But recently, I was reminded of the power of making something real in order to make a point.

Instead of using words, I reached into my visual communications toolkit and mocked up what I was trying to say. If nothing else, it made it clear that this was something we needed to do for all of the ideas the team is debating.

More than ever, decision-makers need to see (and feel) something real before they make that final decision.

I still love words and verbal communication but sometimes it takes tangible visual communications to make something feel more real.

Gratitude: Giving and Getting

The other day I ran into a former colleague who had gone on to take a senior role with a highly respected fortune 100 company you’ve definitely heard of. He’s kind of a big deal.

Yet after a few minutes of chit chat, he made it a point to go out of his way to express gratitude for learning the art of the Whiteboard...from me. And then I felt like kind of a big deal.

He knew what he was doing. Expressing gratitude to someone for something that they probably didn’t even know that they did is powerful stuff. And it’s rarely done.

So it’s something I’ll try to do more of myself. And then one day when I run into him again, I’ll let him know that I learned the art of expressing gratitude from his example.

Awareness, Action and Activism: What's Happening To Our Social Newsfeeds?

Gotten into an argument on Facebook lately? You're not alone. Find yourself nodding violently in agreement with something someone posted?

Even more common.

We find ourselves in an environment where everyone seems to be acting like an "activist" for the views they find themselves aligning with. The rub? It's not easy being a good activist. The worst ones tend to alienate others because they become so deafening, vociferous and one dimensional in service of their cause—they become difficult to relate to. The best ones are able to mobilize those who share their views while building bridges to those who don't. But many of us are mistaking being engaged for taking action or skipping taking action all together and leveraging social media as a form of activism. These things are not the same and build off one another. 

Awareness In Today's Filter Bubble
One of the most impactful societal measures of social networks is that they've become our go to sources of information, news, opinions, and an ever stream of feedback based on what's happening in our world. However, as the recent U.S. election underscored—networks are flawed by design in that we often surround ourselves with peer groups "like us" which creates a phenomena that's been labeled "filter bubbles". Our awareness is filtered by our often likeminded peers—and so a steady stream of content and feedback loops that are reflective of our own bias reinforces the way we see things. 

Engagement vs. Action 
Another side-effect of social media is that it tricks our brains into thinking being engaged is actually taking a tangible action.

It is not. 

I was recently reminded of this when I read a story about a mosque burning down not long after the Trump administration has signed executive orders to pause immigration from select countries. My first inclination was to "react" to the story and then share it with my peers to raise awareness. I stopped myself however because I realized that although I was engaging around an event that troubled me—I wasn't taking any tangible action to change the outcome of the event. I stopped myself and made a donation to the Go Fund Me page associated with the story. Only after that did I share the story and encourage others to take similar action. Engagement is desirable and on social media—likes, comments, shares are all forms of engagement but they are not outcome altering actions and many of us have confused engagement for action.  

The Risks and Rewards of Social Media Activism 
Social networks have empowered us to in some ways mimic the dynamics of activism. It gives us a street corner, a megaphone and even a soap box to stand on so our friends, business contacts and peers know exactly what we stand for. And like the crowds who pass the activist and megaphone—some if not many will engage, after all most of us share the same filter bubbles. But for how long? After passing the activist on the street corner, when we just want to get home after a long days work—we begin to tune out the words no matter how sincere or earnest. With the megaphone and empowerment to become an "activist" for our beliefs and values comes the burden of alienation—there will be times when people just won't want to engage, no matter what their stance on an issue. 

What's happening to our social newsfeeds? They've become a reflection of what we've curated over time. In some cases, they are a daily validation mechanism for ourselves and like minded peers. In other cases—they foster dialogue and debate. But they aren't a substitute for taking meaningful action even if a like, share or comment satisfies our urge in the moment. 

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It's Not The Size of SXSW, It's How You Use It

Before SXSW Interactive had even gotten a chance to take its first breath, media outlets like Mashable were already asking if it had jumped the Shark? The sentiment is understandable. After all these years, SXSW is still kind of enigma. Some call it a conference and others say its more of a festival. Some say this year's SXSW felt "somber" while others asserted that fresh break through technology such as MeerKat, reasserted its relevance as a place where new startups can get their footing and enchant early adopters in the process. Other's still question its value for marketers and agencies (tell that to senior ad execs like Tony Weisman and Bob Greenberg who mingled amongst the geeks).

The truth is, SXSW is what you make of it. If you want to go there and party all day and all night, you can do that. If you want to spend your time going from session to session to find golden nuggets of insights, you can do that too. If you want to network and explore business opportunities—you can also do that. It's not the size of SXSW that matters, it's how you make it work for you. In that vein, here are some of the ways I made SXSW work for me this year. 

Finding Opportunities To Collaborate
SXSW has no shortage of tech companies, platforms or niche players that can make for interesting collaborators. This year I had great meetings with Hootsuite and Spredfast and MeerKat to plant seeds in some cases and in others explore specific opportunities. The face time you can get at SXSW is high quality and the casual setting makes relationship building easy. 

Hosting An Intimate Business Function
Because SXSW can be so overwhelming—it's a great opportunity to create an intimate business environment where professionals can share thoughts and ideas in a salon like setting. This year, we teamed up with Jeremiah Owyang and Crowd Companies and hosted a combination of his council members and some of our clients for an insightful panel featuring executives from Whole Foods, Hallmark and Verizon. Business can be done at SXSW—you just have to plan for it. 

Connecting With Colleagues, Clients & Friends
I'm cognizant that we have all three groups present at SXSW and I make it a point to distribute my time wisely during my few days. Several of our Edelman clients had activations this year and it was great to see how they were doing in real time, while building new client relationships in some cases and reinforcing existing ones. Likewise, many of our colleagues go, and it's a great way to bond with them outside of a formal session. And lastly, there are industry friends I get to see their once a year—a great way to catch up and compare notes. 

Attending Panels
For me personally, it's difficult to squeeze in panels with everything else but I usually manage to get a couple in. This year's highlight for me was Google's offsite "Fire Starters" panel which featured several speakers from the UX, creative and planning sides of the house. I finally got to see Russell Davies speak which was a treat, and in a setting where "new ideas" are prized, his take on "no new ideas" was a good reminder that brands need to work harder at getting the basics right. 

Blowing Off Some Steam
I'm not going to lie—there are some great parties and activities at SXSW. This year I found myself on a dance floor listening to NAZ and in a stadium watching the Flaming Lips do what they do. I also went Spinning with a friend (first time I've ever done that). But the reality is that SXSW is not the only show in town when it comes to parties and entertainment—it goes with the territory and can be fun if you don't overdo it. 

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Five Things I Learned In Five Years

According to the US Department of labor—the average tenure at at job for 2014 is 4.6 years. In less than a month, I'll be celebrating five years at Edelman, so I thought it would be a good time to reflect in what can be learned in five years, not just on the job but in life as well. I'm a big believer that looking back can help you look forward, so here are are a few things I've learned over the past five years. 

Mentorship Comes In Many Forms
The traditional image of a mentor is someone who takes you under their wing, puts time aside for you, and imparts wisdom—often a more senior person who you view as established or experienced in areas you yourself seek experience in. But mentorship is really another way of thinking about relationships, and growing from them in the process. I can think of several relationships I've established in the past five years both with people senior to me and junior alike, where I learn and grow from. As a result, I've come to view mentorship, both giving and receiving it a bit differently. It's a mindset about relationships more than a formal arrangement. 

Travel Requires Discipline 
I do my fair share of traveling. Not as much as some of my colleagues or peers outside of my company but also more than others. One thing I've learned over the years is that it requires discipline. Sleep, food, drinks, work and even socialization—they can all be overdone or just the opposite. Business travel requires a certain level of discipline and balance as it represents a state of living, that isn't the same thing as your everyday life (unless you indeed travel every day) and stresses like flight delays can sometimes threaten to throw the balance off. I've found that all things in moderation help keep the road from getting the best of me.

The Enterprise Adapts (And That's How It Should Be)
Five years ago, tablets weren't even introduced in the market and when they first arrived—they weren't seen as viable work devices. Today, it's a different story and the same goes for mobile devices of all shapes and sizes. We've moved beyond work happening on desktops and laptops, and our IT and infrastructure has had to adapt whether they wanted to or not. A lot of technology change happens in five years. 

We Are A Collection of Our Experiences 
When we have new experiences, we grow. My biggest professional growth spurts in the past five years either happened from taking on a challenge that was a stretch from my core competencies, jumping on a project or engagement doing something I had not done before. Once we do it—whether we "succeed" or not, we learn from the experience. And learning is growing. 

You Have To Make Time For Yourself
The higher you move up in an organization, the more people expect you to give of yourself. Giving is a noble thing and many of the great leaders I know are generous with their time, knowledge and attention. But nobody is going to help you make the time for yourself to replenish your well. I've learned to block out some time on the calendar so I can catch my breath—on weekends, I'll huddle in my office or a coffee shop. In the past five years especially, I've learned that time is precious and should be treated as such. 

Five years is half a decade—no doubt that I've still much to learn, but it's definitely more fun learning by being surrounded by great people who strive to do great things. 

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5 Ice Bucket Envy Filled People To Avoid

Like millions of others, I recently filled a bucket full of ice and water, shot a video and called on a few friends to do the same. While not required to, I also donated to the ALS association because it seemed like the right thing to do.  Is the infamous "Ice Bucket Challenge" working? According to the New York Times, the campaign has raised over 13 million dollars compared to the 1.7 million raised last year at this time. So is there a down side? According to my social feeds—kind of. While I don't agree with them, here's a snapshot of some of the feedback I've seen in addition to the participation. Perhaps you've seen some too:

The Narcissist Police 
This person is quick to point out that anyone taking the challenge on is simply enjoying the attention and in it for themselves vs. the cause. They feel obligated to point this out, before they move on to posting another selfie of themselves. 

The Hard Newser 
Isn't there enough real news going on the world we should be paying attention to? This person overlooks the fact that part of the success behind the Ice Bucket challenge is probably linked to the fatigue associated with watching the world's problems escalate. Who doesn't want a break from non stop reports of global violence and unrest? 

The Financial Advisor
This financial weekend warrior is quick to point out that all of those people pouring ice cold water on their heads are missing out on the financial part of the equation and should part ways with money that the "advisor" has no viable claim to. The advisor conveniently overlooks the fact that many who take on the challenge go on to donate themselves or inspire others to take action but instead places their financial advisor role first.

The Meme Hipster
Ice Bucket Challenge? That's so last week. This person can't stand the idea of jumping on a bandwagon and instead is focused on getting on the next trend before it takes off. Godspeed meme hipster—keep your finely tuned ear to the ground.

The Marketer
This person won't actually take the challenge or support the cause, but instead prefers to debate the pros and cons of the campaign, dissecting the approach and debating with other peers if it's a case study or one hit wonder. 

The Ice Bucket Challenge has taken the world by storm and leveraged social media as an engine which keeps it running across all media. But above that—it's an opportunity to take a break from putting yourself first. Personally—I'll take the opportunity. 

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Should You Help Someone You Don't Know? Yes.

Meet Justin Levy.

I know Justin, but in a world of having many connections, "knowing" someone doesn't mean much, and Justin and I don't talk every day—in fact we've have had only a handful of interactions. 

But a status update on social media caught my attention and hasn't lost it since. Recently, Justin posted the following:


And since then, he's undergone one of several surgeries for his shoulders which were both badly injured due to the violent nature of the seizure. To make matters even more unnerving, a brain tumor has been found and he's scheduled to have the majority of it removed. 

I don't post this kind of thing often here, but there are a few aspects about this that are moving me to act. For starters, just reading the post made me concerned—healthy people don't have seizures out of the blue, it's a sign that something is wrong (there is). Secondly, it hits home when you see anyone who is a picture of health one moment and the next is struggling with some serious health related problems. Third, (and I cannot stress this enough) the way Justin has been providing updates to friends and family via Facebook is really something to marvel at. He's keeping us all informed while working really hard to keep it all together. 

In a world where it's really easy to put ourselves in the center of our universe and wallow when things go wrong, Justin is an example of what strength can look like, should we choose to endure life's hardships in a way that's both human but also resilient. 

So I'm taking a step to join the team to help raise some funds for Justin. I'll likely donate to another team member as well. With brain surgery in play, nobody knows for sure what the road to recovery will look like for Justin. If you'd like to help someone you may not even know, this is a good opportunity to do so.

You can help here.  

And Justin, we are rooting for you! 

SXSW Interactive Is Big Business And That's A Good Thing

It's been exactly a week since I returned from SXSW. I would have written something sooner, but this delayed post is a great representation of where things stand in life for me these days. Writing for "personal" purpose takes a second seat to direct business building and running which is ironic because that was kind of the vibe at SXSW Interactive and that's not a bad thing. 

Don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of parties at SXSW and a lot of late nights and some blowing off steam. As always, the panels are hit and miss, but even the misses can still be good for business. I attended a session that was essentially an ad for the mobile start-up whose CEO was giving a talk. However, his start-up was solid in premise and I'd heard about it before. And it's on my radar and now I'll be looking for strategic partnership opportunities around it. 

It's been my sixth year going to SXSW. Here's how I spent my time:

Client Meetings & Events
Regardless of your business (platform, brand or agency side) SXSW is a great way to connect and engage with clients. In addition to dinners and One-on-ones, this year I co-hosted an intimate salon with Jeremiah Owyang in Edelman's Austin office where brands such as Samsung, PayPal, Kellogg's and others traded case studies and engaged in meaningful dialogue around the work they were doing and the challenges/opportunities they were engaging with. And we weren't the only ones hosting private client events—a quick chat with an Adweek reporter verified that it was kind of a "thing" this year. 

One On Ones
In order to make SXSW productive in any sense, you shouldn't go there without scheduling one-on-ones in advance. I had some great conversations with industry peers, some who were running really cool activations at SXSW, to emerging start-ups and the occasional conversation that turned into a more in depth meeting. SXSW is noisy, so finding some quiet places to talk shop is a great use of time. 

Brand Activations
There's a lot of brand activity going on at SXSW and it's impossible to catch it all but worth seeing what the brands are doing. Oreo's 3-D printed cookies were hard to miss and Mastercard's partnership with the Mashable house was an interesting tactic compared to American Express who paid for a more traditional sponsorship. Meanwhile PayPal (client) hosted web celebrities and celebrities alike at their blogger lounge. 

Parties
Yes, these still happen too. But like I said, this is my sixth year at SXSW—so parties are now part fun and a whole lot of networking, meeting and greeting and re-connecting with industry friends and colleagues. Parties are great for informal recruiting and in more simple terms—putting faces to names. 

For what it's worth—this year SXSW seemed a little smaller (confirmed)—but I noticed that the trend of more senior people attending is still on the rise. During one lunch with an editor of a large publication, I looked over and saw a table full of top executives from a leading digital agency—right up to the CEO. And this wasn't an isolated case. SXSW = big business now, so if you haven't yet gone you might want to adjust your expectations and book on time because it's not getting any easier to attend. 

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Change Happens

Immediately after I wrote my last post about the need to re-invent public relations—I began getting questions/reactions in real time (starting on Twitter). The nature tone of the questions came with a raised brow as if to say "are you on something?" albeit uttered more politely. Immediately I asked myself the same question. "is change really possible—and can it come from the inside out"? Was I being realistic in thinking that the desire I had to see re-invention through was doable?

I'm writing this post several days later from Los Angeles where I am attending an offsite for our US senior leadership. It's 3:20 AM PST. I can't sleep—but I am inspired. Mark Hass our US president and CEO delivered his vision for where he feels the organization needs to go and all I can say is that it dovetails perfectly with what I wrote recently—if I had to choose a word it would be kindred. It wasn't only the content of Mark's vision and the philosophical alignment that got me all fired up, but also the style as well. Mark pulled a clip from the film Lincoln and used the former president and his leadership style to illustrate what "operational vision" is all about. Lincoln didn't simply have a vision for the nation—he was laser focused on operationalizing it and ensuring that action applied to the vision resulted in impact. 

Then the lightbulb went off for me. Change is possible when it comes from both the bottom up and the top down all at once. It's possible when you have a leadership team with a shared vision and the chops to operationalize. Not easy, or even immediate—but possible.

And on that note, I want to end this post with content from a release regarding a recent hire. It's not something I do often— leveraging this space to get the word out on these types of things—however this is important for me as my team and I represent the "bottoms" up change in Edelman and I can directly influence our Chicago digital operation (there are eighty of us now). We've made a few key hires/moves and the most recent is Steve Slivka—a talented creative director who has put in a decade of digital work at Leo Burnett and departed Mullen to become a part of our re-invention. Steve's only one person but his arrival is symbolic, at least in terms of how I view it.

Change happens—especially when it's put in motion at both ends. 

Edelman Digital Appoints Steve Slivka, Senior Vice President, Group Creative Director, Chicago

Slivka to Lead Chicago’s Digital Creative Efforts

Edelman has named Steve Slivka senior vice president, group creative director, Edelman Digital, in its Chicago office. In his new role, Slivka will lead the charge in elevating the digital creative for both content development and digital builds. He will report to David Armano, managing director, Edelman Digital, Chicago.

“Steve will be instrumental in driving our digital strategies as we define and refine our client offerings in converged media, merging social platforms with paid and earned tactics,” said Armano. “The future of digital creative content lies at the root of this overlap, and his leadership is critical to the firm as we evolve to align our clients’ strategies and tactics and craft unified creative campaigns.”

Slivka will work closely with Elizabeth Pigg, senior vice president, director of converged media services, Edelman Digital, a 12-year veteran of the firm who recently returned to the Chicago office for her newly created role. They will work to raise the creative output in digital content generation and innovation for the firm.

“Digital creative today requires a reevaluation of how content is created and delivered,” said Slivka. “Edelman holds such a respected place in PR and social that it seemed a natural fit to bring next-generation creative to life here, and by tapping into Edelman’s strong capabilities in analytics, converged media and strategy, my team will be well-positioned to deliver creative that meets the constant innovation required to exceed clients’ goals.”

Slivka joins Edelman from Mullen, a Boston-based full service integrated advertising agency, where he built the creative social-digital team at the agency’s North Carolina outpost and was responsible for creating content for clients such as Tresemmé, CSX and Honda Jet. Prior to working at Mullen, Slivka spent a decade at Leo Burnett in Chicago and also launched his own boutique agency, Colossal Squid Industries. He attended Columbia College Chicago for music composition and interactive media as well as The American Conservatory of Music.

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My Kind of Town: New Job, Same Company

Over the past couple of years since joining Edelman, I've gotten into the habit of writing up a short post every time I celebrate an "Edelversary". For the rest of you, this is Edelman speak for a one year anniversary at Edelman. I've found it to be a great way to look back at what's been accomplished while looking ahead at what is yet to be done and doing a bit of a gut check before moving forward. This year will be a bit different as I'm writing ahead of schedule—while my next Edelversary will be in December marking year three, I've been promoted to managing director of Edelman Digital Chicago starting this week. 

The Chicago digital team is one of the largest and most seasoned in the network with a head count around 80 and boasts a team of some of the most talented social strategists, content developers, technologists, analysts and community managers both inside and outside of the Edelman global network. To say I'm excited to dig in further with this group is an understatement as I've already done some ground breaking work with them with the US dairy industry and through launching Edelman's first Social Intelligence Command Center located (SICC) in the Chicago office. 


The new role is going to be quite different from previous posts I've held at Edelman. While I'll still obviously be pushing the boundaries when it comes to innovation, I'll be switching gears from a broader focus such as partnerships and M&A, to a more focused effort around growing and evolving our already successful digital operation in Chicago. This includes fiscal, operational and strategic responsibilities so it's kind of like running your own business (see my thoughts on being an "intrapreneur"). Lastly I get to work more closely with Rick Murray, the man who brought me to Edelman in the first place! 

In addition the the new role there are some other cool things going on for us as an organization. Last week we launched a brand new global corporate site for the firm (Edelman.com) which I describe as a "Media Brand Hybrid". And at the end of October, we are celebrating our 60 years as a company. Makes you wonder if Google or Facebook will still be here in 60 years. But back to my next steps—I'm in the process of handing over the editorial keys for Edelman Digital which I've managed since I joined the firm and very much looking forward to the new challenges which lie ahead. And on that note, if you are interested in working together or think there's a fit between my new role and what you're doing—please don't hesitate to reach out: (David.Armano[at]Edelman.com). Here's to new professional seasons and opportunities! 

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Permission To Fail

I love my job. Seriously.

The skeptical among you may read this as shameless corporate cheer-leading, or a PR ploy (given I work at a PR firm). It's not. You have to understand that I work for a very unique company—in fact, it's been the most unique career experience in my life. A sixty year old company—technically family owned (not public) with over four thousand employees globally and the CEO of the company wears the last name of the founder, his father.

Which brings me to the video above. I had the opportunity to interview our CEO, Richard Edelman on the topic of trust as it relates to our annual study (Edelman's Trust Barometer). We teamed up with the Chicago chapter of Social Media Club and opened up our new floor in the Chicago office.

If you don't have time to watch the entire video (though I recommend it as it's a great discussion) I'd encourage you to fast forward to the last five minutes. Richard says what every "employee" wants to hear. As a CEO, he believes that the top can do their part by cultivating a culture where failure is not shunned, but embraced as part of the innovation process.

"...that's the one thing the top can do"

Amen.

How To Be A Social Media Self-Righteous Jerk

The scale above shows the many stages one has to go through in order to become a bona fide self-righteous jerk in social media. Still, there are many people who aspire to reach this peak, but fall short in executing against it. Given this observation, I thought it would be worthwhile to piece together a few best practices which will ensure your status as a social media self-righteous jerk (or SMSRJ). In no particular order:

1. Join The Klout Gestapo
All social media SMSRJ's know that Klout is simply evil incarnate and requires a organized force to take on this evil axis of influence wherever it resides. A true SMSRJ will never-ever create a Klout profile and lash out against anyone who dares do so. If Klout is the Devil, then Klout Perks is the Devil's spawn. Perks are to be shunned, banished and those who recieve them should be branded with a scarlet "K".

2. Unfollow Offensive Twitter Followers In Public
Only seekers un-follow people or companies who they no longer derive value from quietly. It is the true SMSRJ who announces it out loud in some fashion or another. Tactics here can range from a thinly veiled post or an all out campaign. Make sure you get a few social media gurus on your side to link to your public posts and shout your discontent from the rooftops. A SMSRJ really knows how to make a public spectacle of their personal dissatisfaction.

3. Target Social Media Gurus
While on the topic of social media gurus, ignore the fact that while almost no true social media gurus actually call themselves that—they are the conduit to becoming a guru yourself. Take them down, one by one. Call them social media gurus every chance you get. Make sure all your social networks know you are doing real work. Tweets like "I'm still at the office knee deep in spreadsheets" will establish your credibility as a non guru. On your non-guru social media blog, write at least one post a month taking on a clearly identified guru in any subject you wish to establish authority in. If you're really lucky, they might even link to you.

4. Analyze Social Media Influencer Lists
A new social media influencer list comes out about once a week. Make sure you find them and when you do, interrogate the creator on their methodology. Be sure to use your own made up metrics to throw them off the fact that you're actually upset that you're not on the list.

5. Use The #Humblebrag Hash Tag At Will
If it looks like a humblebrag and acts like one—it's a humblebrag and any SMSRJ has the responsibility to use the hash tag to combat this perverse social media behavior. After a few good uses, be sure to celebrate on your next vacation by relentlessly publishing pictures of beaches, mountains and gourmet food on Facebook. Hey, everybody's doing it #humblebrag.

6. Take Up The Cause Against Personal Brands & Corporate Cheerleaders
A true SMSRJ creates social media feeds which reek of authenticity. However, shameless promoters are out there at every corner. They need to be dealt with. Let them know when their personal brands have gotten out of control. Or even worse, if they talk about their jobs and promote the companies who support their families. Take a zero tolerance stance pointing out that neither is acceptable. A handful of SMSRJ's have even built successful personal brands pointing out how dangerous personal brands really are. Learn from this and you too can be internet famous in an ethical, respectable and admired fashion.

7. Call Out The Book Promoters
Let's face it. Every author out there is using social media to promote their books. Unacceptable. Out them, blacklist them and once you have enough material to write a book yourself, make sure you mention your book in one out of every five social media posts. Just enough to promote it, but not enough to arise suspicion from non-author SMSRJ's.

8. Engage (And Let Everyone Know How Engaging You Are)
So many people are out there using social media as a broadcast channel—they never even talk to anyone else. Blasphemy! Make sure that you spend most of your activity engaging with others. Make sure they know you're engaging them. Remind them to engage back. Engage to the point where you risk work deadlines or real world relationships. Social media requires sacrifice. Bring your offerings to the alter of engagement and make sure everyone knows it.

9. Embrace Two Colors: Black And White
Nuance is for the weak. The SMSRJ sees only two shades—black and white, right and wrong. There is only one way to do social media right—see steps 1-8 for instruction.

10. Direct Your Energy Toward The Unenlightened
Spend the majority of your time watching others. Obsess over their social media habits and dissect their transgressions. It takes ten thousand hours to perfect any craft and this goes double for the committed SMSRJ. Don't be distracted by your own initiatives but stay focused on what others do and allow their behavior to drive your mission in social media—to rectify social media injustices around the world.

*This post designed to make you think. Social media guru not required.

Holidays

Ended the year with a flurry of activity. We went public with our newly elevated offering around social business—have delivered significant milestones with several clients and wrapped up my frequent air travel for the year. The next couple of weeks will be spent catching up with family, friends and even some snowboarding. Here's to you and yours in 2012.

We Are Indivisible: Can Starbucks Ignite a Movement?

I've just gotten off three business related conference calls and am writing this from a hotel room in Los Angeles as I'm about to head out to Blogworld (speaking here tomorrow). Blogging on the fly is probably the last thing I should be doing. But yesterday I noticed several tweets and I've also had a number of e-mail exchanges with people who are motivated by the "Indivisible" wrist band which is part of a Starbucks initiative I wrote about recently.

Again, while Starbucks is an Edelman client, I have no affiliation with this initiative whatsoever other than as a citizen. Here's why: while walking through some of the Occupy Wallstreet protests in Manhattan and also seeing them in other cities and on the news—I couldn't help but feeling somewhat alienated. While sympathizing with the reasons why people are hitting the streets, I just don't relate to the tactics. Seeing someone carry a sign asking the government to pay for their college education doesn't resonate with me.

But Indivisible does. It's how I was brought up. I lived in a neighborhood where people helped each other when others were down. It's the same reason we took action to raise nearly 17 thousand dollars when we encountered a family in need. Indivisible to me means that we can do anything when we stand together.

So. If any of this stirs you as it has me. I'm asking you to do four things.

1. Get the wristband.
2. Tweet about what "indivisble" means to you—and use the #indivisible hash tag (it's not official).
3. Use any social network, e-mail, face to face...tell others how you feel.
4. Post pictures here (or anywhere).

Can a brand start a movement? Only people can, but people are everywhere—behind brands, companies and out in public. Again. This is a personal pet project of mine. Because I care about what's going on too. And I believe we can do anything.

Starbucks Reminds Us What We're Made Of

Over forty years ago my parents came to the United States without much to their names to describe it generously. They struggled, started a family without secure or decent jobs and ultimately started a small business which was enough to sustain their family and see three children through college and even grad school.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was skimming my feed on Twitter and came across a Tweet from Umair Haque, a well known voice and contributor to the Harvard Business Review who had some less than complimentary tweets, some related specifically to the Create Jobs For USA initiative launched by Starbucks (be sure to watch this video interview with Howard Schultz on CNN). It was Umair's tweet and his take on the initiative which led me to check it out—but shortly after I was interrupted by one of our boys who had gotten sick and I had forgotten about it.

Earlier this morning, I saw another Tweet which linked to the story on CNN and for whatever reason, felt prompted to take the elevator down to our building lobby to see if they had the five dollar wristbands affiliated with the program (the word indivisible is inscribed on it). I bought one immediately. You can look up the details of the initiative yourself but for me, there's something about this that strikes a chord and I want to be a part of it. My parents were entrepreneurs, I have a job I love with a great company because of an entrepreneur, and if we're going to make a comeback, it will be because of entrepreneurs—people who invent and reinvent themselves.

In the spirit of full transparency, Starbucks is a client of the company I work for (Edelman). But that has nothing to do with this post or the reason I bought the bracelet and the reason I'm going to buy more. The first two will go to my parents and I'll tell them why I got it for them. The others... I'm not sure. I'll figure it out as I go along and if I donate that will be my business. But sometimes hope comes in unexpected places and we need to be reminded of the resilience which makes us who we are.

Facebook Can Thank Google For Timeline

I'm in the middle of customizing my new Facebook page featuring the new Timeline layout. In the process, I kept thinking that something felt familiar about it. Then, I remembered this Superbowl ad from Google.

It's a great ad because it's about life and it's about being human. It's about our connections and experiences. Ironically, with Timeline, Facebook succeeded on the promise that Google made in that ad. It's still a great ad and it still applies to Google, but I have to wonder of the developers and designers at Facebook had it in mind as they worked on Timeline in their effort to beat Google on Web domination. It's Possible. Meanwhile, Timeline is pretty powerful. Your life in digital.

Where Were You?

It could not have been a more perfect day in Chicago—clear blue skies and crisp but sunny. I had a big presentation to give at a client, so as I got ready in the morning my thoughts were focused on that. For whatever reason that morning, we had our television on and I caught the news of a plane crashing into one of the Towers at the world trade center. I remember seeing some of the footage of the fire and smoke then immediately leaving so I would not be late for my meeting. The story was just beginning to break at this point and I never even considered it being a passenger airliner.

Since it was so nice out, I decided to ride my motorcycle to the meeting site (about 30 minutes from our home) and was essentially cut off from the rest of the world and the developments. By the time I had gotten into the clients office, everyone was talking about the events unfolding and by this time, the second tower had been hit. We had a screen up and were watching the live footage.

But, a decision was made to proceed with the meeting and the presentation. I delivered my part of it as best I could and clearly minds were elsewhere. We finished the meeting early and immediately brought the screen back up with the live coverage. I'll never forget this moment. The world trade center or "twin towers" as I called them growing up were GONE. I kept thinking, where are they??

I called my wife immediately but could not get through to any of my family in New York, so I rode back home and watched in horror as the day unfolded. Throughout the day I remember looking over at our nine month old baby boy and wondering what kind of world we had brought him into.

Fortunately none of my immediate family who worked in New York were hurt but we all know families and friends of families that were. Recently, I was walking past my high-school where I grew up on Long Island and noticed a street sign named after someone who was in one of the towers. He had graduated one year after I did.

So, that's where I was. I will never forget the day—or those directly affected.

My New Job Sounds Great. But What Is It?

Originally posted on Edelman Digital

Yesterday as news circulated that I’d be taking a new role at Edelman (EVP, Global Innovation & Integration). I spotted a tweet that I was secretly hoping I’d get. Zach wasn’t sure what my title meant—but congratulated me anyway. He brings up a valid point. Words like innovation are vague and in the past have been overused. And the word “integration” can be a number of things. But we chose these words purposefully and here’s my take on what they mean:

Innovation
Simply put, it’s what keeps your business on the front line. Google had a great run for a while as the only kid on the digital block, then Facebook came along and innovated by connecting people to other people not just information. Google innovated by indexing the Web, and Facebook is emerging as a challenger fueled by an innovative way of looking at human connections. Craigslist is an innovation and has played a role in disrupting the cash cow of newspaper classifieds. But someday, this space will be disrupted again by another innovator. In short, innovation comes in waves of all sizes, but it’s something that every business needs to focus on—because it can ultimately create new opportunities which are essential for growth.

Integration
Many organizations set up innovation incubators or labs and treat them as experiments. In my experience where I’ve seen this done, it leads to some interesting experiments—but a lack of adoption. This is where integration comes in. Innovations can often happen in nimble environments, but it doesn’t and shouldn’t be treated as a lab. Instead, innovations should occur in batches with the purpose of scaling and integrating more broadly. It’s the second half of the equation and can be accomplished with multiple teams focused on pushing things through to fruition.

I’m viewing my new role as a mandate from Edelman’s most senior leaders—”permission to innovate.” In this role, I’ll be focused on finding the right partners in crime from external platform developers to client partners to internal innovation co-conspirators. As Alan alluded to in his note—we are seeing tremendous shifts in the areas of mobile, social, search, content, platforms and analytics. Each of these areas will present opportunities for a business and brand to adapt over time. In my estimation, the transformation will be in baby steps. Small, nimble, incremental steps which help a brand uncover new opportunities in marketing, communications and how they conduct business in a connected age. That’s my new job which I’m really excited about, and don’t be surprised if I reach out to you at some point.

The Multiple Choice of Criticism

The thing about criticism is that it's less about the criticism itself and more about what you do with it that counts. I always find that when criticism comes my way, there's a sort of multiple choice scenario that goes through my head which looks something like this:

Option A: Reject and retaliate
In this scenario a voice in our head says something like "they don't know what they are talking about" and our brains go into overdrive figuring out ways to poke holes in the criticism and fight the "attack". It's the most spirited of the options and can leave you the most bitter.

Option B: Accept and agonize
The voice in this option is the exact opposite of the first. It tells you that you're no good and that everything in the criticism is true and that your best course of action is to just accept it and try better next time. This option causes the most agony because we just don't know when to stop beating ourselves up.

Option C. Filter and move forward
Criticism comes from a variety of sources. Sometimes it's meant to tear down, other times it's meant to build up. Regardless, all criticism contains both truths as well as untruths. The master recipient of criticism looks for the grains, nuggets and sometimes boulders of truth embedded in the critique. The rest is opinion--it's subjective and most criticism contains a great deal of that. In this option, you filter the signal from noise, identify opportunities for improvement and move forward.

As you can probably tell, I've done my share of A and B and have that experience to draw from. But these days, I most often land on C as the best choice for how to handle criticism. Listen, learn, adapt. Above all else, be very selective about what you take to heart and never stop moving forward after you've finished answering the multiple choice question of criticism.

The Proposition of Automation

I don't follow everyone back on Twitter. This is an intentional act. I don't follow everyone back because there are too many spammers to deal with and frankly, If I do follow you back, it's a very intentional act—I follow you for a reason. Tomorrow, somebody can send me an e-mail and say—"we've solved your problem by inventing a service which only follows back real people, no spammers".

That would be useful.

But I still wouldn't use the service. Because it's my opinion that being selective about who I follow makes it more valuable to the people I do follow, and that means something. And as an added benefit, while it's still unrealistic to follow back thousands of people watching their every move, it's not unrealistic to jump into the general stream now and then and spark up a conversation with the people I chose to follow.

I followed someone recently who I met in person. In response, I got a generic direct message back—the same one that gets sent to no doubt hundreds and thousands of other followers. I got a chance to talk to the individual after getting the automated message and asked him why he does it. He explained that he used to thank people for a follow manually and as he gets hundreds of followers back, this became unsustainable. So he decided to scale. And the result was an automated message.

To be fair, he says that this generates many follow up conversations which he engages in. Maybe he's on to something. But for me, I felt like a number. I expect automated messages from the electric and gas company, but not someone I've met in the flesh.

The choice to automate is ours to make. Perhaps, it's better for efficiency and makes scaling a human being possible. Perhaps, a single human being seems less human when they scale this way. I haven't scaled well. I don't respond to every e-mail, or direct message. I don't reply to every tweet. My human limitations are extremely visible. But somehow, I think the imperfection is understood. The deal is this: If I provide enough value, you will accept my inability to scale and respect the choice to take a pass on automation. In other words, automation is a choice—and with it, we gain something, and we lose something else.

Here's To Integration (and more) in 2011. Cheers.

A recent conversation made me realize that 2010 was simply a BLUR of activity. I experienced and did so many different things, that it's difficult to even sit down and track how the year went. A few highlights stand out for me professionally. I'm proud of the fact that we launched and actively sustain what I consider to be a proof point of acting as a social business. With over 100 employees who have contributed on Edelmandigital.com and our digital embassies on Slideshare  and Twitter, these remain healthy pilots which demonstrate that employees can act as corporate ambassadors when they generate perspectives and freely engage with our stakeholders. We've also been able to contribute meaningfully to both the idea and execution of community engagement and how this matters to brands and business. I was thrilled to see a call out from NBC network recently on the topic, knowing that we are influencing how they structure and deploy for public engagement. Outside of the digital world, it was exciting to see ourselves covered in print in the type of depth that a publication such as Contagious Magazine can offer.



In addition to working with some of the best people in the business at Edelman (you know who you are), I've been fortunate to work alongside some amazing clients who are really pushing the envelope one day at a time at very big organizations. Julie Haddon & Richard Brewer-Hay & Team from eBay, Brian Wallace, Michelle Kostya, Baldev Solank, Becky Caroll & team from BlackBerry/RIM, Lou Ragg & team from MGM, Katie O'brien and fellow "social media calendar man" Jay King of Ben & Jerry's... these are just a few I can recall but thanks to every client I've been able to work with this past year.



A few other highlights from 2010 include collaborating with the folks from Johnson & Johnson where we facilitated a high energy and engaging white boarding session at Blogworld. It really opened my eyes to the issues the health care world is facing due to social technology disruption and patient empowerment. I spent some time with old friends at events this past year and met new ones in places such as Portugal. In fact, travel became a bit of a full time job for me in 2010 whether it was surviving Heathrow snow induced madness in London or realizing that Seattle has one of the best social media communities in North America. I've gotten to know places like Toronto, Montreal, LA, San Francisco and Silicon Valley a little better and thanks to my wife, took some much needed time off in Barcelona to recharge the batteries. Another form of battery re-charge I've taken up is doing some artwork while I travel. It's therapeutic. :-)

While on the topic of travel, I have to express thanks to my family who has infinite patience in this area and while it's difficult they always make coming home worth it.

In short, 2010 was a blur of projects, people, connections, launching stuff, training staff and doing my best to keep some type of work/life balance. That has not been easy at all. But, the formula is simple really and what I will carry into 2011. I love what I do, which is helping business and brands act more human. I believe there will be HUGE benefits to the companies who can pull this off in the years to come because of social, economic and technology drivers.

Think about it: most of us are overworked, our home values (if we can even own one) is a fraction of what it once was and we've seen our friends and family members lose their jobs and struggle just to make it. We don't want to do business with faceless companies—in fact, we don't TRUST them. We demand more and we are empowered via social technologies to make these demands.

I believe all of this firmly. I believe there are tremendous opportunities, but it will require serious INTEGRATION. And that is the word I am going into 2011 with. I will continue to write periodically for the Harvard Business Review, and I am in the process of planning our annual SXSW event with Dell's Richard Binhammer (Allhat III). But most of all, I'll be very focused on the idea of integrating "social" in every part of my career, from how we work with clients to how we as Edelman and I as an individual move forward in the business world. 

So THANK YOU everyone who has come along for the ride. The old friends I've re-connected with, the new friends I've made, the colleagues who challenge me daily and my family who remains my source of strength. Here's to 2011. Cheers.

Edelman: One Year Later

 
The fact that I am writing this post from our London office and that it will be short and sweet will probably tell you all you need to know about my past year (it's been pretty busy). In fact, a colleague celebrating her year had to remind me that I too had made the milestone. As those of you who follow my moves know, I've been deeply involved on a number of initiatives that have me flying across the country and world and some days I don't even remember where I am waking up.

But I'm happy to say, I feel like I'm moving forward here in helping both our business and clients evolve in a dynamic space that changes not yearly or monthly, but sometimes hourly. I'm tempted to look back and think about some of the launches or experiences, but I'm focused on looking forward. I often get asked by people—sometimes peers why I don't go off on my own. The answer isn't as simple as the question but I'll answer it in the words of two other people from Edelman. Steve Rubel is obsessed with the Yankees and he constantly compares us to his favorite team. He thinks we have a deep bench and I agree.

And I once heard Richard Edelman tell a story about being the best stone mason in the world vs. having the ability to build cathedrals. As skilled as a stone mason is—they cannot create a thing of complexity, beauty and functionality such as a cathedral. For that, you need others. You need both skill and scale. Looking forward to the next year, I'm excited to do my part in the building of cathedrals.  Special thanks to Rick Murray for the opportunity and everyone across our offices that I have the pleasure of working with. Cheers. 

Stop The Insanity Cycle

The thing about insanity cycles is this. You never realize you're in one until you're dangerously close to losing your sanity. But that's the perfect time to put an end to it. Insanity cycles aren't as rare as you think. Sometimes they are the repetitions of actions which lead us to destinations we don't want to be in. They could include:

- Trying to fix something that isn't fixable

- Attempting to go through obstacles vs. going around them

- Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (a classic)

- Worrying about something that's out of your control

- Making mistakes and making the same mistakes over again

- Forgetting your limitations and the limitations of others

In short, insanity cycles are much less about the insanity and much more about the cycle. Break the cycle and you stop the insanity.

Productizing Ideas

Can an idea be owned? I'd say it can certainly be rented for a while. The question then becomes how does a renter make the most of their property? In Linchpin, Seth Godin tells us how important it is to ship something. I'd add that the packaging is equally important. The value chain today looks something like this. Text has value but it's like the wind—e-mail, tweets, and comments allow for widespread communication with low effort. Blogs take it up a notch. Decks put even more form to it (if you know how to build decks) Apps and books package thoughts even further.

The reality is that all of these things together can bring an idea to life and really keep the idea alive. The act of creating a book is likely different from the act of promoting it. The tweets, e-mails and posts that were less important in the act of creation may become more important in the act of distribution.

But as it's been said in Linchpin and likely in lots of other places in other times, the question in need of an answer is "did something ship"? In other words, owning or renting an idea is likely impossible if you haven't shipped out something tangible that's worth sharing.

Do I Know You?

Or does it "feel" like I know you? I often get asked for favors which either tap my time or perceived influence. I can't do everything I'm asked to do to help, but I've noticed a tiny little process that goes on in my mind whenever I'm asked for something. At the end of the day, I ask myself "do I know you"?

In reality I don't. In the traditional sense, we can only come to truly know a finite amount of souls in our lives. But with ambient intimacy firmly in place in modern day living, it's possible to feel like you know someone. Do they make an effort to talk to you in your Twitter stream? Have they commented on your site or Facebook page? Have you recieved an e-mail in the past with an introduction when you weren't even ambiently aware of them.

In other words, you can feel like you know someone even when you really don't. And believe it or not, sometimes this is enough to exchange a small favor, share an encouraging word or engage in a micro-interaction. Breadth should never replace depth, but sometimes you'd be surprised how meaningful it can be.

London Calling

 

Next week (June 23rd-26th) I'll be spending a few days in London for business. Since I know a ton of you in the area (though have not met many in person) I've "enlisted" long time virtual friend George Nimeh who has graciously offered to plan a Tweetup in the area. It's on a Friday night, so you have no excuses. Hope to see you there. In other news, I've been using Plancast more often to plan my travels. The social aspects of it as well as the mobile version make it a nice option. If you're in London next week—come out and say hello. Below is the Plancast widet which I've added to the right column of the site.

The Social Business Manifesto

Way back in 2005, I came across a blog. Not just any blog—it was called "The Social Customer Manifesto". I found it to be so interesting and compelling, that it was one of the first blogs I left a comment on (I had mostly been a passive observer prior to this). Five years later and I feel like I've come full circle as the author of that blog (who I've come to know), Chris Carfi has joined Edelman—the company I work for. In his honor, I thought I'd write a short post, flipping his model of a manifesto from the customer, to the business. Enjoy and welcome Chris!

• We will no longer view you as "consumers". Instead, you are co-creators, participants, and advocates.

• We will actively listen, and participate authentically because we know you demand nothing less.

• We will meet you on your terms, not ours.

• We will provide value, not noise.

• We will evolve our workforce to meet the changing demands of a networked economy.

• We will focus on your needs vs. our messages.

• We will build relationships that connect us in ways where we all benefit.

• We will act ethically and transparently, because it's no longer a choice.

• We will respond to changes quickly—we will adapt.

• We will move forward with you, not without you, because you are our future.

Welcome aboard Chris! Let the Karaoke begin. :-)

Poolside Chat With Joseph Jaffe

Originally posted at Edelman Digital

I recently had a chance to sit down with Joseph Jaffe, author of Flip The Funnel and Chief Interruptor at Powered. Joseph and I recently teamed up to do a series of talks with Symantec (client). We discussed the role of “thought leadership”–it’s relevancy and balancing both thinking and doing. Don’t let the poolside background fool you, we’re both working very hard at helping large organizations integrate social media into the way they do business. Enjoy the chat.

Getting The Basics Right

This post isn't about Foursquare or the latest social buzzword bingo, so I assume it will go largely unread and that's a shame. I'm on month four at my new gig with Edelman Digital. My job is to consult with multiple clients across global social initiatives, support staff across various regions, grow business, and I've also been tasked with ensuring that our own Web presence becomes the industry standard.

Employee Engagement
As I recommend with so many clients, to be successful with any social initiative (a non-automated program that involves engagement between live human beings) often requires changes in areas such as staffing. So the numbers in this chart which I'm fairly proud of are only possible because we chose to create the role of a "community manager" and were fortunate enough to find the perfect candidate to fill that role. The lesson here? Bootstrapping only takes you so far.

Corporate Culture
A number not on the chart but essential is that we've had 30 contributors in 30 days. Not simply one anointed "company voice", but 30 individuals ranging from new employees to veterans who feel empowered to speak and engage with the support of the company. To be fair, being a communications firm means this is in our heritage, but it's still not easy to execute against regardless of any industry.

ROI
At this point you may be asking, "do these numbers matter"? Well, they are metrics—and metrics are signs to be analyzed. But, from a business perspective we work in an industry where attracting the best talent for what we do is critical. The traffic and increase in applicants in the careers section is a good thing. Also, new business leads have been coming in through the site. That's probably the easiest way to cut through the clutter of "is this worth the effort" and also a positive sign.

Well, it's only been a month and I'm proud of these metrics and more importantly the team who powers the results. I'm really happy to see something like this become a contagious effort (with more people raising their hands to contribute). It's only one aspect of my job, but it's also one of the more enjoyable ones. These are the basics—putting in the right infrastructure, getting the strategy right, building things, creating momentum, changing how things work gradually over time and moving forward. It's not as sexy as the latest technology, but it's closer to real life.

Random Thoughts

We all live in glass houses
So when you throw that stone—and you will, don't be surprised when you are picking up the pieces of your own house as it shatters around you.

Build something
You'll be happier, healthier and wiser if at the end of the day, month or year if you've built something of value. If it helps others to be better—bonus.

Don't give up
Even when you really, really want to throw in the towel. Fight as if you're fighting for your life. Maybe in some ways, you really are.

Hit it hard
If you're going to do something, go at it with everything you've got.

Fail
Words such as these won't stop you from failing and falling short on a daily basis. If you aren't, then you're not really living.

Catching Up

It's been around three months since I joined the team at Edelman Digital and whether you are a casual or frequent visitor here, you may wonder from time to time what I actually do. Here's a few things I've been focusing on. Since joining, I've worked on several new business initiatives, have been plugging into a number of clients including eBay, RIM (Blackberry), Chevron and several others. I recently hired a community manager who will work exclusively on our Edelman Digital property (not clients) and we've been heads down on planning our launch within the next few weeks.

I've also been working on some internal frameworks, and have some definitive ideas in mind for ways to package our services. I've been traveling a bit less which has been really nice, and by design have dialed back the speaking engagements to a more manageable mix. Balancing being in the trenches and working at 30k feet is always tricky. 

I've certainly been reaching into my toolbox tapping every skillset I have from visual thinking, to strategy, to telling a story or communicating a framework. It's all good. I'm working with some great teams across several different offices and have been impressed by everyone I've worked with. I'm really excited about the long term vision we are crafting for the Edelman Digital property and how we will begin to execute against that as well how we are engaging with our clients at a business strategy level.

In short, it's all systems go—and it feels good to be making progress.  I'll likely see several of you at SXSW so if you are going, please be sure to approach me to say hello. I meet so many people who mention after the fact that they were going to, but never did.

While the economy is proving to be shaky at best, I'm excited by the opportunities we have with many of our clients. This is a great time to be engaging your customers, employees and business partners both authentically and on their terms. I'm no Steve Jobs, but anyway—that's what I think.

More to come...

-David

Why I'm Not Writing a Book (Right Now)

There's really nothing like a book—they are portable, intimate, useful, influential and the good ones tend to go "viral" in the sense that you share them with people you know. And of course today we have new ways to digest them: from audio to Kindles to iPads etc. A question I've been getting a lot lately is:

"When are you writing a book"?

I've had some interest—from publishers you've heard of. But the answer is:

"Not right now".

My logic is simple. One cannot serve two masters—and serve them well. Either my full time job or the book would suffer. So the time is not now. I've got things to accomplish before considering writing a book on any topic even though there's the temptation to ride the social media wave. At Edelman, there's a lot to be done both with clients and with our own manifestation of being part of the community (more to come on that later). There's still much for me to learn. There's still much knowledge to put into practice. And fortunately, being a very active participant in this medium has afforded me some of the benefits that published authors enjoy. A platform, influence, and the privilege of being sought after to speak on topics I am passionate about. I'm lucky to have this and to have you along for the ride (it's no fun driving this bus alone).

There's not shortage of excellent authors out there to choose from (Godin, Kawasaki, Anderson, Gladwell  etc.)—and if you are interested in some aggregated forms of content I've produced, you can visit my visual thinking set on Flickr, view my presentations on slideshare  , read articles I've written on Harvard Business or just browse the archive of this blog which I've curated since 2006.

There may be a time for a book—hopefully on a topic even broader than what we currently label "social media". I'd probably want it to be visual, succinct, memorable, and something that stuck to your brain like peanut butter. But for now, there's too much to do. Until then, I look forward to accomplishing other goals with your help. See you on the bus—next stop, make things happen.

2009 in a Word

Support

That's how I'd describe 2009 if it came down to a word—at least from my perspective. We started the year in a bit of a crisis mode, deciding to help a family in need and were utterly taken back by the support that was shown by the online community. People I've come to know and regard as friends in many ways. We decided to do something and were simply amazed at the outpouring of support that came in. When we realized that we weren't in this alone, that became a life defining moment for me personally.

Several months later, I took a chance and shook up my career to try something less defined, less familiar. When that realization fully hit me, I again felt support from my social system. They were there for me when I needed it.

And through the months which composed much of the past year, that feeling was always there. We were building something new and I sensed a sort of patience (a form of support) from you. A willingness to see where things would go.

And as the year wrapped up with even more change—I experienced yet even more support. The year it seemed had come full circle and I sit here and feel a sense of awe even as I write this. Simply put, I feel extremely fortunate, undeservedly so.

Support

I've never felt that the passing of time neatly fits into "good" or "bad" categories. It's tempting to think we either had a good or bad year. But for many of us, the reality looks more like a rugged landscape with peaks, hills, plains and valleys. That's why I like to think about the passage of time as a vocabulary. Often times, there is a particular word which rises to the surface of that vocabulary. So for 2009, I chose support to be that meaningful single word. At least for me and perhaps for those of you who provided it.

Thank you for being such a significant part of my 2009. Here's to 2010, to a fresh new year with new hopes and realized dreams. 

I'm Joining Edelman

Last April I informed you that I would be making a move to join what is now known as The Dachis Group and re-locating to Austin. It was an opportunity that I felt like I could not pass up and being hand picked to join a team of this caliber was enticing to say the least. Since then, not everything has gone according to plan. Our house never sold which has resulted in a steady stream of frequent trips to Austin in addition to other locations necessary to develop the business. The startup life which, I became intimately familiar with has been a mix of incredible experiences, challenges and rewards.

But despite the unique experience, I've decided to take an opportunity which I feel is both a better fit for myself and my family with a privately held, global leader experiencing explosive growth.  As of this Monday I will be starting my first day as an SVP with Edelman Digital, the digital arm of Edelman worldwide, a global communications firm with local roots in Chicago and a small army of smart and talented people distributed globally. 

I've always talked about the intersection of planning and improvisation and when things don't go according to plan, you often have to re-calibrate and sometimes modify direction. I've known Rick Murray who runs the digital group at Edelman for some time now, and after some considerable deliberation it seemed to make perfect sense to go in this direction. I'll be able to apply what I've learned in both the digital agency and start-up environments and apply this experience to work across every time zone, language, culture, industry and every conceivable audience.

I'm also sad that in the process I'll be saying goodbye to the incredible brain trust at Dachis Group. Jeff, Kate, Pete, Jevon, Ellen, and Bryan have all been amazing to work with as well as our esteemed colleagues in London and Sydney. I've stretched myself as we forged new ground putting the company on the map, communicating the vision and establishing a foundation as we began to engage clients dealing with new challenges and opportunities in a hands on fashion. The vision of Dachis Group is dead on—businesses who want to adapt and thrive in today's networked economy WILL become more social (open, collaborative, efficient). I still believe this and my colleagues are well positioned to help lead the way.

But as for me, joining Edelman is something I look forward  to as it offers both scale, flexibility combined with a wealth of great minds working with great companies. You can expect to see me collaborating with new clients, moving the Edelman digital presence forward, and I'll still be speaking, blogging, tweeting, and writing at Harvard Business.

Jeff and team, thank you for the valuable experience. Rick and team, see you on Monday.

How Google Helped Save A Life

When my eight-year-old (Max) complained that he wasn't feeling well, we kept him home. On the next afternoon, when he complained about stomach pains, I told him to lie down. Later that day, when the stomach pains persisted and I had left the house—Belinda turned to Google for help. Mother's intuition told her to search for information—specifically where the appendix is located. And after doing so she went up to Max's room and pressed down on the right side of his abdomen. When he winced in pain, she decided to call the doctor. The doctor said go to the emergency room. The ER said, get a cat scan and the cat scan said it was irritated. Then the surgeon said it was early, but in a day or two it was likely to burst.

So the surgeon gave Max an appendectomy and I gave him a Popsicle.

Thank you to the Internet, Google, Mother's Intuition and all of the doctors, nurses, co-workers, friends and family (including you) for all the kind words. He's doing well. So is the penguin.

When The Ending Isn't Happy

The picture above is of the Loveless family—Jamie, Chris, and their son Gavin. Ken Burbary alerted me through a private message on Twitter that he was going to try to help the family when Jamie became admitted to the hospital for H1N1 flu. Ken wanted to help the family who found themselves stranded in Florida away form their home in Tennessee in a crisis. In two days, Ken and his network raised over 6 thousand dollars through the social web. In two days, Jamie's situation went from bad to worse and she passed away after developing severe pneumonia (most likely caused by the virus).

I guess I feel compelled to write this for a number of reasons. First, as a human being and parent I'm saddened by the story. Secondly, it hits even closer to home as Ken leveraged similar tactics to the the ones we used when helping another family in crisis. Lots of people said that event could not be duplicated and they were partially correct (I could not duplicate it). But others like Ken who have built networks (and trust) over time can choose to tap them if and how they see fit.

Unfortunately, despite the amazing effort and funds that were raised, this did not end as well as the situation I was involved with. I'm not really sure what else to say except that those who helped get the word out and raised funds did a good thing despite the outcome. And to Ken, thank you for leading the charge. My thoughts (and prayers) go out to Chris, Gavin and their family and friends despite the fact that I don't know them personally. I'm sorry for your incredible loss.