Spoke to a friend earlier today - I hadn’t caught up with Leanne at Sydney Symphony since I got the axe (the Company is on its 8th leader in Australia in 8 years!). She said she hoped I was doing well. She’d read my news in my blog - and was pleased by the positive tone.
The blog is better than an old-fashioned telephone operator. Do you remember Lily Tomlin’s old character Ernestine?
So if your French is a little rusty, the title means “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
In this business you gain points for flexibility.
Tuesday night at 7:30 the phone rings. That’s when I no longer worked for the Company. Seems change was brewing all around me and while I felt the undercurrent I never knew the change was that close.
Imagine how odd it feels to sense great relief. It’s like shedding a stone of fret.
I’m great at what I do - communications consulting. I’m not so great at lots more - managing people, negotiating politics, handling contentious maneuvering.
So it’s over. And while no one likes to fail no one likes to live a horrible life, either. The stress and anxiety and negativity is now behind me. I can say goodbye to the Company and hello to my own company.
Ready? You bet I am!
We have a new business presentation later this week to a company in the music industry. The proposal follows a play list - with each campaign element named for a particular song or artist or lyrics. There’s a high profile event to start the program - “I can make you a celebrity for one night” by Twista is the relevant song.
Taking it a step further, we wanted each team member to have a rock and roll alter ego. Who would you be? Are you Chrissy Hines or Donna Summer? Boz Scaggs or Snoop Doggy Dogg?
I got to choose my own…
I was never the kind of kid to attract nicknames. I never excelled at sports - and most good nicknames are born on the pitch. I was more at home in the library and excelled in the classroom. Plus I had atrociously correct manners (still do) and dressed well. I was in high school before I owned a pair of blue jeans.
No nicknames. Kind of rubbed me the wrong way - I always believed there was something wrong with me not to attract nicknames.
My Dad loved a radio comedy show called “Bob and Ray.” Wikipedia describes them perfectly:
“Their format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such as conducting radio or television interviews, with off-the-wall dialogue presented in a generally deadpan style as though it were a serious interview.”
On their fictional newscasts, they frequently turned to roving reporter Wally Ballou. It became the first nickname I ever had. When I was young I didn’t understand the derivation - I failed to ask my father about the connection and naturally assumed he made up the name.
(Or because I was overweight I assumed it was Balloo the Bear from Jungle Book. He jumped and danced and made a lot of noise. Sounded like me at the time.)
So today I’m confessing - my nickname is WallyBalloo. I hadn’t realised the radio star had the letter “U” at the end. I’m the double “O” kind of Balloo.
So in this vein of true confessions - what’s your nickname? What’s the derivation?
I had no idea the challenge of starting a blog. It’s taking me awhile to find my comfort level, the language, the candour, the use of humour. Perhaps it’s an added challenge when there are so many issues to write about. Everywhere I turn I see examples of outstanding communications and really poor outreach.
In Port Melbourne there’s a small restaurant with an ultra-modern logo. It’s called “Tokyo Train.” But right below the sleek looking modern train in the centre of the logo are the words, “Traditional Japanese Cuisine.” The owners don’t understand the high-tech, modern use of the logo conflicts with their food offering. If you wanted traditional cuisine, you’d no doubt select a bamboo and paper window establishment where you had to duck to gain entry and your shoes came off right away.
This is a tiny example of the bigger mistakes corporations and their leaders make when communicating. The language and the way you deliver messages reinforce or distract from the content. An automotron stating they are sorry for the impact on the environment. A gushing junior talking about the company’s long history of accomplishments. Every day you can read the paper and see the mistakes.
Sounds like a plan - a long lunch with the newspaper, dining on traditional cuisine in a stark, modern restaurant.
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of our counsel. Our professionals have in-depth experience communicating in today’s financial markets. We offer strategic communications counsel and implementation covering a range of corporate actions, from IPO through M&A, to developing plans for corporate positioning.
