Citizen Brand

The Millenials have arrived

I missed this story on 60 Minutes, but thanks to Jaffe Juice for pointing us to it.

As the father of two Millennials and the employer of many more, I find this story interesting but I also don't agree with all the points made in it.  Others agree with me.

I see a lot of hard working 20-somethings.  They do like praise, but who the heck doesn't like to be told they are doing a good job.  I love being around this up and coming generation.  They are bringing passion and enthusiasm into the workplace and that is a very good thing.

It is true they may do a bit of job hopping to find the right job and those of us on the hiring end will have to adjust to that trend.  I prefer to look at the short term pain of people leaving a little more often as an opportunity to continually freshen the organization.

The challenge of keeping great people of any age remains the same.  Create an environment that is challenging and fun; work that is purposeful and inspiring; and, treat people fairly and with respect.

"A tradition like no other"

It's April and those darn azaleas are blooming again in Augusta, Georgia.  The Masters is upon us, one of the most uniquely branded sporting events ever.  It is one of those rare championship events that is played on the same venue each and every year.  (Wimbledon in tennis might rival Augusta for the uniqueness factor.)

CBS will be showing us the pretty pictures of all the flora and fauna and the announcers will be careful not to call those watching the golfers in action "fans."  The term is "patrons."

Okay, the stuffiness of Augusta is a bit annoying, but you have to admit there is a clear brand image for this event and it is the one event all professional golfers hope to win in their career.

Another unique brand will likely win his fifth green jacket this year - Tiger Woods.  I am a big fan of Tiger and not just because he's a winner on the golf course.  I like the way he handles himself on and off the course.  He is a winner because I believe he wants it more than anyone else playing today.  His focus is unprecedented.  His desire to keep improving is also unprecedented.  Tiger Woods can teach us all lessons on how to conduct ourselves in our jobs and life.  This Fast Company article reinforces that thought.

As a sports fan and a lover of golf, I'm thrilled that I can witness this kind of performance and experience history in the making. 

Jayhawks march on to Sweet 16

The Kansas Jayhawks are quickly becoming one of the big stories of the 2007 edition of March Madness.  After a 107-67 thrashing of Niagara on Friday night, the 'Hawks put their big game faces on today to defeat the winningest program in the history of college basketball, the Kentucky Wildcats.  Kansas is the third all time winning college program garnering their 1,905th victory today.

Kansas heads to San Jose to meet Southern Illinois out of the Missouri Valley Conference on Thursday evening in the round of 16.  UCLA and Pittsburgh play in the second game with the winners meeting on Saturday for the right to go to the Final Four in Atlanta.

Kansas has developed into a true team.  Egos are left in the locker room each game and these guys come onto the court with a single mission in mind.  It has been a true joy to watch this team develop over the past two seasons.  They are a great example of what a real team can accomplish - a great example for all of us regardless of the business in which we work.

The Jayhawks' business right now is winning basketball games and they are four victories away from college basketball's promised land.

Edward R. Murrow

I decided early in life I wanted to be in radio and television.  At first, I thought sports broadcasting was my calling.  But when I entered the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas in 1973, Watergate was in full swing and we all wanted to be the next Woodward and Bernstein.  At least I did.

That was until I began to learn about Edward R. Murrow.  I was just a bit too young to have seen Murrow in his prime on CBS News.  But as I learned about him and began to study his career as part of my journalism studies, it became clear to me that Murrow was the foundation on which great broadcast journalism was built.  He, of course was most remembered for his showdown with Senator Joseph McCarthy documented in last year's great film, Good Night and Good Luck.

I wrote one of my best papers in college on that fascinating period of history.  But what I found more interesting were his days on the radio during World War Two as he reported from London during the darkest days of the ceaseless bombing of that great city.

I'm moved to write about Murrow tonight because of a great PBS program airing this week as part of the American Masters series.  I hope you have a chance to see it.  His was a life that not only changed his profession, but led to changes in society as well.  There were few issues he did not take on over the years on his famous "See It Now" program or later in productions that redefined the television documentary.  His most famous documentary was Harvest of Shame which documented the horrible existence of America's migrant workers in 1960.

I end this post with a line from Murrow's closing comments in his program that brought down Joe McCarthy.  These are words we need to continue to think about even today:

"Let us not confuse dissent with disloyalty."

Edward R. Murrow was a true citizen of the world.  Take some time to read more about him.  It will be worth your time.