Hi,
The face of the first US President, George Washington appears on the US one-dollar bill. The image was based on a portrait by Gilbert Stuart, which he never finished. He had kept the original, and he sold copies of it for $100 each. Stuart remarked of the portrait: "When I painted him, he had just had a set of false teeth inserted, which accounts for the constrained expression so noticeable about the lower part of the face." The work is often referred to as The Athenaeum because it was owned by the Boston Athenaeum for over 150 years. They had bought it from Stuart's daughter after he died in 1828.
It is said that the fact that an unfinished portrait of a president appears on a note of currency symbolises a lesson for leaders everywhere. Just like the unfinished portrait, every country and every business is an unfinished piece of work. They are works in progress that are subject to the Darwinian economics that has rattled the world’s economy and the desire and skill of their people to work together. The minute a leader pauses to say a country or company is complete is the day that they put them into reverse. The portrait of the US’s first president symbolises the fact that nothing is ever complete, and the only thing that ever remains constant is change itself.
That is what makes the role of a President and a leader a 24 hour a day, seven days a week job. Because nothing is ever finished.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square,Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Saturday, 21 January 2012
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (An inside story) Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 61
Hi,
I was asked this week what is the greatest joy I received from the book so far. It is not the fact that it reached number 2 on iTunes UK. It comes from a personal letter I received from a lady in Detroit to say that the book has changed her life. She mentioned the new skills she learned for speaking in public, but there was something deeper. The book features a personal tribute to my dad who passed away in 2006. It is my dad’s story, but people tell me they have rewritten it to insert the people they loved too. I love the fact that iTunes considered it a self-development book as well as a business book. My writings have a social element because I believe we all have a duty to make this world better than it was before we entered it. When I write, it reminds me of my duty. To know that the words that highlighted my dad’s life have inspired people across the world is just mind-blowing.
On Sunday, I will reveal what Obama’s Presidency and every business can learn from a US one-dollar bill.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
I was asked this week what is the greatest joy I received from the book so far. It is not the fact that it reached number 2 on iTunes UK. It comes from a personal letter I received from a lady in Detroit to say that the book has changed her life. She mentioned the new skills she learned for speaking in public, but there was something deeper. The book features a personal tribute to my dad who passed away in 2006. It is my dad’s story, but people tell me they have rewritten it to insert the people they loved too. I love the fact that iTunes considered it a self-development book as well as a business book. My writings have a social element because I believe we all have a duty to make this world better than it was before we entered it. When I write, it reminds me of my duty. To know that the words that highlighted my dad’s life have inspired people across the world is just mind-blowing.
On Sunday, I will reveal what Obama’s Presidency and every business can learn from a US one-dollar bill.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Friday, 20 January 2012
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (It's not water under the bridge) Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 60
Hi,
Let us look at how panic statements in a crisis can magnify a leader’s problem. In 1990, Perrier Chairman Gustave Leven told the world that “Perrier is crazy” after it recalled its bottles of water due to benzene contamination in some isolated bottles. The line was from a French TV ad, but the rest of the world didn’t know that.
Perrier made two big blunders. They did not have an effective crisis plan so they allowed the media to take over the story. It got worse for the company because the media was offered two conflicting viewpoints from their operations in America and France. This example of poor communication damaged the credibility of a company that once dominated the bottled water market.
The main lessons here are that you must
• build teams that communicate with each other instead of around each other
• have a proactive plan for any crisis. A reactive approach never works
Tomorrow, I will reveal another exclusive behind the scenes story about writing the book.
On Sunday, I will reveal what Obama’s Presidency and every business can learn from a US one-dollar bill.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Let us look at how panic statements in a crisis can magnify a leader’s problem. In 1990, Perrier Chairman Gustave Leven told the world that “Perrier is crazy” after it recalled its bottles of water due to benzene contamination in some isolated bottles. The line was from a French TV ad, but the rest of the world didn’t know that.
Perrier made two big blunders. They did not have an effective crisis plan so they allowed the media to take over the story. It got worse for the company because the media was offered two conflicting viewpoints from their operations in America and France. This example of poor communication damaged the credibility of a company that once dominated the bottled water market.
The main lessons here are that you must
• build teams that communicate with each other instead of around each other
• have a proactive plan for any crisis. A reactive approach never works
Tomorrow, I will reveal another exclusive behind the scenes story about writing the book.
On Sunday, I will reveal what Obama’s Presidency and every business can learn from a US one-dollar bill.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Thursday, 19 January 2012
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (A Pepsi Challenge) Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 59
Hi,
This is the kind of story that offers a leader a major challenge. In 1993, a man in the USA claimed he had discovered a used syringe in a can of Pepsi after he drank it. He said he noticed the syringe as he emptied the final contents of the can into his sink. Other people came forward within a week to make similar claims.
Craig E. Weatherup was the CEO of Pepsi-Cola in North America at the time. Weatherup provided a lesson for any CEO who faces a crisis born out of malice. Firstly, he ensured every Pepsi employee was kept up to date with the strategy being executed by the crisis team of four people. Secondly, Weatherup allowed the media to come inside the company so he could show the world how Pepsi was canned. With the help of the FDA, he proved that it was impossible for a syringe to enter a Pepsi can. Weatherup decided to be proactive with the media, and he appeared on high profile shows such as Larry King Live. He also decided to place full page ads in over 200 newspapers to reassure customers that the Pepsi brand was safe to enjoy.
Tomorrow, I will reveal how panic statements in a crisis can magnify a leader’s problem.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square, Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
This is the kind of story that offers a leader a major challenge. In 1993, a man in the USA claimed he had discovered a used syringe in a can of Pepsi after he drank it. He said he noticed the syringe as he emptied the final contents of the can into his sink. Other people came forward within a week to make similar claims.
Craig E. Weatherup was the CEO of Pepsi-Cola in North America at the time. Weatherup provided a lesson for any CEO who faces a crisis born out of malice. Firstly, he ensured every Pepsi employee was kept up to date with the strategy being executed by the crisis team of four people. Secondly, Weatherup allowed the media to come inside the company so he could show the world how Pepsi was canned. With the help of the FDA, he proved that it was impossible for a syringe to enter a Pepsi can. Weatherup decided to be proactive with the media, and he appeared on high profile shows such as Larry King Live. He also decided to place full page ads in over 200 newspapers to reassure customers that the Pepsi brand was safe to enjoy.
Tomorrow, I will reveal how panic statements in a crisis can magnify a leader’s problem.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square, Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (The Customer is Number 1) Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 58
Hi,
How would you feel if seven people died as a result of using your company’s product? How would you react to the news that someone had maliciously laced your product with cyanide? How would you feel if your sales dropped by 90% in just three months as a result? This is what happened to Johnson and Johnson after their Tylenol product was contaminated in 1982.
Their response is a lesson that BP should have noted after their oil spill in 2010. Johnson and Johnson looked at their issue with human eyes instead of financial ones. Their chairman, James Burke, formed a seven-member strategy team. Burke said its aims were first, "How do we protect the people?" and second "How do we save this product?" They recalled 31 million bottles of Tylenol, and they motivated their employees to tour the USA to meet with others in the healthcare profession to rebuild the brand. They lost over $100 million, but they knew their priority was to engage with people to show they cared. The return to profit was phenomenal, and Johnson and Johnson grew stronger from that year on.
Why didn’t BP's Tony Hayward adopt the same approach that James Burke took with the media? Maybe BP didn’t possess the Credo that has guided Johnson and Johnson since 1943. See here.
http://www.jnj.com/connect/about-jnj/jnj-credo/
We shouldn’t be surprised that the United Nations awarded Johnson & Johnson the Humanitarian of the Year Award 2011 for its leading role in its Healthy Mother, Healthy Child initiative. It really is the kind of company you would want to work with or for. It is certainly a company you would feel like buying from.
Tomorrow, I will discuss how Pepsi communicated after it had its own challenge in 1993.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
How would you feel if seven people died as a result of using your company’s product? How would you react to the news that someone had maliciously laced your product with cyanide? How would you feel if your sales dropped by 90% in just three months as a result? This is what happened to Johnson and Johnson after their Tylenol product was contaminated in 1982.
Their response is a lesson that BP should have noted after their oil spill in 2010. Johnson and Johnson looked at their issue with human eyes instead of financial ones. Their chairman, James Burke, formed a seven-member strategy team. Burke said its aims were first, "How do we protect the people?" and second "How do we save this product?" They recalled 31 million bottles of Tylenol, and they motivated their employees to tour the USA to meet with others in the healthcare profession to rebuild the brand. They lost over $100 million, but they knew their priority was to engage with people to show they cared. The return to profit was phenomenal, and Johnson and Johnson grew stronger from that year on.
Why didn’t BP's Tony Hayward adopt the same approach that James Burke took with the media? Maybe BP didn’t possess the Credo that has guided Johnson and Johnson since 1943. See here.
http://www.jnj.com/connect/about-jnj/jnj-credo/
We shouldn’t be surprised that the United Nations awarded Johnson & Johnson the Humanitarian of the Year Award 2011 for its leading role in its Healthy Mother, Healthy Child initiative. It really is the kind of company you would want to work with or for. It is certainly a company you would feel like buying from.
Tomorrow, I will discuss how Pepsi communicated after it had its own challenge in 1993.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (Obama and the BP crisis) Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 57
Hi,
When a company faces an unexpected crisis, it is only natural for its leader to feel surprise and a loss of control. Their focus must switch from normal strategy to repair and redevelopment. Many leaders make the mistake of offering a response that deals only with the short term pressure they are under. Great leaders take the longer view, and I will discuss one such example tomorrow.
Today, I would like to talk about how a leader’s words can magnify a crisis and cause more pain for its victims. In 2010, when former BP leader Tony Hayward paraphrased Winston Churchill in his response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the world stopped in shock. The man known as the ‘Bumbler from BP‘ said, "We are going to defend the beaches. We will fix this." However, Hayward failed to convince anyone that he possessed the authenticity of Churchill.
It seems that Hayward did not understand the gravity of the situation, and how his self-centred conversations with the media were reducing confidence in BP, and further tainting its reputation and finances. No one expected him to turn into Stallone or Schwarzenegger and save the day, but he owed the victims and their families so much more. He said, “There's no one who wants this over more than I do. I'd like my life back.” Hayward really missed the point when he said he should have gone to drama school. While I agree that media training is essential, you should not need an acting lesson to put human concerns above profits. I find it hard to believe that a leader of a company as big as BP did not practice for any possible crisis. JFK called CBS television in 1952, and he asked them for media training. That was eight years before he ran for President.
Every time Hayward spoke; he made the situation more painful for everyone. When he said, “The Air France airplane that fell out of the sky off of Brazil did not stop the aviation industry," he put profit over people again.” No one was surprised when Barack Obama said, "He wouldn't be working for me after any of those statements." The people at BP decided Obama was right.
If you decide to take any media training, please feel free to call me.
Tomorrow, I will discuss why Hayward and the team at BP should have studied Johnson and Johnson’s response to the Tylenol recall of 1982.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square,Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
When a company faces an unexpected crisis, it is only natural for its leader to feel surprise and a loss of control. Their focus must switch from normal strategy to repair and redevelopment. Many leaders make the mistake of offering a response that deals only with the short term pressure they are under. Great leaders take the longer view, and I will discuss one such example tomorrow.
Today, I would like to talk about how a leader’s words can magnify a crisis and cause more pain for its victims. In 2010, when former BP leader Tony Hayward paraphrased Winston Churchill in his response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the world stopped in shock. The man known as the ‘Bumbler from BP‘ said, "We are going to defend the beaches. We will fix this." However, Hayward failed to convince anyone that he possessed the authenticity of Churchill.
It seems that Hayward did not understand the gravity of the situation, and how his self-centred conversations with the media were reducing confidence in BP, and further tainting its reputation and finances. No one expected him to turn into Stallone or Schwarzenegger and save the day, but he owed the victims and their families so much more. He said, “There's no one who wants this over more than I do. I'd like my life back.” Hayward really missed the point when he said he should have gone to drama school. While I agree that media training is essential, you should not need an acting lesson to put human concerns above profits. I find it hard to believe that a leader of a company as big as BP did not practice for any possible crisis. JFK called CBS television in 1952, and he asked them for media training. That was eight years before he ran for President.
Every time Hayward spoke; he made the situation more painful for everyone. When he said, “The Air France airplane that fell out of the sky off of Brazil did not stop the aviation industry," he put profit over people again.” No one was surprised when Barack Obama said, "He wouldn't be working for me after any of those statements." The people at BP decided Obama was right.
If you decide to take any media training, please feel free to call me.
Tomorrow, I will discuss why Hayward and the team at BP should have studied Johnson and Johnson’s response to the Tylenol recall of 1982.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square,Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Monday, 16 January 2012
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (A Leader's Media Mess) Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 56
Hi,
In 2008, Bear Stearns CEO, Alan Schwartz appeared on CNBC to dent a claim that the bank had a liquidity problem. Its stock was down 17% over the previous five trading sessions, and a rumour stated that Goldman Sachs was about to abandon Bear Stearns. If the rumour was true, it would tell the world that Bear Stearns trading partner did not respect its ability to trade.
Alan Schwartz had two choices. He could hide and let the rumour grow or he could defend his company’s reputation and reassure the market of its liquidity. What happened was an example of how a leader can help destroy his career and his company through poor communication.
Schwartz’s responses to CNBC’s David Faber’s questions were full of “em’s” and “eh’s,” and he used the words “not aware” twice. He showed investors and the media that he wasn’t really on top of things. His leader’s role that day was to instil confidence in everyone around him. Schwartz failed to calm the storm and his poor communication skills only led to further problems for Bear Stearns. The end was near for the 85-year-old investment bank.
In Schwartz’s defence, he may say that Faber’s leading question came from a rumour from an unnamed source. He could say that the information should not have been used to ask a leading question. However, I noticed from the video that Schwartz did not appear in the CNBC studio. He did not do the interview in Bear Stearns headquarters either. He did it live from Palm Beach, Florida. Was that a wise thing to do when his investors, staff and the media were looking for answers to the speculation and fear?
There is a lot more to appearing in the media than just turning up and being you. You must learn from a coach that understands the media and the world of business. Don’t make the mistake or your career could suffer?
Tomorrow, I will reveal what I believe was the reason Tony Hayward became a PR disaster for BP.
Take care,
Darren
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square,Leeds, LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
In 2008, Bear Stearns CEO, Alan Schwartz appeared on CNBC to dent a claim that the bank had a liquidity problem. Its stock was down 17% over the previous five trading sessions, and a rumour stated that Goldman Sachs was about to abandon Bear Stearns. If the rumour was true, it would tell the world that Bear Stearns trading partner did not respect its ability to trade.
Alan Schwartz had two choices. He could hide and let the rumour grow or he could defend his company’s reputation and reassure the market of its liquidity. What happened was an example of how a leader can help destroy his career and his company through poor communication.
Schwartz’s responses to CNBC’s David Faber’s questions were full of “em’s” and “eh’s,” and he used the words “not aware” twice. He showed investors and the media that he wasn’t really on top of things. His leader’s role that day was to instil confidence in everyone around him. Schwartz failed to calm the storm and his poor communication skills only led to further problems for Bear Stearns. The end was near for the 85-year-old investment bank.
In Schwartz’s defence, he may say that Faber’s leading question came from a rumour from an unnamed source. He could say that the information should not have been used to ask a leading question. However, I noticed from the video that Schwartz did not appear in the CNBC studio. He did not do the interview in Bear Stearns headquarters either. He did it live from Palm Beach, Florida. Was that a wise thing to do when his investors, staff and the media were looking for answers to the speculation and fear?
There is a lot more to appearing in the media than just turning up and being you. You must learn from a coach that understands the media and the world of business. Don’t make the mistake or your career could suffer?
Tomorrow, I will reveal what I believe was the reason Tony Hayward became a PR disaster for BP.
Take care,
Darren
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
Audio Version only.
Text version out January 31st.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square,Leeds, LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
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