Blog

Tuesday, June 8, 2004 – Before I “break camp” in the evening and call it a day, I’ve always made a habit of going over my to-do list, backwards and forwards. What I’m not able to put behind me simply gets carried over to the next day, so what I end up with in my cramped, bulging Day-Timer (call me old school, but I’ve never used a PDA) is a long, eclectic list of not only all my commitments, but also my goals and ideals -- each one to be acted on (hopefully) in the near future -- trailed by and an even longer history of what’s (thankfully) been put to bed. At Yellowfin Direct Marketing, this habit remains unbroken, and I can’t help but think that A Fine Kettle…

Tuesday, June 1, 2004 -- If I were to look back on my career so far, a defining moment in time for me was the summer of 1990, when I decided to fly solo as a creative director and join the ranks of the self-employed. For the next seven years, I kept myself busy defining and developing my brand as a direct marketer -- not just writing copy, but working closely with a pool of designers and even closer with my clients, all the while realizing, like a parachutist about to jump, that this is what it’s like to look destiny in the eyes. But having emerged from the experience far better for the wear, I can’t help but wish for every entrepreneur -- for every budding professional, really --…

Monday, May 17, 2004 – People who know me know how highly I speak (no pun intended) of Toastmasters International, a remarkable organization that truly empowers its members to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. There are Toastmasters clubs in more than 80 countries -- about 200 Toastmasters clubs are “doing business” in Massachusetts alone -- and in each one people like you and me are developing their communication and leadership skills, and finding the courage to change. Back in the day, one of my dreams was to hone my public speaking skills to the point where I could lead seminars and speak at conferences and industry events about direct marketing and creativity. At the time (in the late ‘80s), the extent of my public speaking opportunities was…

Monday, April 26, 2004 – I’ve always been smitten with the power of online communications, so when I read an article recently about the latest Web craze, social and business networking, I couldn’t resist the urge. I became a member of Ryze. Of course, I perfectly understand if you’re pleading ignorance right now. I didn’t know anything about Ryze, either, until about a month ago. But today I have my own home page there, which serves (quite conveniently, might I add) as a portal through which I can hook up with industry brethren, kindred spirits and like-minded souls. It’s all about viral marketing, really, e.g., Ryze makes it easy for users to connect with their own list of contacts, then extend that reach outward -- exponentially -- to their contacts’…

Tuesday, April 20, 2004 – A few months ago, David gave me a copy of The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive by Patrick Lencioni, and I’ve been talking up this leadership fable ever since. Published in 2000 as the follow-up to The Five Temptations of a CEO, the author’s business fiction debut, The Four Obsessions is a timeless classic, an incredibly relevant blueprint for any organization, large or small. Which is why David first shared it with me, and more recently asked our entire staff to read it. He recognizes the value of a healthy (read: no politics or confusion) work environment. It’s what he -- and this book -- espouses. For starters: If everything is important, then nothing is. That’s Lencioni’s opening proposition -- that sustained well-being is…

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - You got unceremoniously grounded today at the airport in Cincinnati. Only for a couple of hours, though. The good news is that you had a very successful meeting yesterday with the development team at Florida State University in Tallahassee. In addition to a direct mail fundraising campaign, F.S.U. asked the Yellowfin crew to help them promote alumni participation during the football season this fall. They will be entertaining their constituency in and around the stadium at each home game (along the lines of, say, a series of exclusive, upscale tailgating parties), and they'd like Yellowfin to develop an overarching marketing strategy and act on it accordingly. You're already loving this assignment! After all, it means you and your colleagues will be able to extend your…