Two years ago, I wrote a post about the challenges Fr. Greg Boyle was facing with Homeboy Industries—the ministry he’d created to provide jobs and hope to gang members in his impoverished L.A. parish. At the time, Boyle had been forced to lay off his entire staff because costs greatly exceeded revenues—a reality that even those who routinely work miracles are sometimes forced to deal with. I was so excited to open this month’s Fast Company and see that Fr. Greg is back on firmer footing. Check out the story for yourself and, better yet, make a donation to this very worthy cause.
Fr. Greg is back in business
April 19th, 2012You had me at “We Will Bury You”
April 17th, 2012It smacks of a misguided direct mail piece for the local funeral home—especially when you throw in the equally punchy subhead of “Three lucky people could win a free funeral!”—but it’s actually part of a clever campaign running in today’s Wall Street Journal.
I won’t spoil the fun: learn more at RunForYourLives.com/funeral.
Is brainstorming overrated?
April 6th, 2012We’ve all been there: called into the conference room, given white boards or sheets of paper and exhorted to come up with ideas—the more and crazier the better. Did this group approach deliver? Or would each person have come up with more and better ideas on their own? In her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain debunks a host of commonly accepted truths and challenges us to understand the value of introverts in a world where personality tends to trump character. Check out the book or cut to the chase with Cain’s NYT article on brainstorming and GroupThink. And the next time the urge to brainstorm hits…go sit someplace by yourself and see what happens.
My two cents’ worth
March 26th, 2012If you’re like me, you KNOW that you’re supposed to spend a certain amount of energy reaching out to the broader world with pithy, industry-related insights—the better to improve your search results and remind clients and prospects of your savvy and existence—but you find it very (very) easy to put this activity at the bottom of your to-do list. Maybe it’s because I remember a time (back when the earth’s crust was cooling) when it wasn’t so easy to reach out and share your opinion with people you were never going to meet. Or, let’s be honest, maybe it’s because I’m lazy. That said, I’m in awe of people who do a much better job of keeping their blogs up to date and can almost promise that I’m going to consider doing the same.
Can Paula do it?
January 18th, 2012The blogosphere is all aflutter because Paula Deen, purveyor of all things fine and butter-laden, has recently a). revealed that she has diabetes and b). been selected to promoted Novo Nordisk’s diabetes medication. A certain snarky foodie hotshot has likened this to breaking someone’s legs and selling them crutches afterwards, but maybe it’s just the latest example of rebranding. Heck, if Abercrombie & Fitch—who once outfitted big game hunters and polar expeditions—can morph into a company that clothes (barely) pouty lipped, six-pack-abbed teenagers, anything can be rebranded. And maybe Paula, with her everywoman “if I can do it, you can too” charm will actually get people thinking about eating healthier. Time will tell.
The appeal of order
October 20th, 2011I don’t know why I like this concept so much—I am not a very neat person—but I do. For whatever reason, Swiss artist, Ursus Wehrli, has made the act of organizing life his passion and his art. If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “You know, the universe would be so much more appealing if it were just a little TIDIER,” this is the book for you.
Generation gap
September 13th, 2011My daughter recently ran a blog post that started with a (largely verbatim) conversation we’d had about her “what next” plans. As a tail-end Baby Boomer, parenting a Gen Y child, I frequently find myself faced with some pretty glaring examples of how much life has changed since I was making my way in the post-college world. I was all about getting a “real” job and having a business card with my name on it. She is more interested in finding herself and exploring the big world around her. Granted, photo journalism majors aren’t exactly inundated with job offers in this economy and she was gainfully employed all summer, but it’s interesting that the thing that would have given me a huge pit in my stomach–a minimum wage job with no career potential–doesn’t faze her in the least. She’s racking up adventures at the age when I was getting my first taste of credit card debt. I’m betting that her path to the future will be a bit more crooked than mine, but who’s to say that it isn’t better—and, if nothing else, her stories certainly will be!
Summer in the city
July 1st, 2011Ok, ok, so Madison (population roughly 208,000 give or take 40,000+ students) might not count as a city if you’re REALLY from a city (I’m talking about you Chicago, NY, LA, etc.), but it’s city-ish and today it’s hot. Ok, not Phoenix or Austin hot, but definitely Midwest hot. But I’ve promised not to complain because I am fortunate enough to have AC (though, for whatever reason my office has some issues with its ducts which may or may not have to do with one of my children dropping a book down said duct) and I already complain about the winter and you can’t complain about both! If you are also enjoying a heat wave, pour yourself your iced beverage of choice and wrap up your work so you can head out to a movie (I highly recommend the new Jane Eyre—and it’s even at the cheap theater here). Have a great weekend.
Will Jacque Pen-ay be the new Tar-zhay?
June 15th, 2011When I cast around for an adjective to describe J.C. Penney stores, the one that immediately pops into my brain is “tired.” My local J.C. Penney feels dim and dusty, a place where I might find a bargain on, hmmm…shower curtains or something but not a place I necessarily want to shop. So, it was a surprise to learn that they’ve managed to lure Ron Johnson, the mastermind behind the Apple stores, to their company. It’s certainly a big leap to go from one of the world’s most valuable brands—especially one synonymous with technology and innovation, clean lines and empty spaces—to one of the country’s oldest. This could be a revolution in the making—the next Target, perhaps, though even Target may not exactly want to be Target at present if current sales results are any indication. It will be interesting to see how Mr. Johnson uses what he learned at Apple to turn J.C. Penney stores into a new type of retail experience.