There is a high cost associated to not paying attention to how you look on a day-to-day basis. I'm not talking about the things you can't change, but there are things that you can change which, if ignored, say something about you - and it's not great...

There are subtle patterns in thinking that can slip into the way we do things on a day-to-day basis and undermine the success of our organizations if we don't watch for them. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, keys in on one of them in mantra that he often repeats. What can we all learn from it? Here's one suggestion...

Last week, I was walking by someone’s office here at work. They were in their office with a client and the door was open just a crack. As I walked by, I noticed that the client was sitting in my co-worker’s chair and she had just pulled up a not-nearly-as-comfortable stackable chair. That was a powerful picture that I haven’t been able to shake.

It's funny how often the things we learn in one area of our life can apply to other areas. For instance, what might we learn from volleyball about branding? Well, for one thing, we can learn about 'the dip'.

Often, the solution to significant competitive challenges are simple. Particularly if you can confidently boast a superior product or service. One organization that 'gets' simple solutions is Saddleback Leather Co. Their recent ad showing how to knock off their bags is a lesson in trusting your product or service.

Great advertising isn't all sizzle - it's steak. By that I mean that great advertising isn't just one big campaign idea that you thought up at 1:30 am after a night of brainstorming. Great advertising comes from careful planning and consistent application of a plan.

Famed French composer, Claude Debussy, once said that “Music is the silence between the notes”. As a musician, this statement resonates with me. As a communications consultant, it does too.

When someone hands you a flyer, it's like they're saying, "Here, you throw this away." - Mitch Hedberg

Most companies realize they have to advertise. What they don't realize is that they should probably spend as much time advertising internally as they do externally.