Speech Excerpts (that I wrote and that were presented in full by my clients)
(Bank One)
"Brand in the Blink of an Eye"
In your mind’s eye, what are those financial brands that stand out – the ones recognized and remembered as great? Who among us – a bank, a brokerage, or an insurance company – is coveted in the same way loyal consumers ask for a Rolex instead of an expensive watch, a Volvo instead of a safe car, or even a Budweiser instead of a beer? At Bank One, we’re on an all-out journey to build a strong, national brand in the virtual blink of an eye. Now, I realize the idea of ‘speedy branding’ sounds incongruous – it goes against everything we know from business school and our own experience. After all, Ford is a hundred-year-old brand. Coca-Cola is a hundred-year-old brand. Kraft is a hundred-year-old brand. McDonald’s is almost a half-century old. What’s the rush in the financial world? Welcome to Internet time, folks, where it’s hard to plan for things even a mere six weeks out. Building a brand in the blink of an eye is not done with a logo, a great commercial, or slick merchandising – alone. Building customer loyalty at the speed I’m talking about requires that you: stand for something big, think like a great retailer, take roads less traveled, deliver an experience and value your employees....
In your mind’s eye, what are those financial brands that stand out – the ones recognized and remembered as great? Who among us – a bank, a brokerage, or an insurance company – is coveted in the same way loyal consumers ask for a Rolex instead of an expensive watch, a Volvo instead of a safe car, or even a Budweiser instead of a beer? At Bank One, we’re on an all-out journey to build a strong, national brand in the virtual blink of an eye. Now, I realize the idea of ‘speedy branding’ sounds incongruous – it goes against everything we know from business school and our own experience. After all, Ford is a hundred-year-old brand. Coca-Cola is a hundred-year-old brand. Kraft is a hundred-year-old brand. McDonald’s is almost a half-century old. What’s the rush in the financial world? Welcome to Internet time, folks, where it’s hard to plan for things even a mere six weeks out. Building a brand in the blink of an eye is not done with a logo, a great commercial, or slick merchandising – alone. Building customer loyalty at the speed I’m talking about requires that you: stand for something big, think like a great retailer, take roads less traveled, deliver an experience and value your employees....
"Keeping Focus"
The late Leonard Bernstein described George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue," which for years has been associated so closely with United Airlines, as perfectly harmonized, ideally proportioned, songful, clear, rich, moving. You can cut out parts of it without affecting the whole in any way, Bernstein said. You can remove any of the sections, and the piece goes on bravely as before…. It can be a one-minute piece, a five-minute piece; or a six-minute piece, or a twelve-minute piece…. In fact, all these things are being done to it everyday, but it’s still "Rhapsody in Blue.” Because it has focus. Likewise, there’s a lot going on in our world and in our industry. Still, at United, we remain upbeat, exhilarated, positive, prideful, dedicated…. No matter what happens, we keep our focus. No matter what happens, we are still going to concentrate on being the best. No matter what happens, we are always going to be United Airlines....
The late Leonard Bernstein described George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue," which for years has been associated so closely with United Airlines, as perfectly harmonized, ideally proportioned, songful, clear, rich, moving. You can cut out parts of it without affecting the whole in any way, Bernstein said. You can remove any of the sections, and the piece goes on bravely as before…. It can be a one-minute piece, a five-minute piece; or a six-minute piece, or a twelve-minute piece…. In fact, all these things are being done to it everyday, but it’s still "Rhapsody in Blue.” Because it has focus. Likewise, there’s a lot going on in our world and in our industry. Still, at United, we remain upbeat, exhilarated, positive, prideful, dedicated…. No matter what happens, we keep our focus. No matter what happens, we are still going to concentrate on being the best. No matter what happens, we are always going to be United Airlines....
"Take Your Brain Out and Dance On It"
We're all running our businesses in a time of paradox, contradiction, opportunity and, above all, change. This situation gives us a choice. We can either bemoan the fact that things aren't as easy as they used to be. Or, we can use our creative abilities to find new answers, new solutions and new ideas. Mark Twain once said of problem solving, "Periodically, you need to take your brain out and dance on it." That's a good idea but it's tough dancing alone. We at Apollo Travel Services take great pride in the work we've done so far to help travel professionals build their competitive strengths. We've been first in many areas, and our work continues. So does that of those travel professionals who have confidence in themselves and believe they can make a difference and influence what goes on around them. Together, we can be a moving force in this business.....
We're all running our businesses in a time of paradox, contradiction, opportunity and, above all, change. This situation gives us a choice. We can either bemoan the fact that things aren't as easy as they used to be. Or, we can use our creative abilities to find new answers, new solutions and new ideas. Mark Twain once said of problem solving, "Periodically, you need to take your brain out and dance on it." That's a good idea but it's tough dancing alone. We at Apollo Travel Services take great pride in the work we've done so far to help travel professionals build their competitive strengths. We've been first in many areas, and our work continues. So does that of those travel professionals who have confidence in themselves and believe they can make a difference and influence what goes on around them. Together, we can be a moving force in this business.....
"Revitalizing Our Tradition"
The cultures of the great companies are not readied by the Monday morning staff meeting. Indeed, I would like to share a discovery with you. I have observed in my long career that cultures evolve over time from the efforts of whom I call the heirs and builders of tradition. In simple words, cultures are developed by you. They are developed by me. We are not only the heirs, but we have also inherited the responsibility to continue building the Bacardi tradition. And tradition is the greatest strength of a family business, most especially in our industry. On the other side of the coin, however, tradition can be that same company's weakness. We see this over and over in our business -- suppliers and trade alike. They gradually become outdated, if not plain obsolete, like dinosaurs. To me, tradition and religion are like the banks of a river. As long as you have them, the water will always flow fruitfully. We must always be watchful, however, that they do not become dams. Tradition must channel, but never dam the tide of human progress. At Bacardi Imports, I like to think that change is our tradition....
The cultures of the great companies are not readied by the Monday morning staff meeting. Indeed, I would like to share a discovery with you. I have observed in my long career that cultures evolve over time from the efforts of whom I call the heirs and builders of tradition. In simple words, cultures are developed by you. They are developed by me. We are not only the heirs, but we have also inherited the responsibility to continue building the Bacardi tradition. And tradition is the greatest strength of a family business, most especially in our industry. On the other side of the coin, however, tradition can be that same company's weakness. We see this over and over in our business -- suppliers and trade alike. They gradually become outdated, if not plain obsolete, like dinosaurs. To me, tradition and religion are like the banks of a river. As long as you have them, the water will always flow fruitfully. We must always be watchful, however, that they do not become dams. Tradition must channel, but never dam the tide of human progress. At Bacardi Imports, I like to think that change is our tradition....
Article Excerpts (that I wrote and that were published in full under the bylines of my clients)
Personal Accountability and the Informed Choice: Creating a More Financially Savvy America
Northwestern Mutual, for Forbes.com I've often wondered how current economic conditions might be different today had more people been making informed, rather than risky, decisions about how they manage their money. I am fully aware of the greed and irresponsibility that are to blame for the mortgage crisis and market instability. But would so many people have bought homes they couldn't afford if they were truly enlightened about the fundamentals of purchasing a home and the personal debt that comes with it? I don't think so. At Northwestern Mutual, we never underestimate the role that knowledge plays in our ability to make decisions that position us for long-term success. And we are keenly aware of the important role knowledge plays in a person's successful decision making.... |
Linking Internet Strategy to High-Quality, Cost-Effective Managed Care
Hewitt Associates, for Benefits Quarterly Attention all bosses: It’s 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. Do you know where your actuaries are? Would you ever in your wildest dreams believe you’d find them standing around a computer that’s logged on to the Internet, their eyes glued to the screen, and they’re exchanging occasional “high-fives” as they watch intently the science of rate negotiations for health care plans made exciting? Science fiction? Hardly. Read on. Pardon the seemingly insouciant ambience of the preceding scenario. The actuaries here are hardly the carefree spirits they’re depicted to be. Rather, this scene is the successful culmination of a recent and very serious-minded pilot program among several major employers, health plan providers and Hewitt Associates to link high-quality, cost-effective managed care to an Internet strategy. The intent of this article is to describe in detail this pilot program, called the Hewitt HMO Internet Auction – where health plans compete directly online for corporate clients. But, to accomplish this first calls for some useful context of the increasing role of the Internet in business strategy.... |
Inside Healthcare: Experience tells us private hospital rooms are more than a luxury
Northwest Community Hospital, for Chicago Tribune It’s hard to miss all of the hospital expansion going on in Chicago’s suburbs, and the addition of private patient rooms. Northwest Community Hospital opened its own nine-story South Pavilion in May. Our new addition has 200 private rooms – a feature that’s not exclusive to NCH. In fact, visitors who walk down the halls of the area’s new hospital projects will find private rooms the new norm. Are we all getting into the luxury hotel business? Hardly. To understand how we got here and why private rooms are critical to better patient care, it helps to know a little about how hospitals have evolved. The first hospitals were large tents used in wartime to care for the injured, usually 32 patients at a time on small cots. As hospitals moved from the battlefield to actual buildings, the tents became 32-bed wards. Over time, wards became smaller, moving from 32 to 16 to eight, and then to four beds. In the late 1950s and early 1960s when NCH was built, the semi-private room with two beds was the norm. That brings us to today.... |
The Brave New World of Environmental Services
UMF Corporation (PerfectCLEAN), for Executive Housekeeping Today When a Cincinnati hospital hit a Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) rate of 25.27 per 10,000 patients several years ago, hospital officials swung into action with a number of changes that eventually cut the rate of infection in half over six months. The changes included standardizing care, adopting stricter antibiotic controls and incorporating new environmental hygiene, or room-cleaning, protocols. “But in all honesty, the changes made to our environmental cleaning practices had the most significant impact of all the changes we made,” said Jenny Martin, manager of quality administration at Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health, in a published report. For those who, wisely, are rethinking environmental hygiene’s role in preventing C. difficile and other healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), know this: When it comes to patient safety, the trained Environmental Services (EVS) Hygiene Specialist® can make a world of difference. And what a world it is.... |