I’ve worked with many CEOs over the last 25 years. Some great, some good, and some who didn’t quite make the grade. The great ones had a few traits in common…they were excellent communicators, compassionate and whip smart. (Italicized text represents my own editorial.) The Harvard Business Review recently outlined four essential behaviors of successful […]
Whether investor relations or strategic public relations, or even in politics, we all know that words matter. Every once in a while, I get stumped, sometimes amused, by simple-sounding, strange words that I have never seen before. Some only have four letters. I jotted down ten real words I read over the past couple of […]
Every office has its busy times, be they monthly, quarterly or annually. For investor relations and public relations firms, such periods vary from quarterly financial reporting, to client crises, and unexpected projects. In our office, a look at our “pretzel barrel” and how fast it is depleted is a great gauge of how busy we […]
While Memorial Day is sort of the unofficial start of summer, the holiday is a solemn one, established to honor fallen servicemen and women of the U.S. military. It’s also a time for big summer sales … and everyone from car brands to home improvement centers are getting in on the action. Too many times, […]
Everyone is selling something. It doesn’t matter if you’re in business, education, or politics, we’re all trying to sell a widget, a way of thinking, a party affiliation. The difference is the method in which something is sold. For example, are solid facts used to back up a thesis about why a consumer should buy something? Does […]
You may be asking yourself, what does Passover have to do with investor relations and strategic public relations? Not much, actually, but in honor of the holiday I thought it might be interesting to name ten things plaguing our industry. Not so different, I guess, from naming the ten […]
Sometimes, I pick up my own phone at the office. Last week, a friendly caller caught me off guard. The conversation went something like this: Caller: Hello, Roger, how are you? Roger: Fine, thanks, how ‘bout yourself? Caller: I am also fine, thank you for asking. I am calling to let you know that our […]
The Oscars are upon us, and while the awards have absolutely nothing to do with investor relations, it is uncanny how many movie titles could actually apply to a film about investor relations. Following is a list of old and new movie titles that hit the mark. Dances with Wolves Trading Places […]
For years now, it has felt as if sell-side analysts were leaving their firms in droves…some moving to the buy-side, others to corporate positions as CFOs or investor relations officers, and still others to destinations unknown. A recent Financial Times (FT) article corroborated this “feeling,” reporting that the number of investment bank research analysts has […]
I had a breakfast meeting the other day at the Mid-Town Café on 56th between Lex and Third in New York City. It’s not a fancy place, but one of many non-descript diners where the waitresses call you honey as you walk in the door and ask if you want coffee as you are getting […]
