By Gloria
Judges love nominees who have mentored others, especially if they have mentored young people. Mentorship tends to be an important factor in winning awards.
Your desire to mentor others will expand in relationship to the growth of your reputation as an expert in your field. People are naturally drawn to experts and want to learn from them. When it is time for you to mentor, your mentees will begin to appear. Teaching these people and taking them under your wing will be a logical next step for you. If mentees don’t appear when you think they should, take action to bring them into your life.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest, largest and most effective youth mentoring organization in the United States. For more than a century, the organization has been the leader in one-to-one youth service, developing positive relationships that have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of young people.
If you want to mentor someone in your profession or your company, it can be accomplished through something as simple as an occasional lunch together and regular talks and e-mails consisting of advice. On the other hand, you may want volunteer for a formal mentoring system that requires training and certification on the part of mentors. Among those service organizations that offer mentoring programs are Rotary International and Toastmasters International.
Small Business Development Centers and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) provide entrepreneurs with free mentoring and workshops at hundreds of local offices nationwide. A nonprofit group of 11,200 volunteers across the country, SCORE offers e-mail mentoring and an online database of its mentors. You could become one of them.
There are few things in life as rewarding as mentoring others and seeing their success.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Good PR: Mattress Firm Maximizes on Mattress Warehouse’s Failure
by Patty Briguglio
The News & Observer’s Triangle Troubleshooter recently assisted a local resident, David Charboneau, in trying to iron out a problem with the Mattress Warehouse store near the Streets of Southpoint. While it was largely a “he said, she said" situation, the point is that the customer said they received a product of lesser value than they ordered and for which they paid. When the Mattress Warehouse management did not take Charboneau’s complaint seriously and refused to put him in touch with higher ups, he took his story to The N&O. This is where the bad PR officially turns into a PR disaster.
From Bad to Worse
Mattress Warehouse could have easily turned this situation around by following the number one rule in customer service, “The customer is always right.” This was their first mistake. However, when The N&O became involved, the store still did not take the opportunity to correct the situation. Instead they continued going back and forth on who said what, even telling the N&O that their decision on whether or not to give Charboneau the more expensive mattress would be impacted by whether or not the newspaper was planning to run the story. The story did run on Aug. 29 and ended stating just that. To date there are 42 online comments on the article furthering the negative conversation for Mattress Warehouse.
Competitor Saves the Day
With readers primed against the competition, it was the perfect opportunity for a competitor with a head for good PR to step in and take advantage. Mattress Firm contacted Triangle Troubleshooter and offered to exchange Charboneau’s mattress for one from their store. Charboneau took them up on the offer and is now enjoying both his new mattress and the resolved situation. Mattress Firm donated the original mattress to a shelter. Not only will Mattress Firm most likely have a customer for life in David Charboneau but probably several others who followed the dispute as The N&O covered it in an update on Sept. 5.
Mattress Warehouse could have easily avoided this negative press by admitting responsibility regardless of what happened and correcting the situation. Allowing the conversation to continue only heightened awareness of the situation and allowed a competitor to step in and save the day. Great job, Mattress Firm!
The News & Observer’s Triangle Troubleshooter recently assisted a local resident, David Charboneau, in trying to iron out a problem with the Mattress Warehouse store near the Streets of Southpoint. While it was largely a “he said, she said" situation, the point is that the customer said they received a product of lesser value than they ordered and for which they paid. When the Mattress Warehouse management did not take Charboneau’s complaint seriously and refused to put him in touch with higher ups, he took his story to The N&O. This is where the bad PR officially turns into a PR disaster.
From Bad to Worse
Mattress Warehouse could have easily turned this situation around by following the number one rule in customer service, “The customer is always right.” This was their first mistake. However, when The N&O became involved, the store still did not take the opportunity to correct the situation. Instead they continued going back and forth on who said what, even telling the N&O that their decision on whether or not to give Charboneau the more expensive mattress would be impacted by whether or not the newspaper was planning to run the story. The story did run on Aug. 29 and ended stating just that. To date there are 42 online comments on the article furthering the negative conversation for Mattress Warehouse.
Competitor Saves the Day
With readers primed against the competition, it was the perfect opportunity for a competitor with a head for good PR to step in and take advantage. Mattress Firm contacted Triangle Troubleshooter and offered to exchange Charboneau’s mattress for one from their store. Charboneau took them up on the offer and is now enjoying both his new mattress and the resolved situation. Mattress Firm donated the original mattress to a shelter. Not only will Mattress Firm most likely have a customer for life in David Charboneau but probably several others who followed the dispute as The N&O covered it in an update on Sept. 5.
Mattress Warehouse could have easily avoided this negative press by admitting responsibility regardless of what happened and correcting the situation. Allowing the conversation to continue only heightened awareness of the situation and allowed a competitor to step in and save the day. Great job, Mattress Firm!
Friday, September 18, 2009
A Health Care Reform Spokesperson For The U.S. Chamber
By Patty Briguglio
In recent weeks, I have been privileged to serve as a spokesperson for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, representing the chamber’s views on health care reform and its effect on small businesses.
I support the U.S. Chamber’s Campaign for Responsible Health Reform in North Carolina. There is a real need for a respectful dialogue with a focus on what is good for American businesses and our health care system. Small businesses are critical to our nation’s economic infrastructure and should be at the table in any discussion that will have such a sweeping impact on businesses, health care and our economy as a whole.
Moving To The Airwaves:
Recently, I have moved the discussion platform from television to the radio airwaves, speaking on both Rhonda Bellamy of WAAV in Wilmington and Viewpoints with Lockwood Phillips in Morehead City. After speaking with multiple callers on both shows, it is clear to me that people truly are fired up about the effects of health care reform on small businesses.
How Will Reforms Affect Small Businesses?
The proposed reforms to health care will create a government-run plan that could decimate employer-sponsored health insurance, which is the backbone of our nation’s health care system, potentially impacting coverage for 160 million Americans. We need to build on what works – employer-sponsored health care – and fix what’s broken.
In recent weeks, I have been privileged to serve as a spokesperson for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, representing the chamber’s views on health care reform and its effect on small businesses.
I support the U.S. Chamber’s Campaign for Responsible Health Reform in North Carolina. There is a real need for a respectful dialogue with a focus on what is good for American businesses and our health care system. Small businesses are critical to our nation’s economic infrastructure and should be at the table in any discussion that will have such a sweeping impact on businesses, health care and our economy as a whole.
Moving To The Airwaves:
Recently, I have moved the discussion platform from television to the radio airwaves, speaking on both Rhonda Bellamy of WAAV in Wilmington and Viewpoints with Lockwood Phillips in Morehead City. After speaking with multiple callers on both shows, it is clear to me that people truly are fired up about the effects of health care reform on small businesses.
How Will Reforms Affect Small Businesses?
The proposed reforms to health care will create a government-run plan that could decimate employer-sponsored health insurance, which is the backbone of our nation’s health care system, potentially impacting coverage for 160 million Americans. We need to build on what works – employer-sponsored health care – and fix what’s broken.
I still do not understand why our government is pushing for a program that we cannot afford. Government-run health care will:
- Raise taxes on small businesses that cannot afford to offer health insurance
- Raise personal income taxes on small business owners who earn more than $280,000 in personal income
- Tax certain employer-sponsored health plans
How does government-run health care benefit small business owners? Simply put, it does not. Nor does it benefit the employees of these businesses, since their salaries and benefits are so sensitive to their company’s bottom line.
Let Your Voice Be Heard:
I encourage small business owners across the nation to speak out about the effects of this legislation and make your voice heard. Write your local representative in Congress and tell him or her about your concerns regarding health care reform’s effects on your small business. Together we can make a difference
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
N.C. State University Officials Need Better Crisis Management
By Patty Briguglio
When it comes to crisis management, N.C. State University officials just cannot seem to get it right. Over the past months they have made the same mistakes over and over, resulting in a public relations nightmare.
When Mary Easley’s position at N.C. State first came under scrutiny, a good PR plan would have dealt with the situation quickly and truthfully. Instead, officials went on the defensive, resulting in a long, drawn-out scandal that may cause some permanent damage to the university’s reputation.
At the onset of the crisis, Provost Larry Neilson maintained he did nothing wrong in the hiring of Easley and claimed that her 88 percent pay increase last year was warranted by the additional duties she assumed. Then Neilson resigned due to the stress over the questioning about Easley’s hiring and his promotion to Provost, and so began the steady stream of PR mistakes.
In a crisis such as this, when a state official is under public scrutiny, good public relations is the only thing that can save a sinking ship. As we always say here at MMI, tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth. Period. Unfortunately, N.C. State officials did none of the above. Instead of quickly divulging all information about how and why Easley was hired, they have allowed for documents to slowly (and painfully) trickle out into the public. Now, documents have been uncovered showing that the Easley job at N.C. State was orchestrated at the highest levels of state government and involved her husband, then- Gov. Mike Easley. Whoops!
Multiple university officials close to the governor were involved in making the necessary contacts to allow for the hiring of his wife—and each of them had previously denied their involvement. But as documents are being released to the public, so is the truth. Following Neilson’s resignation, a key member of the board of trustees, McQueen Campbell, was asked to resign after he admitted to UNC system President Erskine Bowles that he had told N.C. State Chancellor James Oblinger that Easley was looking for work. As if the resignation of two top officials isn’t enough, the PR disaster does not end here.
Scandal erupted yet again over the severance package Chancellor Oblinger provided former Provost Nielsen. The story changed several times (another whoops!) but documents uncovered that Oblinger offered a better pay deal to Nielsen than had been previously negotiated when he was promoted to provost. Citing the intense public scrutiny as his reason for stepping down, Oblinger has become the third top university official to jump ship as a result of poor crisis management.
Despite calls for Easley to resign, she refused to do so. Her contract has now been terminated by the N.C. State Board of Trustees who claimed her departure would be in the best interest of the university. Just goes to show there is no happy ending without a proper PR plan.
When it comes to crisis management, N.C. State University officials just cannot seem to get it right. Over the past months they have made the same mistakes over and over, resulting in a public relations nightmare.
When Mary Easley’s position at N.C. State first came under scrutiny, a good PR plan would have dealt with the situation quickly and truthfully. Instead, officials went on the defensive, resulting in a long, drawn-out scandal that may cause some permanent damage to the university’s reputation.
At the onset of the crisis, Provost Larry Neilson maintained he did nothing wrong in the hiring of Easley and claimed that her 88 percent pay increase last year was warranted by the additional duties she assumed. Then Neilson resigned due to the stress over the questioning about Easley’s hiring and his promotion to Provost, and so began the steady stream of PR mistakes.
In a crisis such as this, when a state official is under public scrutiny, good public relations is the only thing that can save a sinking ship. As we always say here at MMI, tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth. Period. Unfortunately, N.C. State officials did none of the above. Instead of quickly divulging all information about how and why Easley was hired, they have allowed for documents to slowly (and painfully) trickle out into the public. Now, documents have been uncovered showing that the Easley job at N.C. State was orchestrated at the highest levels of state government and involved her husband, then- Gov. Mike Easley. Whoops!
Multiple university officials close to the governor were involved in making the necessary contacts to allow for the hiring of his wife—and each of them had previously denied their involvement. But as documents are being released to the public, so is the truth. Following Neilson’s resignation, a key member of the board of trustees, McQueen Campbell, was asked to resign after he admitted to UNC system President Erskine Bowles that he had told N.C. State Chancellor James Oblinger that Easley was looking for work. As if the resignation of two top officials isn’t enough, the PR disaster does not end here.
Scandal erupted yet again over the severance package Chancellor Oblinger provided former Provost Nielsen. The story changed several times (another whoops!) but documents uncovered that Oblinger offered a better pay deal to Nielsen than had been previously negotiated when he was promoted to provost. Citing the intense public scrutiny as his reason for stepping down, Oblinger has become the third top university official to jump ship as a result of poor crisis management.
Despite calls for Easley to resign, she refused to do so. Her contract has now been terminated by the N.C. State Board of Trustees who claimed her departure would be in the best interest of the university. Just goes to show there is no happy ending without a proper PR plan.
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