Irishman Speaks

Humorous Healthcare Speaker Chicago on Medical Records!

2011-06-24T17:17:00.004-05:00

"Mr. Cunneen had us laughing and crying." - Cancer Institute of New Jersey

This is one of a number of posts I have on YouTube which might have you Learning and Laughing.

For more details, Contact Conor Cunneen at 630 661 1220

Cheers and have a great day

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Humorous Healthcare Speaker
Speaker for nursing conference
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Motivational Speaker Healthcare

Humorous Motivational Speaker - Healthcare

2009-10-26T11:48:00.001-05:00

Well gang, this is a test to see if I can post a video to my blog from YouTube without bringing the world wide web to a crashing halt.
Given that one of the purposes of my blog is to create awareness for my speaking business via keywords, I suppose I should reference that this is a video titled Motivational Speaker Healthcare, but as those of you who have seen me speak you will also know that I speak to organizations as diverse as Foodservice, Harley-Davidson, Cancer and anyone who needs a boost to their business or morale.
If you like the video, spread the word.

BAN "unemployment"

2009-05-27T16:24:00.002-05:00

Those of you who have been to Ireland will know that the “F” bomb is part of our vernacular. It is used as a verb, an adjective and a noun – often in the same sentence! So I’m not easily offended. There is one word though that drives me absolutely crazy and to me is akin to a swear word. The word “unemployed” or “unemployment.”
I spend a lot of time speaking to people in job search and job transition. If you’re in that situation right now, you know how painful and dispiriting it can be. About the only thing that gets me rankled when speaking to jobseekers is when someone says “I’m unemployed.” NO, YOU ARE NOT!
I’m not playing with semantics here. The person in job search is doing THE most important job they will probably ever do in their life, searching for and securing a well paid job. The results of the work the job seeker is doing now will determine the pay level, benefits, vacation, colleges the kids go to and indeed maybe even preventing the family home going into foreclosure. If that is the work that is being done, do not tell me you are “unemployed.”
I harp on this because vocabulary is hugely important. Words matter. Words can define you. Words can define how you are perceived.
Let’s be honest. Today we have as President a man who achieved very little prior to gaining the White House. (I voted for him and am glad I did.) Barack Obama gained the White House because of the vocabulary he used and how he made people feel. Indeed the last President to secure the Presidency with such an insipid senatorial record was JFK. It was words and oratory that were his key weapons in achieving the White House. It was words and oratory that helped America feel young and vibrant after the relatively sedate Eisenhower presidency. The same can be said of Ronald Reagan who made Americans and USA feel good simply because of what he said at a time when American self pride was at a low ebb.
When the job seeker uses the word “unemployment,” it says nothing positive. It is a self-knocking, self defeating word that skewers self confidence; and the job seeker desperately needs self confidence and to believe in themselves. If you are in the job search, use words that make a difference to you. Use words that say something positive – “I am in job search,” “I am between successes,” “I am in transition,” “I am in unpaid employment, the pay isn’t good but the ultimate benefits will be.”
Go on BAN unemployment (I refuse to capitalize the word) from your vocabulary. It will ultimately help you to ban the concept from your life, because when you believe in yourself, when you believe you are doing something positive in unpaid employment, you will then walk into that interview 12 feet tall and bulletproof!
Go on: BEAT the living daylights out of the recession. I know you can.

GM's Wagoner: Right to go but questionable timing

2009-03-30T09:53:00.001-05:00

Well I suppose if you're tenure in charge sees a drop in U.S. market from 32% to 18% you can't complain if you are shown the door. Rick Wagoner is out as GM chief. The action is not that surprising – the company lost $80 billion in the past four year, but the timing might be questionable.

The benefits of pushing Wagoner out might include:
1) It sends a very strong message to GM partners – employees, shareholders, suppliers (God help them), customers that things must change fast
2) The Obama administration is SEEN to play hardball. If nothing else (and there is a lot more) this is a great PR move
3) Improved strategy. This one is a bit more questionable. GM has a relatively good strategy plan geared towards fuel efficient vehicles which are built well. The problem has been the speed with which it moved. The government is obviously forcing a faster pace but GM is as much an ocean liner as the economy that Obama spoke about last week
4) It forces change in the boardroom. One of the real mysteries of the whole GM story is how the board did not ask for change at the top some time ago. Wagoner may be a very competent, intelligent (obviously persuasive) manager, but there are few industries where a CEO with his results would have maintained board confidence.

There are a number of ironies.
GM’s Chevy Malibu is rated by most auto journalists as comparable to the best selling Toyota Camry. It is a very good car but one that just does not have the brand credibility of anything from the magnificent Toyota stable. So Wagoner at least leaves with the satisfaction of knowing GM can produce good cars.

The drive to fuel efficient vehicles might cause GM even greater problems. To succeed in the long term, fuel efficient vehicles must be priced competitively and must be profitable for the manufacturer. Even with the Toyota Prius neither of these elements apply. The Prius is a relatively expensive vehicle and there is much industry skepticism that it generates anything but minimal profits for Toyota.

GM’s major play on the electric car – the Chevy Volt, is a huge investment and an even bigger gamble. The car likely will command a $3-5,000 premium over a regular vehicle with comparable features. The regular consumer will not pay that premium until gas hits $4-5 again. However, you can be sure that the government focus will be on this type of vehicle. Despite all the hype about fuel efficiency, consumers are not buying these vehicles in large numbers.

Toyota sold 143,000 Prius last year. Vehicles that outsold it include, Camry, Civic, Corolla, Altima, Impala, Honda CR-V. In fact, hybrids account for less than 5% of total vehicles sold in the U.S. Some of this is due to limited supply but the real reason is that the consumer is not as interested in these vehicles (at current prices) as government and media would like us to believe.

A final word on Wagoner. Industry sources suggest he is a genuinely OK guy. Today he is just one more number added to those in job search. No matter how financially well off you are, getting the bullet is not easy. I wish him well. Given his knowledge of restructuring and cost cutting, he may well be a great resource to other companies.

Who's More Incompetent? AIG or Congress

2009-03-19T20:03:00.003-05:00

These descriptions relate to:

1) The AIG bonus situation

2) Congress’s pathetic, barnstorming, mob oriented performance on AIG

3) Both

Disgraceful

Diabolical

Delusional

Delirious

Dopey

Despicable

Daft

Dreadful

Dire

Discombobulating (my wife gave me that word!).

You decide.

Beat The Recession with the GIFT of GAB - A Fable for St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T11:29:00.004-05:00

Location: O’Hara’s Bed & Breakfast, West Coast Ireland.
Characters: Mary Margaret O’Hara, proprietor: Michael Patrick (husband), Patrick Michael (son), American Hank Devlin and his long time golf- buddy Martin Boyd, both on first visit to Ireland
_____________________________________________________________

Mrs. O'Hara
“Well, now lads I hope you enjoyed that lovely Irish breakfast – the three slices of black pudding – blood pudding to you – the slices of bacon, mushrooms, baked beans, the two fresh eggs sunny side up as you Americans like to say and of course the giant sausages –from McCool’s the Butcher – he’s a brother-in-law of my sister-in-law you know, although they haven’t spoken for over twelve years, but that’s only temporary. Tell me, what do you fine lads plan to do today. You’re off to the golf course, are ye?”
“Mrs. O’Hara we sure are. We need directions. We don’t have GPS.”

Where the Angels Swim
“And what would ye be needin’ that for, Sir? Doesn’t everyone around here know where everyplace is, around here like? But I’ll tell ya how to get to the golf course. If you go down this road for about two miles, you’ll see a road to the right. That road takes you over the beautiful green hillside and you’ll get a great view of the lakes. They say it is where the angels swim. Some people say they swim in the nude, but I don’t think Father Murphy would approve of that, although there’s been a lot of talk about the long walks he takes with Mother Octavia of the Seven Sorrows - she’s from Six Flags, she has five brothers, four sisters, three are nuns, two priests and one is the black sheep of the family – he’s a politician! Aye, very long walks.”
Mrs. O’Hara paused.

“Anyway, if you see the lakes, you’ve taken the wrong road. Don’t take that road. About a kilometer – ‘tis kilometers we use here now, you know. Kilometers are shorter than miles, but the funny thing is you don’t get there any faster. Anyway - before that road, there is a turn to the left – take that, and the golf course is down there. Have you gentlemen visited these parts before?”

“No. No. We have not, although I sure do love it. My grandfather emigrated from here years ago. I remember sitting on his knee and telling me about the beautiful Irish people and countryside. He never told me about the great Irish golf courses you have.”

“Ah, the only things walking the land in those days were the sheep. Off you go now, gentlemen and par for putt or whatever you guys do. You don’t know that Tiger Weeds guy, do you?

“Woods.”

“Woods? Well, there is a forest about 5 miles from town, but I thought you wanted to play golf”

“We do Mrs. O Hara, we do. The golfer’s name is Woods – Tiger Woods.”

What Do I Want My Attitude To Be
“And there’s me saying … oh well. It’s a funny game that golf. My son Patrick Michael says they even have names for each golf hole down at the golf course – names like White Sox, Wrigley and Sears Tower, although I hear they’re going to change that name for some reason. Now where do they get names like that from? Can you credit that? Well, now off you go and keep an eye out for sheep on the road. When you are near the golf course, they might delay you. But as my late husband, Michael Patrick said when things go wrong –‘What do I want my attitude to be?’ ”

“Sorry to hear that your husband passed away, Mrs. O’Hara, that must have been a blow.”

“My husband? – Ah no, he’s just late – late back from the creamery.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that. Don’t worry – we’ll keep an eye out for the sheep on the road.”

“Do that. As Willie Nelson might sing ‘On the road again.’ Off you go now.”

As the would-be golfers drove off, Mrs. O’Hara smiled, took out her sleek iPhone hit a speed key and said:
“Hi Patrick Michael? Morning. Quick one for you. I’ve just had a couple of guests heading off to the golf course. Are you out on the land at the moment? Good. Good. Look they’ll be going by your place in about 10 minutes. Put a few sheep out on the road for them. Give them a touch of old Ireland.”

“Mom, you’re nuts.”

The Brand Experience
“Ah now Son, you are the one that told me about this Brand Experience thing. That it will help us beat the recession. Those guys came looking for the old Ireland. Aran sweaters. Friendly people. Crazy directions.”

“And what’s with the sheep, Mom? That could make them late for their golf.”

“Sheep? That’s the added value son which you tell me should always be provided. And if they get a little anxious about being late, just tell them to remember that great question when things go slightly wrong.”

“Yea, I know, ‘What do I want my attitude to be?’ It’s a powerful question, recession or not.”

“That it is Son. So put those sheep out, create that Brand Experience thing, I’ll get repeat business and pay off your student loans. It’s the Gift of GAB son and for God’s sake don’t be playing Gun’s n’ Roses on the tractor when they go by. It’ll confuse them. And remember that Gift of GAB son.”

“I know, I know. Goals, Attitude, Behavior. It’s the key to BEATING the recession. OK, Mom, I’ll put the sheep out. Where are they from?”

“Chicago, the Windy City.”

“Ah Barack O’Bama country! I wonder will they be saying ‘Yes – we can, Yes – we can’ after losing a dozen golf balls on that course. But why are you sending them this direction? All you had to do was give them MapQuest details.”

The Gift of GAB
“And wouldn’t that ruin the experience Son? You know Ireland has one of the best educated young populations in the world. You are not a good example of that. You’ve got your father’s brains – he’s still not back from the creamery. My Goal is to make sure my guests have a great time, they’ll have a great Attitude and the end Behavior is they will come back to Ireland again. I’ve got to go now son. That nice man, Padraig Harrington is on the Golf Channel. Hurry up with those sheep. You’ll hear my guests coming. They’re driving a stick shift. Oh by the way, tell them to keep the ball out of the woods -or even weeds!”

“I will Mom, I will. I might even tell them about the Gift of GAB – How Goals, Attitude, Behavior can BEAT the living daylights out of the recession.”

“That’d be nice Son. I think I hear your father coming. He’s going to need the Gift of GAB to explain what kept him.”

Jon Stewart 2. Jim Cramer 0

2009-03-13T17:03:00.005-05:00

Wow!
Jon Stewart really wiped the carpet with Jim Cramer last night. Stewart last week raised a really important point about the lack of aggressive reporting by the financial media and pointed fingers at CNBC and Jim Cramer in particular. The tone of his message was accurate even if it was supported by some clever editing.

Jim Cramer did what every good PR agency would tell him to do. Face your accuser. So Jimbo sauntered on to The Daily Show last night expecting - it seems - to have a relatively light-hearted debate with this very humorous speaker and comedian. I presume that is what he expected because he appeared stunned by the vigor and intensity of Stewart's questioning.

In boxing parlance, the fight should have been stopped early. Cramer's inability to respond and Stewart's increasingly aggressive tone almost became uncomfortable as the interview continued. I don't recall one good laugh in the whole show which is really unusual for that program.

A few points strike me about all of this.
1) As a humorous motivational keynote business speaker (motivational humorist is shorter Conor) (I know but not as effective for search engines as motivational, humorous, inspirational keynote speaker) (Get to the point, will you?)
As I was saying as a humorous motivational keynote business speaker, I do my homework to understand my audience before I get in front of them. Jim Cramer did not.

2) I also prepare aggressively: I rehearse: I articulate my keynote out loud. I prepare.
Jim Cramer did not prepare and paid for it - Bigtime. I find The Cramer Report completely off-putting but when I see Cramer interviewed on Street Signs or other shows, he seems a genuinely likable guy, so I felt a little sorry for him, but it was his own fault or that of his PR people.

3) I blogged some time ago about the fawning interviews the financial press does with the hero of the day. The first time I realized Enron's Jeffrey Skilling was 'special' was when I saw an obsequious fawning interview with him on a financial show.
The same type of hero worship is now being presented to J.P. Morgan's Jamie Dimon. Just to make sure there is no confusion I am not comparing Dimon to the criminal Skilling. My point is how the media treat financial superstars. To be fair, as a TV producer or Booker, I'd jump at the chance of having Dimon on my show. As well as doing apparently a good job at J.P. Morgan he is a very media friendly personality. Even if he is the only saint on Wall Street (OK my geography is suspect) let's stop canonizing him.

4) Why are the best interviews done by Comics? Stewart / Cramer is one example. Dave Letterman's interview with John McCain was excellent as was The View's interview with the same candidate.

GO ON - BEAT THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF THE RECESSION

Ryanair - Best Entertainment In Airline Business

2009-03-10T17:09:00.004-05:00

I have decided to run a Ryanair watch. As well as being a very effective low fare carrier and Europe’s largest airline, the company is really entertaining to watch. Not necessarily to fly but to watch and in many ways CEO Michael O'Leary is the best humorous speaker out there. He provides THE best entertainment in the airline business.

Some people say O’Leary is a few seats short of a full aircraft but I think he’d be OK with that description as the plane would be lighter, fuel consumption less and he’d get to his destination faster and cheaper. That’s all the guy promises. He breaks so many customer service rules – abusing customers, talking down to them (sometimes throwing in the f-bomb), refusing to provide free wheelchair service for disabled passengers. The list goes on and on.

But he keeps one promise so well that almost sixty million people fly the airline annually. He provides THE lowest cost fares in the business – by miles (which is probably one of the reasons he doesn’t offer frequent flyer miles!! Sorry my little effort to bolster my reputation as a humorous inspirational motivational speaker!)

O’Leary is at it again. Last week he got enormous press for threatening to charge for use of aircraft toilets. (See below for some great puns from media reports.) Now Ryanair is to stop using airport check-in desks!

The company expects EVERY passenger to check in online from October 1st. Passengers with bags – which they will pay extra for – will be expected to drop them at one of Ryanair’s drop desks “before proceeding through airport security to the boarding gate. This will free passengers from wasting hours at airports prior to departure and will dramatically reduce travel times for all Ryanair passengers.” What a thoughtful company!

This is lunatic or is it? The airline will save significant costs by not paying for airport space and presumably reduce personnel costs also. Currently 75% of Ryanair passengers check in online (cost $5 each time) so it should not be that difficult to push the number up substantially.

However, what happens when Grandma arrives at the airport without checking in? Worse scenario for Ryanair staff – what happens when Grandma’s grandson arrives at Doncaster airport after a stag weekend, hung over, tired and hungry and he has not checked in? God help Ryanair staff then.

I say the man is nuts, but he is brilliant.

Some potty humor generated by the furor over pay to pee (sounds like Illinois politics!)

“If you only have dollars, can you still euro-nate?” –Washington Post
“Flush with interest in the idea of mounting credit card-operated toilets.” – numerous
“Crap PR from Ryanair.” IrishmanSpeaks Blog

I hate to spoil a good story with the truth, but Michael O’Leary has since admitted that charging “a pound to spend a penny” is not realistic. He told a hugely entertained tourism conference in Dublin a few days later that it was a “new visionary strategy and a wonderful idea,” but conceded that it could be construed as “taking the piss”.

He went on to say, “Boeing can put people on the moon, design fighter aircraft and smart bombs, but they can’t design a bloody mechanism to go on doors that will accept coins. It is not likely to happen, but it makes for interesting and very cheap PR.”

The man is nuts, but he is brilliant.

What Rush Limbaugh and The Sex Pistols have in common

2009-03-09T21:11:00.002-05:00

Here’s a little quiz for you. The following applies to
a) The Sex Pistols
b) Rush Limbaugh
c) Both

Angry
Rude
Energetic
Drug addicted
Disenfranchised audience
Offensive content
Rank Generalizations
Hugely entertaining
No depth
Media savvy

You decide.

Crap PR from Ryanair

2009-03-01T17:07:00.005-06:00

You have to hand it to Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary. He has built the Irish airline into the most popular (in terms of passengers flown) airline in Europe while basically breaking almost every customer service rule in the book.

O’Leary promises one thing – to be the lowest fare airline. Nothing else. He doesn’t promise and doesn’t provide great airplane environment, great food or a feel good customer relationship. But he does keep his promise to be the lowest fare airline by keeping his costs to the minimum and charging you for ancillary services.

Ryanair has flown 58 million passengers in the last year with a load factor of 81% and has the best on time record of any European airline. Although it recently reported a quarterly loss of €101m, it is promising strong profits for 2009. O’Leary keeps his promises.

He is a brilliant PR artist who generates thousands of pages of free publicity by often making ludicrous often inflammatory statements. The man has probably abused every European Union official that has anything to do with the industry. He is often humorous, rarely inspirational or motivational but is a speaker you would go a long way to hear. He is also the only CEO who has suggested his airline might offer (jokingly) sexual favors on long haul flights! You think I’m joking? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfIY24BErBE

His most recent stroke of PR genius is to suggest that Ryanair will operate coin operated toilets in planes. The comment was mentioned in passing during a BBC interview and has garnered worldwide attention. Google “Ryanair pay for toilets” and you get 129,000 references. Who knows if O’Leary is serious about this one? He does like to mess with people’s heads but he does not mess around in running one of the most successful airlines in the world (OK, he doesn’t have much competition).

Marcus Buckingham wrote a fine book some years ago titled Break all the Rules. It could have been the Michael O’Leary autobiography.

Books on The Birthday Boy - Abraham Lincoln

2009-02-12T13:00:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Abe!
Given that everyone has to make a comment today on the 200th birthday of the great inspirational leader and motivational speaker (who was also extremely humorous), I thought I should get in on the act and show what a well read chap I am!!

I’ve written quite a few book reviews related to this great motivational, inspirational speaker and writer. Below are reviews on:
- The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech that Nobody Knows
-Team of Rivals
- Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America

These and other reviews can be read at Book Reviews on my website.

THE GETTYSBURG GOSPEL: THE LINCOLN SPEECH THAT NOBODY KNOWS
Author: Gabor Boritt

It truly is amazing that so many words and books can be written about a speech that is but 272 words long. Gabor Boritt's book is an enjoyable and easy read on Lincoln's most famous speech. Much of the book deals with the immediate aftermath of the terrible Gettysburg battle with the author painting a vivid picture of the terrible scene which must have greeted the eye on July 4th. It is interesting that the famous address did not get immediate general approval. Boritt shows that the great leader’s speech was almost forgotten until the 1880's. As with most Lincoln supporters, the author attempts to show that the speech was not written on the train to Gettysburg and that Lincoln gave the speech considerable thought. The truth is no one knows, but a good argument can be made for the proposition that Lincoln must have given it little thought prior to the event.

Who in their right mind is going to travel from Washington to Gettysburg and DECIDE to present an address of only 272 words? The words came from the heart and from years of experience and empathy. Just as Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech was somewhat spontaneous (although a very similar speech was presented at Cobo Hall, Detroit some weeks previously), there is strong circumstantial evidence that Lincoln put this speech together at short notice.

I have no idea why the book is sub-titled "The Lincoln Speech that Nobody Knows," but Boritt does provide a number of slightly different versions of the speech in the appendix. Most of the differences are minor to put it mildly. The author's description of how the speech initially got little response but grew to be appreciated over time to be a work of genius is well developed. Paradoxically, the most enjoyable section of the book is the full text of Edward Everett's speech which I read fully for the first time. You can appreciate why Everett was seen as a great orator because of his ability to paint pictures with words although his two hour address can hardly be described as uplifting. Almost all of the speech was taken up with a chronological history of the events at Gettysburg (spoken from memory) and the aging orator failed to properly commend and eulogize the thousands who had given their life on the adjacent battlefield.

Paradoxically, the most enjoyable section of the book is the full text of Edward Everett's speech which I read fully for the first time. You can appreciate why Everett was seen as a great orator because of his ability to paint pictures with words although his two hour address can hardly be described as uplifting. Almost all of the speech was taken up with a chronological history of the events at Gettysburg (spoken from memory) and the aging orator failed to properly commend and eulogize the thousands who had given their life on the adjacent battlefield.

Everett did appreciate that his speech did not match Lincoln's eloquence. He wrote the President, "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."

The book has copious appendices, bibliography, notes which provide a rich resource for serious students of Lincoln and Gettysburg. Overall, an enjoyable not too studious read on the topic.
MENTIONS
Ward Hill Lamon, Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln, Robert Lincoln, The Perfect Tribute, Garry Wills, Mary Lincoln, David Wills, Andrew Curtin, James B. Fry, William Saunders, John Nicolay, John Hay, Salmon Chase, Edwin Stanton, William H. Seward, Edward Everett, Seminary Ridge, Round Top, James C Conkling, Frederick Douglass
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TEAM OF RIVALS
The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin

The book’s premise is that Abraham Lincoln was not just a great President but one who also had the motivational ability to create a highly effective team comprised of many of his rivals. These were men who had hoped to become President. Instead, they took a subservient role to a President whom Goodwin writes about in hagiographic terms.

The team of rivals consisted of one time Republican presidential candidates William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Salmon P. Chase, Treasury Secretary, and Edward Bates Attorney General. The other major player in this detailed work is Edwin M. Stanton, War Secretary.

This is a very good read although the author is stretched at times to continually bring the overall premise together. The opening section of the book paints individual pictures of the major players, which I did not find particularly interesting. This I think is partly because some of the characters – Chase and Bates, at least to this reader are just not compelling in their own right. Thus it takes quite some time for the book to grasp this reader’s attention.

Although peripheral to the main story, the hardships of live during the first half of the 19th century are very obvious. Chase lost three wives and two daughters before he was forty four, while Stanton between 1841 and 1846 lost his wife, a daughter and his only brother.

Another fascinating and heart rending aspect portrayed is how the Civil War tore families apart. Four of Mary Lincoln’s siblings and three brothers-in-law fought on behalf of the Confederacy, while Chase’s son also too up arms for the seceding states.
Team of Rivals is basically a biography of Lincoln with a different twist. It is not as detailed as other works – especially in relation to some Civil War episodes, because the author tries to paint pictures of so many characters. Her portrait of Lincoln to some extent lacks objectivity. Every Lincoln weakness or vacillation has a logic or rationale.

Lincoln undoubtedly was underestimated by rivals and media. One Democratic newspaper referred to him as “a third rate Western lawyer … a fourth rate lecturer, who cannot speak good grammar.” As a lawyer and in his early presidential years, the term “inspirational” does not come to mind. To some extent, his behavior did warrant this lack of respect.

His lack of authority over his generals in the early stages of the war must have been disturbing for his cabinet. General McClellan treated him with a disdain and discourtesy that was mind boggling. Had Lincoln been more forceful with Generals Meade and McClellan, it is entirely conceivable the war would have ended much earlier. Kearns (and other writers) has tried to paint Lincoln as an accommodating, understanding head of state. It is probably more accurate to suggest as Martin Luther King did that he was at some stages a “vacillating” president. Much has been written about Lincoln’s leadership, but I think, the student of leadership can learn as much from what Lincoln did poorly as he did well.

Lincoln “grew” into the Presidency, winning over doubters and opponents slowly but surely with his down to earth, homely style. He most definitely has won over the author who paints Lincoln in very favorable terms no matter what the occasion. There is a tendency for the reader to become seduced by the portrait. Lincoln becomes more and more likeable, more and more presidential as the book develops. Ultimately, the reader does appreciate what a dreadful tragedy the death of this president was for the nation and almost certainly for what had been the confederate states. Although, no one can say for certain, it does seem likely that the assassinated president would have been able to salve much of the bitterness and hatred that followed the cessation of violence.
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LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG – THE WORDS THAT REMADE AMERICA

Author: Gary Wills

This is one scholarly work. It is also a work that takes slow careful reading. The author devotes more than one page to each of the two hundred and seventy two words in the famous Gettysburg address.

Wills suggests that Lincoln was heavily influenced by the oratorical skills of the Greeks and also Transcendentalists – a nineteenth century philosophical movement much advocated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and other luminaries.

One fascinating aspect of the Gettysburg address is how brief it was. Lincoln was not the featured speaker at the event, indeed by some accounts he was invited as an afterthought. This may well be one of the reasons why his speech was so brief, particularly as short speeches were not the norm. In 1858, Lincoln and Stephen Douglas engaged in three hour debates, while Edward Everett delivered a two hour oration prior to Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. While the three minute address was out of character for the period or indeed any period, the speech proves the point “that less is often more.”

The book should be of particular interest to the Lincoln scholar, but beware, it is a tough book to get through, simply because it is such a detailed, intense work.

One of the many interesting elements in the book is the full reproduction of Everett’s speech. Everett was lauded as the finest speaker of his generation, but to be honest, I found his speech to be tedious, lacking in passion and being primarily a chronology of the events at Gettysburg. Everett wrote to Lincoln following their respective addresses, "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." How right he was.

_____________________________
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Conor Cunneen is a Chicago based Irish keynote speaker – motivational, humorous, inspirational - on topics as diverse as BEAT the RECESSION, Foodservice, Cancer (a two time survivor), Business Growth and Presentation Skills, who likes to repeat keywords such as motivational, humorous, inspirational, Irish, Chicago based, Motivational Humorist in an ongoing effort to garner search engine attention and BEAT the RECESSION.

His Brand Promise is:E4 - Energize, Educate, Entertain AND Easy to work with.

Clients agree:
“In my close to thirty years of association work, I have never seen a speaker as well received as you.” Incentive Marketing Association

“Working with Conor Cunneen has been a pleasure both for our company and our clients. Conor is a great speaker who obviously knows the importance of a good and well planned speech according to the wishes of our clients.” SpeakersForum, Finland.

Obama Grows into Presidency - FAST

2009-02-10T16:30:00.004-06:00

We will BEAT this recession. I believe it and Barack Obama is trying to get America to believe it also. The man has probably had the toughest immediate baptism of fire of any President since Lincoln. He is learning fast and it has to be said his obvious knowledge of so many factors - economic, political, military is quite impressive.

His public performances in the past two days show he has got comfortable with the office very fast. Most people accept he is an inspirational, motivational speaker but some might have questioned whether there was steel there. His first press conference dispelled any worries on that front.

The President explained very clearly and cogently just how much trouble the economy is in. That he was able to recount anecdotes from his visit to Elkhart, Indiana was fortunate for him but also effective. Indeed his visit to the unemployment capital of the United States provided him with a lot of credibility and goodwill. But his overall performance was powerful. He was stately and truly presidential. His command of the speech process is uncanny, something that is not necessarily true when he is involved in Q&A sessions where he hesitates, thinks, pauses a lot before he comes out often with pretty vacuous answers.

He overcame this flaw at last night’s conference by answering many questions with almost mini-speeches. He was also feisty, consistently criticizing the previous administration for the huge debt racked up - "It's a little hard for me to take criticism from folks about this recovery package after they presided over a doubling of the national debt." Whether this was accurate or not is questionable as the Dems have controlled the House for the past few years, but hey! as most inspirational motivational speakers know there is nothing wrong with a little bit of hyperbole.

Footnote I: Things must REALLY be serious when 37 million people watched Obama’s press conference last night. That is 7 million more than watched American Idol debut in January.

Footnote II : The foot in mouth award of the week must go to Texas Rep. Pete Sessions who suggested the 2010 GOP strategy should be comparable to that of the Taliban – one of insurgency. The irony is that his statement has some validity. You should learn from effective operational strategy in any environment and unfortunately the Taliban are murderously effective. But you’d think Sessions – a six term representative – would have had more political moxy. The Democrats should send him a case of his favorite beverage for providing such a juicy political morsel. Of course I would never suggest that either parties ability to mangle the truth for their own benefit is Taliban-like. That would just be too cynical.

And remember:
WE WILL BEAT THIS RECESSION - But we MUST work Harder. We MUST work Smarter.

*************************************************************************************
Conor Cunneen is a Chicago based Irish keynote speaker – motivational, humorous, inspirational - on topics as diverse as BEAT the RECESSION, Foodservice, Cancer (a two time survivor), Business Growth and Presentation Skills, who likes to repeat keywords such as motivational, humorous, inspirational, Irish, Chicago based, Motivational Humorist in an ongoing effort to garner search engine attention and BEAT the RECESSION.

His Brand Promise is:
E4 - Energize, Educate, Entertain AND Easy to work with.

2009-02-08T15:37:00.002-06:00

Just signed up for Ping.fm which posts to all social sites simultaneously. This is a test

The Creep Who Outed Michael Phelps

2009-02-06T14:01:00.003-06:00

Stand up you brave upstanding citizen.
Stand up and tell us who you are, so we can laud you for bringing to our notice the horrible crime that Michael Phelps has committed.
Stand up and show us what a wonderful law-abiding citizen you are.
Stand up - in order that the many companies who are so ethically challenged can hire you immediately to bring honesty, openness, good character, genuine friendship (‘I’m doing this for your own good,’) to the great unwashed.
Yes please stand up so America and the world can salute you.
Stand up and explain to Michael Phelps why you are happy that Kellog’s have pulled their multi-million dollar sponsorship.

Somehow or another I don’t think you will, but I hope you are proud of yourself, because you are probably the only one in the world that is.

Michael Phelps commented that it was “obviously bad judgment.” It was bad judgment. It was bad judgment smoking pot in such an open location, bad judgment in his choice of “friends” and to be honest bad judgment in smoking pot in the first place. But to that age group, pot smoking is the equivalent of driving 12 miles over the speed limit on the highway. The only problem occurs when you get caught.

As an inspirational, motivational, humorous keynote business speaker, I am impressed by inspirational, motivational personalities even if they are not Irish keynote speakers! Phelps is only 23 years old, a kid who has worked incredibly hard to become a genuine success based on phenomenal ability. To the surprise of the media, the man is human. His DUI offence after his first great Olympics was a much more egregious and potentially dangerous offence, but he is a powerful study in having a vision, working incredibly hard to achieve it and then making it happen. We can all learn from him.

Kudos to the major sponsors who are sticking by Phelps. This is a not a knock on Kellogg’s who market aggressively to kids and probably had to drop the gold medal star.

But I’d still like for that upstanding law abiding citizen who outed Phelps to make himself known so he can get the kudos he or she deserves.

Ticketmaster: Held Up Without A Gun

2009-02-05T07:31:00.003-06:00

The Bruce Springsteen song title Held up without a gun just about represents the awful, pathetic brand experience from ticketmaster (I wouldn't bother with a capital 'T') when selling tickets to the great rocker's concerts.

When it comes to screwing every last cent out of valued customers, ticketmaster must be top of the heap. The company's ludicrous service and billing charges have long been a bane to ticket buyers but the way the company handled Bruce Springsteen ticket sales this week is appalling.

What is even more appalling is consumers really do not have a choice when purchasing tickets.

Springsteen Chicago tickets went on sale at 10.00am Monday morning. I hit buy tickets at 10.00 on the button and get ‘processing order – one minute’ which goes to ‘three minutes’ to ‘four minutes.’ At about 10.05, ON the ticketmaster website I am offered scalped tickets by a tickmaster subsidiary TicketsNow which claims hands off relationship with ticketmaster. The site claims “Tickets listed on TicketsNow come from licensed brokers, as well as individual sellers.”

I am sure this is correct, but what kind of system provides hundreds of higher priced tickets – purchased supposedly on a hands off basis – within such a short period of time?

TicketsNow was offering hundreds of tickets within five minutes and as I write this today, it has 1,411 tickets for sale for the Chicago concert alone. That is about 7% of the United Center capacity. If you are really interested in seeing The Boss, you can buy 8 good tickets for $6,756 at this site. The good news is that this is the total price as the figure includes a service charge of $108.45 PER ticket. Service charge! $108.45! PER TICKET! The bad news is those tickets were originally listed at $95 on the ticketmaster website.

I do believe TicketsNow is technically operating on a ‘hands off’ basis. ClickitNow, another online scalper had over 800 tickets for sale by 10.30 Monday morning. Where do these companies get these tickets so fast?

In one sense it is a tribute to the entrepreneurial culture that this country so badly needs right now. The profit margins in this business are enormous and the investment in time and infrastructure is well worth the effort. I can even appreciate why ticketmaster wonders why it loses out on the increased premium, but its system stinks. When it comes to awful, bad taste in the mouth brand experience ticketmaster is top of the dung heap.

And the great news is the next time I want to purchase tickets for Springsteen who provides an astonishing BRAND EXPERIENCE, I have to go to ticketmaster.

Even a humorous, inspirational, motivational, business, keynote speaker like me has difficulty in finding a bright spot in that.

Enough of the wailing! As The Boss might sing, It’s hard to be a Saint in the City but we were Born to Run, so I’m Waitin’ on a Sunny Day to get my Springsteen tickets.

In the meantime, I’m going to beat the living daylights out of the recession, work harder, work smarter and fulfill my BRAND PROMISE of E4: Energize, Educate, Entertain AND Easy to work with. Phone me today at 630 718 1643 if you are looking for a speaker to ROCK your next event.

Have a Top o’ the Morning day.

Beat the Recession

2009-02-04T07:55:00.004-06:00

Doom and gloom, doom and gloom! No matter where you look, the news seems to be getting worse. “Not bad” is now being termed the “new good.” Yesterday’s 38% decline in auto sales could not even be referred as the “new good.” They were absolutely frightening and with Chrysler’s 55% decline in sales, there must be serious concern that this historic company can survive the recession. As I write this, Costco has issued a warning for this quarter due to a poor January.

So what are you doing to beat the recession? As a keynote speaker (humorous, business growth, foodservice, marketing, cancer, healthcare) I’m in the same boat as everyone else. I’ve had leadership and strategy events cancelled and potential clients say ‘We’re slashing budgets everywhere.’ One thing is certain, doing the same thing, in the same way, to the same target market is not going to get me the same good results I was getting.

A few tips to beat the recession

1) Work Harder
Outgoing Wal-Mart CEO Leo Scott was interviewed recently on CNBC. The comment that really resonated with me was “I’m at my desk at six every morning reviewing yesterday’s figures.” If the chief exec of the world’s largest retailer is at his desk at six, why not you? ‘Why not me?’ I said. In the current environment you HAVE to work harder to get the same results. I am working harder and I am working longer hours than previous including commencing this blog before six this morning. That is one reason why I’m going to beat the recession.

2) Work Smarter
‘Hey, as a motivational humorous speaker on business, you’re not giving me a lot of new ideas,’ I hear you saying. ‘Work smarter’ is a simple concept. DOING IT is not simple. ‘Work smarter’ will help you beat the recession. I have ramped up a number of my activities including:
Better lead follow-up. I recently purchased a new ACT! Software program which is a pain in the butt to work with, but it definitely has improved my productivity with alerts popping up regularly reminding me to contact clients.
Continuous website development. As an Irish motivational humorist – Chicago based, who relies a lot on search engines for business development, I am adding a lot of content to my website with some over the top hyperbolic commentary related to my keywords. I have added more new content this month than any other comparable period – not just blog pages but Mark Twain speeches (the finest most inspirational humorous keynote speaker ever), Great Speeches and State of the Union addresses. All these pages include relevant commentary about the Chicago based Irish humorous keynote business speaker on topics as diverse as cancer, foodservice, business growth, beat the recession etc.

3) Network, Network, Network.
I attend every single cat and dog show that has any relevance to my business. I’ve signed up for more breakfasts, more luncheons than are good for my health. I am particularly interested in business associations which have regular networking meetings.

The more networking you do, the more networking works!

It is difficult to make a solid impression on anyone after one short introduction at a business meeting. However if you see that person again next week and the week after, you are on the way to creating a genuine business connection. Make sure you follow up on every business card you receive. You do not know always know who can make a difference to your business. So keep hammering away! I had a potential client contact me two weeks ago whose name seemed vaguely familiar. I had contacted him and sent a copy of my book Why Ireland Never Invaded America THREE years ago. That’s a long lead time that I don’t want to repeat too often, but the initial contact came about via networking.

Go to it – Beat the recession.

Let’s get more energetic here.

Go to it – Beat the crap out of the recession!

Metallica Rocks, Madame Butterfly Flutters!

2009-01-29T18:30:00.003-06:00

It’s been an interesting few weeks culturally. I saw Madame Butterfly last week and this week heavy metal band Metallica. Yahooo! Hey, I might not be very religious, but I do have catholic tastes when it comes to music.

As I stayed quiet for Madam Butterfly and behaved like an aging rocker at Metallica I pondered the lessons inspirational, humorous, and motivational, business keynote speakers – Irish or not, might learn from both performances. (The references to motivational, humorous, Irish, Inspirational business keynote speakers are a gratuitous effort to gain search engine attention). Anyway, back to the lessons!

Did the performances have much in common? Well you felt exhausted after Metallica’s non-stop hard-driving performance while you slept (just a little) during Madame Butterfly. I don’t know what real opera buffs think but the length of some of the scenes in Butterfly was a weakness. It sometimes took too much time to get to the point which is a regular failure for keynote speakers – inspirational or not.

On the other hand Metallica were in your face all the time, rarely pausing for breath which is great for that audience. If there was one minor weakness in the performance of the heavy metal icons it was they operated at two speeds – fast and very fast. Keynote speakers who do not vary their performance, pacing, voice projection will lose their audience very fast.

Metallica and Butterfly both provided awesome music. OK, I know some of you might not have that opinion of … of Madame Butterfly. Metallica and Madame Butterfly have great longevity and status because they make a connection with their respective audiences – something that is critical for a motivational keynote speaker.

The world’s best selling heavy metal band provided another crucial lesson to the budding keynote speaker irrespective if she is an expert on foodservice, humor, inspirational, cancer – whatever. The band really "turned up." Once on stage, they performed like their lives depended on it making good visual contact with all sides of the arena as they pranced around the stage located in the center of the arena.

Many motivational keynote speakers rarely change their material and rehash the same material over and over. Metallica did play some really good old material but the bulk of the show was comprised with songs from their latest and really powerful CD Death Magnetic. The lesson for the up and coming and even seasoned inspirational keynote speaker – Keep creating new material and new products. You’ll stay relevant longer and people will come back again and again. Metallica have been playing Chicago since 1983. Long may it continue.

And in an effort to come up with a really snappy end line, I’d have to say Metallica Rocks, Madame Butterfly Flutters. As Metallica fans will know ‘And nothing else matters.’

Spoof Obama Inaugural - (with a nod to JFK, FDR, LBJ, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton)

2009-01-27T07:41:00.003-06:00

Mr. Vice President, Chief Justice, President Cheney – sorry, President Bush, VP Cheney and friends.

Just 48 years ago another young skinny senator kid with a paltry senate record stood before you - John Fitzgerald Kennedy. His words have echoed through the ages. I recall those words when I say we should banish from this great land the logic of “Ask Not” as in - 'Ask Not what Bernie Madoff can do for you, ask what you can do for Bernie Madoff' or, as some might suggest ask what YOU can do to Bernie Madoff.

This indeed is a historic moment.

We must think bigger. We must go beyond the words of that fine upstanding Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt who said the only thing “we have to fear is, fear itself.”

We must think bigger.

Not only should we fear - fear itself but:
We should also fear a tanking economy:
We should fear high unemployment rates:
We should fear falling prices and as politicians:
We should fear most of all - Illinois District Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.

We are going through tough times. Yes we are. Some worried Americans ask - 'Is the economy in depression?' I say to you – it depends upon what the meaning of ‘is’ - is.

My fellow Americans, a number of comments have been made about my godlike qualities and where I was born. It reminds me of a story about Lyndon Johnson. President Johnson once corrected a supporter who asked was he born in a log cabin. ‘Heck no,’ he replied, ‘You’re thinking of Lincoln. I was born in a manger.’

Me – a Messiah?

While I will not admit it, neither … will I deny it.

Some of the comments about my circumstance have occurred because of the three wise men. Three wise men who came bearing gifts (No, I do not mean Tony Rezko). I mean of course the three wise men - Warren Buffet, David Axelrod and Joe Biden who brought gifts of Gold, Frankly Sense and - Mirth.

I want to thank all of you who provided good wishes to me not least my Irish friends who I understand sing a song that goes “O’Leary, O’Reilly, O’Hare and O’Hara, there is no one as Irish as Barack Obama.”

Me - Irish?

While I will not admit it, neither … will I deny it.

However Ireland’s favorite drink – Guinness – must surely be a memorable symbol that we can all look to. Where else? - in such a confined space have we seen black and white come together in such a magical, wonderful combination – a combination of black and white that makes you believe - you can rule the world, yes a combination of black and white that helps you forget any problem. But we have not achieved full equality. We have not yet achieved full equality in this country and we will not know we have reached full equality until the chief diversity officer in a major Fortune 500 company is … a white middle aged male.

My ideas, my strength, my belief in American comes from you the people, the people who elected George Bush – twice. I would not be here today without your support, your ideas.

Your ideas, your words have give me strength. I recall early in the election campaign visiting a Campbell’s soup factory. While walking the production line speaking to carefully vetted factory employees to show that I related to the common man, I spoke with Dmitri Martin, a man whose parents emigrated to the United States penniless to live the American dream, a man who is struggling to make ends meet.

Asking penetrating questions at this soup factory I said:
“Dmitri, do you can French Onion soup? ”

He responded “Yes - we can.”

“And New England Clam Chowder”?

“Yes – we can”

“And Italian Wedding soup?”

“Yes - we can.”

“And Scotch Broth?”

"Yes - we can."

I left that factory with the seed of an idea. Yes - we can.

It also made me realize that this country is one large melting pot of different ethnic flavors and origins.

I have been elected on a platform of change. Even since my election there has been more of this. For instance, many of Bernie Madoff’s clients have been left with nothing, nothing but … change.

I want to address some words to my republican friends.

To Joe the plumber I say “Joe, pay your taxes.”

To Russ Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and others, I paraphrase the words of that fine singer Paul Simon and say,

Hop on the bus Russ,
Don’t be a Yawn Sean,
Ann, Ann, Yes We can - Ann
And get yourself free.

I have spoken previously about bi-partisanship.

This great country was built on respect for people’s opinion, yes respect for people’s opinion, as long as it was the same opinion as your own. This great country needs more bi-partisanship. This great country needs more inclusiveness. As President, I want to and I will - include everyone. Yes everyone except Governor Rod Blagojevich.

My fellow Americans, I want this to be a presidency of hope - hope for amazing things.

As I take the office of President;
Yes - you can hope:

That your whites will wash whiter - Yes you can hope,

That green traffic lights will stay greener - Yes you can hope,

That someday a police car will come to a complete stop at a stop sign - Yes, you can hope,

that we move away from --- an economy of bankers, for the bankers, by the bankers.

Finally, you can hope that this fine country will see better and brighter days. Some fine Americans have noted that even since my election, the days are already getting longer!

Can I take credit for this?

My friends I will not admit it, neither - will I deny it.

Dream? Yes - we can. We can bring the sound of recovery, we can bring the Sound of Music back to America

Climb every mountain? Yes – we can.
Ford every stream? Yes – we can.
Follow every rainbow? Yes – we can.
‘Til we find our dream. Yes – we can.

God Bless America

Interesting Reads related to the Inauguration

2009-01-21T11:27:00.004-06:00

The inauguration of Barack Obama is historic by any standards. For many older African-Americans it must be one of the momentous events in their lives and one that many would never have believed possible in the dark days of Jim Crow.

As a humorous inspirational keynote business speaker (sorry, I’ve got to use that hyperbole to attract search engines and anyone looking for a keynote speaker, humorous, inspiration, Irish, Chicago based etc!), I’ve read a lot of books on the Civil Rights era. Some months ago, I posted a review of Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr . Given what has transpired in recent days I thought it might be interesting to present it here again.
Other relevant material on this subject includes my review of Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by Congressman John Lewis. This is one of my favorite books, written by a truly brave man.
Something that might also be of interest is Bill Clinton’s speech on What Would Martin Luther King Say – Remarks to the Convocation of the Church of God in Christ, November 1993

Following is the review of Call to Conscience.

This work is available in book form, CD and also available for download. I have it on my iPod. This is a true test to see if a download can wear out, because I listen to it a lot.

Note, some of the audio quality is not good. To fully appreciate King’s talent and speech construction, you do need the book. The advantage of the audio is that you can hear the real thing and appreciate this wonderful orator’s speech pattern, intonation and delivery.

Rosa Parks said that Martin Luther King told her he spent up to fifteen hours on sermon development. I believe it.

This book provided King’s speeches in chronological order and it is interesting to see how his style develops from the first speech referenced to his final poignant, prophetic address in Memphis, April 3rd 1968, the night before he was assassinated.

Three things strike me about this era as I go through the work.
1) The horrors, humiliation and fear which the “negro” community endured and which King fought so hard to overcome are painted graphically in some of his speeches. Probably the most poignant speech is the address at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Birmingham Alabama following the murder of four young children.
King’s words are powerful, full of pain, anguish, and controlled anger. But it is the audience response that hit me hard. In almost every other speech on this work, the reaction is upbeat and lively. Here, there is just pain and sadness in the intermittent responses of his congregation. This speech came after King’s acclaimed “I have a dream” speech and the march on Washington, which may have led the leaders of the black community to a misleading sense of hope for the immediate future.

2) The genuine Christian ethic that pervaded King’s thinking. He regularly extols his audience to “love” their persecutors. He does differentiate strongly between “mushy” love, but he continuously asks his audience, many of whom suffered dreadful hardship and pain during this era, to forgive their persecutors.

3) King was a brave man. Not just because of his defiance of the whole “Jim Crow” ethic which ultimately resulted in his assassination. This was a fate that probably would not have surprised him, given the murders of other activists including Medgar Evers. However, his bravest speech may well have been “Beyond Vietnam” April 4th 1967, where he stingingly indicted the United States for its involvement in the war. It was a war which he saw as “an enemy of the poor” because it diverted resources from the war on poverty. But his criticism was even more basic.
“We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem. And so we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. And so we watch them in brutal solidarity burning the huts of a poor village, but we realize that they would hardly live on the same block in Chicago. I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor.”

King knew the speech would be seen by Lyndon Johnson as a stab in the back. It also raised to an even greater level, the ire of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover who was paranoid about King’s activities.

King undoubtedly was an inspirational speaker and motivator. His speeches got better as his audience warmed to him. This, I think is proof positive, that a speech is not just about the words but the delivery of those words. The great speaker feeds of the audience, accepting applause almost as a fuel to deliver even greater energy. This is very obvious with his “I have a dream” speeches, (yes speeches) where great motivating words generate great audience reaction which generates greater energy from the speaker. Compare this to his address on receipt of The Nobel Peace Price, December 1964, where before a very high profile audience, he is restrained and projects little charisma.

Critiquing King is difficult and maybe even foolhardy. But on a few occasions I think he broke one of the key rules for a good speech – speak the language of your audience. For instance in his “Where do we go from here” speech to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference he said:
“My inspiration didn't come from Karl Marx; my inspiration didn't come from Engels; my inspiration didn't come from Trotsky; my inspiration didn't come from Lenin. Yes, I read Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital a long time ago, and I saw that maybe Marx didn't follow Hegel enough. He took his dialectics, but he left out his idealism and his spiritualism. And he went over to a German philosopher by the name of Feuerbach, and took his materialism and made it into a system that he called "dialectical materialism."
On this and a few other occasions, King I think liked to show the audience how clever he was.

The other area where he could genuinely be criticized is in the length of his speeches. Maybe this is part of the Baptist tradition he was raised in, but sometimes ‘less is more’. King also had a tendency to reference the fact that he was moving to a conclusion, one that would not occur for maybe another ten minutes.

These are minor criticisms of a wonderful motivational inspirational speaker whose greatest skill was the ability to paint pictures with words. His use of imagery and imagery enhancing adjectives brought so much life to his speeches. He truly is an inspiration to the keynote speaker (inspirational, humorous, motivational, business - whatever) who wishes to craft inspirational, motivating speeches.

Inaugural Uncertainty

2009-01-18T11:00:00.004-06:00

Today, we expect nothing but confidence and assurance from incoming presidents as they make their inaugural speech. It was not always so, with many of the earlier presidents expressing a (claimed) deep sense of humility and uncertainty about their new role. The following are some interesting expressions from inaugural addresses. You can read complete inaugural addresses at Inaugurals on www.IrishmanSpeaks.com . Brace yourself though as some of them are extraordinarily tedious and not the work on inspirational, humorous keynote speakers.

Thomas Jefferson: First inaugural – March 4th 1801
Called upon to undertake the duties of the first executive office of our country, I avail myself of the presence of that portion of my fellow-citizens which is here assembled to express my grateful thanks for the favor with which they have been pleased to look toward me, to declare a sincere consciousness that the task is above my talents, and that I approach it with those anxious and awful presentiments which the greatness of the charge and the weakness of my powers so justly inspire.

James Monroe: First Inaugural – March 4th 1817
I should be destitute of feeling if I was not deeply affected by the strong proof which my fellow-citizens have given me of their confidence in calling me to the high office whose functions I am about to assume.
As the expression of their good opinion of my conduct in the public service, I derive from it a gratification which those who are conscious of having done all that they could to merit it can alone feel. My sensibility is increased by a just estimate of the importance of the trust and of the nature and extent of its duties, with the proper discharge of which the highest interests of a great and free people are intimately connected. Conscious of my own deficiency, I cannot enter on these duties without great anxiety for the result. From a just responsibility I will never shrink, calculating with confidence that in my best efforts to promote the public welfare my motives will always be duly appreciated and my conduct be viewed with that candor and indulgence which I have experienced in other stations.

James Polk : March 4th 1845

I am deeply impressed with gratitude for the confidence reposed in me. Honored with this distinguished consideration at an earlier period of life than any of my predecessors, I can not disguise the diffidence with which I am about to enter on the discharge of my official duties. If the more aged and experienced men who have filled the office of President of the United States even in the infancy of the Republic distrusted their ability to discharge the duties of that exalted station, what ought not to be the apprehensions of one so much younger and less endowed now that our domain extends from ocean to ocean, that our people have so greatly increased in numbers, and at a time when so great diversity of opinion prevails in regard to the principles and policy which should characterize the administration of our Government?

Franklin Pierce: March 4th 1853

My Countrymen:
It is a relief to feel that no heart but my own can know the personal regret and bitter sorrow over which I have been borne to a position so suitable for others rather than desirable for myself. The circumstances under which I have been called for a limited period to preside over the destinies of the Republic fill me with a profound sense of responsibility, but with nothing like shrinking apprehension.
I repair to the post assigned me not as to one sought, but in obedience to the unsolicited expression of your will, answerable only for a fearless, faithful, and diligent exercise of my best powers. I ought to be, and am, truly grateful for the rare manifestation of the nation's confidence; but this, so far from lightening my obligations, only adds to their weight. You have summoned me in my weakness -- you must sustain me by your strength.

Beckham has 'IT'

2009-01-13T23:06:00.003-06:00

To most Americans, David Beckham is a flash highly paid soccer player married to a pop singer and fashion diva. Most soccer fans would suggest that his period with LA Galaxy has not set the world on fire, indeed it has to date been a major disappointment.

Beckham’s flare for publicity hides his greatest characteristic. The guy has a world class attitude, strength of character and dedication to his craft that is not unlike that of golfer Tiger Woods. For the uninitiated, Beckham is on a two month loan to Italian soccer giants AC Milan. At 33 years of age, he knows he must prove his fitness to England coach Fabio Capello if he wants to play in the World Cup next summer. Many soccer commentators expected he would be a bit player for Milan. But selected for his first game this Sunday against Roma, he received rave reviews from the Milan manager and his co-players. Even the British press who love nothing better than to bash an icon were hugely impressed.

This is not the first time Beckham has made a comeback. Playing for England against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup quarter-finals, he was sent off for kicking out at an opponent. The tirade of abuse he received from the UK press and soccer ‘fans’ was sickening and there was real fear he would be forced to play abroad. You need to attend an English soccer game to appreciate the venom which opposing fans spew at opposition players. Beckham’s dismissal brought fan frenzy to new heights of profanity laced vitriol. Much of it was directed towards his wife Posh Spice.
Beckham stuck it out and eventually won over the English public.

It was a triumph of perseverance and can do attitude.

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson eventually tired of Beckham’s high profile and sold him on to Spanish giants Real Madrid where now England boss Capello was installed as boss. After Beckham announced (mid season) he would be signing for LA Galaxy at season end, Capello famously announced that Beckham would never play for Madrid again. Beckham sucked it up, worked tirelessly and eventually forced a rare u-turn from Capello. The resilient Englishman played a vital part in Madrid ultimately winning the Spanish championship.

It was a triumph of perseverance and can do attitude. And now he has done it again in Milan.

Beckham has achieved much. He has achieved this because of talent and ‘IT.’

‘IT’ is perseverance and can do attitude.
‘IT’ is what we can all benefit from.
‘IT’ is what we all need in these trying times.
‘IT’ is what will help you.

Perseverance and can do attitude – how do you rate?

************
Chicago based Irish keynote speaker and business humorist speaks to corporations and associations on business growth and productivity interspersed with a large dollop of Irish blarney.

Bush's Last Press Conference

2009-01-12T20:56:00.002-06:00

When George W. Bush took office (finally) January 2001, he was on top of the world. He probably felt ‘it can’t get better than this.’ In that he was right. That is not to bash Bush. It is quite likely that the same will apply to Barack Obama when he is sworn in January 20th.

The presidency is likely the most onerous job on earth. Almost every incumbent ages far more than four years during his presidential term. Even though he was in his fourth term, FDR was only 63 when he died in office. In his biography of Harry Truman, Robert Dallek quotes FDR’s successor as saying “Nobody but a damn fool would have the job in the first place.” Truman was unprepared for office, but a man who grew into it. He went on to say “But I’ve got it, damn fool or no and I have to do it as best I can.”

It is well documented that Jackie Kennedy was not happy in the White House while Lady Bird Johnson wrote in 1967 "I do not know whether we can endure another four-year term in the Presidency.” Her husband LBJ is probably the President who suffered the most passionate antipathy from the US voter in recent times. He suffered dreadfully as he heard protestors shout “Hey, hey LBJ, how many kids did you kill today.” Johnson was one of the most vibrant characters to walk the Washington stage but the White House broke this larger than life workaholic, bullying taskmaster. Thus, on March 31st 1968, he announced to a surprised American public, "I shall not seek, and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your President.”

Paradoxically, LBJ’s successor almost broke the presidency as a result of Watergate.

The two Presidents who genuinely reveled in the White House are Reagan and Clinton. The presidency for Reagan was the ‘Role of a Lifetime’ according to biographer Lou Cannon while Clinton in general (scandals aside) genuinely enjoyed the role.

There are few who would suggest that Bush has enjoyed the role. The outgoing President is one of the most likeable personalities to inhabit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but likeability does not a great president make. Watching Bush this morning in his final press conference, I have to admit I felt a little twinge of sympathy for him which is probably one of the more kind emotions directed to the man.

Even out of office, at least for some time, Bush will feel little good will. He likes to compare himself with Harry Truman who left office under a cloud.

Maybe he might take more comfort from Nixon who eventually did regain a level of respect and also Bill Clinton – much reviled by many during his term in office – who is now an enormously popular figure.

The Wounded Celtic Tiger (temporary condition)

2009-01-08T21:36:00.001-06:00

For the best part of twenty years, the Irish economy has been the miracle child of Europe, to such an extent it became known as the Celtic Tiger. Ireland consistently had the highest European economic growth rate and the lowest unemployment levels.

Today, the Celtic Tiger is wounded – much like the rest of the world. Dell has just announced that it will cease manufacturing in Ireland with a direct loss of 1,900 jobs to the city of Limerick, significant by any standards but a disaster for a city of 90,000 people. Earlier this week, Waterford Wedgwood announced receivership with the likely loss of 800 jobs to Waterford city.

These are tough times for a country that had got used to the good life. Ireland has long lost the Quiet Man feel although it is still a really fun, hospitable country to visit. Today’s Irish citizen is used to flying to New York for a weekend’s shopping (fueled by a ludicrously weak dollar / euro rate) or flying to Dubai for a short vacation. Property prices made Seattle or San Francisco look cheap. A 1,600 square foot house on a miniscule plot of land could sell for up to $2 million last year. As with the rest of the world, the property market has tanked.

There is no need to despair though. Ireland has significant advantages that will ensure long term prosperity. We have one of the best and deepest education systems in the western world. With some exceptions university education is free. This has paid dividends drawing major pharmaceutical and software companies to Ireland. Today’s piece of totally useless information: - the largest Viagra plant in the world is in Kinsale, County Cork. In recent years, Google and Facebook have located their European HQs in Ireland. The cosmopolitan face of Ireland is evidenced by the fact that Google’s Dublin office hosts over 40 nationalities speaking over 50 languages.

Yup, it is tough right now, but being an ever optimistic Irish keynote speaker, it will turn around and soon again Irish eyes will be smiling.

There is NO unemployment

2009-01-07T07:39:00.002-06:00

Alcoa’s announcement yesterday that it is to cut its global workforce by 13% or 13,500 jobs is just one more gloomy story on the job front. This morning, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas said December’s job cuts - 166,348 - were the most for the last month of the year since the company began compiling data in 1993.

Those are the bald numbers, but if you are one of those who have been affected by this economy and have been laid off, you are NOT unemployed. As a job seeker, you must work on the basis that there is NO unemployment in your life. You may not have a salary or wages coming in right now, but all this means is that you are in unpaid employment. Huh!

If you are in job search, you are likely involved in THE most important job you will ever do in your life. Right!

The results of this job will determine what your income will be, whether you can afford vacation, send the kids to college and retire at some reasonable age. Right!

If you are doing this job, you are NOT unemployed.

I hate the word ‘Unemployed’ with a vengeance. Those of you who have visited my wonderful homeland Ireland will be well aware that the Irish are not averse to profanities and swearing.

One swear word I work really hard to get out of my vocabulary is ‘Unemployed.’ It is a word which does nothing for the self consciousness of the job seeker and should NOT be a description of the work pattern of the job seeker.

Call it what you will – Job Search, In Transition, Between Successes, Seeking the Future but do not use that ugly ‘U’ word.

If you are in job search, change your vocabulary. It will help you to find that well paying job.

It will help you stay energized and focused during what is undoubtedly a tough time, emotionally and financially. If you believe you are in Unpaid Employment, If you believe you are a NIGEP (that’s Non-Income Generating Employed Person), you will be more motivated, you will be more structured in your job search and when the day arrives that you get that first check from your next company, make sure that the energy level you bring to that new job is the same energy level you brought to your current unpaid employment. Get rid of the ‘U’ word today. A true NIGEP does not use it.

As a keynote speaker and business presenter, when I present SHEIFGAB the World, Eight Building Blocks to Successful Transition, I hit this concept early and often. I have challenged outplacement people, commentators and others on the use of it. Even the government should not be using it as more than anyone, they should hope the people on the register ARE in job search – ergo not **employed.

Remember and say it proudly, "I am a NIGEP, a Non-Income Generating EMPLOYED Person."

Lazarus Lives

2009-01-06T15:48:00.002-06:00

Once upon a time, long long ago, before the start of this century, as far back as BG (Before Greenspan), when I was but a lad in Ireland searching for that pot of gold under the rainbow (I’m still searching!), I remember when Paul Volcker retired as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. He was ancient then. Hey 60 seemed ancient then!

Now I see him popping up regularly as an advisor to President Elect Obama who tapped Volker to head the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. This big man (he is 6 foot 7 inches tall) looks phenomenal for 81 years of age and obviously in great mental health. Lazarus lives and I’m impressed.

Once upon a time, long long ago, before the start of this century, as far back as BW (Before Wagoner, Rick), when I was but a lad in Ireland searching for that pot of gold to buy my first car, Chrysler was about to go under. Then Lee Iacocca rode into Washington in 1979 and got his $1 billion dollar loan and saved Chrysler for another crisis. One of the key people involved in that turnaround was Gerald Greenwald. Greenwald held various executive positions with Chrysler including Chairman from 1985 to 1988. And now Lazarus like I see Greenwald regularly interviewed about the current Detroit bust. He looks great – well he is only 72, and I’m impressed.

What prompted this blog is the re-emergence of Leon Panetta (he’s only a kid of 70) as CIA Director. Do these guys ever go away and retire like our parents used to do? And then as I’m penning this, I notice that Tyson Foods – the world’s largest meat processor, has appointed a new interim CEO, who just happened to have retired from the company last century – 1998. Former former Chairman and Chief Executive Leland Tollett ( age 71)has been invited back to attempt a turnaround for a company that has failed to perform for quite some time.

You know as a key note speaker (foodservice, business growth, branding interspersed with a large dollop of Irish blarney), I regularly look to interesting, inspiring stories to gain the audience attention. Kudos to all these guys. They make me believe I haven’t even hit middle age yet!

So if you are looking for a humorous keynote business speaker who can present a keynote titled
Lazarus Lives, give me a call!

A Great Brand Struggles

2009-01-05T20:59:00.002-06:00

When I was just a wee lad growing up in Ireland, there was a pride about the Waterford crystal brand that was unique. My mother took out the Waterford goblets about once every millennium and God help you if you broke one.

Today, Waterford announced it was going into receivership which in Irish financial terms is a cross between Chapter 11 and bankruptcy. The company has been decimated by a strong euro, changes in consumer demand and now the global credit crisis.

When former Heinz Chairman Sir Anthony O’Reilly acquired a significant stake in Waterford back in the nineties, few could have predicted the almost non-stop hemorrhaging the company would suffer. Acquisition of another financially challenged but superb English brand name Wedgwood did not provide the strategic oomph or supply chain benefits expected.

In a year (2008 or 2009 – take your pick) when many fine companies are likely to bite the dust, the demise of Waterford may not garner significant attention outside of Ireland. As a Chicago based Irish keynote speaker, I take particular pride in the successes of my country and incur a deep sorrow when I see it struggling right now. Today 800 people in the city of Waterford don’t know what the future holds for them, but it doesn’t look pretty. I wish them well and know that the indomitable Irish spirit will prevail.

On a personal note: I do not know Sir Anthony (Tony as he was in his Heinz days) O’Reilly, but I can relate one genuinely positive experience I had with the man who today resigned from the board of Waterford having invested and lost somewhere north of 400 million dollars in the company. When finalizing my book, Why Ireland Never Invaded America a few years back, a mutual acquaintance gave me O’Reilly’s contact details. I was brazen enough to send him a copy of my manuscript with a few suggested testimonials for the back cover. He ignored them all. To my surprise he obviously read the manuscript and then penned a wonderfully literate and prosaic testimonial. O’Reilly is a master story teller and business humorist and I truly do appreciate the following words which brilliantly captured the essence of Why Ireland Never Invaded America: “An enchanting mélange of good business sense wrapped in a mixture of Irish situation comedy and straightforward whimsy. …..I believe this book has a little something for everybody on life’s tumultuous voyage.”

An extremely literate man, I offer him these words from another wonderful Irish raconteur Oscar Wilde and know that he will live them – “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

Brand Power

2008-12-18T10:21:00.003-06:00

Never underestimate the power of a brand name, even if what underlies it is not good.

Huh!

Arise, Mr. Bernie Madoff, a man whose reputation – his brand and brand name – evoked commentary like “pillar of Wall Street,” “the best of the best,” “a huge figure on Wall Street” and a man “who inspired confidence.”

Richard Nixon once in recounting the famous quote, “You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time” allegedly told a speech writer to concentrate on the latter group. Well this Madoff creep seems to have done that and oh how horribly successfully. This man’s brand image was so powerful that it appears even the SEC were in awe of him and failed to act on a number of tip offs.

We all need heroes. They help us to believe in our version of Santa Claus and sometimes even motivate us to great things, but the level to which people are put on a pedestal, which is then rarely checked for cracks is a human trait that can horribly backfire.

I still remember the first time I became aware of Enron’s Jeffrey Skilling. It was a few years before his downfall in the most notorious financial scandal of the decade. I happened on the latter part of an interview on a cable financial show as the interviewer fawned over him. It was actually the level of obsequiousness that first got my attention. ‘Who is this guy I thought?’ He is being treated like a god.’ And indeed that is how it continued until the walls came tumbling down. The brand image, the aura that surrounded him seemed to ensure a Teflon type of reporting and investigation, exactly the same as with Madoff. New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer was not only treated like a god, he thought he was one.

I’m struggling for a moral in all of this.

I do want Barack Obama to be as good as his brand is suggesting (that would mean he IS God), I do want Jamie Dimon to be the financial genius and guru that Wall Street claims him to be and in the light of Elliot Spitzer, I pray Patrick Fitzgerald has no skeletons in his closet.

I am one of the world’s great optimists. I KNOW my next golf shot will be my best one. I KNOW I will get home before the snow storm strikes. I KNOW my next pint of Guinness will be just magical (you don't have to be an optimist to know that). The problem with all of these scandals is that I’m starting to KNOW that I need to be a bit more circumspect, but I pray I will always return to “Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”

Praise the Lord - The Pint is Safe

2008-12-16T22:10:00.003-06:00

As a keynote speaker and business humorist, I quite often speak on Change and how business must adapt to change. However, some things should not be changed. Never. Ever. Not even after that. One of those is the “pint,” as in the pint measure of Guinness.

As part of European Union membership, Ireland adopted the metric system some years ago. State roads have switched to kilometers and weights are now in kilos. The imperial measure of lbs. and ounces has gone the way of Rod Blagojevich. Today, you buy your soft drinks and petrol (OK gas) in liters, everything except, praise the Lord, the pint of Guinness.

Yes, in a milestone announcement, the Brussels bureaucrats have said the “pint” is safe and no self respecting Irishman will be forced to ask for a ‘half liter of Guinness barman.’ For those of you who wonder why this evokes such an emotional response from all right thinking Irishmen and Irishwomen I offer you the following excerpt on the Brand Experience from my book Why Ireland Never Invaded America. Enjoy, preferably with a beautiful, smooth pint of Guinness at your fingertips.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sitting at the bar, Jake scanned the interior of the
pub. Walls were covered with framed photographs
of sporting occasions; many were sports Jake had
difficulty comprehending. Sports jerseys bearing the
logo, “Jack McCarthy’s Bar,” bedecked the far wall.

“Finbarr, a person could die of thirst here. How
long does it take to pour a pint of Guinness?”

“Jake, you are a heathen. Do you not know that
Guinness is a religious experience, man? It is also a
cultural experience and a work of art. You cannot,
Jake, you cannot rush a work of art, no matter how
much you want to. Can you imagine how da Vinci
would have felt, when painting the Mona Lisa, like, if
he got a phone call from his patron to say, ‘Hey, Leo,
is da painting of me missus ready yet?’ He wouldn’t
have been too impressed, me lad, not too impressed
at all. It’s the same with this black magic we are
waiting on. Guinness isn’t just a product. It is an
experience, and that, me boyo, is what you should be
offering your customers with your products—an
experience. You’ve got to give them a reason to
purchase beyond just the core product.”

Two pints of Guinness appeared in front of the
cousins. Jake moved to lift his pint and was gently
chided by Finbarr.

“Take it easy, man. Just look at that work of art in
front of you. Appreciate it. Don’t drink it yet, it hasn’t
settled. Look. Look and wonder at the way those tiny
orphan bubbles are moving through the glass,
seeking rest in some Guinness wonderland. When
those bubbles finally cease, when those brown clouds
finally settle, when you have a clean black beautiful
pint in front of you, that—Jake, that, is when you
raise the magical brew to those parched lips of yours.”
“Jeez, you’re making this like a sacred
experience.”

“And is it not?” said Finbarr, his voice rising in
mock horror. “You know, we have numerous
Guinness connoisseurs who come in here every
night, not for the drink mind, but just to be able to
watch—and wonder—and wait, as their pint of
Guinness settles.”

“Yeah, right. Of course, to appreciate that a few
times a night, they have to drink the pint.”

“That’s right. That’s right. But that’s only an afterthought,
a side benefit, like. I reckon those guys
would rather watch the pint settle than look at
Pamela Anderson.”

“They’re obviously perverts, Finbarr. Now do you
Why Ireland Never Invaded America
mind if I take my first drink?”

“Knock it back, Jake. You deserve it. But when
doing it, remember, that it’s more than the product
you are consuming.”

Jake sipped at the creamy pint and wiped his
upper lip in appreciation.

“It’s like mother’s milk, isn’t it, Jake?”

“Yeah, it’s good stuff. Guinness must be one of
the best known brands in the world, Finbarr.”

“That’s right. That’s right. You know you can
debate until the cows come home how Guinness
developed the image and loyalty it has today, but
whatever it is, Guinness and a small number of other
brands have a unique magic which ensures that their
consumer pull—brand loyalty if you like—is much
greater than it logically should be. A kind of ‘je ne
sais quoi’ if you will.”

“Ooh, that’s pretty posh.”

“Shut up and drink your pint. I’m trying to be
serious here. You can’t put a value on that brand
magic. It’s what Harley-Davidson has got and it’s
what Starbucks has got. Jake, if you could ever
develop a sense of magic around your brand, that is
when you will start to make some real money,
because consumers will be buying your product—
not for its core, but for something intangible.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Makes you thirsty, doesn't it?

Running Down Your Dream

2008-12-14T14:14:00.001-06:00

I was a guest yesterday on WGN’s The Money Show hosted by Bill Moller which for the month of December morphs into a show titled Running Down Your Dream co-hosted by Jeff Carroll. The show focuses on finding your passion and re-inventing yourself if you feel the need. I’ve guested for the past three years as an example of a corporate exec who re-invented himself as a humorous, inspirational, motivational, Chicago based Irish keynote speaker. (Sorry for that hyperbole, but it might help with search engines when someone is seeking a Chicago based Irish humorous, inspirational keynote speaker who is motivational and not afraid to blatantly repeat these terms in his blog!!)

Bill and Jeff have definitely hit a nerve as we were inundated with phone calls from people who feel either stuck at where they are or, have moved on to better things. Not surprisingly, the impact of the current economic climate was also a hot topic with some callers feeling lost. So if you’re one of those, here’s my two shillings worth – as we used say back in Ireland.

You have been through worse and you came out of it OK. You will this time. For those of you who respond, “I’ve never been experienced worse than this,” well other people have and they have come through it OK. So will you.

As I slide gracefully into middle-age, (dream on Conor) I appreciate more than ever that we are living in a ‘vale of tears’ and that everyone, yes EVERYONE hits a speed bump or a pot hole at some stage in life. I’m not wise enough to know when you will overcome that speed bump or pot hole, but I do know that almost everyone else has overcome their respective challenges over the years.

You will too. Believe in yourself.

What Miley Cyrus Can Teach the Not Very Big 3

2008-11-25T10:51:00.003-06:00

I blogged yesterday about the awful presentation the Not Very Big 3 gave to Capitol Hill last week and how they really needed to improve their presentation skills. Then last night, I flicked through a recording of the American Music Awards (watching these shows live takes toooo long) and thought – most of these guys and gals get it. The know how to present and grab the audience attention.

I know you are saying ‘but these are singers, they are performers.’ Sure, but their objective and that of the Detroit Downers is the same. Present well, get your message across and get someone to buy your product or message. Now if you want to maintain the music analogy, the automakers performance was similar to the disastrous Britney Spears MTV awards appearance last year.

So who could the car guys learn from? Really good performances at the AMA awards came from Christina Aguilera, Pink, Beyoncé and someone who put on a ridiculously accomplished performance for a 16 year old – Miley Cyrus.

The Not Very Big 3 would benefit from looking at her performance before they are hauled back for another ritual whipping. This kid was fully prepared, obviously well rehearsed and sang (presented ) with a passion that grabbed the audience. Parents of 16 year olds might not appreciate some of her more raucous motions as she pranced around the stage like a young Mick Jagger, but she really held the audience.

Here’s an instructive exercise for the Wagoner, Nardelli and Mulally handlers. Get them to watch the Britney Spears disaster from last year and compare it with Miley Cyrus. As I wrote yesterday, Detroit actually does have a half decent message to communicate about the (slow) progress it is making, but it needs to really get its presentation act together. There are too many jobs on the line for these guys to put on another Britney Spears performance. The good news is, Ms. Spears, who never lacked for talent seems to be learning from her mistakes.

Sock it to ‘em Detroit and save those jobs.

Presentation Skills 101 for the Big 3 (Correction: Not Very Big 3)

2008-11-24T11:02:00.006-06:00

Can the Not Very Big 3 get anything right? Actually, they are getting quite a few things right – especially Ford – but it is taking far too long. But let’s not damn them with faint praise.

So there they are in Washington, making probably the most important sales pitch of their business lives and they blew it – Big Time. The best way to put this is that if any of their respective executive made a presentation of this quality to Rick Wagoner, Alan Mulally or Bob Nardelli, they would probably have kicked them out the door and told them never to return – and rightly so.

Their supplications were amateurish and ill-rehearsed. The executives of the Not Very Big 3 need to go back to basics about presentations. Here are a few tips for them

1) Know Your Audience
This is basic. Your message must be crafted so your audience can understand it, relate to it and buy into it. A few things our Detroit friends did not seem to appreciate. The audience was a group of publicity hungry politicians with a two-fold objective – a) Determine if a bailout was appropriate and, b) Look good to their constituents. I would not dream of suggesting which objective is more important to the wise inquisitors. Thus the Motor City men should have been aware that the politicians would throw cheap shots and be just as haughty and arrogant as they claimed the car men are.
Many would have taken extreme satisfaction in seeing Nardelli in particular being quizzed aggressively. The last time he had to endure something like this was when he was Home Depot Chairman. Famously at a company AGM, he was the only director to turn up, refused to answer questions from the floor, and closed questioning within 30 minutes. Despite the bad rap he got when ousted by Home Depot, taking $210m in payout, he did increase profitability, he did reduce costs. In other words, while he will never win a popularity contest, he probably is the right man for Chrysler. He just didn’t bother to take the time to know his audience at Capitol Hill or for that matter when he was at Home Depot.

2) Know Your Message
There is almost universal consensus that the Not Very Big 3 executives were not very convincing at the hearings. Part of the problem is that they failed to lay out what they are going to do, but even more say, they failed to identify clearly and repeatedly what they have done to date.
Ford in particular has a pretty good case to make. Product quality is improving, design is good and the company even made a small profit earlier this year. How many people are aware that Mulally made the following statement in his testimony? "Tomorrow at the Los Angeles Auto Show, we unveil two all-new hybrids, the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Mercury Milan Hybrid. Both beat the Toyota Camry Hybrid in fuel efficiency by at least five miles per gallon. The conventional versions of these new vehicles also beat the Camry in fuel economy."
As for GM, how many people know that the 2009 Chevy Malibu is rated higher than the 2009 Toyota Camry on Overall Initial Quality and Overall Performance and Design by J.D. Power and Associates? This and other information on substantial improvement made by the automakers should have been clearly and loudly presented to Congress and repeated, repeated, repeated every time they had the microphone. The clear message should have been, “We are making real progress, we are cutting costs, we are improving quality – look at the data Mr. & Mrs. Politician and we will continue to do so. This is how we will continue to do it, when and where.”

3) Practice, Practice, Practice and when you are finished - Practice again.
These guys should have run their presentations by the best consultants who know the ways of Washington, been beaten up by them and then run their presentations again. Then they should have been beaten up by them again before they presented again. Instead, they went into the ring, like some fat flabby overweight boxer who thinks he knows it all. As they should probably know by now, those boxers tend to get beaten up.

As a Chicago based Irish keynote speaker, I really try to live the basic messages outlined above. I will not present to my best if I have not researched my audience, developed a clear cohesive message and practiced it numerous times. Hopefully, Wagoner, Mulally and Nardelli will get that message so that they can present their message in a persuasive manner.

Dallas November 22nd 1963: The Speech JFK Never Gave

2008-11-22T16:51:00.004-06:00

I was but a wee lad when Charles Mitchell - the Walter Cronkite of Irish television - came on our black and white TV to announce the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. At a time when the world was less intrusive, we were not aware of the man's weaknesses and foibles. It is not an exaggeration to state that he was adored in Ireland, the land of his forefathers and which he had visited in June on the same trip at which he made his famous Ich bin Ein Berliner speech. On that trip Kennedy spoke to the Irish Parliament (Dail Eireann) on June 28th 1963.

The following is the address that Kennedy was due to make in Dallas on the fateful day he was assassinated.
***************

I am honored to have this invitation to address the annual meeting of the Dallas Citizens Council, joined by the members of the Dallas Assembly--and pleased to have this opportunity to salute the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest.
It is fitting that these two symbols of Dallas progress are united in the sponsorship of this meeting. For they represent the best qualities, I am told, of leadership and learning in this city--and leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. The advancement of learning depends on community leadership for financial and political support and the products of that learning, in turn, are essential to the leadership's hopes for continued progress and prosperity. It is not a coincidence that those communities possessing the best in research and graduate facilities--from MIT to Cal Tech--tend to attract the new and growing industries. I congratulate those of you here in Dallas who have recognized these basic facts through the creation of the unique and forward-looking Graduate Research Center.
This link between leadership and learning is not only essential at the community level. It is even more indispensable in world affairs. Ignorance and misinformation can handicap the progress of a city or a company, but they can, if allowed to prevail in foreign policy, handicap this country's security. In a world of complex and continuing problems, in a world full of frustrations and irritations, America's leadership must be guided by the lights of learning and reason or else those who confuse rhetoric with reality and the plausible with the possible will gain the popular ascendancy with their seemingly swift and simple solutions to every world problem.
There will always be dissident voices heard in the land, expressing opposition without alternatives, finding fault but never favor, perceiving gloom on every side and seeking influence without responsibility. Those voices are inevitable.
But today other voices are heard in the land--voices preaching doctrines wholly unrelated to reality, wholly unsuited to the sixties, doctrines which apparently assume that words will suffice without weapons, that vituperation is as good as victory and that peace is a sign of weakness. At a time when the national debt is steadily being reduced in terms of its burden on our economy, they see that debt as the greatest single threat to our security. At a time when we are steadily reducing the number of Federal employees serving every thousand citizens, they fear those supposed hordes of civil servants far more than the actual hordes of opposing armies.
We cannot expect that everyone, to use the phrase of a decade ago, will "talk sense to the American people." But we can hope that fewer people will listen to nonsense. And the notion that this Nation is headed for defeat through deficit, or that strength is but a matter of slogans, is nothing but just plain nonsense.
I want to discuss with you today the status of our strength and our security because this question clearly calls for the most responsible qualities of leadership and the most enlightened products of scholarship. For this Nation's strength and security are not easily or cheaply obtained, nor are they quickly and simply explained. There are many kinds of strength and no one kind will suffice. Overwhelming nuclear strength cannot stop a guerrilla war. Formal pacts of alliance cannot stop internal subversion. Displays of material wealth cannot stop the disillusionment of diplomats subjected to discrimination.
Above all, words alone are not enough. The United States is a peaceful nation. And where our strength and determination are clear, our words need merely to convey conviction, not belligerence. If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words will be of no help.
I realize that this Nation often tends to identify turning-points in world affairs with the major addresses which preceded them. But it was not the Monroe Doctrine that kept all Europe away from this hemisphere--it was the strength of the British fleet and the width of the Atlantic Ocean. It was not General Marshall's speech at Harvard which kept communism out of Western Europe--it was the strength and stability made possible by our military and economic assistance.
In this administration also it has been necessary at times to issue specific warnings--warnings that we could not stand by and watch the Communists conquer Laos by force, or intervene in the Congo, or swallow West Berlin, or maintain offensive missiles on Cuba. But while our goals were at least temporarily obtained in these and other instances, our successful defense of freedom was due not to the words we used, but to the strength we stood ready to use on behalf of the principles we stand ready to defend.
This strength is composed of many different elements, ranging from the most massive deterrents to the most subtle influences. And all types of strength are needed--no one kind could do the job alone. Let us take a moment, therefore, to review this Nation's progress in each major area of strength.
I. First, as Secretary McNamara made clear in his address last Monday, the strategic nuclear power of the United States has been so greatly modernized and expanded in the last 1,000 days, by the rapid production and deployment of the most modern missile systems, that any and all potential aggressors are clearly confronted now with the impossibility of strategic victory--and the certainty of total destruction--if by reckless attack they should ever force upon us the necessity of a strategic reply.
In less than 3 years, we have increased by 50 percent the number of Polaris submarines scheduled to be in force by the next fiscal year, increased by more than 70 percent our total Polaris purchase program, increased by more than 75 percent our Minuteman purchase program, increased by 50 percent the portion of our strategic bombers on 15-minute alert, and increased by too percent the total number of nuclear weapons available in our strategic alert forces. Our security is further enhanced by the steps we have taken regarding these weapons to improve the speed and certainty of their response, their readiness at all times to respond, their ability to survive an attack, and their ability to be carefully controlled and directed through secure command operations.
II. But the lessons of the last decade have taught us that freedom cannot be defended by strategic nuclear power alone. We have, therefore, in the last 3 years accelerated the development and deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, and increased by 60 percent the tactical nuclear forces deployed in Western Europe.
Nor can Europe or any other continent rely on nuclear forces alone, whether they are strategic or tactical. We have radically improved the readiness of our conventional forces--increased by 45 percent the number of combat ready Army divisions, increased by 100 percent the procurement of modern Army weapons and equipment, increased by 100 percent our ship construction, conversion, and modernization program, increased by too percent our procurement of tactical aircraft, increased by 30 percent the number of tactical air squadrons, and increased the strength of the Marines. As last month's "Operation Big Lift"--which originated here in Texas--showed so clearly, this Nation is prepared as never before to move substantial numbers of men in surprisingly little time to advanced positions anywhere in the world. We have increased by 175 percent the procurement of airlift aircraft, and we have already achieved a 75 percent increase in our existing strategic airlift capability. Finally, moving beyond the traditional roles of our military forces, we have achieved an increase of nearly 600 percent in our special forces--those forces that are prepared to work with our allies and friends against the guerrillas, saboteurs, insurgents and assassins who threaten freedom in a less direct but equally dangerous manner.
III. But American military might should not and need not stand alone against the ambitions of international communism. Our security and strength, in the last analysis, directly depend on the security and strength of others, and that is why our military and economic assistance plays such a key role in enabling those who live on the periphery of the Communist world to maintain their independence of choice. Our assistance to these nations can be painful, risky and costly, as is true in Southeast Asia today. But we dare not weary of the task. For our assistance makes possible the stationing of 3-5 million allied troops along the Communist frontier at one-tenth the cost of maintaining a comparable number of American soldiers. A successful Communist breakthrough in these areas, necessitating direct United States intervention, would cost us several times as much as our entire foreign aid program, and might cost us heavily in American lives as well.
About 70 percent of our military assistance goes to nine key countries located on or near the borders of the Communist bloc--nine countries confronted directly or indirectly with the threat of Communist aggression--Viet-Nam, Free China, Korea, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Greece, Turkey, and Iran. No one of these countries possesses on its own the resources to maintain the forces which our own Chiefs of Staff think needed in the common interest. Reducing our efforts to train, equip, and assist their armies can only encourage Communist penetration and require in time the increased overseas deployment of American combat forces. And reducing the economic help needed to bolster these nations that undertake to help defend freedom can have the same disastrous result. In short, the $50 billion we spend each year on our own defense could well be ineffective without the $4 billion required for military and economic assistance.
Our foreign aid program is not growing in size, it is, on the contrary, smaller now than in previous years. It has had its weaknesses, but we have undertaken to correct them. And the proper way of treating weaknesses is to replace them with strength, not to increase those weaknesses by emasculating essential programs. Dollar for dollar, in or out of government, there is no better form of investment in our national security than our much-abused foreign aid program. We cannot afford to lose it. We can afford to maintain it. We can surely afford, for example, to do as much for our 19 needy neighbors of Latin America as the Communist bloc is sending to the island of Cuba alone.
IV. I have spoken of strength largely in terms of the deterrence and resistance of aggression and attack. But, in today's world, freedom can be lost without a shot being fired, by ballots as well as bullets. The success of our leadership is dependent upon respect for our mission in the world as well as our missiles--on a clearer recognition of the virtues of freedom as well as the evils of tyranny.
That is why our Information Agency has doubled the shortwave broadcasting power of the Voice of America and increased the number of broadcasting hours by 30 percent, increased Spanish language broadcasting to Cuba and Latin America from I to 9 hours a day, increased seven-fold to more than 3-5 million copies the number of American books being translated and published for Latin American readers, and taken a host of other steps to carry our message of truth and freedom to all the far corners of the earth.
And that is also why we have regained the initiative in the exploration of outer space, making an annual effort greater than the combined total of all space activities undertaken during the fifties, launching more than 130 vehicles into earth orbit, putting into actual operation valuable weather and communications satellites, and making it clear to all that the United States of America has no intention of finishing second in space.
This effort is expensive--but it pays its own way, for freedom and for America. For there is no longer any fear in the free world that a Communist lead in space will become a permanent assertion of supremacy and the basis of military superiority. There is no longer any doubt about the strength and skill of American science, American industry, American education, and the American free enterprise system. In short, our national space effort represents a great gain in, and a great resource of, our national strength--and both Texas and Texans are contributing greatly to this strength.
Finally, it should be clear by now that a nation can be no stronger abroad than she is at home. Only an America which practices what it preaches about equal rights and social justice will be respected by those whose choice affects our future. Only an America which has fully educated its citizens is fully capable of tackling the complex problems and perceiving the hidden dangers of the world in which we live. And only an America which is growing and prospering economically can sustain the worldwide defenses of freedom, while demonstrating to all concerned the opportunities of our system and society.
It is clear, therefore, that we are strengthening our security as well as our economy by our recent record increases in national income and output--by surging ahead of most of Western Europe in the rate of business expansion and the margin of corporate profits, by maintaining a more stable level of prices than almost any of our overseas competitors, and by cutting personal and corporate income taxes by some $ I I billion, as I have proposed, to assure this Nation of the longest and strongest expansion in our peacetime economic history.
This Nation's total output--which 3 years ago was at the $500 billion mark--will soon pass $600 billion, for a record rise of over $200 billion in 3 years. For the first time in history we have 70 million men and women at work. For the first time in history average factory earnings have exceeded $100 a week. For the first time in history corporation profits after taxes--which have risen 43 percent in less than 3 years--have an annual level f $27.4 billion.
My friends and fellow citizens: I cite these facts and figures to make it clear that America today is stronger than ever before. Our adversaries have not abandoned their ambitions, our dangers have not diminished, our vigilance cannot be relaxed. But now we have the military, the scientific, and the economic strength to do whatever must be done for the preservation and promotion of freedom.
That strength will never be used in pursuit of aggressive ambitions--it will always be used in pursuit of peace. It will never be used to promote provocations--it will always be used to promote the peaceful settlement of disputes.
We in this country, in this generation, are--by destiny rather than choice--the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of "peace on earth, good will toward men." That must always be our goal, and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. For as was written long ago: "except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

Yugo, Yu Gone!

2008-11-20T21:18:00.002-06:00

Take out the Kleenex. You may be distraught to know that the Yugo motor car (if this were advertising 'motor car' might be described as mis-leading!) is no more. Production has ceased in central Serbia, part of the former Yugoslavia.

Time magazine included this car in its list of 50 Worst Cars of all time. The car has become a cultural icon in a sense and a world-wide laughing stock.

To commemorate the demise of this wonder car, I thought I'd provide a few very old jokes about the car you never wanted to be seen in.

So - in the spirit of a motivational and business humorist, hitch up your pants, get on your bicycle which can probably go faster than any Yugo and enjoy a set of really corny but sometimes funny Yugo jokes.

BUT before we go to the old hoary old jokes, here's my very best original joke as a business humorist.
Q: What should Congress say to GM management?
A: Yugo (ba...boom)

Q: What did Alaska voters say to Ted Stevens?
A: Yugo (hey I'm on a roll here)

Q: What did the traffic cop say to the motorist?
A: You - GO

Maybe that is what you dear reader should say to me!

and the oldies but goldies!!

Q: Why does a Yugo have heated rear window?
A: To keep your hands warm when pushing.

Q: What do you call Yugo shock absorbers?
A: Passengers.

Q: What do you call a Yugo at the top of a hill?
A: A miracle.

Q: Did you hear the Yugo has an airbag? Yup, you start pumping just before you hit something.

Q: How do you get a Yugo to go 80mph?
A: Drive it over a cliff.

Q: What do you call a convertible Yugo?
A: A skip.

Q: How do you double the value of a Yugo?
A: Fill it with gas.

Definition of an optimist: Yugo driver with a radar detector!

The Gettysburg Address

2008-11-19T18:07:00.000-06:00

I was just about to close down the system for the evening when I realized the date – 145th anniversary of The Gettysburg Address. A piece of writing that any keynote speaker would be proud to have written. I’ve reviewed a number of books on the subject over the past few years and thought it might be a good idea to re-run them here. It really is amazing how so much can be written about a piece that consists of less than 300 words, got very few positive reviews immediately after presentation and took a maximum of four minutes to communicate. The world works in mysterious ways.

Review I
THE GETTYSBURG GOSPEL: THE LINCOLN SPEECH THAT NOBODY KNOWS

Author: Gabor Boritt

It truly is amazing that so many words and books can be written about a speech that is but 272 words long. Gabor Boritt's book is an enjoyable and easy read on Lincoln's most famous speech.

Much of the book deals with the immediate aftermath of the terrible Gettysburg battle with the author painting a vivid picture of the terrible scene which must have greeted the eye on July 4th. It is interesting that the famous address did not get immediate general approval. Boritt shows that the great leader’s speech was almost forgotten until the 1880's. As with most Lincoln supporters, the author attempts to show that the speech was not written on the train to Gettysburg and that Lincoln gave the speech considerable thought. The truth is no one knows, but a good argument can be made for the proposition that Lincoln must have given it little thought prior to the event. Who in their right mind is going to travel from Washington to Gettysburg and DECIDE to present an address of only 272 words? The words came from the heart and from years of experience and empathy. Just as Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech was somewhat spontaneous (although a very similar speech was presented at Cobo Hall, Detroit some weeks previously), there is strong circumstantial evidence that Lincoln put this speech together at short notice.

I have no idea why the book is sub-titled "The Lincoln Speech that Nobody Knows," but Boritt does provide a number of slightly different versions of the speech in the appendix. Most of the differences are minor to put it mildly. The author's description of how the speech initially got little response but grew to be appreciated over time to be a work of genius is well developed.

Paradoxically, the most enjoyable section of the book is the full text of Edward Everett's speech which I read fully for the first time. You can appreciate why Everett was seen as a great orator because of his ability to paint pictures with words although his two hour address can hardly be described as uplifting. Almost all of the speech was taken up with a chronological history of the events at Gettysburg (spoken from memory) and the aging orator failed to properly commend and eulogize the thousands who had given their life on the adjacent battlefield.

Everett did appreciate that his speech did not match Lincoln's eloquence. He wrote the President, "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."

The book has copious appendices, bibliography, notes which provide a rich resource for serious students of Lincoln and Gettysburg. Overall, an enjoyable not too studious read on the topic.

Review II
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG – THE WORDS THAT REMADE AMERICA

Author: Gary Wills

This is one scholarly work. It is also a work that takes slow careful reading. The author devotes more than one page to each of the two hundred and seventy two words in the famous Gettysburg address.

Wills suggests that Lincoln was heavily influenced by the oratorical skills of the Greeks and also Transcendentalists – a nineteenth century philosophical movement much advocated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and other luminaries.

One fascinating aspect of the Gettysburg address is how brief it was. Lincoln was not the featured speaker at the event, indeed by some accounts he was invited as an afterthought. This may well be one of the reasons why his speech was so brief, particularly as short speeches were not the norm. In 1858, Lincoln and Stephen Douglas engaged in three hour debates, while Edward Everett delivered a two hour oration prior to Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. While the three minute address was out of character for the period or indeed any period, the speech proves the point “that less is often more.”

The book should be of particular interest to the Lincoln scholar, but beware, it is a tough book to get through, simply because it is such a detailed, intense work.

One of the many interesting elements in the book is the full reproduction of Everett’s speech. Everett was lauded as the finest speaker of his generation, but to be honest, I found his speech to be tedious, lacking in passion and being primarily a chronology of the events at Gettysburg. Everett wrote to Lincoln following their respective addresses, "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." How right he was.

SEO & SEM: A FEW LEARNINGS

2008-11-19T14:41:00.004-06:00

If you wanted to get a feel for what is hot in marketing right now, it would have been instructive to attend the Business Marketing Association (Chicago Chapter) breakfast meeting this morning. The topic: Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing generated THE largest turnout for these very enjoyable breakfast meetings.

The promotional piece read “SEO and SEM: A match made online. Learn the success strategies for pairing SEM and SEO to drive better results in your online marketing campaigns when a panel of experts, led and moderated by Jennifer Howard, head of B2B markets, central region, at Google, discusses this topic at BMA’s Nov. 19 Breakfast RoundTable at IIT’s Stuart School of Business. Panelists S. Ryan DeShazer, director of interactive strategy at HSR Business-to-Business, Kristen Nomura, search & analytics manager at Google, Lisa Schmitt, interactive marketing media manager at USG and Jeff Woelker, senior digital strategist at Slack Barshinger, will discuss why SEM and SEO are essential to any successful online marketing campaign and how, when used well together, can accelerate and lead to better results.”

Things I learned that you should know (and which further reinforced my belief that one of the best ways to fill my calendar as a keynote business speaker and motivational humorist is to work on web optimization) include:
1) There are 11.8 billion searches monthly. In my off beat Irish manner I wonder if this is a 28 or 31 day month! But you get the picture.

2) Google’s share of search is 63% with Yahoo now generating just 20% of searches. And if you were curious as to why Microsoft initially wished to acquire Yahoo – well the MSN share is currently running at 8.3%. (Market data provided by comScore who are the big dogs in measuring digital media). Just in case you are interested: At time of writing, Yahoo share price is $9.55 compared to the rejected $31 Microsoft offer in February … and you thought your portfolio was doing badly! Anyway – back to things I learned that you should know.

3) Computer security queries up 27%, Energy & Utilities search up 35%. No figures were provided as to search queries for “Chicago based Irish keynote speaker.”

4) 67% of C-Suite executivess consider the internet their primary source of information. 86% of them use a search engine daily. Someone should query who the 14% are who do not!

5) 70% of business decision makers use search engines FIRST in their decision making process and when it comes to seeking a humorous keynote business speaker, the percentage is even higher.

Re Networking. Join your local BMA chapter. If it is half as good as the Chicago chapter you will get a real return for your money. Check www.marketing.org for details.

Doris Kearns Goodwin - The Election Winner!

2008-11-17T15:24:00.003-06:00

When published in 2005, Doris Kearns Goodwin must have thought she would receive nice sales and publicity out of Team of Rivals for a few months. That indeed is what happened. Few could have thought that the book would be hitting the best-selling charts again in 2008/09. That though is exactly what has happened as the Barack Obama phenomenon continues. Comparisons of the President Elect with Lincoln drip from commentators lips (unless the commentators are right wing idealogues). Much of the comparison relates to Obama's (to date presumed) adoption of his rivals into cabinet posts. As speculation mounts that he will offer the Secretary of State position to Hilary Clinton, it seems as if DKG's book is being quoted on every talk show and by every political pundit. Now if only I could achieve the same Lazarus effect for my own humorous business book and masterpiece Why Ireland Never Invaded America, I'd be a very happy motivational humorist and keynote speaker!

I might as well get in on the Team of Rivals act. I reviewed this book in January 2006 on Amazon and on my website at http://irishmanspeaks.com/cms/content/view/47/37/ Herewith is the review.

The book's premise is that Abraham Lincoln was not just a great President but one who also had the motivational ability to create a highly effective team comprised of many of his rivals. These were men who had hoped to become President. Instead, they took a subservient role to a President whom Goodwin writes about in hagiographic terms.

The team of rivals consisted of one time Republican presidential candidates William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Salmon P. Chase, Treasury Secretary, and Edward Bates Attorney General. The other major player in this detailed work is Edwin M. Stanton, War Secretary.

This is a good read although the author is stretched at times to continually bring the overall premise together. The opening section of the book paints individual pictures of the major players, which I did not find particularly interesting. This I think is partly because some of the characters - Chase and Bates, at least to this reader are just not compelling in their own right. Thus it takes quite some time for the book to grasp this reader's attention.

Although peripheral to the main story, the hardships of life during the first half of the 19th century become very obvious. Chase lost three wives and two daughters before he was forty four, while Stanton between 1841 and 1846 lost his wife, a daughter and his only brother.

Another fascinating and heart rending aspect portrayed is how the Civil War tore families apart. Four of Mary Lincoln's siblings and three brothers-in-law fought on behalf of the Confederacy, while Bate's son also took up arms for the seceding states.

Team of Rivals is basically a biography of Lincoln with a different twist. It is not as detailed as other works - especially in relation to some Civil War episodes, because the author tries to paint pictures of so many characters. Her portrait of Lincoln to some extent lacks objectivity. Every Lincoln weakness or vacillation has a logic or rationale.

Lincoln undoubtedly was underestimated by rivals and media. One Democratic newspaper referred to him as "a third rate Western lawyer ... a fourth rate lecturer, who cannot speak good grammar." As a lawyer and in his early presidential years, the term "inspirational" does not come to mind. To some extent, his behavior did warrant this lack of respect.

His lack of authority over his generals in the early stages of the war must have been disturbing for his cabinet. General McClellan treated him with a disdain and discourtesy that was mind boggling. Had Lincoln been more forceful with Generals Meade and McClellan, it is entirely conceivable the war would have ended much earlier. Kearns (and other writers) has tried to paint Lincoln as an accommodating, understanding head of state. It is probably more accurate to suggest as Martin Luther King did that he was at some stages a "vacillating" president. Much has been written about Lincoln's leadership, but I think, the student of leadership can learn as much from what Lincoln did poorly as he did well.

Lincoln "grew" into the Presidency, winning over doubters and opponents slowly but surely with his down to earth, homely style. He most definitely has won over the author who paints Lincoln in very favorable terms no matter what the occasion. There is a tendency for the reader to become seduced by the portrait. Lincoln becomes more and more likeable, more and more presidential as the book develops. Ultimately, the reader does appreciate what a dreadful tragedy the death of this president was for the nation and almost certainly for what had been the confederate states. Although, no one can say for certain, it does seem likely that the assassinated president would have been able to salve much of the bitterness and hatred that followed the cessation of violence.

Friedman Is Wrong on Detroit

2008-11-13T01:27:00.002-06:00

New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman is getting a lot of air time re his commentary on the Detroit auto mess. I no longer calling it the “US auto mess,” because Toyota, Honda, Nissan ARE profitable and manufacture product (good, reliable, cost effective product) in the United States. Toyota for instance produced 1.3m cars in the US last year which is about 10% of this year’s projected market. Friedman blames Michigan politicians as much as anyone for protecting the Decimated 3 (maybe I won’t call them the Detroit 3 anymore), an argument that has some merit.

I rarely disagree with Friedman who is a superb writer (The World is Flat is awesome) on world issues – economic and political, but to suggest that the answer to the D3 woes is fire all management and impose a government mandated seer is not something that stands well to examination.

Like many other observers, I am gob-smacked at the poor sales and market share performance of Detroit over the last 40 years. I mean these companies have recruited some of the best and brightest marketing, sales, development people in the US over the years with little success. Ford and Chrysler have had management makeovers in the past two years. Chrysler most obviously has brought in Bob Nardelli, a very effective if unpopular executive, recruited respected Toyota veteran Jim Press to head up sales and poached a number of other executives from the Japanese car companies. Chrysler seems to be getting the right people on the bus, just as it is veering off the cliff.

Ford’s recruitment of Alan Mulally appears to be a good move and this company whose market share was 50% higher than its current 16% at the start of the decade is getting its act together in terms of product design and quality.

GM management is GM management which must be part of the problem. This company needs a giant kick in the butt with a major change in marketing and production mindset. For instance Bob Lutz, GM vice-chairman recently told journalists that “global warming is a crock of shit.” How can that mentality still exist in a car company? How can that mentality drive eco-friendly, green, low consumption vehicles. Change in GM is unlikely to happen without serious outside involvement. Of course, if the government does bail out D3, it will be tied to uncompetitive executive compensation which IS a crock! GM and others need the likes of Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn to give them some chance. He ain’t gonna take a job like that for peanuts!

I visited the GM plant in Janesville, WI last year when things were still going relatively well. The people were quite simply nice and friendly. Now they and thousands of others are out of work with bleak futures. This whole thing is a complete mess and worst of all, no one seems to have a good answer.

Don't Believe Your Own Blarney

2008-11-11T16:24:00.003-06:00

The demise of Circuit City is just one more horrible casualty of the current economic climate. In a press release yesterday, the company announced it was filing for Chapter 11 protection – in effect, bankruptcy.

Another example of how the mighty have fallen. Jim Collins, in his excellent book Good to Great referenced Circuit City as a “Great” company. I went back to the book to see just what he had written about the now fallen electronics retailer. The biggest surprise for me was that this was not the only “Great” company cited in the 2001 publication which has fallen on hard times. Would you believe Fannie Mae also passed the “Great” test?

This is not a criticism of Jim Collins’ work. Rather, it shows once again how difficult it is to stay on top.

It is quite amazing how many once really successful companies fall fast and precipitously, either losing their independence or becoming at best also-rans. I don’t know enough about Circuit City to know if it was hubris that brought them down, but it is often a key reason in the demise of companies.

Wendy’s for instance loved to claim it was better than McDonald’s on many key metrics when the burger leader was in the toilet earlier this decade. The only trouble is, the firm Dave Thomas founded believed its own blarney, sat back which McDonald’s did a fantastic re-engineering job and today Wendy’s is no longer independent and basically looking for an identity. Sears, Yahoo, Pan Am (remember them),Yankees, Dell have fallen from grace big time. The lesson – don’t believe your own blarney (which is a key lesson in my book Why Ireland Never Invaded America) and do listen to your market. Failure to do so means – Goodnight, Goodbye (but not Good luck.)

What A Car Wreck!

2008-11-10T21:49:00.005-06:00

Lordy Lord! GM's share price at a six decade low! No matter how bad you think it is going to get for the US auto industry, it just gets worse. GM’s announcement of a 45% drop in car sales for October is mind-boggling. Some might argue that the Toyota sales decline of 23% is even more astonishing given that the Japanese behemoth has apparently been able to walk on water over the past twenty years. (Their success of course had nothing to do with walking on water – Toyota implemented the shocking concept of making good products which consumers wanted.)

Can GM survive? Can Chrysler survive? Can Ford survive? I don’t know but Chrysler seems to be the one that is in the most precarious position. I find it astonishing that the current triumvirate at Chrysler – Nardelli, Press and LaSorda are still (correctly) decrying product quality. Chairman Nardelli and President Press can not really be blamed for the Chrysler quality reputation and performance given their relatively short period in the job, but the company’s quality performance is just amazingly bad. In its most recent survey on car reliability, the 2008 Consumer Reports survey suggests that almost two-thirds of Chrysler brands are rated below average. How can this happen after so many years of saying “we must improve our quality”?

It is not too surprising that the government is baulking at providing additional support for a GM/Chrysler merger. Politically, Obama will not be able to leave GM fail because of the job fallout, but the concern must be that it is throwing good money after bad. Many commentators have made the unions the whipping boys for the problems of the US auto manufacturers. While they can shoulder a lot of the blame, they were not responsible for (lack of) product development, design, supply chain, consumer understanding and much more. Not so long - early 1980s' - GM's US market share was hovering at 50%. Today, it is less than half that! How can so many high paid, intellectually bright people get it wrong for so long?

Once I've figured out how we all got suckered into this sub-prime fiasco, I'll let you know. Don't hold your breath though!

Echoes From The Past in Obama Victory Speech

2008-11-05T15:02:00.004-06:00

I love the journey I am on as a keynote speaker on business and communication topics. As well as keynote speaking on communication, I am a deadly serious student of the process. I have learned so much. One other person who has learned so much and who knows how to use that education better than probably any other living politician is President-Elect Barack Obama.

I thought the delivery of his victory speech last night was a little flat but the core message, the word-smithing and the sentiments expressed were excellent. I don’t know when Obama gets the time to craft his speeches. I am sure much of his material is written by professionals but the man has fantastic skill as a wordsmith.

Obama’s acceptance speech contains echoes of many other fine speeches. “(A) government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth,” evokes Lincoln’s Gettysburg address while “We may not get there in one year or even in one term” has echoes of Martin Luther King’s final speech in Memphis, the night prior to his assassination.

JFK’s inaugural request to “Ask not what your country can do for you” is mirrored in “It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.” And of course, Obama referenced Lincoln directly saying “As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.”

When Obama said “To those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you,” he again reminded one of Kennedy’s inaugural “To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required—not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

Obama struck the right tone last night. We can only hope that a wonderful orator becomes a wonderful President.

The World's Favorite Airline

2008-11-04T14:00:00.005-06:00

One of the most interesting European and Irish success stories of recent years is Ryanair. This low cost airline dominates the low fare market in Europe and is THE largest passenger carrier on the continent. It is also profitable which makes it virtually unique. Half-yearly profits of €215m while down 47% down on last years interim profits are very impressive, this despite the fact that fuel costs doubled from €392.7m to €788.5m. Unlike virtually every other airline, traffic grew by 19% to 32m and wait for it average fares fell - yes that is right, average fares FELL by 4% to €47.

How does Ryanair do it? Primarily because of an unrelenting focus on being THE low cost carrier in Europe. The airline does not mess about. It is not interested in being just a low cost carrier. Its overarching, never deviated from goal is to be THE low cost carrier. Led by Chief Executive Michael O’Leary, Ryanair has grown from being a weak, poorly capitalized airline twenty years ago to an absolute industry behemoth. O’Leary is not your typical suave Wall Street type of CEO. He is foul-mouthed, disdainful of government and European Union officials and an arrogant (normally correct) critic of other airlines to whom he loves sticking it to. Ryanair has literally lifted what was the BA tagline “The World’s Favorite Airline” and now uses it at investor presentations and in financial results, because it can legitimately make this claim based on passengers flown.

O’Leary is also brilliant (or at the very least produces consistently brilliant results.) Ryanair studied Southwest in some detail and has learned a lot from this great US airline. Much of the Southwest financial discipline, aircraft policy - 737s only, low cost airports etc. has been copied from Southwest.

One quite visible difference is customer relations. Southwest has a well deserved reputation for treating customers like gold. Ryanair has a well deserved reputation for treating its customers – well – let’s put it this way – not like gold. O’Leary though will tell you that his airline keeps it customer promise better than any other airline – “We will fly you there and back for the lowest price BUT don’t expect us, to provide you with a nice cup of tea and a biscuit (cookie to US readers) or a smile or a food coupon when your flight is delayed for three hours because of bad weather- because we don't promise that!
”
As a keynote speaker, my Brand Promise is E4: Educate, Energize, Entertain AND Easy to work with. Why mention this? Well log onto the Ryanair investor relations site to hear Michael O'Leary at the half yearly conference. I promise you, you will get the first three E’s from this man. No one will ever say he is Easy to work with. But if you want a lesson in focus, clear sighted vision and quality execution, you will find few better examples in the commercial world.

Steve Martin: The Performer and the Man

2008-11-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

I watched Steve Martin on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show recently and was once again intrigued by the difference between the performer and the man. Martin was promoting the paperback edition of Born Standing Up which reminded me of the review I posted on Amazon some months ago about this book. I thought I’d re-run it here.
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On the back cover, Jerry Seinfeld writes "Absolutely magnificent. One of the best books about comedy and being a comedian ever written." I thought this was standard hyperbole until I read the book. Seinfeld is spot on.

The irony is that I don't think I laughed once while reading the book - a few smiles, yes, but no side splitting laughter. Steve Martin off stage is a quiet almost shy person and this personality comes through in the book. He tells us very little about his private life although he does write with some angst about his lack of relationship with his father.

So why rate it so highly especially as the early part of the book is not very inspiring?

Martin shows just how difficult it is to make it in performance art. It took him well over a decade to become an overnight success. For the budding performer -comedian, actor, professional speaker, the book shows just what it takes to `make it.' Martin uses the word "precision" quite often in the book, originally in reference to an e.e. cummings quote "Like the burlesque comedian, I am abnormally fond of that precision which creates movement." The artist in Martin ultimately appreciated that every movement, every gesture counts on stage. When he writes "I tried to make every voice and gesture as crucial as jokes and gags," it reminded me of the thought and planning that the first great American humorist Mark Twain put into his performances.
If you want to learn about Steve Martin, this is not the book for you. Quite amazingly, he mentions his divorce twice in passing without ever telling you who he divorced. He was apparently married for fourteen years!

However, if you want a book on what it takes to `make it,' buy this book and learn that that "every second mattered. Every gesture mattered."
Great read for the wannabe artist or performer.

Palin's Wardrobe: The Brand Image Problem

2008-10-28T13:34:00.002-05:00

Sarah Palin can be criticized for a lot of things, but she and her handlers do appreciate that packaging is a critical element in selling any product, be it consumer or political. I found it interesting that in a recent Fortune interview, sports commentator Jim Nantz said he wears each tie ONCE for a sports broadcast and then gives it away. He, like Palin understands packaging.

Palin’s problem with her hugely expensive wardrobe is that from a marketing point of view it is not consistent with her message of being a down home hockey mom. I believe her when she says the clothes will be given away, but the damage to her brand message has been done. Politics is a mean, miserable, nasty contact sport where there are very few rules (and these are rarely observed anyway.) Governor Palin is finding this out big time, but the critical message, whether you are in business or politics is – Stay true to your brand image. Any deviation will lose you support at the polling booth or supermarket aisle.

As a Chicago based Irish keynote business speaker, I can’t credibly package myself in hip-hop clothing. I’d be ridiculed because it is not consistent with my image. When, as seems likely, Palin loses the election and she becomes a most sought after keynote speakers (I drool over the fees she might command), that is the time to wear Gucci, Coach, Saks and Neiman Marcus.

Let Every Nation Know: A book worth reading

2008-10-20T12:00:00.003-05:00

Let Every Nation Know is a book and audio CD of John F. Kennedy's major speeches. Written by historians Robert Dallek and Terry Golway, it provides fascinating insight into the speechmaking skills of this nation's first Catholic President. I am sure we all look back with rose tinted glasses, but listening to the 32 Kennedy speeches on this CD makes you wonder about some of the drivel we hear from today's politicians.
Pop it into your iPod for that long journey home. It will be time well spent particularly if you are interested in the craft of speechmaking or you are, like me, a keynote speaker (Chicago based) who just likes to keep learning.

Chipotle Shows How Good McDonald's is

2008-09-12T16:58:00.001-05:00

Today’s profit warning from Chipotle has obviously surprised the market. At time of writing, shares have dropped 20%. Either this decline is a typical over-reaction by Wall Street or alternatively the exceedingly high share price to date was the overreaction. The warning is just one more reflection of how weak the economy is, but it is also a back handed compliment to the 800lb gorilla in the fast food sector – McDonald’s.

While Chipotle and Darden ( a really well run company) announce profit warnings, the Golden Arches continues to go from strength to strength announcing good August results with US sales alone up by 4.5%.

Only a few years ago, McDonald’s was a basket case with few predicting a bright future. Deceased CEOs Jim Cantalupo and Charlie Bell energized the business and put it back on the right track – a track that it has never since looked like falling off. I am so impressed the Oakbrook based chain that when keynote speaking about branding, innovation and business growth, I suggest audience members should have their next informal business meeting at a newly refurbished McDonald’s. Why? Well, if you haven’t been to a McDonald’s outlet in recent years, you’re in for a surprise. The ambience and store decoration is inviting – even comfortable where McCafe is in situ, the coffee is drinkable (but don’t tell me it is comparable to Starbucks) and items like the Chicken Snack-Wrap are quite simply good.

Sometime, somewhere, McDonald’s almost lost it. Today the brand is relevant, the products are relevant and in a climate where money is tight, the pricing is relevant.

Chipotle’s price point - at almost $10, is substantially higher than McDonald’s. But if the very recent darling of Wall Street is suffering, it is not inconceivable that the burger giant will hit a rough patch as well, but it sure deserves kudos for what it has achieved to date

Is Sarah Palin a VIP product?

2008-09-03T16:37:00.003-05:00

When I speak on Innovation one of the concepts I reference is VIP products. A VIP product is the Holy Grail of Innovation in that it is a product that generates incremental Volume, Image and Profit. In the commercial environment VIP products include Apple iPod, Toyota Prius (here the ‘P’ might stand for Perception rather than Profit) and Gillette Fusion which is the fastest ever entrant into the P&G billion dollar club.

Moving away from the commercial environment to the political arena, the question arises - “Is Sarah Palin a VIP product for the GOP?” She has had a pretty shaky start but no fatal wounds have been incurred yet, so let’s see if she might be that VIP product that will help the Republicans hold the White House.

V – Volume of votes – incremental or not?
The lady definitely has energized the Rush Limbaugh market which is a critical sector for the Republicans. Current reaction would suggest that more of this group will now vote the GOP ticket. They were never going to vote Obama, but prior to Palin, not all of this group might have bothered to vote. The likelihood that Hilary supporters will vote for Palin is slight given their diametrically opposed ideology on most issues. Assuming there are no unknown issues, the 44 year old Governor of Alaska will engender Incremental Volume amongst a certain segment of the voting public. She may also though energize the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and ensure there is Incremental Volume on this side.

I – Image.
Will this selection generate Incremental Image for the Republican ticket? Hmm! It has heightened awareness for sure, but whether it has improved the Image of McCain and GOP is really questionable. If the apparently competent Palin had a few more years experience, her selection would have been a definite home run for McCain across a broad spectrum of voters. Now the jury is out big time and questioning the decision and decision making of John McCain. If Sarah Palin is as powerful a candidate as she is being painted (Republicans are praying that she is rather than genuinely believe it) and can withstand the tremendous pressure of the next two months, she will generate Incremental Image for the ticket and thus generate Incremental Volume of votes for McCain. The only thing her speech tonight will tell us is whether she is a good orator of someone else’s words, because you can be sure the very best scriptwriters are working on her script. However a good performance will probably create enhanced Image for her and the ticket.

P – Perception (rather than Profit)
Once the hysteria about her running for VP as mother of a recent Down’s Syndrome child and soon a daughter who is pregnant dies down, she may well benefit from all fuss. I think there will be a sneaking admiration for her (if she maintains her poise) as the campaign continues and this is quite likely to build the longer she holds up. While “Perception is Reality,” the challenge for the GOP will be to ensure that the ‘Reality’ of Palin they are presenting is genuine. If after a few more days, the mainstream media accepts there is substance to her ‘Maverick’ and ‘Reformer’ tag, the public Perception of her will grow.

Using another marketing analogy, is this lady akin to the Motorola RAZR which burned very bright for a short period before flaming out or is she the Blackberry?

Time will tell, but it sure is interesting.

Great Stage Management by Dems and GOP

2008-08-31T18:42:00.003-05:00

I try to write this blog from othe viewpoint of a keynote business speaker, paying particular attention to communications, marketing and the ‘presentation’ of events or issues. Thus, I endeavor in my commentary on the presidential elections to be objective and view candidates and parties from a marketing perspective.

Kudos then to both the Dems and GOP for brilliant stage management this week. The Democratic convention was a masterpiece of stage management which built to a crescendo for Barack Obama’s speech.

Michelle Obama did a good if not fantastic job ‘introducing’ herself to the American public (well, the Democratic leaning voter anyway.) An obviously accomplished woman, she was followed by a superb performance from Hillary Clinton. Whether you like the woman or not, her speech was top rate. It was energizing, well crafted, exceptionally well delivered and lacked any sense of bitterness. Some of the more cynical observers suggest she was setting herself up as the 2012 candidate, just in case Obama does not get elected. It doesn’t matter what her agenda is. As a political speech and as a work of oratory, she deserves very high praise.

The following night, the political maestro himself – Bill Clinton, had the crowd eating out of his hands. To the surprise of many, he was very complimentary about the man who edged his wife for the nomination. Bill Clinton has an ‘it’ factor that few other performers can claim. When living back in Ireland and before I ever became a Chicago based Irish Keynote Speaker, Clinton visited my homeland in an effort to build the peace process. He is much loved in Ireland because of his commitment to bringing peace between nationalists and loyalists in Northern Ireland. I do recall a work colleague of mine who attended a Clinton function in Dublin saying Clinton “had an aura about him.” Veteran Washington correspondent (now there’s a cliché) Bob Schieffer in This Just In: What I Couldn’t Tell You on TV tells of an occasion when his wife Pat met Clinton. Her comment was “He’s got it … making you feel the most important person in the room.” Clinton brought that magic to Denver and wowed his audience.

But that of course was not the end of the stage management. Then we had a reasonable speech from Joe Biden after which to the surprise of most people in the arena, Barack Obama joined Biden on stage. I think the Democratic delegates at that stage must have thought ‘this cannot get any better.’

To be fair, it probably didn’t. Obama’s speech the following night did not reach the levels of some of his earlier works of uplifting oratory, but the occasion itself was pretty magical. Job well done, said all the delegates. We are going to get a wonderful bounce of this and whip John McCain in the election.

And they deserved a bounce because of a truly well managed convention.

And then what happens? John McCain goes and ruins it all by announcing Sarah Palin as his VP running mate. This was not just a great piece of stage management. It was ‘stage stealing.’ There will be plenty of time to debate the merits of this Governor of Alaska, but WOW- what a fantastic media coup it has proven to be in the short term. Obama has been blown off the front pages of the newspapers, few commentators are speaking about his speech and the Invesco Field event.

In my work as keynote speaker, I spend a lot of time thinking about stage management and how I can best connect with my audience. I have to admit, I’m impressed by what both parties achieved in the past week.

At time of writing, it is unclear how Hurricane Gustav will impact the Republican convention. We can only hope that its impact will be minimal, thus ensuring that the people of New Orleans and surrounding areas will themselves be impacted minimally.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT SPEECH?

2008-08-29T15:07:00.002-05:00

Following his Gettysburg address, Abraham Lincoln said that he thought his speech “did not scour.” Reports of crowd reaction on the day (November 19th 1863) suggest that the very short speech generated a pretty muted reaction. Today of course, the address is regarded as one of the finest and most effective pieces of communication in history.

Why do I raise a speech made many years ago? Well, as a keynote speaker and business humorist, it is a real challenge to satisfy all of the audience, all of the time.

Reaction to Barack Obama’s speech last night was a microcosm of this challenge. It was interesting to see seasoned observers reaction to the speech. Reaction was all over the place and not based on partisan politics. On Fox News, NPR’s Juan Williams was obviously disappointed with the speech. Yet neo-conservative Bill Kristol ( who was scathing about Hillary Clinton’s speech earlier in the week) raved about the speech. On MSNBC, Peggy Noonan (a former Reagan speech writer) thought it a weak effort, while fellow GOP supporter and political strategist Mike Murphy thought it was a great speech!! So what gives?

These are all experienced commentators yet see the same speech differently. The difference might be in what was expected from the speech. Those who were expecting a soaring work of oratory, something to lift the audience in higher than the Mile High stadium would have been disappointed. Those who were looking for some content and “red meat” got what they wanted.

Obama’s speech will not be remembered as a great speech, but the occasion WILL be remembered as a great occasion. It was historic, it was brilliantly staged and over the next few weeks we will have commentators constantly speaking about the historic events in Denver while on screen you will see the 80,000 people going crazy. From a marketing and communications point of view, that is a strong and positive message to play over next few months.

From a communications and branding point of view, the Democrats had a great week. I'm looking forward to John McCain and Sarah Palin next week to see if they can match the impact.

I Have A Dream - Indoors

2008-08-28T14:30:00.003-05:00

A lot of hype about Barack Obama’s speech this evening – on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s most famous rendition of his “I have a dream” speech. Many people are questioning whether the choice of Invesco Field is a good one.

I think Obama has the ability to nail a speech tonight, but one can learn from Martin Luther King’s experience. I referenced his ‘most famous rendition’ of his speech. August 28th was not the first time King had used the framework of ‘I have a dream.’ He had presented this concept on a number of occasions. His best rendition of the speech – better than the Washington speech – took place at Cobo Hall, Detroit June 23 1963.

King was speaking to a large gathering following the Great March on Detroit. You can listen to the speech on A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. and compare it with the more famous speech of August 28th that also is on this CD. My personal belief is that the Detroit speech was ‘better’ – though not obviously as impactful. King spoke indoors to an audience that just projected a wall of enthusiastic noise back to him.

As a keynote speaker (branding, foodservice, cancer, humorous) I am often intrigued about how the setting can determine audience reaction. A basic rule is that you will get a better audience response in a compact, packed venue rather than from a much larger packed venue.

That is the challenge Obama faces tonight. He is a wonderful orator, but it will be interesting to see if he can generate the type of response which Hillary and Bill Clinton generated. A Humorous or Business Keynote Speaker feeds of the audience. So do politicians.

Here is one blinding flash of the obvious if you are interested in communications and keynote speaking. In addition to his undoubted skills, Obama has one really powerful advantage tonight. The audience love him and really want him to succeed. This makes a huge difference as comedians will tell you. Comics like Robin Williams and Dane Cook have won over their audience before they go on stage. If Williams or Cook even scratch themselves when they first come on stage, the audience laughs. The best unknown actor in the world will not be able to generate the same reaction. Why? – because the audience does not know him and love him.

Obama will wow his audience tonight. The question is can he wow the audience that does not love him – the undecided, whom he must convince if he wants to sleep in the White House for the next four years. This raises another question. What sensible person would want this job?

For those of you interested in Martin Luther King’s Cobo Hall speech, the following is part of his peroration.

"And so I go back to the South not in despair. I go back to the South not with a feeling that we are caught in a dark dungeon that will never lead to a way out. I go back believing that the new day is coming. And so this afternoon, I have a dream. (Go ahead) It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day, right down in Georgia and Mississippi and Alabama, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to live together as brothers.
I have a dream this afternoon (I have a dream) that one day, [Applause] one day little white children and little Negro children will be able to join hands as brothers and sisters.
I have a dream this afternoon that one day, [Applause] that one day men will no longer burn down houses and the church of God simply because people want to be free.
I have a dream this afternoon (I have a dream) that there will be a day that we will no longer face the atrocities that Emmett Till had to face or Medgar Evers had to face, that all men can live with dignity.
I have a dream this afternoon (Yeah) that my four little children, that my four little children will not come up in the same young days that I came up within, but they will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not the color of their skin. [Applause]
I have a dream this afternoon that one day right here in Detroit, Negroes will be able to buy a house or rent a house anywhere that their money will carry them and they will be able to get a job. [Applause] (That’s right)
Yes, I have a dream this afternoon that one day in this land the words of Amos will become real and "justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."
I have a dream this evening that one day we will recognize the words of Jefferson that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." I have a dream this afternoon. [Applause]
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and "every valley shall be exalted, and every hill shall be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." [Applause]
I have a dream this afternoon that the brotherhood of man will become a reality in this day."

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Posted by Chicago based Irish keynote speaker and business humorist Conor Cunneen

Women Win at Dem Convention

2008-08-27T11:32:00.003-05:00

Two big women winners at the Democratic Convention last night.

Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina (huh?)

By any standards, Clinton’s speech was a huge success. There are motivational and inspirational and humorous keynote speakers out there who would die to be able to generate the level of enthusiasm and reaction which the former first lady generated.

From a communications and keynote speaker point of view, she got almost everything right. Admittedly, she did have a very receptive audience but her speech was an excellently crafted piece of oratory. I have not been able to determine who the primary speech-writer was but she or he earned their corn last night.

Words though do not make a great speech. If they did, Richard Nixon would be lauded as a great speaker as some of the material he received from William Safire, Pat Buchanan, David Gergen and others represented great wordsmithing. What makes a great speech is the occasion - which Clinton had, the delivery of a speech which for Clinton was nothing short of brilliant with wonderful pacing and voice pitch. And of course she had some excellent sound-bites especially “No way, No how, No McCain.”

I have always thought of Hillary Clinton as a very competent speaker. Last night, she leaped into the pantheon of world class orators. The lady done good!

And now for the other winner last night – Carly Fiorina.

This former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard has (like Hillary) suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in a generally successful career.

Now an economic consultant to John McCain, this lady was interviewed by Greta Van Susteren on Fox last night. Acknowledged as an excellent communicator and speech-maker, she gave Hillary Clinton credit for a “wonderful speech,” and then went on to provide a bravura performance as to why John McCain is the right man for the White House. Her presentation style was similar to Clintons – crisp, clear, passionate and extremely professional.

As I watched it, I thought McCain could do a lot worse than pick this lady for VP candidate. There is a percentage of the Hillary vote up for grabs, despite her endorsement of Barack Obama. The political strategists know that they are playing for only 5-8% of the national vote – the undecided voter. Fiorina would give the GOP a real chance to switch some of those disaffected Hillary people over.

Whatever happens, kudos to Hillary and Carly, two great communicators

Posted by Chicago based Irish keynote speaker and business humorist Conor Cunneen

Learn from Padraig Harrington

2008-08-12T09:15:00.003-05:00

It is a few years since I've run a marathon. To some extent, the actual race was just the meat in a very big sandwich. Reaction from friends and colleagues in the few days after completing the 26 miles and 385 yards (believe me I know) made one feel the whole effort was worthwhile. The other side of the sandwich was all the preparation and hard work that I had to do to get ready for the event. I would not have completed the marathon had I not pounded the pavements for months prior to the event.

I am reminded of that experience after watching my compatriot Irishman Padraig Harrington win at the PGA this past Sunday. Although he sometimes downplays it, this very likeable character was blessed with a genuine talent. (We are all born with talent of some kind). Harrington though has worked incredibly - I'm choosing that word carefully - hard to get to where he is today.

Compare pictures of Harrington from 10 years ago to today and you see a different individually - much slimmer, no slight pot-belly and a man who exudes confidence. This confidence has come about because of all the hard work he has put in. As a keynote speaker on Branding, Marketing and how to create Success, I'm intrigued by people who 'make it.'

Prior to Harrington teeing up for - and winning - the British Open three weeks ago, there was real concern that an injury he suffered in training would prevent him from defending his title.
The amazing this is how he sustained the injury. Harrington won the Irish PGA Championship the week before the Open. Having won this title at The European Club, he drove the short distance back to his home and THEN started whacking more golf balls before he suffered his injury. The injury occurred when he swung his club into what he called an "impact ball," apparently designed to improve his power.

Forgive the poor English, but how nuts is this? He's just won a tournament and then he goes on to practice some more! Of course it is the kind of 'nuts' that gets you to be one of the best in the world at what you do. It's the kind of 'nuts' that many successful people exhibit. In a different context, many years ago, that great motivational keynote speaker and inspirational politician told students at Harrow School, Oct 29th 1941 - "(N)ever give in, never give in, never, never, never...."

Harrington never gives in, on the practice ground or on the golf course. It is a lesson for all of us. Your success depends on the hard work you put in. It won't happen just because you want it to happen. You have got to make it happen.

Do you?
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Conor Cunneen is an Irish keynote speaker and business humorist who does his best to make it happen for his audiences. He does try to live the lessons of this blog by being a diligent student of the communication process and a speaker who is constantly on ‘the practice ground,’ rehearsing, researching speech material for clients like Harley-Davidson, Abbott, Siemens.

Conor is a regular participant in speech competitions and is a winner of the coveted Chicago Toastmasters Humorous Speaker of the Year for a speech on ……. would you believe? …. Customer Service in San Quentin Jail.

If you are seeking a speaker who will Energize, Educate and Entertain your audience Contact Conor today.

Brett Favre - THE Brand

2008-08-07T08:38:00.005-05:00

Man, the power of a Brand!

Listening to Squawk on the Street this morning, presenter Mark Haines opened the program with "Welcome to Squawk Box from the financial capital of the world and the home of Brett Favre." This is a financial program!

I had never referenced Favre (hey I’m an Irishman) when presenting as a keynote speaker on Branding and Marketing previously, but he is definitely a great brand offering a fabulous brand experience to some many people over the last thousand years or however long he has been playing. A simple definition of a brand is the core product plus associated experience.

Favre provides the core product – a very good quarterback. The associated experience is that he is a winner, a leader, a player who never gives up, a tough man who is not afraid to show his human nature. Sure, he is the player that opposing fans love to hate, but not in a vitriolic manner and there is hardly a football fan out there who would not have wished Favre to be on their team.

Favre’s #4 jersey is the best selling shirt in the NFL, but he transcends football. My very lovely (and long-suffering ) Irish wife couldn’t care two hoots for American football –until Favre gets mentioned.

I think as a keynote speaker on branding and marketing, there are a few points I might make in the future about branding and the Brett Favre experience?

1) Have a good product
2) Create a connection with your customer base
3) Engender a level of emotion about your product
4) Constantly reinforce that connection and emotion.
5) Create word of mouth momentum with satisfied customers speaking positively about your product
6) Keep your brand promise
7) Don’t kill your brand before end of its natural life cycle (Maybe Brett should have paid attention to this)

All of this is so obvious, that it is amazing marketers do not do this more often – Yea right! Brand building is tough, but when you get it right, when you create that emotional connection that allows you to charge premium prices, you will know it has been worth it.

AND NOW FOR:

THE BRAND EXPERIENCE COMMERCIAL

If you are looking for a genuinely interesting, educational and funny brand experience from a keynote speaker, then contact Conor Cunneen. Conor is an Irish keynote speaker, happily exiled in Chicagoland whose clients include Harley-Davidson, Abbott, Siemens, London Life, Spanish Food & Drink Federation and many more.

As a funny and inspirational keynote speaker, Conor makes you a BRAND PROMISE which is E4: Energize, Educate, Entertain AND Easy to work with.

While Conor likes to use ludicrously hyperbolic references to encourage search engine optimization (e.g. Conor is a humorous, inspirational, funny, insightful, humorous keynote business speaker on topics as diverse as Communications, Cancer recovery (twice), Healthcare, Foodservice), the fact that he keeps his BRAND PROMISE (kind of) justifies the level of hyperbole.

Clients say things like
“In my close to thirty years of association work, I have never seen a speaker as well received as you.” Incentive Marketing Association

“Working with Conor Cunneen has been a pleasure both for our company and our clients. Conor is a great speaker who obviously knows the importance of a good and well planned speech according to the wishes of our clients.” SpeakersForum, Finland.

“Everybody was talking about your presentation. You literally made our event. Your ability to hold an audience is exceptional.” Jerry Elsner – Executive Director, Illinois State Crime Commission

Go on. Get a taste of the Irish brogue and phone Conor at 630 718 1643 or send him an email and tell him you are looking for an inspirational, funny, motivational, humorous keynote speaker (give over Conor – Ed.) for your next conference or send him an email.

Innovation Drives GROWTH

2008-08-06T14:35:00.005-05:00

As a keynote speaker on marketing and business growth, two quarterly results caught my attention yesterday – consumer goods giant P&G which announced a 33% profit gain and fast food chain Wendy's which announced a similar percentage change in profits, EXCEPT this was a negative number.

The results from these companies intrigue me because not so long ago, the respective positions were reversed. When P&G CEO, A.G. Lafley took the helm in June 2000, the company was - to put it mildly, struggling with poor growth prospects and a number of missed earnings reports. At the same time, Wendy’s was making strong inroads into the market share of a then sleepy McDonald’s.

So what caused the reversal of fortune for both companies? There is no simple answer, but undoubtedly much of the answer lies in Innovation. Wendy’s growth in the early part of this decade was very much fueled by the introduction of one new product in particular – Salad Sensations. Introduced in February 2002, these salads were the first reasonable quality salad available from a major fast food chain. The “innovation” helped change consumer perceptions of fast food, a perception change that was further accelerated when McDonald’s followed suit thirteen months later. Wendy’s unfortunately lived on their laurels and while claiming to be the innovators in the sector, introduced very few additional relevant products. The net result – Wendy’s has lost its independence, founder Dave Thomas is probably turning in his grave and Triarc – franchisor of the Arby’s chain, has picked up a great brand quite cheaply.

On the other hand, P&G truly understood the power of innovation. Today the company is perceived as being one of the most innovative CPG companies on the market. It has been so successful in the North American laundry care business that it has forced arch-rival Unilever to exit the market. Fiscal ’08 sales at $83.5 billion are double what they were six years ago. One example of successful innovation is the Fusion shaving system which attained billion dollar status in just two years – the fastest billion dollar brand in the company’s history. In the associated conference call announcing the year end results, Lafley stated “Innovation is what will differentiate the winners and the losers in our industry and in the current environment. Innovation drives consumer value and builds brand equity and trust over time.”

How right he is. Even as a humorous keynote speaker, I do my best to be innovative, introducing new keynotes / concepts on a regular basis. Not all motivational, inspirational speakers agree with this philosophy presenting the same material over and over again. I have recently finalized a new keynote, based on my experience as a keynote speaker who has had prostate cancer. Titled “It’s Only a Flesh Wound” (bowing the head to the wonderful Monty Python scene), I have had great reaction to a keynote speech which looks in a humorous but I hope insightful way at how you can overcome prostate and other cancers.

An article ranging from Wendy’s salads to prostate cancer is quite a jump, but the underlying message is constant. Innovation – get it right and you will grow. Rest on your laurels and you will be left behind.

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Conor Cunneen is an Irishman, a Chicago based humorous keynote speaker, or if the search engines are paying attention, a funny inspirational motivational business speaker on topics as diverse as foodservice, cancer, communication skills and humor.
You can contact this funny motivational business speaker at 630 718 1643

Mamma - Why didn't we listen?

2008-08-04T11:01:00.002-05:00

One of the most interesting books I’ve read in recent times is Satisfaction: How Every Great Company Listens to the Voice of the Customer by J.D. Power and Chris Denove. Power, founder of J. D. Power and Associates recalls a meeting he held with GM / Pontiac executives in January 1980 when he detailed the Japanese automakers emphasis on quality. Power told the geniuses then responsible for the Pontiac brand that unless they improved product quality, product reliability and fuel consumption, the GM market share would tumble. He predicted that the GM share of 48% would drop to 33% by the end of the decade. Not too surprisingly, some of the Pontiac / GM representatives did not take too kindly to the prediction.
I bet they wish they had paid attention now that GM has announced another whopping quarterly loss – $15.5 billion and its share value is less than when Power made his prediction only twenty-eight years ago!

To be fair to the GM execs, I would have probably discounted his apparently extreme forecast as well (in fact, the share decline he predicted took only eight years to occur), but you really have to ask, what have GM and Ford and Chrysler being doing over the past three decades? It is nothing short of incredible (sorry maybe that should read predictable) that GM’s share now hovers around twenty percent of the market, while Ford and Chrysler are close to life support.

The lesson for management I think is one I mention in my book Why Ireland Never Invaded America. It is ‘Do not believe your own blarney – do not take things for granted.’ Had these once profitable organizations paid real attention to what was happening in the market place and genuinely listened to the voice of the customer, they would not be in the position they are in today. Their one saving grace right now is that each of the once so-called Big Three does appear to have quality management – Wagoner (GM), Mullally (Ford), Nardelli (Chrysler), in the hot seat.

Starbucks: The Brand Risk

2008-07-17T13:07:00.004-05:00

What did we ever do without smoothies?

Kudos to companies like Jamba Juice for really pushing a product category that is now being adopted almost universally. McDonald’s, the big dog in the fast food category, has identified beverages as a ‘growth engine.’(Other growth engines are breakfast, chicken and 24 hour convenience.)

Indeed ,the vision for the Golden Arches is that McDonald’s will become a ‘beverage destination’ in this $60b category. The chain believes it can grow average sales by $125,000 per restaurant, which if it happens would generate about 5% incremental sales growth. Whether the hamburger giant can achieve the beverage destination goal and provide good quality smoothies without slowing the experience is open to question but given how successful it has been in general since the late Jim Cantalupo took the hot seat in 2003, I wouldn’t bet against them.

Now we have our Seattle buddies Starbucks getting in on the smoothie act “raising the bar on good nutrition with the introduction of Vivanno™ Nourishing Blends.” It is an obvious move given the Starbucks demographics and the growth in this sector. Vivanno and similar products from Jamba Juice are a meal in themselves, thus this might help Starbucks to grow its breakfast business.

The only caveat I have with this introduction is that like it or not, it moves Starbucks further away from its coffee house tradition. That is the brand risk which Starbucks is taking, something which - if it happens, may not be visible for quite some time. The right thing for sales growth may not be the right thing for Brand Integrity. For instance, an argument could be made that the drive-thru at Starbucks takes from the 'Third Place' experience the company has been so proud of.

Posted by Conor Cunneen who is a humorous keynote business speaker on Marketing, Business Growth and Branding. Conor is an Irishman, happily exiled in Naperville, IL where he says the Guinness is drinkable (now there is a Brand) and the natives are friendly.
http://www.irishmanspeaks.com/

White House Correspondents' Dinner: Winners & Losers

2006-05-01T18:06:00.000-05:00

I was flicking channels yesterday when I happened upon a recording of the White House Correspondents' Dinner on C-Span. It was good entertainment and provided a number of interesting lessons for the professional speaker.

The clear winner on the night was impersonator Steve Bridges. This very good “George Bush” may not be able to push up what is already an impressive fee, but he will surely get a substantial increase in bookings following this bravura performance.

Bridges was a success for a number of reasons.
* He had a great “prop,” – The Commander in Chief.
* He had a pretty obvious but well crafted script.
* Although he had an easy target, Bridges was not particularly aggressive in the barbs he threw at Bush.

The loser on the night was Stephen Colbert. When speaking to wannabe speakers, one of the things I tell them is “Listen to the audience.” Initial reaction to this comment is sometimes bemusement, but the experienced speaker can “hear” the audience and is able to read the audience reaction. On Saturday night, Colbert heard "the sound of silence."

There are two reasons for audience silence.
1) When you have really grabbed the audience and they are listening to every word. This most often happens when you are referencing a truly emotional event or anecdote.
2) When you are “dying,” when you are unable to create a bond between you and the audience, when you feel a cold sweat on the back of your neck. This happens to every speaker and humorist at some stage as even Jay Leno has admitted.

Audience reaction to Colbert was extraordinarily muted and the applause at the end of his session was tepid and very brief. Lessons the budding speaker might take from this event:
* Sometimes you can try too hard.
* Humor cannot be forced.
* Aggressive humor most certainly does NOT work when your target is in the arena. It is a lot easier to laugh at a person when that person is not in the room.

On the plus side, I think Colbert proved to be a real professional. He must have known he was dying, yet he kept going. He of course had no choice, but his overall demeanor stayed, as in the words of Bush, “chipper.”

Credit also to the real “Dubya” who played the serious role to Bridges’ caricature. Bush will be lambasted for a million different reasons over the coming weeks by the Washington press corps, but it is human nature that critics will not be as aggressive against someone they have a personal affection for rather than someone they despise. A question might be asked as to whether it is appropriate for the head of state to allow himself to be lampooned. However, the White House Correspondents' dinner is a well established tradition where it is preferable to be “skewered” in person than failing to turn up. Failure to turn up would really get you “skewered.”

The benefits of an iPodding IPro

2006-04-20T10:14:00.000-05:00

One of the passions in my life is working and supporting those who are in the transition community (job search, to those of you who are lucky enough never to have experienced the event). When, as VP Marketing, I parted company with Unilever, it provided me with the best opportunity of my life – speaking, consulting and writing on business, motivation, leadership. I now do a lot of pro bono work, showing people how they can SHEIFGAB the World.

For many the transition process is a deeply painful, distressing and de-motivating experience. It hurts financially and it hurts psychologically.
I am convinced though that many executives who are in paid employment suffer similar “psychological overdrafts” related to lack of job satisfaction and, strong frustration levels associated with corporate bureaucracy, career rut, work life balance etc.

There are a lot of mid-level, mid-career executives out there who hate their job, hate going to work in the morning and who are stuck in a twilight zone of poor job satisfaction and de-motivating work environment. Unfortunately for them, they are either afraid to change or do not have the financial wherewithal to gamble and jump.

A recent study by HR gurus and as they like to say “Human Capital Solution Providers,” Hudson Highland Group, provides some interesting insight on this topic. Hudson conducted a global survey of more than 2,100 professionals in full-time and independent roles, in the U.S., Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The survey was conducted amongst Full Time Professionals (FTP) and Independent Professionals (IPros) to determine attitudes to work, job satisfaction etc. The report The Lure of Autonomy: A Global Study of Professional Workers is available at http://www.hudson-index.com/node.asp?SID=5466

Key findings include
* Independent professionals are more pleased than full-time employees with the type of work they do, their employer and the industry in which they work.
* While both groups are most satisfied with achieving high levels of competence and expert knowledge, IPros are more satisfied with their autonomy and doing interesting work.
* Full-time professionals rate paid vacation and health benefits among the most satisfying aspects of their jobs.
* If full-timers could change one thing about their situation, it would be working fewer hours and no longer feeling as if they are “on call” at all times. One full-time professional states, “The term ‘full-time’ has come to mean 60+ hours per week. I would like to see that number come down.”
* Neither IPros nor full-timers are particularly satisfied with their job security. While full-time employees are more satisfied than independents, neither group scored satisfaction with their security higher than 6.9 on a 10-point scale.

You might say, “Nothing too surprising in those results.” Maybe not, but as an iPodding IPro (sorry just had to throw that in), I do believe that job satisfaction is substantially better for the independent who has escaped the corporate world. I did enjoy corporate life, but the level of independence, the sense of autonomy and the opportunity to learn as I deal with different clients, different corporate cultures and industries has provided me with a growth experience I would not have got in corporate land. Sure there are downsides to being an IPro. If anyone expects to work less hours than in corporate land, it don’t happen. The difference is, you are doing it for yourself. Interestingly, Hudson also suggests the IPro has a higher income level the FTP, at least based on survey respondents. It should be noted that the average IPro surveyed had been out of corporate land for at least seven years.

If you can survive out in that independent jungle for the first few years, the benefits do come. For the IPro, income security initially is an issue, but Hudson’s findings that FTPs scored job security at only 6.9 on a 10-point scale is lower than I would have expected. Sure, the days of the job for life are gone, but I don’t recall seeing such a low rating in a cross industry, multi-country survey before.

Ah – the benefits of the IPro: Job satisfaction, job security (at least it is in your own hands), flexibility, blogging. What more could you want? Well, another high paid speaking engagement, maybe!!

Keep the shovel tippin'

Conor Cunneen

Krispy Kreme - A Great Brand Going Stale

2006-04-18T14:50:00.000-05:00

The good ol’ days for Krispy Kreme seem a long way off right now. Not so long ago, the Krispy Kreme brand had the same type of cachet and consumer loyalty which Starbucks continues to exhibit. It was “everyone’s” favorite donut. For many that may still be the story, but the icing sure looks pretty tacky on the famous brand these days. Today’s share price of $7.99 is a long way from its peak in the high $40’s during the glory days of 2003.

So what went wrong with one of the most touted brands of recent years? Great brands need great, or at least good management. Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, Apple, McDonald’s in recent years have benefited from quality execution of a relevant strategy.

Krispy Kreme does not seem to have been as fortunate. To some extent, the company founded in 1937, underwent a mid-life crisis in recent years. Former CEO, Scott Livengood drove the brand’s expansion from 27 to 43 states between 2000 – 2004. It is easy to say the business expanded too fast, but who questions the speed of expansion of Starbucks for instance?

The difference seems to be that Starbucks has strong financial leadership, a truely visionary Chairman,does not franchise and at least to date has not been impacted by macro-trends such as the short but impactful Atkins craze.

To some extent the financial, if not the consumer success of Krispy Kreme was smoke and mirrors. A special internal committee investigation following Livengood’s departure presented a damning report in August 2005.
"In our view, Scott A. Livengood, former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and John W. Tate, former Chief Operating Officer, bear primary responsibility for the failure to establish the management tone, environment and controls essential for meeting the Company's responsibilities as a public company. Krispy Kreme and its shareholders have paid dearly for those failures, as measured by the loss in market value of the Company's shares, a loss in confidence in the credibility and integrity of the Company's management and the considerable costs required to address those failures.”

Even more damning the report went on to suggest that the “number, nature and timing of the accounting errors strongly suggest that they resulted from an intent to manage earnings.”

Since these apparent financial shenanigans became obvious to management, all hands have been on the tiller attempting to steady the ship. Sales continue to plummet. Numbers announced for the quarter ending January (only released yesterday, April 17th!) show system-wide and company average weekly sales per factory store decreased approximately 9% and 10%, respectively, compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005. By any standards that is a huge decline for a once shooting star.

It will be interesting to see if new President and CEO Daryl Brewster – a Kraft veteran, will be able to steady the ship. Despite all of its problems, most of them self-incurred, Krispy Kreme still has a brand cachet and equity to be envied. Assuming quality management is in place, this brand equity will provide the corner stone for a smaller but more profitable donut chain. Don’t be surprised if Krispy Kreme becomes a takeover target once all those little financial issues have been sorted. I’m sure Starbucks has never gazed covetously at the struggling donut chain!

McDonald's - THE Most Impressive Turnaround?

2006-04-13T11:24:00.000-05:00

McDonald’s reported another set of impressive results this morning, something which they have been doing now for thirty-five consecutive months. Results for March show same store sales in U.S. grew 6.6% for the month and the quarter.

Do you remember when it was a basket case? A little over three years ago, it announced its first ever quarterly loss - $343m, ditched Chairman and CEO Jack Greenberg, while analysts wrote the obituary, not just of McDonald’s but the fast food segment in general.

Today, the Oakbrook, IL based hamburger behemoth is a poster child for corporate turnaround. Just as those tarnished Golden Arches a few years ago led the downward consumer attitude to fast food, now it is leading consumers and media back up that perception curve.

The best decision the corporation made in recent years was also one that got little initial favorable reaction. McDonald’s invited ex-Vice Chairman Jim Cantalupo to be Chairman and CEO in January 2003, after it exited Greenberg.

I and many others could not see the logic of bringing back to the organization a man who had retired but eight months previous and however you look at it, must bear some responsibility for the appalling results the company had been generating. In his memoir, In the Arena: A Memoir of Victory, Defeat and Renewal, Richard Nixon wrote that the most creative time of his life was after he left the White House. He had time to think without the mad pressures of day to day activity.

Maybe the eight months out of the organization allowed for the same creative thinking and clarity of vision for Cantalupo. The man who unfortunately only lasted sixteen months in the position before taken by an apparent heart attack, returned with a very clear and compelling vision as to what a successful McDonald’s unit might look like. At his first investor conference – Jan 16, 2003, he proclaimed “Clean restrooms and hot food served in our restaurants would be a change.” He repeated that line consistently while his successor as CEO, Charlie Bell regularly said “We will have the cleanest restrooms in the industry.”

Analysts were not impressed at Cantalupo’s ideas following that conference call. Comments included:
“A continuation of the recent past”
“Plans were vague and did not inspire confidence”
“Unimpressed,” suggested another industry sage.

In my book, Why Ireland Never Invaded America, I reference the concept of The ER Factor – Drivers of Corporate Health. The idea is that E (Execution) of an R (Relevant) strategy will drive corporate health. I admit I dreamed that concept up after listening to Cantalupo and Bell speak on a number of occasions. Bell, in particular spoke about being “relevant” to the McDonald’s consumer and executing properly. Today, the corporation truly is offering relevant products and being rewarded for it. I’ll comment on their premium coffee at a later stage.

The bottom line is it went back to basics and got it right. It updated its menu, it has positioned itself as a provider of healthier offering, but the first and most important thing was that Chairman Cantalupo demanded the restaurants get back to basics – clean restrooms and hot food.

I write and speak a lot on corporate and personal vision. Some of the vision and value statements expounded by companies are garbage, dreamed up by executives during a corporate retreat in Naples Florida or Laguna Beach, California. But sometimes, executives get it AND make it happen. Cantalupo could clearly see and visualize what a successful unit would look like and demanded it happen. He was lucky that McDonald’s had their Premium Salads ready to roll out some three months after he took office (although one year BEHIND the launch of Wendy’s Salad Sensations.) This was an “innovation” that the hamburger giant implemented exceptionally well and which helped re-energize the organization, something that is obvious in the results it continues to generate.

Cheers

Conor Cunneen - C.A.S.H.
Consultant, Author, Speaker, Humorist

Bill Clinton - A Great Communicator

2006-04-12T11:40:00.000-05:00

Don't laugh. Forget the man's politics, if you wish. Forget "It depends what the definition of 'is' is," Bill Clinton is one of the most impressive speakers and communicators on the circuit today.

I'm currently posting a number of "Great Speeches You May Not Have Heard" on my website at www.irishmanspeaks.com and at least two Clinton speeches will appear.

I got particularly interested in Bill Clinton after I saw his remarks at the funeral for Coretta Scott King. Even right wing opponents gave him credit! A son of the segregated South, he became a powerful advocate for Civil Rights. But he was also not afraid to make some blunt comments. Many commentators suggest that Clinton's most impressive Civil Rights speech was when he spoke at the Convocation of the Church of God in Christ in Memphis, November 13, 1993.

President Clinton was still relatively new to the presidency when he spoke in Memphis and had yet to undergo the well publicized travails about his White House indiscretions. Clinton is a gifted orator and communicator if sometimes long-winded. Irrespective of his politics, he has the ability to empathize with people and make them feel good.

In Bob Shieffer's memoir, This Just In, Schieffer writes of his wife's reaction after meeting Bill Clinton for the first time. "He's got it. When he shook my hand, he held it just an instant longer than a person normally would, and he held eye contact just a second longer than someone you meet usually does not long enough to call it flirting, but just long enough to make you feel at that moment, you're the most important person in the room."

This speech and a number of others where he speaks from the heart does resonate strongly with the listener and reader. Interestingly, his speech writer Josh Gottheimer says Clinton spoke extemporaneously relying largely on notes he had scribbled on the original speech. Awesome!

Clinton basically decried the culture of violence which was destroying many aspects of the African-American community. He asked the audience "(If Dr. Martin Luther King)were to reappear by my side today and give us a report card on the last 25 years, what would be say?

The following are some truly powerful lines Clinton threw out. I quote them to show Clinton's ability to empathize with an audience and show how a brilliant orator can paint vivid, sometimes painful pictures.

"You did a good job, he would say, voting and electing people who formerly were not electable because of the color of their skin. You have more political power, and that is good. You did a good job, he would say, letting people who have the ability to do so live wherever they want to live, go wherever they want to go in this great country.

You did a good job, he would say, elevating people of color into the ranks of the United States Armed Forces to the very top or into the very top of our Government.
You did a very good job, he would say.

He would say, you did a good job creating a black middle class of people who really are doing well, and the middle class is growing more among African-Americans than among non-African-Americans. You did a good job; you did a good job in opening opportunity.

But he would say, I did not live and die to see the American family destroyed.

I did not live and die to see 13-year-old boys get automatic weapons and gun down 9-year-olds just for the kick of it.

I did not live and die to see young people destroy their own lives with drugs and then build fortunes destroying the lives of others. That is not what I came here to do.

I fought for freedom, he would say, but not for the freedom of people to kill each other with reckless abandon, not for the freedom of children to have children and the fathers of the children walk away from them and abandon them as if they don't amount to anything. I fought for people to have the right to work but not to have whole communities and people abandoned. This is not what I lived and died for."

Over the years, presidential speech writers have torn the passion out of presidential speeches. Clinton, like George W. Bush (and indeed most other speakers, presidential or not) when speaking from the heart, when not hidebound by
protocol and etiquette can and does connect.

Satisfaction - Why Toyota Camry "costs" more than the Malibu

2006-04-10T19:49:00.000-05:00

Just finished reading
Satisfaction
How Every Great Company Listens to the Voice of the Customer

Chris Denove and James D. Power IV of J.D. Power and Associates

In the foreword to this interesting book, J. D. Power III, the founder of J. D. Power and Associates recalls two meetings where he presented to Pontiac representatives. Meeting one took place in January 1980 when he detailed the Japanese automakers emphasis on quality. He predicted that the then GM market share of 48% would drop to 33% by the end of the decade. Not too surprisingly, some of the Pontiac / GM representatives did not take too kindly to the prediction.

Famed baseball player and sometime philosopher reputedly said, “Predictions are notoriously difficult – especially predictions of the future.” Power’s anecdote provides living proof of this little witticism, because he got his prediction wrong. The GM share fell to that 33% share two years earlier than predicted! Power made a similar presentation to Pontiac executives in 1989, providing similar dread warnings. GM’s share today is in the mid-twenties and most people are familiar with the terrible financial situation this once proud industry behemoth is now in.

Power’s overall point. – Product quality counts. It is a key determinant of customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction leads to improved financial performance. The author’s make the point that executives know this correlation but do not always live and breath this philosophy.

Customer satisfaction builds loyalty. Good customer service often generates good word of mouth advertising – no matter what the industry. I found it interesting that one of the nation’s largest house builders, Pulte Homes, suggests that 45% of its sales are influenced by the positive recommendations of another customer. I might have been a little dubious of that figure had I not learned at a recent conference for mortgage brokers I attended, that the top performing brokers got up to 40% of their business from previous customers!!

Satisfaction contains numerous product references featuring good and bad performance by manufacturers and service providers. Not too surprisingly, JetBlue and Lexus get significant coverage reflecting a very high level of customer satisfaction. The book was finished before JetBlue ran into some loss making quarters which it could be argued undermines the thesis of the book, although I think it would have taken an absolute genius (or a SouthWest executive ) to figure out just how dramatically aviation fuel would increase. It will be interesting to see how JetBlue performs over coming quarters, but I tend to believe that their renowned customer service combined with very strong customer advocacy will bring them back to profitability.

Lexus figures prominently in the book simply because they are THE best and consistently so. It really is astonishing that Lexus was able to take brand leadership in the luxury car market, against Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac and BMW within ten years of entering this market sector.

One of the many interesting chapters in the book refers to Different Companies, Different Touchpoints. Here the authors suggest that a company’s ability to understand the various ways its business touches customers and then uses that knowledge is what determines success. For instance the touch points for service providers:
* Objective quality of the service provided
* Subjective experience of how the service is performed
* Process by which the service is acquired

differ from the touchpoints differ for product manufacturers e.g. Lexus

* Product execution
* Product quality
* Sales experience (as perceived by the customer)
* Service experience

The continued success of Lexus isn’t just due to the quality of the car itself (which is superb) but also due to the overall customer experience and the satisfaction of all touchpoints. I can vouch for this personally, because when I bring in my ten year old Lexus for a winter service, the loaner car out in the parking lot has had its engine running for many minutes. Thus I sit into a nice warm car and off we go. Maybe other dealers do this, but I know that I regularly talk up Lexus (become an advocate) for the brand after visiting the dealership.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car gets kudos from the authors also. It is another organization that maintains very high levels of customer satisfaction which has helped it become the largest car rental company in the United States. Do you remember when Avis would proudly claim “We’re number two – we try harder”? Seems as if it will have to change that to “number three” today.

If you need good solid evidence of the value of quality and customer satisfaction, look no further than the price of a Chevrolet Malibu as compared to its Toyota competitor, the Camry. Both models target basically the same market and provide roughly same functionality and mileage. Indeed, the authors suggest that the current real quality gap between the two cars is quite small. Indeed in writing this review, I checked the J.D Power site www.jdpower.com and compared the two vehicles. The Malibu rates better in total!! Yet, the authors state that because of the perceived reputation of the Camry, the car normally sells for about $2,000 more for a comparable specification. Given that GM sells about 250,000 Malibus per year, that is a significant drop in revenue. Effectively, the cost of many years of lost Satisfaction.

A good book written by people who know the benefits of quality.

Starbucks - This is ridiculous

2006-04-07T08:52:00.000-05:00

Starbucks just doesn’t get it.

Someone should have told Howard Schultz when he first got involved in Starbucks that selling high priced coffee wouldn’t work. (Actually, a lot of investment firms and Wall Street gurus did and would not invest). Now someone needs to tell the Chairman and Jim Donald, Starbucks President and Chief Operating Officer that no one in today’s competitive world is supposed to post same store double digit growth – 10% growth. Results March 2006. January saw similar store growth while February showed a “much weaker” performance – only 8% growth. Just not good enough guys!!

This organization is just amazing. Much of the commentary about Starbucks relates to their incessant growth – today 11,000 units, and by the time you have read this, that number will be wrong. Starbucks suggests that it could grow to 30,000 units globally over coming years, with a major emphasis on China.

But how does an organization which “everyone visits all the time” continue to grow same store sales so consistently. Starbucks has posted same store growth of at least 5% for fourteen consecutive years.

In my book Why Ireland Never Invaded America www.whyirelandneverinvadedamerica.com I write about The ER Factor – Drivers of Corporate Health. The basic concept is growth comes from Execution (E) of a Relevant (R) strategy and surely Starbucks is a poster child for this concept. By the way, I will also give particular credit to McDonald’s for being a prime example of The ER Factor.

Starbucks can post this growth – and by the way management consistent advice is that 3-7% is more realistic - because of the famed Starbucks Experience. This does not just mean that the stores have a welcoming, homely ambience (how can they achieve this with so many units?), but also staff (partner) recruitment consistently seems better than average. Combine this with an extremely successful beverage innovation program, incremental sales such as music and now involvement in promotion of family friendly movies and you have an organization that presents consistently superb results.

When speaking on the concept of a Clear and Compelling Vision, I often reference the comment from Howard Scultz’s autobiography Pour Your Heart Into It – How Starbucks Built a Company, One Cup at a Time. Schultz had come to Chicago to set up the first Starbucks unit outside the West Coast. At a time when money was so tight that he and Starbucks investor Jack Rogers shared a hotel room, Schultz said to his colleague as they walked Chicago streets “Five years from now, everyone of those people will be walking around holding a Starbucks cup.” His colleague told him he was “Crazy.”

It was a ludicrous, outlandish vision for a business that at that stage was unknown. Thankfully for Starbucks investors and customers, Schultz and Co. do not seem to have a problem with “Crazy – Ludicrous – Outlandish.”

It is inconceivable that Starbucks will not hit a speed bump at some stage, but its ability to implement The ER Factor so consistently well suggests substantial good results for a long time to come.

Cheers

Conor Cunneen - C.A.S.H.
Consultant, Author, Speaker, Humorist

Katie Couric - The Right Choice?

2006-04-05T07:23:00.000-05:00

The imminent departure of Katie Couric from the NBC "Today" show to the CBS Evening News program is not surprising. The question is, 'Is it the right choice for either party?'

I like Katie Couric and believe she is very, very good on the "Today" morning show. She is a solid journalist, does generally good interviews and as far as I'm aware is a good professional. She is also very likeable with a wonderful, warm, welcoming on air personality. It is this likeability and personality which has been one of the key factors in her ratings.

This is where the potential problems arise. The evening news programs seem to demand a different type of personality. In fact the basic requirement is: Show little personality, present a high level of gravitas and above all rarely smile or joke with your colleagues or guests.

Psychologist Albert Mehrabian suggested that communication consists of verbal, voice tone and body language. Words accounts for 7% of message, voice tone 38% and body language 55%. Now much of this research related to emotional situations and many query Mehrabian's statistics, but there is not much doubt that voice tone and body language make a huge contribution to the communication message.

Katie Couric will not be able to show her full personality on the CBS news program. In other words, the likelihood is that the smiling, vivacious, likeable Katie Couric will be replaced by a serious, passionless, grave Katie Couric. I don't doubt she can, and has presented this image when necessary. The question is will the "Evening News" Katie Couric be as popular as the "Today" Katie Couric. From a career and job satisfaction point of view, it is an interesting and worthwhile challenge for Couric. It will be interesting to see if it will be the right move.

Irishman Speaks

2006-04-02T13:43:00.000-05:00

Irishman Speaks

As a professional speaker on Business, Motivation and communication, I like to study and appreciate good communication.
One of the most impressive speeches I have heard in recent times is Irish rock star Bono's recent speech at the National Prayer Breakfast 02/02/06. This breakfast was attended by President Bush.
You can get speech text at http://www.data.org/archives/000774.php
The combination of a great artist who definitely has "the gift of the gab" with a powerful compelling message on Africa is what makes this speech compelling.

Good speech development included
* Personal anecdotes
"I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays… and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God."

*Powerful evocative phrasing
"But in truth, I was wrong again. The church was slow but the church got busy on this the leprosy (he is referring to AIDS) of our age.
Love was on the move.

Mercy was on the move.

God was on the move."

AND

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."

AND

"A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord’s blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it… I have a family, please look after them… I have this crazy idea…
And this wise man said: stop.
He said, stop asking God to bless what you’re doing.
Get involved in what God is doing—because it’s already blessed.
Well, God, as I said, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing.
And that is what He’s calling us to do."

I am lucky to have seen video of the actual speech. The visual obviously reinforces the message because of the true emotion Bono feels and communicates with wonderful Irish passion. I do admit to bias.I happen to think Bono is the 21st century version of Mother Teresa, a person with great vision who not only talks but walks the talk. Indeed, George Bush commended Bono after the speech with a very humorous joke highlighting that the rock star was a "doer."

posted by Conor Cunneen @ 11:33 AM 0 comments

As a professional speaker on Business, Motivation and communication, I like to study and appreciate good communication.
One of the most impressive speeches I have heard in recent times is Irish rock star Bono's recent speech at the National Prayer Breakfast 02/02/06. This breakfast was attended by President Bush.
You can get speech text at http://www.data.org/archives/000774.php
The combination of a great artist who definitely has "the gift of the gab" with a powerful compelling message on Africa is what makes this speech compelling.

Good speech development included
* Personal anecdotes
"I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays… and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God."

*Powerful evocative phrasing
"But in truth, I was wrong again. The church was slow but the church got busy on this the leprosy (he is referring to AIDS) of our age.
Love was on the move.

Mercy was on the move.

God was on the move."

AND

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."

AND

"A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord’s blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it… I have a family, please look after them… I have this crazy idea…
And this wise man said: stop.
He said, stop asking God to bless what you’re doing.
Get involved in what God is doing—because it’s already blessed.
Well, God, as I said, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing.
And that is what He’s calling us to do."

I am lucky to have seen video of the actual speech. The visual obviously reinforces the message because of the true emotion Bono feels and communicates with wonderful Irish passion. I do admit to bias.I happen to think Bono is the 21st century version of Mother Teresa, a person with great vision who not only talks but walks the talk. Indeed, George Bush commended Bono after the speech with a very humorous joke highlighting that the rock star was a "doer."