Leaders Need To Speak!
Leslie G. Ungar
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Rock and Roll Inductions
5/17/2012 10:39:31 AM
Every five years the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is in Cleveland. In 2017 when they return, get yourself some tickets and attend. It truly is a once in a lifetime experience. When I would tell people we were going to the event, I was always asked,” who is being inducted?” As if it mattered to me. I could not tell you one song Guns N’ Roses (with or without Axyl Rose) ever sang. It was still quite an event. I did not know a building could rock until Guns N’ Roses took the stage and Public Hall vibrated.

Lesson Learned:
Although we do live in the information age, could it be that sometimes we require too much information? The first floor was filled with Rock Stars from Bette Midler to Alice Cooper. Does it really matter who was being inducted? Information often facilitates our involvement in events and associations. Could it be that at times we use information to prevent us from being engaged.
7 More Achilles' Heels
5/15/2012 9:50:54 AM

A year ago I wrote that all leaders, since Troy, have an Achilles’ Heel. The exceptional ones know their Heel. The good ones often are oblivious to their own blind spot. I first identified 7 Achilles’ Heels of today’s leaders. In the past year I have identified another 7!

Although DENIAL may seem like a nice place to live, a look in the honest mirror will help you at the least identify ineffective behavior. 

Lesson Learned:  Just like when you go to the doctor, first you have to identify the problem before the doctor can prescribe a solution. One Achilles’ Heel that I have identified is when you don’t know when to come down from 30,000 feet and how long to stay. Click here for the whole article

 

Develop the Diva 2
5/3/2012 12:42:39 PM
12 Things to Know If You Are a Woman, Work with a Woman, Live with a Woman or Love a Woman

Develop the Diva is about how women communicate their value. All 21st century leaders have a myriad of communication challenges. Men and women leaders have different challenges. The challenge is not Mars versus Venus. The challenge is that women “get in their own way” differently than men” get in their way”.

The word Diva inspires different reactions. Some women say they want to be a Diva, or they don’t want to be a Diva, or they think they already are a Diva.

Webster’s defines Diva as a "goddess, a fine lady." The term often describes a person who, although irritating, cannot be done without.

Women leaders need to communicate with the clarity, conviction, and confidence to move their agendas forward in negotiations and other forms of communication.

So I refer to it as Developing the Diva Within. First identify and then use the skills that women possess. Often women don’t recognize these as skills and don’t leverage them to empower their communication success.

The key to successful communication is to understand that the audience drives the communication, not the speaker. The speaker needs to talk in a way that the audience will “get it”. It is not incumbent on the audience to understand the message. In the business world, women are often talking to male audiences. Hence they need to speak in a way a male audience will “get it."

For the original 7 ways for women to get out of the way of their inner diva, and my 5 NEW ways, click here for the full article.
Concept Store
4/19/2012 12:43:21 PM
One of our daily haunts became a new “concept” store. It was owned by a family, three brothers and parents. It was a patisserie, French bakery, on one floor and a small clothing boutique on the other. One brother was a dress designer making each piece by hand, making only 6 of each piece. The food was really good and the designs phenomenal.

Lesson Learned: What an interesting concept, a concept store marrying two concepts and being really good at both of them. One Saturday night when most of Paris had closed until Monday, we walked by and the family was still in the store. Are you present when you need to be? Are you marrying different kind of concepts together?
Modern Day Gypsies
4/19/2012 12:42:33 PM
In Paris they are called Gypsies or Romas. As fast as the government sends them back, they return multi-fold. They are known for sophisticated pick-pocket maneuvers. One time on the Metro a gypsy opened my back pack while it was on me and I never felt it. That is why you see so many tourists wearing their back pack in front of them rather than on their back. A new scam is to walk past you and pick up a ring that they claim is yours. If you take it, they expect to be paid, If you do not take it, they want to be paid for “luck”. We encountered this scam four times. One Roma was really persistent. She would not give up until she got her price.

Lesson Learned: There is always a competitive edge to have a strategy, stick to it, and be persistent. One gypsy made the amount she requested out of pure perseverance. The other three received no money. Same con, two different outcomes. Do you have a strategy and are you relentless in your stick- to-it-ness?
Make Up Not Forever
4/19/2012 12:41:51 PM
Several years ago I was introduced to the brand of make-up called Make Up Forever while in Paris. At the time it was not sold in the United States. Now Sephora stores all over America sell the entire line. But I still like to buy it in Paris when I am there. Sephora offered dozens of make-up artists from different brands to do free make-overs. The only requirement was that you had to purchase three items. Make Up Forever was the only brand in the store that charged for the service of applying make-up. I chose a “free make-up by a different brand. MUF lost my purchase that day, and they lost me for the foreseeable future now that I am well stocked on other brands.

Lesson Learned: There is much to be said for selling value over price. But if you are doing the exact same service as a competitor figuratively or literally next to you, you better be able to explain very well why you are charging more than the going fee. If your product, service or idea is a commodity or is seen as one, you are obligated to be able to communicate its benefits in order to charge a higher price. If you can’t talk about your value in these terms, how can you charge more?
Café Angelina
4/17/2012 11:14:35 AM
This is one of the most famous restaurant landmarks in Paris. It is famous for its hot chocolate. To partake of is an incredible experience. Although they sell the makings of their drink, it never tastes the same as it does in the café on the Rue de Rivoli. It is as popular for locals as it is for tourists. We stopped there one day to get something to go and they did not have change for the equivalent of a $50 bill.

Lesson Learned: That’s like going to the Mall and a store not having the ability to make change. Are you prepared every day to satisfy your market’s needs?
Power of Perspectives- from Paris
4/17/2012 11:03:21 AM
There is a Sephora store on the Champs-Elysees, one of the most famous streets in the world. One morning coming back from our morning walk; it was 10am as we walked past their doors. All the staff was lined up outside of their entrance singing and clapping. Although I could not understand the words, I knew it was a celebration. When asked, the answer was that they greet the beginning of every work day and the first shoppers in the same joyous way.

Lesson Learned: Sephora staff is taught to celebrate the start of each work day and to celebrate the first shoppers of the day. Is there something you can do to literally or figuratively celebrate each day? To communicate to your clients, customers, guests, or patients that you are excited to see them?
Retail Relevance w/ an Akron-Miami Connection
3/22/2012 8:51:54 AM
Technology is changing the way we shop. Technology is driving how retail defines and delivers customer service. The NYT recently cited Miami-based-Akron-co-owned store Unknown with its 50 iPads to describe its mostly Nike merchandise.(owners LeBron James and Jaron Kanfer) In the same article Nordstrom's and Macy's were cited for their use of Apps, WI-FI, Ipads and computers in their stores for customers to browse the net while browsing the aisles. Mr. Nordstrom himself said "it's to have our stores be relevant".

Lesson Learned: We all use technology. Do you use it to advance the customer experience? The Q gives suite guests an iPad to directly order food and beverage. Your choice is to be defensive or embrace the change. Technology has gotten cheap enough to incorporate in most businesses. What are you doing to add a personal touch through technology?
An Up Side of Hideous
3/20/2012 10:00:55 AM
In last month's newsletter I wrote about a "fan" of mine who sent me a note and told me that H was for hideous in the picture of me that was enclosed in the envelope. A few weeks after I wrote that newsletter I received a red envelope in the mail, no return address. Not to be deterred I opened it. The undisclosed writer told me I was A FOR AWESOME.

Lesson Learned:  My point of sharing the first story was that at any given time we are just an envelope, a call or an email away from the other end of the emotional continuum. A moment ago it was sunny and now literally it is snowing. My latest "fan" proved that we are always a moment away from something great happening. Thank You. What can you do to move someone's continuum in a positive direction?
AIPAC eye witness accounts
3/15/2012 8:29:36 AM

I wrote my Master's thesis on the Holocaust. In the 1940's a group of prominent American Jews went to the White House to talk to President Roosevelt. They were not given the courtesy of a meeting. In 2011, President Obama was the fourth sitting president to get in his presidential limo and drive a few short blocks to address AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (a group focused on national security as well as Israel security). Secretaries of State, Defense, Senators, Congressmen, Presidents of Foreign Countries, have addressed AIPAC over the years. More than half of Congress and 2/3 of the Senate attended their policy conference a few weeks ago. Observations 1, 2, and 3 are from my eye witness account.


1. Obama Live

 

I had the opportunity to hear President Obama in person for the third time. In this large hall that holds 14,000 we have the opportunity to watch the speakers make the long walk to the podium. Regardless of your politics the President is still the President and it is pretty impressive to watch him walk out to address your group.


Lesson Learned: The impression you make starts before you say a word. I watched every speaker make that walk from the curtains to the podium. The President walks with a grace, urgency, and a posture that befits the office. This year he spoke with more clarity than he did last year. A few key issues he repeated several times. The topics were serious but he did inject humor. The rules of communication apply even if your president.


2. Romney, Santorum and Gingrich

 

I also had the opportunity to hear three of the four Republican candidates. Romney was very presidential and I have to say connected better with this audience than I have seen him connect when watching him on TV. He mentioned his faith, which was a good thing. We all have to embrace who we are. Santorum sounded like the petulant teen age son compared to Romney the father figure. Fortunately, he did not wear his signature vest. Gingrich actually took less time than he was allotted. But he really said everything he needed to say in that time. He demonstrated an often missing discipline to really stay on message.


Lesson Learned: Three candidates' three very different styles. It is a benefit to see candidates, for any office, live. An added benefit to see them at the same time to compare them in real time. Do you take the time to see candidates for any office live, or do you rely on third party impressions?


3. My Favorite Speaker

 

It will come as no surprise that I like to hear speakers in person. I have been fortunate to hear in person Obama, Reagan, Clinton- both - and more candidates than you could put in a room. I have listened to MLK's I Have a Dream speech about as many times as there were people in the audience at Lincoln Memorial. I have a favorite speaker.


Lesson Learned: After hearing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the fourth time, I pronounce him as my all-time favorite speaker. He combines passion, historical perspective, logic, faith, and intelligence. The Secret Service guys standing around him add a little extra drama to the stage. What can you do to be someone's favorite speaker?

your body parts
3/10/2012 5:05:46 PM

Body Parts Have a Facebook Page

At the Oscars J Lo and Angelina Jolie became known for single body parts. Creative pundits created a Facebook page for each body part. Then social media pranksters had one body part page (nipple) talking to the other celeb’s body part page (leg).

 

J Lo and Jolie are a part of pop culture so what they do on any given night will not define them. For us mere mortals there is a lesson to be learned. You are lucky if an audience remembers one thing about you. Do you want to be remembered solely for your nipple or leg?
Importance of Telling Your Story
3/6/2012 11:02:28 AM
In last 3 days, I have heard the President, Majority Whip, Sec of Defense, Prime Minister of israel. Senators and Congressional reps. Telling a story is always most effective and the rule of three. Romney compared to Santorum was like the dad and the snotty teenage son.  
The Death of Intellectual Curiosity
3/1/2012 11:28:48 AM

Sarah Palin was pretty clear that she had no interest in learning more about domestic and international affairs. A lack of intellectual curiosity is not confined to Alaska or politics. Recently, an area division head boldly and proudly said that he had no interest in coaching because he had no interest in changing. This from the head of a division that has under performed for years.

Lesson Learned:  Mitt Romney improved greatly in the Florida debates after hiring a new coach. Tiger's level of play took a nosedive after he fired his swing coach. Either you are interested in learning and growing or you are not. There are different ways to learn. Some people can self learn and others benefit from one-on-one. The important bellwether is whether or not a person wants to learn period, from whatever source. Think about that as you hire and promote. Do you continue to be curious?

J-lo's nipple talks to Angelina's leg
2/28/2012 8:40:40 AM
At the Oscars, J-lo's exposed nipple created its own facebook page. Angelina Jolie's prosthetic use of her leg created its own facebook page. So now, J-lo's nipple page is talking to Angelina Jolie's page... This is why the Taliban hates us...  What one thing will you be remembered by?
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