It’s ridiculous to even infer that there is any limit to Peter Shankman’s brilliance. For full disclosure, not he’s not paying me. I’m not a long-lost relative. And I’m not a personal friend. But I am a fan. A big fan. For those of you who were online late last week, you know @skydiver held  Read more »

As I thought about my resolutions for the new year, the garden variety goals came to mind: exercise more, eat better, spend more quality time with the kids, etc. But, there are a few others I’ve been kicking around that don’t involve taking action. In fact, these five goals actually require a little different approach:  Read more »

It occurred to me the other day–at most companies (with one notable exception) I’ve worked with over the years, managers have been promoted more based on technical ability than leadership qualities. Shouldn’t those two characteristics be flipped? Yes, we need our managers to be proficient at their craft–whether it’s writing, welding or producing widgets. But,  Read more »

OK, I’ll admit, I have a vested interest in this topic as an employee of Fairview Health Services and as someone who needs to visit a physician soon (I may or may not have broken my pinkie earlier this week). That said, as health care providers, insurance companies and government entities look for ways to  Read more »

I’m here to tell you that you need to hire Curious George. No, not the actual monkey. But people like Curious George. Whether you’re building an agency or corporate communications department or rounding out your marketing team, you need more Curious George’s on your squad. Why? * Curious people are innovators and trailblazers. Don’t you  Read more »

Quick question: Does your company’s intranet act, feel and function like your external Web site? Unless you work for Best Buy or a handful of other Twin Cities companies, the likely answer is no.  Why?  A litany of excuses exist–lack of resources, lack of commitment, lack of agreement between communications, IT and HR departments. Take  Read more »

Two recent examples of why it pays to engage in social media–even on a personal level: * My post earlier this week, “Are you really engaging your fan base?” drew an email from my friend, Tom Snee, who works for the University of Iowa. We had some good banter about the issues facing academic institutions  Read more »

I graduated from Winona State University in 1996. It’s not a big school, but I really enjoyed my time there. I played golf for a few years, graduated with a BA in mass communications and was involved with the student newspaper, AdFed and a handful of other student-led organizations. Point is, I was an engaged  Read more »

I must start this post by telling you I am a Fairview employee and these remarks and comments in no way reflect the thoughts, opinions and policies of Fairview Health Systems, Inc. I should also tell you that my doc is part of the Allina Health System. I think the health care system is broken.  Read more »