31 October 2005 
What Is The One Thing You Will Never Get From A Reporter?
“Off the Record. Deep Background. Not for Attribution.” These phrases usually will protect a source. But always?
The recent indictment of Scooter Libby reminded Your Business Blogger that there is one thing you will never get from a reporter.
Loyalty.
The reason anyone would talk with the press is to advance an agenda. The source will tell his story; the reporter will write his story and seldom will they be same.
Most of the time, it is in the interest of the reporter to protect a source.
But don’t bet on it. If you have anything — anything that would make a story, you will be compromised.
The most dangerous spot to be is between a reporter and a Pulitzer.
Ben Bradlee
For example, would you sell out the American soldier for a Pulitzer Prize? No? Ben Bradlee would.
My friend Gary Bauer tells this story:
A number of years ago at the National Press Club I had the opportunity to ask Ben Bradlee, then executive editor of The Washington Post, what he would have done if he found out ahead of time about the D-Day invasion to liberate Europe.
Would the Post have printed the story?
Bradlee’s answer took a while, but the bottom line was . . .
“yes.”
Now most of what we communicate will not rise above compromising anyone. But take no chances, because the reporter will take no prisoners.
Of course not all reporters are monsters. Some of my best friends are journalists.
But remember reporter Ben Bradlee. Would he compromise his country?
Yes. For a story.
If a reporter cannot be loyal to his country, he will not be loyal to you.
Was this helpful? Do comment.
Thank you (foot)notes:
Mudville Gazette has Open Post.
Basil’s Blog has open trackbacks and a new look.
Outside the Beltway has Traffic Jam.
Stupid and Dangerous has Scooter as criminally stupid.
Guide to Midwestern Culture suggests Libby is more like Clinton than Bush.
The Passenger has more on media.
Don Surber has open post.
Media Alert: ABC News Now at 1:35
Charmaine Yoest will be on ABC News Now at 1:35 talking with Sam Donaldson about the Alito nomination. You can watch streaming video live online here.
Tune in and comment on content and style.
29 October 2005
Laurel Hurricanes Maryland State Champions
Pop Warner Football
We won!! The Laurel Hurricanes won the Maryland State Championship and will be advancing to the Regional competition next week in Pennsylvania. The goal — on to the Superbowl at Disneyworld in December!
In fact, the celebration tonight was tinged with a timeline. “I love you guys,” said Coach Bell, “but only ’till Tuesday. Then it’s back to work.” Tonight was a fantastic win, but these kids have been dreaming of — no, really working toward — making it to Florida all season long.
State Champions!!
Though it was hard to say who was happier, the kids or the coaches tonight. They both earned it. It’s a privilege to be on this team, and really interesting to watch how these coaches have negotiated between giving each kid a pat on the back when he deserves it — and a kick in the backside when needed. . . they are ten years old after all.
We asked Coach Bell what he did to produce such winners year after year.
“Discipline,” said Bell, a former Marine. “[We] teach the boys to listen and learn on the field and listen and learn in the classroom.”
He also teaches them to win.
Laurel Hurricanes, Maryland
But teamwork starts with fun. To begin the pattern of listening and learning as a team, Coach Bell taught the boys the Hurricane’s post-game celebration chant. The Breakdown.
And here it is. Courtesy of the Dreamer, we’ve got a 0.41 second clip of the Hurricanes doin’ the Breakdown.
Did I mention: the State Champion Hurricanes??!!
Julius Weems and Bob Washington
Mom and Dad at the game
Was this helpful? Do comment.
Thank you (foot)notes:
Also posted at Reasoned Audacity as you might have guessed.
The Leadership of Managing Time
Roger NadeauBeethoven once said, “Man has no nobler or more valuable possession than time…” Your Business Blogger was reminded of this yesterday. Major General Roger A. Nadeau gave a briefing on his portfolio to business leaders. I asked him his greatest challenge in running a large organization:
Managing time. The time to put resources to where my poeple need them — or me…My office is BWI Airport.
Nadeau is the Commanding General, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command. Nadeau runs, or today, flys to the sound of the guns. General Nadeau was an Armor Officer, before general’s stars removed branch designations.
He manages by ‘walking (or flying) around.’ What was impressive was not his modeling the Army’s new stylish combat fatigues, pictured above. It was his emphasis on generating discretionary management time to visit, to counsel, to lead, face-to-face. He manages to make time to do this. He commands and controls his own time.
Ludwig van Beethoven by
Joseph Karl Stieler (1820)Beethoven’s quote continues, “…never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” The Army gets it right: Proper management of time can give anyone more of the music of this “valuable possession.”
This is your most valuable asset: discretionary time
Bookmark this site to learn more on getting these time skills.
Was this helpful? Email me.
Thank you (foot)notes:
Mudville Gazette has Open Post.
Common Sense Runs Wild has trackbacks.
27 October 2005
Wal-Mart Locks Up Employees, Reports Fast Company Magazine
The UnHappy Face of the
‘Dark Side of
“everyday low prices”‘
The November issue of Fast Company tells us that Wal-Mart incarcerates the night shift in some of its stores — byline Charles Fishman:
We’ve read that in 10% of its stores, Wal-Mart locks its employees inside overnight, making it difficult even for people who are sick or injured to get out.
We’ve read? Mr. Fishman, read? You, ace journalist from Fast Company must use a secondary source? You can’t pick up the phone, make a long distance call to Bentonville, Arkansas and ask for a comment, a reaction?
Even a supermarket tabloid would call Wal-Mart.
Or a blogger.
So I called Marty Heires, a company spokesman. He picked up the phone — that’s his job, answering calls from journalists bloggers — and explained the lockdown:
For stores that are not open 24 hours, it is a normal thing to lock entrances for the protection of the associates. We don’t want people to walk in [attracted by unattended] by the cash registers. The stores are locked from the inside and the managers have the keys.
Safety? Every Wal-Mart building is subject to, and in compliance with local fire regulations. Employees can get out; rescue can get in.
Please pardon the exasperation of Your Business Blogger. I am disappointed that Fast Company has now become, and is now behaving, like main stream media. Note the childlike scare quotes of “everyday low prices” that would not even be seen in a low-volume blog.
The Fast Company hit piece continued, insulting the Wal-Mart patron:
Shoppers, whether enthusiastic…or just uninformed, continue to buy what Wal-Mart is selling.
And just who would be the “uninformed” [stupid] shopper?
That would be me, Your Business Blogger. Kids, conservative, SUV and a belief in the right-to-work and wealth-creation capitalism.
Not Fast Company. The recent issue of Fast Company looks back to a decade-old cover about a Wal-Mart rant, “The Wal-Mart You Don’t Know.” The lefty-edgey mag cares little for the big retailer.
In an earlier post, “Why Elites Hate WalMart,” I detailed 5 reasons for the discontent, but I left out technology elites in the Fast Company masthead and market segment in New York City.
Fast Company seems to be disappointed that Wal-Mart profits are up. Way up — 30% in the past two years. Sales increased by a jaw-dropping $56 billion.
I asked Marty, the Wal-Mart spokesman, “Do people buy what Wal-Mart is selling?”
“They certainly do.”
Selling at “everyday low prices” — so low they are scary.
Thank you (foot)notes:
Full Disclosure: I am a Sam’s Club Business Member. And you should be one too.
Don Suber has Wal-Mart wanting protection.
Penn doesn’t shop at Wal-Mart.
Republic of Heaven wants Wal-Mart to do abortions.
The Merchant Account Blog has law suits.
Mudville Gazette has Open Post.
Outside the Beltway has Traffic Jam.
Basil’s Blog has covered dish trackbacks.
Insults Unpunished explains why Wal-Mart wants increase in minimum wage.
26 October 2005
The First Question To Ask When a Reporter Calls
Charmaine, The Dreamer,
Jack, c.1995
“Hello Mr. Journalist from the main stream media, I’m glad you called. Am I a target or a source?” Your Business Blogger has had the misfortune of being both.
But not at the same time, like Karl Rove.
In any conversation with a reporter you are either Richard Nixon, or Deep Throat — a target or a source. You are not a friend.
Repeat after me: not a friend.
And it is often difficult to determine hidden agendas. But you can be prepared by knowing what kind of person is on the other end of the phone.
Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s Hardball, named his show after his book (for which he received a well deserved $75k book advance). Chris tells us how most reporters get started in their careers.
Their entry-level job begins with covering the police blotter on the night shift. This is where journalists become inhuman.
Whenever there is a tragedy — a death, a dismemberment, anything that bleeds — the cub reporter is dispatched to the home of the grieving family.
He knocks on the door of the home of the dead one and secures a picture of the recently deceased from the crying mother/father/widow/spouse/sibling.
“I’m sorry about your dead daughter. Can I have a picture or two of your girl for gawkers and trolls?”
Thank you for the picture. Have a nice day.
Three days later the girl’s face in the newspaper looks up from the bottom of a bird cage.
The reporter on the other end of the phone does this for a living. He does not care about you — only the story — the journalist soon becomes calloused and cynical. And look for blood even if they have to do the cutting.
Which is (one reason) why the mainstream media hates Karl Rove. He won’t bleed.
And reporters hate bloggers: we still have our humanity.
Thank you (foot)notes:
Chris Matthews
Mahablog has updates.
Betsy’s Page rightly asks why?
Pundit Guy also has questions.
Outside the Beltway has Traffic Jam.
Basil’s Blog has Matthews praising Fox.
Mudville Gazette has Open Post. And while you’re there visit Chromed Curses with Casualty Notification Officer. A positive reverse image of a journalist.
Adam’s Blog has trackbacks.
The Political Teen has Open Trackbacks.
Stop the ACLU has mid-week party.
(Something good from print media: Don Suber) writes on perjury.
The Heretic has cat rove.
Legal Fiction has view from the Left.
Sic Semper Tyrannis says indictments are coming — Richard Sale is a vector for a source.
Best of Me Symphony has the best blogs.
Continue reading…
25 October 2005
Being a Pest
Baltimore/Washington
Corridor
Chamber of Commerce
Your Business Blogger has been on both sides of the table as buyer and seller in government procurement. Today I worked with a client selling to the public sector, working at the Baltimore/Washington Area Government Procurement Fair.
Follow-up and persistence is key for selling in any market. But are the rules different in government sales? In particular, when are you making a pest of yourself?
Gloria Berthold, President of TargetGov gave a compelling presentation, reminding small business owners that some government selling has lengthy, challenging sales cycles. What is needed?
“Persistence, Persistence, Persistence,” she says.
Gloria reminds us that sales reps often quit too soon. They will bail out before they get tossed out.
Persistence. I was fortunate to have a trainer over two decades ago who taught how to measure persistence. In the high-pressure elite cadre of medical sales:
If you’re not getting thrown out of an account once a month, you’re not working hard enough.
This is always a challenge: balancing being nice, with being good . . .and persistent.
Sorry. Being nice is over-rated. Your Business Blogger always recommends being good.
Email me and let me know what worked for you. Nice gets nothing. Good gets the gold.
Was this helpful? Please comment.
Thank you (foot)notes:
Mudville Gazette has Open Post.
Stop the ACLU has a trackback party.
Cao’s Blog has trackbacks.
The Political Teen has Open Trackbacks.
24 October 2005
Put Me In, Coach
Lyndon LaPlante
The good that comes out of Texas: George Bush, Friday Night Lights and now, coach Kevin Atkinson. The Dallas Morning News reports:
Keller Senior with Down Syndrome Fulfills Dream
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News
The home crowd at Keller ISD Stadium rose to its feet as soon as Lyndon LaPlante jogged onto the field during the fourth quarter Friday night.
The fans went wild during LaPlante’s 99-yard touchdown run, which ended with him being mobbed in the end zone by his Keller teammates.
Never mind that the pre-arranged play didn’t count. It fulfilled a dream for LaPlante, a senior who has . . .
Watch the video. (It’s worth the commercial message at the beginning.)
Continue reading…
Purple Cow and Parody
Seth Godin’s
Purple Cow
In his bestseller, Purple Cow, Seth Godin says that your marketing campaign must stand out from the herd of common “brown cows” to be noticed.
A “Purple Cow” would be eye-catching.
Today’s products and services must “be different, remarkable, extraordinary, exciting…challenging” to standout. To succeed.
So how would you know if you got it right?
Seth Godin reminds us that:
For decades, mass marketing through television worked wonders and it sold billions of dollars worth of products. It even worked for the internet…for awhile.
But no longer. Seth, once the President of Direct Marketing for Yahoo, gives a number of benchmarks for success today. One that caught my attention was parody.
An advertising and marketing program might be labeled a success when it is cited as comedy or satire. If Saturday Night Live makes fun of your brand — you’ve got a winner. Seth writes:
If you can show up in a parody, it means you’ve got something unique, something worth poking fun at.
It means there’s a Purple Cow at work.
By this parody definition, Your Business Blogger has become a “success.” And wife Charmaine. We got hit by Tbogg.
Quite an honor. I think.
Tbogg, was the winner of the 2003 Koufax Most Humorous Award for left/liberal blogs. He gets over 7,900 visits daily. (And to his credit he unmasks his sitemeter.)
A link from Tbogg is almost as good as an insta-launch from Glenn Reynolds in the blogosphere.
The anonymous Tbogg described one of my posts as paste-eating stupid and Charmaine as a fat drunken cow. Funny.
It’d be funnier if Tbogg called her a purple fat cow.
Later, Tbogg criticises Charmaine’s spelling. For comparison, Michelle Malkin is merely a crazy-a** bi*ch.
Parody, as I think Seth would correctly describe, is a bit different from being the butt of a joke.
But it sure feels the same. In any event, Seth is right: Sales and marketing and advertising these days requires being a Purple Cow, with a thick hide.
Thank you (foot)notes:
Seth’s Blog has more with his new book, The Big Moo. Good reviews from readers. I will be joining fellow Seth supporters and reviewing also.
Mudville Gazette is running a test on Open Post.
More Than Fire has more on Cow and Moo.
Outside the Beltway has Traffic Jam.
The Indepundit has Liberty Call.
21 October 2005
Safety First
“Safety First” is a slogan in Your Business Blogger’s household. Which made the trade show hosted by the Georgia Department of Labor on Safety, Health and Environment actually fun.
Being in Savannah helped.
The first goal of the conference was to:
To provide a quality, comprehensive and convenient forum for the education, training and empowerment of those entrusted with the welfare and safety of Georgia’s workforce.
One of my favorite speakers was Ron Newton who runs Peak Training who begins with, “What do you want from people in supervisory positions in your company?”
Ron outlines the basics:
Correct
Knows the rules, follows the rules, skills
Consistent
Does it time and again, a known valueComplementary
A team player, not a loose cannon.
Safety, just like quality and sales is the result of managing behaviors not numbers. Those behaviors, those people skills are seldom taught.
Ron continues:
Nearly all managers and supervisory personnel come up through the ranks of most organizations. The process of on-the-job
training is a long accepted business practice that transcends industry bounds.More often than not…an organization will look to an employee who has tenure, has a good attendance record, and perhaps has demonstrated some leadership skills.
This individual is given a “white hat,” put in charge, and sent out in the organization with instructions to make things happen. What “tools” have these individuals been provided to insure he or she will be a good manager?
Far too often the first line manager has not the knowledge, skills or abilities to perform.
Educators like Ron Newton are filling the gap.
What this helpful? Please comment.
Don Stuber has Cute Puppy trackbacks. Five, count ‘em, 5.
Outside the Beltway has Traffic Jam.
Mudville Gazette has Open Post.