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Steve Jobs

Albert Einstein once said that “imagination is more important than knowledge” and the contributions of Steve Jobs and Apple render this statement a fact.   Jobs taught all of us what it means to fall in love with technology and how to go beyond what any of us thought possible – all using imagine as the engine.  We blogged about a presentation that Jobs gave in 2009 and one of my favorite points was “sell dreams, not products.”  Jobs clearly took his own advice.

I had breakfast yesterday with the mother of a toddler and during our meal she shared her daughter’s home video taken on the iPhone.  The toddler had learned how to unlock the phone, press the right application and the video started rolling as they were out for a morning walk.  The technology that Apple creates is easy enough for a two year old and yet complex enough to live by the applications and functionality that their products provide.  Jobs and Company make technology cool and accessible by imagining a world that none of us could. They took us from thinking that tech is for science geeks and delivered us global culture on a single platform.

With Jobs passing we are relying on the next generation of technologists to use imagination as the engine to propel us into the future.  We can’t wait to see who and what fills Jobs shoes, but we’ll sure miss him.  Thanks for everything, Steve.

On the long trek to where I am now, a small business owner with big business clients, there is comfort in 20/20 hindsight. So here is the limited wisdom that I impart job seekers here in DC and anywhere else in the US. I’m always happy to add to this list of highlights, so feel free to drop a line or a comment and add on.

1. Get connected. Even academics say so – there is a new study out confirming that it’s all about who you know. It’s very true. I got one of my first jobs because a CEO recognized my drive and skills through our interactions in a networking organization. If you want to be in a certain industry i.e. government, marketing, technology, then the best bet is to find networking opportunities and dig in. I tell most people to go find a Meetup.com group and start there. Are you shy and don’t know what to say when you get there? Just remember that not everyone knows each other and you’re not the odd man out. There are always new faces at every event.

2. Speaking of not knowing what to say…I always advise developing a 10-30 second statement about who you are in case someone asks. The worst scenario is not being able to sell yourself! So get a few sentences together that tell your story and what you’re looking for, then practice in the mirror. Memorize. The next time someone asks, “what do you do?” it won’t be paralyzing.

3. Use new online tools and clean up the old ones. Take down or make beer pong FB pics from college private in some way. If you have a Twitter stream and its personal then you might want to lock it. LinkedIn is generally for the over 35 crowd and this is *good*. It’s where seasoned pros and decision makers dwell online. You want to be found here, so put up your full resume and give yourself a title. I’m “communications strategist” as it’s really a broad explanation of what I do. Simple.

4. Get feedback on your resume from people in and outside of your field. A few perspectives never hurt. Watch the grammar and punctuation – they really do count. Create an eye-catching cover letter that shows who you are and how you bring value to their business.

5. Finally, don’t be afraid to be unique. For example, I had one of the best interviews with someone who described an antique tea pot collection in the “interests” section of their resume. In addition to her great skills, it showed that she was well rounded. She got hired.

We’ve gone through a few brand identities and repositioning to come out the other side with a suite of service offerings clients a results driven path to success.  As many of you know, we started out as Gaia Group Public Relations, but have involved beyond public relations into areas that are complementary and necessary for our clients business growth.  Our services range from content development and public affairs to providing counsel as a business partner.  So we have decided to focus on our core name and welcome clients to take advantage of our flexibility beyond the standard PR fare.  We’re pleased to present our next phase of evolution as Gaia Group and look forward to working with each of you in the years to come.

Thank you for your business!

Over the past few weeks our team has discussed the news that’s widely known as Weinergate.  Unless you live on Mars, it’s been hard not to pay attention to the scandal that rocked Capitol Hill for the past month involving Representative Anthony Weiner and his fumbling of social media technology.

What we all know is that Weiner, by his own admission, tried to cover up the scandal and lied to the public about the lewd pictures that appeared on his Twitter feed.  For those who know Twitter, he claims to have meant to Direct Message (DM) and send to one individual not the whole stream of thousands of followers (including media!).  A slip of the finger, a momentary lapse of sanity or a complete lack of understanding of how the medium really works?  We will never know.

What we do know is that crises become bigger when they are not met head on.  Best practices in crises come in three golden rules:

Get out in front of the story – Smoke and fire go together, so if you smell or see the smoke then you know that the fire is on its way.  Engage your key staff and formulate a plan for tackling the issue in the most transparent way possible.  Create messages that will be used by every spokesperson including the CEO to the ground level employee who might be poached by the media at their front door.  Once you have messages locked down, go public with the issue.

Apologize and offer a solution – Not enough can be said about apologizing for creating an issue that affects customers and stakeholders.  Make sure its sincere and not just lip service.  People will know the difference.  The there’s the solution part.  So you’ve identified the problem, but customers want to know how you’re going to solve for it.  Make sure this is part of your initial planning.  Offer a solution or the flames will be fanned.

Continue communication – While Weiner need not be heard from again until he pops up on a talk show (too bad Oprah’s gone), this is not the case for businesses dealing with crisis.  Just because you followed steps one and two doesn’t mean your work is done.  Trust has been diminished and it needs to be regained.  Continue to communicate on the issue in order to rebuild trust.  The frequency, length and channel are up to you, but make sure that you aren’t seen as brushing it under the carpet.  Trust is what sells products and services.