South Shore Adventure

One of the nice things about Newhouse is the chance to meet interesting instructors and professionals from around the country. One such person is Linda Kennedy, who has frequently joined us for our School Press Institute and other training sessions designed for high school students with an interest in communications.
Saturday I took the South Shore Train to see Linda and her border collie, Emma, whom I have wanted to meet for some time.
Emma is a sweetheart and I got many kisses from her as I sat in the front seat while Linda ran into the store.
Just an hour south of Chicago, it's a whole different world! Beaches are beautiful along Lake Michigan and the tree-lined roads are relaxing and lush.
Two posts here: One featuring Linda and Emma and the other featuring the beach and Linda's lovely home.
Enjoy!

Variety is the spice of architecture

Here are some other interesting buildings along the Chicago River Architectural Boat Tour.
The tour leaves from Navy Pier, so you can hop on a Water Taxi to Navy Pier and then catch the tour boat. They'll make the Water Taxi ride to and from Navy Pier free if you buy the Architectural Boat Tour ticket!

If you build it, they will tour

Friday evening I concluded my first week at Insidedge with a boat tour of the architectural wonders of downtown Chicago.
There are so many pictures that I'll split this up into a couple of posts.
Of course, the most famous--and lovely--building of all is my own Wrigley Building, which anchors the Magnificent Mile.
Here are several shots to let you see just how beautiful this building really is!

Lobstah!

As they say in Boston, I went out last night for "Lobstah" at Shaw's Crab House in downtown Chicago.
It had been a long time since I'd last visited this Chicago restaurant, which has been in business for 25 years.
I enjoyed the Oysters Rockefeller (hard to find on most menus) and the Boiled 1 lb. lobster dinner.
As you can see, they equipped me with a stylish bib to prevent me from wearing my dinner home.
When I first arrived, a friendly waitperson named Courtney asked if I had ever been to Shaw's before and I mentioned it had been at least 15 years ago. So, when I had finished my meal, she said, "We want you to come back sooner than another 15 years, so dessert's on me!"
I worried down a Chocolate and Mint Ice Cream concoction that was heavenly.
Certainly didn't leave Shaw's in a Crabby Mood!

Strategizing for better employee engagement

One of today's meetings was with Kirstin Hinchcliff, Senior VP at Insidedge, with whom I met earlier this week. We talked then about Dow Chemical.
Today we discussed several programs, including one for Exxon Mobil. This large company has many employees and many locations. Developing programs tailored to the particular needs of certain employee groups at specific locations is one of the areas of expertise available through Insidedge.
Kirstin came to Insidedge from Accenture. This background brings unique talent to the team and helps her draw on that consulting experience to give clients advice that meets their unique challenges.
Kirstin and I share a love of reading and I'm out to make her a Kindle Convert!

Chatting with Al

This morning I had another rare treat in my visit to Insidedge and the GolinHarris offices.
I spent time chatting with Al Golin, Chairman and Founder of GolinHarris, in his Chicago office that has a magnificent view of the Chicago River and my building (The Wrigley Building). Al asked if I had taken my picture in front of my building during this trip. Not yet, but I still have another week to make that happen. And, of course, I checked up on my baseball stadium the other night, as those of you keeping up with my adventures will already know!
I had a chance to really get to know the person we have read about in textbooks and other publications and discovered that something I've believed for a long time proved very true with Al.
The people in our business of PR who are most successful are often the most unassuming, genuine people who wouldn't spend time tooting their own horn but, rather, ask good questions and make it a point to be down to earth and friendly.
As you can see, Al has a great smile, something that's always a tip-off to someone who will quickly put you at ease and share stories and a good laugh as quickly as he would discuss something sobering and serious.
Al and I agree that curiosity is one of the best traits for a successful PR person. It keeps things interesting and makes life a whole lot more fun.
One thing is abundantly clear. Al still comes to work because it's fun.
That's a lesson for all of us.
Thanks, Al. I look forward to spending more time with you next week!

Let's be careful out there

What do recent news stories such as these have in common?
Shirley Sherrod and the flap surrounding her speech about race.
A plus-size model complaining about her photo being Photoshopped to make her look thinner.
Mel Gibson's rants posted on the Web.
Answer:
Technology changes the public relations ballgame.
Lessons?
Be careful what you say.
Be careful what you believe.
Bad news travels fast.
Ask questions before judging.


In the case of U.S. Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod, it seems neither the NAACP, which quickly condemned her, nor Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who fired her and quickly decided to rehire her, bothered to do their homework. Technology affords us the ability to edit, take out of context, and send something off into the blogosphere faster than a blink.

In the case of the plus-size model, featured on the Today Show this morning, a nip and a tuck on a photo are a snap and can cause a major hiccup for a magazine or online medium using such a doctored image.

Then there's Mel. If ever there was an example of technology ruining a career, this is one for the PR textbooks. Coming back from this one looks impossible from here.
But, then, we said the same about Richard Nixon and Eliot Spitzer, right?