Focus on Leadership Issues, Not Gender Issues

Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook's new tome about the need for women to "lean in" to realize their full potential is yet another example of a successful leader who happens to be a woman building her leadership message around women's issues rather than about human issues. Few topics guarantee a ton of negative reaction and commentary like a successful, wealthy executive woman playing the woman card, and the reaction to Sandberg's message is no exception. Sandberg's premise is pretty simple: We...

Less is More. Unless Less is Useless. Then it's Just Less.

Bans, bans, bans. Everywhere I turn I’m hearing about another ban somewhere, regarding something that “isn’t good for [insert any pronoun here].” Be it Yahoo!’s CEO Marissa Mayer banning the flexible work option, NYC’s Mayor Bloomberg banning sizable sodas from being served, or the Boston burbs banning water bottles, it seems as though leaders are resorting to elimination to alleviate waste. Wasted time, calories, resources…you name it. While each of these measures have roots in good causes like increased productivity,...

Times to Sell Globe, or Are They Just Crying Wolf, Again?

The New York Times Co. said Wednesday it is looking to sell the country's 23rd largest newspaper, The Boston Globe, as well as "other New England properties." In addition to the Globe, which the Times bought in 1993 for $1.1 billion, the Times owns BostonGlobe.com, Boston.com, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Telegram.com and direct mail firm GlobeDirect. The Times also owns a 49 percent stake in Metro Boston, which is also up for sale. The Times last said it would sell...

The Devil is in the Details for M&A

There is a reason that experts in M&A and financial communications, like our own Christine Simeone, are fanatical about building and adhering to a strict "playbook" that details down to the day, hour and sometimes minute each aspect of a pending announcement. A merger, like the one just announced between Office Depot and OfficeMax, involve a widening circle of people who need to be informed, so adherence to a strategy and careful plan is critical. M&A have to be handled...

Carnival Shows a Crisis Plan is a "Need to Have," not a "Nice to Have"

As I write this, more than 4,000 poor souls have finally arrived on land after being trapped on a broken cruise ship with minimal food, water, and sanitation and no air conditioning for days after they were supposed to dock. The Carnival Triumph towing of this ship to Mobile, Alabama was on the 24-hour news stations daily. The media gathered at the pier in Mobile waiting for them to arrive, which finally came late last night. Any news reporter who...

Joe Kennedy and Technorati Know Where it's At

For the past few months, I've been reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's book The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys - sad, but I work and have two toddlers, so getting through a lengthy book can take years! Joe P. Kennedy, Sr. was a fascinating and truly brilliant businessman. He no doubt laid the foundation for his famous offspring. Joe Kennedy had incredible instinct and foresight and always placed himself in the right industry at the right time. During World War II, he...

From What’s Now To What’s Next

LPP is keeping a finger on the pulse of top industry headlines and conversations buzzing around social media, so you don't have to. Below is this week's round-up to serve as information and inspiration for discussions around real-time trends. Did we miss anything? What are your thoughts on what’s happening this week? Top Stories Obama’s State of the Union Address: The President pledged to help the middle class achieve prosperity. Obama also made proposals for investments in schools, technology and...

Vatican Misses Opportunity to Announce Pope's Resignation

For just the second time in the last 600 years a sitting pope has resigned, yet the Vatican’s PR staff was practicing PR tactics from the year 1412 in terms of communicating that news to the more than 1 billion Roman Catholics worldwide. This morning in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of cardinals that his health was failing and therefore preventing him from adequately exercising the duties of the pope and serving practicing Roman Catholics throughout the world....

Penn State's THON Is #FTK

Allison Kreider is a 2012 graduate of Penn State University and current intern at Lois Paul & Partners. This is the fourth part of a four-part series covering the many angles of the sex scandal at Penn State from a first-person account and PR perspective. From how the football team, the same football program that was at the heart of the scandal, surpassed all expectations during the 2012 season in light of a new coaching staff and shaken up starting...

From What's Now To What's Next

LPP is keeping a finger on the pulse of top industry headlines and conversations buzzing around social media, so you don't have to. Below is this week's round-up to serve as information and inspiration for discussions around real-time trends. Did we miss anything? What are your thoughts on what’s happening this week? Top Stories Dell goes private: Pending regulatory and stockholder approval – the company has been sold to Microsoft, Silver Lake, and Michael Dell himself for $24.4 billion. Will...