A Gift Idea

Canadian television personality and comedian Rick Mercer has a wonderful gift idea this year for all of us. We have enough coffee mugs.

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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

Rick Mercer

A Day to Celebrate

Generous estimates put the number of people who celebrate Christmas at about a third of the world’s population. Some extend their celebrations to boxes of chocolate and elaborate meals, brightly wrapped gifts and a cup of good cheer. While others pay respects in a more religious way. And of course, many do a mix of both.

If you celebrate, please make it a safe and fun one!


Kneale Mann

Pearl Jam

Stop Selling | Start Building

It Takes a Community to Raise a Relationship.

If you have spent time on the social web, you have seen and read about relationships and sharing, building trust and giving more than receiving. If you participate - really participate - something will begin to happen. People will show up.

Others will begin to give back and ask for help (not freebies) and you really will build trust with people you may not have otherwise met.

Just Like The Real World.

These things take time and hard work. It also requires getting off the social channels and meeting others face-to-face or speaking with them on the phone. Or as a Mike Kujawski calls it - taking it offline.

Social media can eliminate the cold part of the call and open up opportunities to warm up a potential new relationship.

I am not a social media expert and neither are you.

Real conversations and actual collaboration with other humans remains the best way to network socially. The door can open to new possiblities through the social web but then it is up to us to decipher between an opportunity to build another real human relationship and junk mail for the recycle bin.

Keep building your community and let me know how it's going.
knealemann[at]gmail[dot]com

@knealemann
strategy. marketing. social media.

image credit: bspc

Is That Charity or Service?

According to Wikipedia:
Charitable is the act of giving money, goods or time to the unfortunate, either directly or by means of a charitable trust or worthy cause.

The name stems from the most obvious expression of the virtue of charity is giving the objects of it the means they need to survive.

What's The Difference?

A few weeks ago a colleague asked if I thought there was a difference between charity and service. I said it is up to the individual.

Often we give both.



We all do stuff for others without financial compensation, that’s what makes us human. Look at the outpouring of support for Haiti right now. Sadly there are people looking to profit from this tragedy as well.

There are many types of service.

• Civil service | Career employees of government.
• Community service | Volunteer service for the benefit of a community.
• Customer service | Provision of assistance to customers or clients.
• Domestic service | Employment in a residence.
• Public service | Carried out with the aim of providing a public good.
• Selfless service | Performed without any expectation of result or award.

My colleague pressed further and asked if I thought there were parameters for charity and service and again same response - it depends.

Then she went for the big one.

If you willingly giving your time or resources and the other party begins to ask for more than you are able to give - is that charity or service? Neither. It's time to examine the relationship a lot closer.

Companies toss around phrases like customer service but they are empty without meaning. Do you mean it? Does your company mean it?

Why? Why? Why?

Do you give to the less fortunate for the tax receipt or for how it makes you feel to help another? Do you smile so the customer thinks you are giving them service but you are simply trying to get to their wallet?

Companies need to make a profit, we all need a hand at some point but the question may not be as simple as it may seem.

What is the difference between charity and service?

@knealemann
strategy. marketing. social media.

photo credit: i.ehow

Resolution 2010 | 10 Things (part one)

Will We Do Them This Time?

As a new decade approaches, the lists continue.

The best of the decade, the worst of the 21st century, the famous and infamous and it all means one thing – we love our lists.

Do we just stare at them and nod our collective heads then file them away with previous years, decades and centuries?

How do the lists affect our lives?

Here is a list of ten timeless things to think about. The first five today, second five tomorrow. They can be accomplished no matter your financial stature or geographical limitations.

10. Care A Little Less

We seem to put far too much credence in the opinion of others. Perhaps because we have a need to belong and in order to quantify an idea or success, we need a pat on the head from others.

For just one day, without malice or harm, try not caring about what we think and see what happens. Ideas may flow and we all win.

9. Give More

This is not another suggestion that everything is free and we all hold hands while we tweet and blog into the sunset. The concept of give more, is to suggest that we allow our talents and gifts to shine and replace all the empty boasting that all too often gets the spotlight.

8. Do Not Heed

If you allow the faceless group named ‘them’ to rule your decisions and behavior, you will lead a challenging life. The musician doesn't ask the crowd before she writes the song.

7. Smile and Wave

Imagine you are going about your day and suddenly it becomes clear that someone is having a bad time and is looking to have a fight with anyone they can lure. Nod your head and remove yourself from the situation immediately.

6. Learn to Say No

No is a perfectly acceptable answer and a complete sentence. In our fear of belonging or losing potential customers or slipping our market share we tend to travel for long periods of time outside the pocket. That is when the 300 pound lineman on the other side of scrimmage will crush us.

This is not to suggest we don't stretch but while we try to do everything, we do nothing well. Say no so you can say yes to what matters.

Please to add yours. Part two tomorrow.

Happy New Year :-)

@knealemann
business. marketing. social media. communications.

Keeping Score at Christmas

It’s Christmas Day and for about half the planet it is a religious day and a day of celebration.

It is also a day of dealing with family members you may not like (keep in mind, they may not like you), expectations set out from the world of marketing and movies, overeating and depression, loneliness and hope.


It Ain't About The Money

I promise not to be another writer commenting about how this annual celebration has turned in to such a commercial and emotional plot twist.

Let’s use today to hit the reset button and figure out what is important to each of us. It’s not the pretty wrapped packages or the traffic jams at mall entrances. It’s lovely to find that special gift for that special someone but is that the real reason we do all this?

Keeping Score

Charlie spent $50 on me and I got him that stupid pen. I wonder what color shirt mom will get me this year; I almost have a complete set. There are too many to buy for, let’s draw names. Do we have to get him something, I don’t even like him. I hope Uncle Brian isn’t going say something inappropriate at Christmas dinner – he did do that thing back in ’91.

Eat too much, hug those you love, extend a hand to those in need and I hope you have a Happy Christmas :-)

@knealemann

image credit: therealmimi