Cartoon: Only Talented People by Hugh MacLeod. Wicked good. Thanks Hugh!

"Action without study is fatal. Study without action is futile." Mary Beard

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed." Albert Einstein

"Of course, it is not the employer who pays wages. He only handles the money. It is the product that pays wages and it is the management that arranges the production so that the product may pay the wages. " Henry Ford

During a talk last week about sales, some good Q&A on the attributes of a great sales manager. We started with a list of forty or so characteristics and reduced to one dozen. Here is the brief...

Characteristics of the most successful sales managers:

• The ability and the desire to learn
• Excellent communication skills with an emphasis on listening
• Broad, well rounded interest
• Decisive
• Risk taker
• Strong bias for action
• Effective coach
• Creative collaborator; Brings out the best in others - subordinates, peers, support staff and superiors
• Respects feedback; evaluates all activity using metrics and measures
  
• Focused on "the gap" (the reality of where they are now and the goal)
• Resilient
• Enthusiastic

Congrats & cheers: Catherine Levene named COO at Daily Candy, where Alyson Racer also joins as VP - Advertising. I have long been a fan of Daily Candy. Keep a watch on this Bob Pittman venture. The legendary John Rook on his well deserved profile written by Erica Farber and featured in Radio & Records here. Jim Bohannon, radio star, former colleague and friend on his new multi-year contract with Westwood One.

Kudos: To ABC programming ace Kipper McGee for borrowing WABC's now famous holiday "rewind" idea and making it happen on WLS this Memorial Day. In the cast, our charming and delightful Uncle Lar, Fred Winston, Lyle Dean, Chris Shebel, John Records Landecker, Jeff Davis and Tom Kent. More info here. Make a note of it and catch the live stream.

Next New Networks. Duncan Riley offers up a good overview of what is being called "micro television networks" via TechCrunch here.

And then there was ValueClick: The last remaining third party monetization engine with a competitive footprint. Perfect asset for? Viacom + CBS. Murdoch. Time Warner. I'd like to see Barry Diller's IAC get it. Of course, as my friend Mark Niblick likes to say, big dogs eat first and they eat till they're full. Don't count out Microsoft, Google or Yahoo. Stay tuned and don't make much of the FTC notification - this too shall pass.

"It's a tough balancing act, supporting free speech while opposing on-air racism. It is heartening, though, to see entertainers who can walk the line." Ben Fong-Torres offers his take on JV & Elvis and edgy broadcast content here. Bravo Ben! Well said.

Taylor On Radio-Info: Veteran trade scribe Tom Taylor bows online here. Bravo Tom! Welcome to the online world and good luck. Why the 1990's email subscription? Suggestion: RSS! Feed those readers.

Speaking of trades for the first tribe of wireless, here's a Compete SnapShot of the race...



BBDO - the rite stuff: Emma Hall writing in AdAge - Do You Know Your Rites? BBDO Does. After nine months with a sample of 5,000 in 26 countries the survey says...

Women in Colombia, Brazil and Japan are most likely to apply makeup in the car.
49% of Chinese eat on the way to work (the global average is 17%).
92% of Mexicans start their day with a shower or bath (Americans 86%, global average 74%).
Spanish and French eat the highest percentage of meals at home - 42%

Make something amazing happen this week!