"A man's manners are a mirror in which he shows his portrait." Goethe

"Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others." Emily Post

"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." John Cassis

Today's image: Last Shot in the Life of a Lens by Thomas Hawk. Stunning. Thank you for sharing.

The Next Competitive Advantage:
Manners

Winters can be hard but this winter seems more difficult.

Too many are being asked to endure not only the cold of nature but a harsh new cold of business.

This winter, out of work media folks are experiencing the most bone-chilling of cold responses, that of no responses at all. It's the absence of social grace, the disappearance of civility, and an apparent lack of professional respect. It seems we should consider adding manners to our list of endangered or abandoned practices for it would appear that manners, at least for now, are somehow missing in action.

My sense is this represents an incredible opportunity.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da Vinci

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki

"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." Sir Ken Robinson

Today's image: Mujer envuelta en nube by Memo Vasquez Beautiful shot. Thank you for sharing.

Five things to start doing
in 2009

5. Help others. Be a volunteer, a mentor, a mensch. You get what you give. This year, more than ever, you can make a big difference in someone's life by simply making, taking or returning a phone call.

Don't ignore the email, reply.

Be concerned enough to go in search of need.

Get seriously involved in your community and deeply engaged in your industry by giving your time to helping others less fortunate than yourself.

It all counts, just care enough to do it.

Be dedicated to something bigger than yourself. Give blood, donate canned goods, vote and most important, be there.

Be there to offer an encouraging word, a supportive gesture, a smile, a shoulder, a dollar, an idea and that precious gift of your sincere praise.

Be there to listen.

Be there when others have turned away, failed to show.

Be there to ring their phone, to send that email. Let them know they are not alone.

Be there and make a difference, because you can, because you know, they really need, want and appreciate knowing that someone has not forgotten them, that someone cares.

Be there in nothing less than the way you would want and expect others to be there for you. Mind The Golden Rule. If you fire people, don't be a jerk.

It only takes a few minutes each day for you to be there to help others.

No excuses. Lend a hand. Have a heart. Be there, now. Please. Thank you.

Read and share: How to talk to a friend who's been laid off via Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist, here.

Bonus: Blog: PR squared by Todd Defren. Conversations about social media and marketing. A good read here. [Get Todd's free e-book, Brink - A Social Media Guide from the Edge via PDF here]

Bonus 2: Why I Gave Up Trying to Balance Work and Life and Decided to Stay Sane Instead. An interesting post by Sam Davidson, here. [My thanks to Rebecca Thorman for the tip]

Grapes: A killer red from Argentina. Trivento. Select, Mendoza, 2006. A Malbec. Outstanding value at under $10. Drinks like a $50 bottle.

"Few people think more than two or three times a year, I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week." George Bernard Shaw

"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought." Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

"They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea." Sir Francis Bacon

Today's image: untitled by breaking sights Awesome shot. Thanks for sharing.

Five things to start doing
in 2009

4. Do your homework. Devoted to working hard. Showing up with your A game, coming to play. Always going the extra mile and known for consistently doing what it takes without excuses. Being dedicated to creative collaboration. Having a deep understanding that execution is the ball game and knowing there's no substitute for doing your homework.

Congrats & cheers: Phil Hansen, official multimedia artist for the 51st Grammy Awards. CBS Radio programming ace Mark Edwards on his real-time updates, sharing pics and videos from backstage at the Grammys via Twitter.

Bonus: An Immodest Proposal - Or - Am I an Idiot For Paying iTunes for a Colbert Subscription? via MEDIATHINK here. Kudos to Tom Barnes. Word to the wise - put this blog in your reader. Highly recommended.

Have an amazing week.

"Despite the rejection, and in violation of all the rules, I came back year after year." Joseph Barbera

"Basically, everything I try to do is to present an alternative to what somebody else is doing." Matt Groening

"In general, shorter is better. If you can encapsulate your idea into a single captivating sentence, you're halfway home." Len Wein

Today's image: My Poems Keep My Mind Unempty by Poems of a selfish record player Wicked frames, cool shot, thanks for sharing.

Five things to start doing
in 2009

3. Make a difference. Dedicate yourself to work that matters. Go for greatness.

Start by catching your people doing things right, giving praise for doing the right things. The number one complaint of talent remains "I get very little feedback and when I do, it's negative."

Congrats & cheers: Bill Baker, a former Group W colleague, has written a book on leadership that deserves your attention. Leading with Kindness: How Good People Consistently Get Superior Results [Amazon info]

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." Jack London

"Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision." Peter Drucker

"I prefer the errors of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom." Anatole France

Today's image: Even In The Quietest Moments II by EvidencE Great shot. Thanks for sharing.

Five things to start doing
in 2009

2. Measure. Mind that powerful old saw "You can't manage what you don't measure." Get serious about keeping score. What's par? Ask the most important question - Why? Discuss, in depth, "what would have to happen" to reach your objectives. Lead and champion the development and careful study of multidimensional real-time measures. This is the first step in creating the standards required to run and grow your enterprise.

For example, when tracking revenue performance develop a variety of metrics. Examine revenue from different and varied points of view beyond the standard practices or accepted measures. In addition to tracking monthly or weekly pacing to goal, capture and study daily sales, daily collections (deposits, DSO). Know your cost of creating an avail and in the process get a deeper, richer understanding of your true cost of sales and the real levers at work. How much it's costing you to produce a rating point in programming is every bit as important as knowing, cold, what buyers are paying sellers - this week - per point.

Develop a "dashboard" and share leading indicators, the metrics, with your team - early and often. Hint: discuss, debate, refine daily.

Measure everything. Study the numbers and over time you'll learn how to "read through them" and improve your performance. Think about the wise counsel of Gary Hamel..."Perspective is worth 10 IQ points."