Morningstar Communications Luminary Blog

This was written By Regina Brett , 50 years old, from The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio. Well done, Regina…thanks for sharing!

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.



1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.



2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.



3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.



4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.



5. Pay off your credit cards every month.



6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.



7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.



8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.



9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.



10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.



11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.



12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.



13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.



14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.



15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.



16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.



17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.



18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.



19. it’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.



20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.



21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.



22. Over prepare, and then go with the flow.



23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.



24. The most important sex organ is the brain.



25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.



26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'



27. Always choose life.



28. Forgive everyone for everything.



29. What other people think of you is none of your business.



30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.



31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.



32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.



33. Believe in miracles.



34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.



35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.



36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.



37. Your children get only one childhood.



38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.



39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.



40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.



41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.



42. The best is yet to come.



43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.



44. Yield.



45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

The choice is ours:  enjoy every day.  And as I like to end my interactions with people, “Be well .”

Onward and upward.

In addition to serving as the theme for the 2010 Smart Communications Summit held last week at the Kansas City Convention Center, this tagline truly describes how Morningstar Communications worked with client SKC to help develop and implement the company’s annual thought-leadership event.

Now in it’s third year, the Technology Summit has grown from a tent in the parking lot of SKC’s headquarters in Shawnee, to the Kansas City Convention Center, a premier event space. With the move to a larger, more high-profile location came the need for increased production and visibility.

From key messaging to presentation coaching, video production consulting to staging recommendations, Morningstar Communications collaborated with SKC to help orchestrate the Technology Summit. Our work on the Expert Panel Discussion is perhaps the most notable.

Take six industry leading CEOs and VPs, some of whom are fierce competitors, and put them together on a stage to discuss one universally important topic. Unorchestrated, this keynote could go drastically awry. With careful preparation and forethought it becomes a highlight of event. Such was the case with SKC’s Expert Panel Discussion.

Questions were carefully crafted based on key messages provided by our panelists to ensure the audience received the most useful and beneficial information, and our executives delivered their key points. Phone calls were held with each panelist to provide the ins and outs of the discussion’s flow and prepare them for what was to come. Our very own Eric Morgenstern facilitated the panel to keep a consistent rhythm and energy, and to tie answers together into key insights for attendees. From the tiniest details to the big rocks, everything was planned for a spotless execution.

The event brought more than 400 of SKC’s clients, prospects, manufacturers and employees together under one (big) roof. In the end, the Technology Summit helped us accomplish exactly what we set out to do three years ago in SKC’s parking lot. It positioned SKC as an industry leader and knowledgeable expert, provided attendees with information and opportunities they can’t receive anywhere else, and strengthened ties between SKC and it’s key manufacturers.

We’re proud to serve as SKC’s strategic marketing partner and are already looking ahead to 2011 as the Smart Communications Summit continues to grow and thrive.

Every year our company takes a day off. A day to play. A day to learn. A day to bond. Do we generate revenue on that day? No, but what we generate translates into something more tangible.

We take a step back and work on our relationship as a team. When you know and trust the people you work with, it makes work flow smoother. You can jump in and help out the team because you know how they work. You know the quality product they expect and you do not want to let them down. Everyone is aware that we do what is best for the client and give them excellent service.

We have done all sorts of activities over the years. Professional development sessions, community service and involvement, team building challenge courses, swimming, boating, playing word and board games are just a few. The one common theme is quality time together as a company. Sometimes there are surprises or cash rewards; always there is food, laughter and a full heart.

What will we do this year? Only I know for sure, and that is how it always is until our play day begins.

We all play several roles in our lives. However, many of these roles create a conflict of interest. My roles include being a husband, father, son, sibling, friend, business owner, civic leader, a lay leader in the Jewish community, a Kansas Citian (who, by-the-way, lives and located our business in Overland Park), an industry and professional leader, etc…

It’s hard to always know which role comes first. And each situation demands a different priority.

In balance with my family, my goal is to make a positive difference with enthusiasm and integrity in four areas: our company, the Kansas City community, the marketing and communications profession and Judaism.

But sometimes, those loyalties cause conflict.

Today’s example comes from a recent Board Meeting for The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. We discuss big issues that have a huge impact on our entire community. These issues range from education to transportation to crime, while sprinkling in much conversation about policies, development, collaboration and engagement.

One recent, contentious topic had board members choosing sides. And then one of our colleagues made an impassioned appeal that helped sway many opinions. On one hand, that’s exactly how due process should work. But upon reflection, this person may have had re-ordered their loyalties for this specific discussion.

My friend, Rick Hughes, the President & CEO of the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association, explained his concept of “First Loyalties.” He says we all have many responsibilities, but each of us owes it to organizations that we serve to be sure we always put our “first loyalty” to the mission of that respective organization. In other words, when we’re at a Chamber board meeting, or any other board meeting, our roles as individual business owners must be subservient to our “first” loyalty to help that organization make the best decisions based on its purpose, even if this is contrary to what would be best for our individual businesses.

Rick’s point makes great sense to me, and I’m proud to share it with you in this blogpost. I used to say that I wore many “hats” and I had to be sure I was sporting the proper headgear for each moment. Rick has a better way to approach these challenges. Instead of taking off one hat and putting on another, I will now keep all of those hats with me 24 x 7, and will simply re-sequence my headwear.
Thanks, Rick, for sharing your great perspective, and helping me ensure that I am “first” with the proper loyalties at all times.

I hope this post helps you to consciously determine your “first” loyalty in each situation.

Onward and upward.

Chinese Symbol for Loyalty

This past Friday, Morningstar Communications hosted about 20 local executives at an executive breakfast featuring Sheila McLean, director of the North American ECO Network for MS&L Worldwide, the global agency of which we are the Kansas City office.

We call these periodic gatherings “Illumination Sessions” and, based on the feedback we received on Friday, we nailed the name. Sheila shared enlightening data and trends in the environmental sustainability sector and helped us understand the coming regulation/legislation in this space that will have an impact on virtually every single business large and small.

Sheila’s ECO Network works with Fortune 500 companies and other large organizations to determine where they are in their sustainability journey and how to maximize ROI for their environmental initiatives. The case studies she shared were fascinating and described how seriously companies are taking the sustainability challenge. As Sheila described it, we’ve reached a tipping point: no longer is it enough just to be “in full compliance.” Today, in order to gain credit from stakeholders, companies need to show that they’re implementing creative solutions that go above and beyond simply what is required by law.

One of the diagnostic tools Sheila and her team uses with companies is printed below.  Where would you place your organization on this continuum?

There’s only one quote on display in my office: “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do. Do it now.”

Too many people think that trust comes as a byproduct of exposure and awareness. Not true. (Trust, according to Dictionery.com, is the culmination of reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.) Whether you’re positioning your business or yourself, trust is the gateway to success. Without the trust of your customers, clients, and employees, how successful do you think you’d really be?

So, how do we gain trust? Through actions, not just words. And definitely not with promises. Trust is earned by deeds.

You build trust by what you’ve done, not by what you’re going to do.

Our clients hire us to grow their business or organization. We help them grow through a wide variety of marketing and communications activities, and, as we build their brands, we push them along the path towards trust.

There is a four-step path to creating a position of trust. While this applies to all business and personal relationships, it’s perhaps easier to understand if we talk about a particular (fictitious) Italian restaurant, Anthony’s.

It’s time to decide where to go for dinner. If you’ve never heard of Anthony’s (awareness), you have zero chance of going there for dinner. But awareness is only the first of four steps.

Once you’ve heard of Anthony’s, the question becomes one of familiarity: what do you know about Anthony’s? Do they have a diverse wine list? Live music on the weekends? Eggplant Parmesan to die for? When someone mentions Anthony’s, what comes to mind? That’s familiarity.

But familiarity is still not enough. The next step is getting into the final selection set (consideration). “Do you want to go to ABC, DEF or Anthony’s for dinner,” she asked. Once you’re in their consideration set, you have a chance of getting them as customers. You’re making headway, but the magic happens when you attain the final level.

“Let’s go to Anthony’s tonight…I know we’ll have a great dining experience,” she said. That’s trust. When you finally attain the default position, you have arrived. This special moment happens when your prospects already know that you are their best choice, before they call for reservations. Isn’t that exactly how we want all of our prospects to think: we are their best choice?

There are many other great Italian restaurants. Some are fancy with big wine lists; some have red-and-white plastic checkered tablecloths and table wine pre-poured in carafes. No two are exactly alike. But when the phone rings for reservations, you have won.

Build your reputation by doing, not just talking about it. And, when the time comes, your prospects will call you for reservations.

Onward and upward.

I’ve been involved with a number of nonprofit organizations locally over the last 15+ years and I’ve noticed a drastic change (for the better) in how charitable organizations communicate with their key stakeholders – the volunteers, donors, community leaders and others these organizations depend on so desperately to survive and thrive.

Casting a wide communications net for nonprofits used to mean coming up with major funds on a regular basis to pay for design and printing of newsletters, brochures and other controlled collateral – or calling in favors to get in-kind donations for printing and design.

Now, with all the new PR 2.0 online tools available, these organizations are all realizing significantly less budget crunch while still effectively getting their word out. Sure, they still have need for the occasional printed event program or DTC advertisement. But regular, serial communications (and even some one-time messages) can now often be handled online. Recent examples from a few organizations that I’m affiliated with or serve as a volunteer leader include:
•    Ozanam, a child services agency, now uses its Facebook page to successfully drive attendance to events. It’s email address list has increased by more than 100% and its blast email open rate is 27 percent – providing a powerful tool that is already helping reduce its snail mail postage costs;
•    Shawnee Mission Education Foundation recently started a Facebook page that it uses to update stakeholders on foundation projects. It has become a primary means of distributing news for an organization that has a limited communications budget;
•    I no longer get a newsletter in the mail from my church OR my homeowners association. Instead, those come to my email box where I can read them more conveniently (and not kill any more trees in the process);
•    Of course, nonprofits are also increasingly using e-commerce web tools to make it easier to donate money, sell products, etc.

We talk about how the shared media channel (see 4-channel media model ) is valuable because it costs so little in terms of money compared to paid, earned and controlled media. It does take significant time and resources, however, and this is where nonprofits need to make certain they have the staff or volunteers to keep “feeding the machine” and that they’ve addressed their communications strategy holistically. But, without a doubt, shared media tools have come along at the right time for small organizations with increasingly tight budgets.