TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

 The illusion of safety at work has collapsed, of course.  With his weapon visible Shane Tamura managed to penetrate all the security measures, ranging from human to electronic, in Midtown Manhattan. Obviously, employers can't guarantee that those working at their physical locations will be insulated from violence. This is at a time when many of the businesses operating in Midtown have gutted much of remote work. Blackstone, which is housed where the massacre happened, had been among the first to mandate RTO.  It has required five days a week. Among those murdered has been one of Blackstone's executives: Wesley LePatner.  Not that human beings are entirely safe being at home. Still resonating in the collective memory bank of residents of single-family houses is the triple murder during the 2007 home invasion of the Petit household in Cheshire, Connecticut.  At the time Dr. Petit was at-home, not in his office. He was knocked around but not killed as had been...

  Soaring headcount numbers are no longer a sign of the health of a business and its sustained growth.  In fact, as  The Wall Street Journal  documents, it can signal you're not looped into Generative AI. Integrating that powerhouse technology into every aspect of the business, from strategy to processes, should facilitate a significant downsizing of the need for human employees and contractors.  Obviously, what used to be and maybe still is in some sectors a brand enhancer can soon enough raise questions about what's keeping the business stuck in the pre-Gen AI era. This can even be true in the more tradition-bound legal sector. For example, recently  The New York Law Journal  published data on what New York law firms had the largest number of lawyers. I have a hunch that was intended to be positive coverage for those firms. Here are some of the stats: Kirkland & Ellis 969 Paul Weiss 925 David Polk 865 Simpson 789 Will clients balk about indirectl...

  Politico's article on the flight of obit writers from The Washington Post set off deep reflection on the weighty matter of prestige and power. That is, featuring in long long form in that publication and more those who had died. The more includes The Economist, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.  On LinkedIn, executive communications pro Neil Hrab was among those who looped in and asked what I thought.  Well, here is where I think we are. The exits of WaPo official obit writers could signal yet another sweeping change in the media landscape. That is, the phasing out of the long-form obits.  No longer would journalists be officially assigned as obit creators. And those other journalists at brandname publications wouldn't venture into that territory in fear of alienating some sources with the candor required for a legit obit. The first line of a solid obit could kick off with the negative of the deceased having needed a turnaround or finally experiencing...

  The good news is that Claude, created by AI player Anthropic, is producing amazing results for those in the legal sector.  In the cheering section is US Supreme Court Justice  Elena Kaga n. She cites it for its performance with complex constitutional issues. On LinkedIn, high-profile posters also rate it high among the AI bots for lawyers. One even ranks it the highest. That includes its crisp presentation of data.  So, that means, sure, as we already know, that there have to be watchdogs for accuracy and editors for an engaging but non-wordy read. But, also now we are finding out that this is a tool the legal community can integrate into its processes - and enhance their brands.  As clients demand that it's incorporated into how the assignment will be managed, those law firms will have the edge in business development if they are far along in the learning curve on the application of AI.  Currently those so situated are getting that kind of story out. In ...

Who or what public relations agency is guiding executive communications at Microsoft? Their employment should be reviewed. Microsoft's head Satya Nadella decided to make the public statement internally that he, well, felt bad about the layoffs. This year there were 15,000 cut from the team. Well, anyone who has ever lost a job, whatever the circumstances, knows those axed probably felt lots worse than Nadella. And, come on, what does he feel so bad about. Since the RIFs, the stock has surged. That reinforces his own job security and ups the value of his brand.  It was not only saying that he felt bad. It was the way he said it. If he was trying to convey empathy he was way off. His presentation was erudite, not from the heart. For example, look at this: “Progress isn’t linear. It’s dynamic, sometimes dissonant, and always demanding. But it’s also a new opportunity for us to shape, lead through, and have greater impact than ever before.” The feel-bad and the explanation of strategy ...

  Through "Hulk Hogan v Gawker," a pop-culture celebrity - Terry Gene Bollea - became a change agent in digital media. It was about an invasion of privacy. Through the $140 million verdict jurors in Florida sent the message to all media - not just Gawker - that some lines couldn't be closed. Smug Gawker, which had some very important people terrified, went out of business.  The rest of media realized that their malpractice insurance wasn't enough for the snarky platforms to risk, you bet, crossing some lines. That was 2016 and there ended the era of reckless mocking of whoever and whatever by online publications.  In addition, the public got an introduction to a version of litigation financing. Billionaire Peter Thiel, whose alternate sexuality Gawker outed, pitched in to pay for the litigation.  Lawyer Charles Harder went on from there to represent Melania Trump in a defamation complaint.  Hogan chose his enemy wisely. Gawker's meanspirited ways turned off many...