BOOKS
-- The Next 100 Years, By George Friedman
-- The End of the Free Market, By Ian Bremmer
-- You've Only Got Three Seconds, By Camille Lavington
-- One Nation Under Contract: The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy, By Allison Stanger
-- Working with Americans, By Lanie Denslow & Allyson Stewart-Allen
WEBSITES
-- www.WatchingAmerica.com Free daily translations of global US coverage
-- www.drudgereport.com The One & Only Drudge
-- http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/ USC Center on Public Diplomacy
-- www.WorldCitizensGuide.org World Citizens Guides
-- www.Businessfordiplomaticaction.org Business for Diplomatic Action
-- www.traveltalkmedia.com/businesstravelradio.shtml Business Travel Radio
-- http://www.formsofaddress.info/faq.html Robert Hickey's Etiquette and Protocol Site
MAGAZINES: Harvard Business Review, The Week, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs
MUST HAVE DESK REFERENCES
-- Kiss, Bow, and Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries, By Terri Morrison & Wayne Conaway
-- Honor & Respect: Titles & Forms of Address, By Robert Hickey
-- Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy, Edited By Nancy Snow
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
> Would welcome any comments and feedback on my most recent blog post, http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/what_mpds_and_mbas_c
Monday, July 26, 2010
Mapping the Social Internet -- A Global Look
From the current issue of Harvard Business Review there is an excellent visual representation of how people in different countries utilize social networks.
Some of the Key Take-Aways
* Asia is the Most Social -- BRIC and other developing countries show the most engagement overall
* Fewer than 15% of Americans say they've written a blog
* European, North American, and Australian users tend to use social platforms in essentially the same ways. More active than Eastern users when it comes to photo sharing and managing a social network profile but less active on broadcast behaviors. Microblogging is much lower.
* Chinese and Indian users, are three times as likely as Westerners to microblog, or tweet, as American users.
* Emerging Markets have much more room to grow their internet populations and encourage experimentation whereas behaviors in the West are well established
Full Article & Map:
SOURCE -- www.hbr.org
Some of the Key Take-Aways
* Asia is the Most Social -- BRIC and other developing countries show the most engagement overall
* Fewer than 15% of Americans say they've written a blog
* European, North American, and Australian users tend to use social platforms in essentially the same ways. More active than Eastern users when it comes to photo sharing and managing a social network profile but less active on broadcast behaviors. Microblogging is much lower.
* Chinese and Indian users, are three times as likely as Westerners to microblog, or tweet, as American users.
* Emerging Markets have much more room to grow their internet populations and encourage experimentation whereas behaviors in the West are well established
Full Article & Map:
SOURCE -- www.hbr.org
Friday, July 16, 2010
EMPIRE OF THE SUN -- Recent USC CPD Post
July 2010
Film Clip:
http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/empire_of_the_sun/
I’m finally cleaning out and catching up with my Netflix queue, working on a relationship I’ve neglected for far, far too long. As a foreign and political film junkie, I may be one of the few people my age who has only just watched Empire of the Sun , the 1987 Spielberg film initially set in 1940s Shanghai, where a group of privileged and protected Westerners have built their lives in China since the British first arrived in the early 19th Century.
Based on J. G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, the film follows a British boy, Jim “Jamie” Graham, who, after being separated from his parents, is captured by the Japanese and taken to the Soo Chow confinement camp. Stripped of every comfort and surrounded by sickness, disease, and death, Jim attempts to rebuild his former life, while bringing hope and dignity to those around him. The film is ultimately about survival, the enduring strength of the human spirit, and the idea that even in times of war, we all have more things in common than the ones which separate us.
I was profoundly and deeply moved by this film. In part, I was drawn in by Spielberg’s visual imagery and layering. At every turn I felt as though I were there, witnessing history unfold. The underlying themes and cross-cultural nuances throughout, though, are what truly left an indelible impression.
From the very beginning, I was struck by the excellent manners young Jim possessed. He was composed, observant, sensitive to others needs, incredibly self aware, and treated everyone with dignity and respect. Let me repeat that – he treated everyone with dignity and respect. His most outward displays of sensitivity, deference and respect are shown in several poignant scenes with his Japanese captors. He takes several tense, potentially violent moments and diffuses them with the flair of a seasoned diplomat when he smiles broadly and genuinely, speaks in Japanese, and bows to the ground. He stays bowing until the Japanese give him instruction to rise. At another particularly moving point, while observing the Kamikaze rituals, he salutes and begins singing with the pilots.
The timing of watching Empire of the Sun is rather appropriate, as I am due to deliver remarks at the International Protocol Officers Annual Education Conference in Long Beach, CA at the end of this month. It is always an intimidating thing to be surrounded by an audience of protocol and etiquette professionals, especially for a native Texan. But I never miss a chance to be with them, as I love the energy of this group and their almost evangelical approach to their craft. I wish more were aware of the power of protocol and etiquette – traditional vestiges of diplomacy, and an area many consider to be within the soft power realm. I touched on this in my prior post, ' The Five Tool Corporate Diplomat', but I feel compelled to underscore the importance of protocol and etiquette as essential global skills, which are absolutely critical to building trust and operating effective cross-culturally.
Which brings me back to young Jim in the film. Jim was born into a privileged, global elite, which was well versed and schooled in the ways of the world and how to operate within the echelons of power. Many will look at that film and even at modern practitioners of diplomacy, etiquette and protocol, and say that understanding such cross-cultural nuance and learning how to deftly navigate oneself in a global environment is passé in a world where technology, access and speed are pre-eminent.
If one delves deeper, though, in any environment – whether government, corporate, or societal – where power and influence are concentrated, successful relationships develop slowly over time and are carefully crafted by how one positions and maneuvers within such structures. Access is granted and influence developed by those who are able to operate effectively, with sensitivity, respect, and acute awareness of those around them. This is where etiquette and protocol, or in plain English, good old fashioned manners, make all the difference. Why then are so few young people, especially Americans, educated systematically in the art and craft of protocol and etiquette? In a globalized world where we are all increasingly competing with the world for jobs, positioning and influence, these skills should be part of every child’s basic education.
“Amatus sum, amatus es, amatus est”
Towards the end of the film we hear Jim reciting the Latin phrase “Amatus sum, amatus es, amatus est." Translated, it means: I am loved, you are loved, he/she is loved. The phrase (and more broadly, the film) speaks to the universality of the human condition and how each of us possesses the capacity to bring grace, humility, courage, and hope to those we engage with every day. It’s a lesson we should all embrace.
For additional related research, resources and insights, visit: http://thefivetoolexecutive.blogspot.com/
Film Clip:
http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/empire_of_the_sun/
I’m finally cleaning out and catching up with my Netflix queue, working on a relationship I’ve neglected for far, far too long. As a foreign and political film junkie, I may be one of the few people my age who has only just watched Empire of the Sun , the 1987 Spielberg film initially set in 1940s Shanghai, where a group of privileged and protected Westerners have built their lives in China since the British first arrived in the early 19th Century.
Based on J. G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, the film follows a British boy, Jim “Jamie” Graham, who, after being separated from his parents, is captured by the Japanese and taken to the Soo Chow confinement camp. Stripped of every comfort and surrounded by sickness, disease, and death, Jim attempts to rebuild his former life, while bringing hope and dignity to those around him. The film is ultimately about survival, the enduring strength of the human spirit, and the idea that even in times of war, we all have more things in common than the ones which separate us.
I was profoundly and deeply moved by this film. In part, I was drawn in by Spielberg’s visual imagery and layering. At every turn I felt as though I were there, witnessing history unfold. The underlying themes and cross-cultural nuances throughout, though, are what truly left an indelible impression.
From the very beginning, I was struck by the excellent manners young Jim possessed. He was composed, observant, sensitive to others needs, incredibly self aware, and treated everyone with dignity and respect. Let me repeat that – he treated everyone with dignity and respect. His most outward displays of sensitivity, deference and respect are shown in several poignant scenes with his Japanese captors. He takes several tense, potentially violent moments and diffuses them with the flair of a seasoned diplomat when he smiles broadly and genuinely, speaks in Japanese, and bows to the ground. He stays bowing until the Japanese give him instruction to rise. At another particularly moving point, while observing the Kamikaze rituals, he salutes and begins singing with the pilots.
The timing of watching Empire of the Sun is rather appropriate, as I am due to deliver remarks at the International Protocol Officers Annual Education Conference in Long Beach, CA at the end of this month. It is always an intimidating thing to be surrounded by an audience of protocol and etiquette professionals, especially for a native Texan. But I never miss a chance to be with them, as I love the energy of this group and their almost evangelical approach to their craft. I wish more were aware of the power of protocol and etiquette – traditional vestiges of diplomacy, and an area many consider to be within the soft power realm. I touched on this in my prior post, ' The Five Tool Corporate Diplomat', but I feel compelled to underscore the importance of protocol and etiquette as essential global skills, which are absolutely critical to building trust and operating effective cross-culturally.
Which brings me back to young Jim in the film. Jim was born into a privileged, global elite, which was well versed and schooled in the ways of the world and how to operate within the echelons of power. Many will look at that film and even at modern practitioners of diplomacy, etiquette and protocol, and say that understanding such cross-cultural nuance and learning how to deftly navigate oneself in a global environment is passé in a world where technology, access and speed are pre-eminent.
If one delves deeper, though, in any environment – whether government, corporate, or societal – where power and influence are concentrated, successful relationships develop slowly over time and are carefully crafted by how one positions and maneuvers within such structures. Access is granted and influence developed by those who are able to operate effectively, with sensitivity, respect, and acute awareness of those around them. This is where etiquette and protocol, or in plain English, good old fashioned manners, make all the difference. Why then are so few young people, especially Americans, educated systematically in the art and craft of protocol and etiquette? In a globalized world where we are all increasingly competing with the world for jobs, positioning and influence, these skills should be part of every child’s basic education.
“Amatus sum, amatus es, amatus est”
Towards the end of the film we hear Jim reciting the Latin phrase “Amatus sum, amatus es, amatus est." Translated, it means: I am loved, you are loved, he/she is loved. The phrase (and more broadly, the film) speaks to the universality of the human condition and how each of us possesses the capacity to bring grace, humility, courage, and hope to those we engage with every day. It’s a lesson we should all embrace.
For additional related research, resources and insights, visit: http://thefivetoolexecutive.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Current Research of Note -- July 2010
There are several recent studies that The Five Tool Executive should take note of and I will periodically post key take-aways, resources and insights.
This month, I'm focused on the McKinsey Global Institute's findings from their recent Competitiveness Report. There are several warning signs for the US that US multi-nationals in particular and the USG should take note of principally in the FDI, K-12 Education, Talent Recruitment & Retention, and Infrastructure.
McKinsey Global Institute Competitiveness Report 2009-2010
Key Take-Aways
OTHER COUNTRIES ARE CATCHING UP IN THE COMPETITION FOR US MULTINATIONAL CORPORATE INVESTMENT
The United States remains an attractive location for multinational economic activity. The US economy is the largest in the world, with strong patent protection, stable government institutions, high-quality transportation and communications systems, and an abundance of skilled and highly productive workers. But the world is changing. Today, countries in both the developed and developing world are also attractive investment locations, eroding the United States’ advantage (Exhibit 31). Many countries now provide large and growing markets, innovation, and talent that match or exceed those in the United States.
Countries’ competitiveness in attracting investment generally depends on four groups of attributes: economic fundamentals, business climate, human capital, and infrastructure.37 Historically, the developed economies, and the United States in particular, have performed best across these measures of country attractiveness, and it is these countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that are home to the bulk of US multinationals’ foreign activity.
Top ten most attractive economies for location of FDI, 2009–10 -- BRIC Countries lead the top five
US infrastructure was graded a “D”in 2009 and needs over $2 trillion in investment
The ability of the United States to sustain some of its advantages will depend in part on its relative performance in K-12 education. A report by the McKinsey & Company Social Sector Office found that the United States faces a significant international achievement gap in primary and secondary education.43 Among the report’s findings:
*In cross-country comparisons of fourth-grade reading, math, and science, US students scored in the top quarter or top half of advanced nations. By age 15, US students ranked in the bottom half.
*In 2006, the United States ranked 25th of 30 nations in math and 24th of 30 in science when the achievement of 15-year-old students was measured in OECD countries. The United States has among the smallest proportions of 15-year-olds performing at the highest levels of proficiency in math.
*Forty years ago, the United States was a leader in high school graduation rates; today, it ranks 18th out of 24 industrialized nations.
This month, I'm focused on the McKinsey Global Institute's findings from their recent Competitiveness Report. There are several warning signs for the US that US multi-nationals in particular and the USG should take note of principally in the FDI, K-12 Education, Talent Recruitment & Retention, and Infrastructure.
McKinsey Global Institute Competitiveness Report 2009-2010
Key Take-Aways
OTHER COUNTRIES ARE CATCHING UP IN THE COMPETITION FOR US MULTINATIONAL CORPORATE INVESTMENT
The United States remains an attractive location for multinational economic activity. The US economy is the largest in the world, with strong patent protection, stable government institutions, high-quality transportation and communications systems, and an abundance of skilled and highly productive workers. But the world is changing. Today, countries in both the developed and developing world are also attractive investment locations, eroding the United States’ advantage (Exhibit 31). Many countries now provide large and growing markets, innovation, and talent that match or exceed those in the United States.
Countries’ competitiveness in attracting investment generally depends on four groups of attributes: economic fundamentals, business climate, human capital, and infrastructure.37 Historically, the developed economies, and the United States in particular, have performed best across these measures of country attractiveness, and it is these countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that are home to the bulk of US multinationals’ foreign activity.
Top ten most attractive economies for location of FDI, 2009–10 -- BRIC Countries lead the top five
US infrastructure was graded a “D”in 2009 and needs over $2 trillion in investment
The ability of the United States to sustain some of its advantages will depend in part on its relative performance in K-12 education. A report by the McKinsey & Company Social Sector Office found that the United States faces a significant international achievement gap in primary and secondary education.43 Among the report’s findings:
*In cross-country comparisons of fourth-grade reading, math, and science, US students scored in the top quarter or top half of advanced nations. By age 15, US students ranked in the bottom half.
*In 2006, the United States ranked 25th of 30 nations in math and 24th of 30 in science when the achievement of 15-year-old students was measured in OECD countries. The United States has among the smallest proportions of 15-year-olds performing at the highest levels of proficiency in math.
*Forty years ago, the United States was a leader in high school graduation rates; today, it ranks 18th out of 24 industrialized nations.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
THE FIVE TOOL CORPORATE DIPLOMAT
THE FIVE TOOL CORPORATE DIPLOMAT
JUNE 2010
Posted to the USC CPD Blog
by Cari Guittard
The conversation began innocently enough - sitting on a porch in Half Moon Bay, overlooking, ironically, The Mavericks - where only the best come to surf and conquer the monster waves.
“Cari, you’re a Five Tool Wife,” remarked one of my husband’s friends.
At first, I wasn’t sure whether to be offended or complimented. When I asked for an explanation, he offered the analogy of the Five Tool Player, a term used in baseball to describe a player that has it all and succeeds in every critical skill necessary to excel over the long-term. The Five Tool player, he clarified, “hits for Power, hits for Average, has Skills & Speed, exceptional Throwing and Fielding skills.”
As he shared some names of famous Five-Toolers in baseball, outlining each area in detail, I started thinking about the global skill sets that make for a Five Tool Executive and Diplomat. As I am immersed day to day through my Business for Diplomatic Action role in engaging and guiding corporate executives in public diplomacy efforts, it got me thinking about those incredible Five Tool Diplomats and Executives I’ve had the opportunity to work with and learn from over the past decade. And then I wondered, what do they all have in common that has helped guide their success internationally? What are the critical skill sets that comprise a Five Tool Corporate Diplomat?
In my mind, the foundation upon which a Five Tool Corporate Diplomat concept should be based begins with an acknowledgment at the outset that a global mindset is a critical component upon which all other skill sets are formed. Seasoned successful diplomats and global executives have this in spades; however it is hardly a uniform skill set and many acknowledge it is a difficult area to teach, especially in the business world where diplomacy has never been seen until very recently as a critical skill set.
Few MBA schools dare to delve into this area, yet Thunderbird, the #1 ranked international MBA program in the US, is leading the way with their GLOBE research efforts and Global Mindset diagnostic tools. The Global Mindset, as Thunderbird defines it, is encapsulated below and comprises the first three or my five tools: Psychological Capital, Intellectual Capital, and Social Capital. In a nutshell they mean: we must know ourselves and the environment extremely well, be open and constantly learning, and finally, know how to build and leverage trusting relationships.
The Thunderbird approach echoes attributes and traits that other global executive development experts have been espousing for decades. As Camille Lavington, (noted personal executive marketing authority and author of You’ve Only Got Three Seconds) recently shared, “In my work with executives who reach the pinnacle of their careers and then go further and farther in their success, their ability to harness and leverage a combination of powerful global skills to develop their own unique brand of influence and power makes all the difference. How they do what they do and why are the keys to un-locking the mystery of what makes a Five Tool Executive.”
The final tools, Passion and Discretion, round out what I would define as a Five Tool Corporate Diplomat, and are derived from my experience working globally with successful global execs and diplomats. All of the global mindset capital in the world cannot make for success unless it is paired with passion and discretion.
The Five Tool Corporate Diplomat:
Psychological Capital – Enthusiasm for diversity; Self-assurance, self-confidence, and willingness to challenge oneself; Involves leveraging intellectual capital; Toughest to develop, takes a long time, based on experience.
Intellectual Capital – Knowledge of industry, market, competitors, cultures, world events; Easiest to develop
Social Capital – Ability to build trusting relationships with people from different parts of the world; Involves excellence in networking, listening, and negotiating
Passion – Powerful and enduring enthusiasm for working globally, with people from different from parts of the world.
Discretion -- Ability to make decisions and choices with prudence; the quality of being discreet, or careful about what one does and says
When taken as a whole, the Five Tools require an individual to have a high sense of self-awareness and the ability to understand and then implement changes in their behaviors as the environment and situation dictates. As great athletes (and particularly Five Tool players) know, you identify and focus on where you are weak, then work daily to build improvement. To some extent, improvement in any sport is easy to track - you simply follow stats and can readily measure improvement. Similarly, successful diplomats know that they have to, in their own way, constantly practice and hone their craft. With executives this is a difficult area to measure, especially since so much of this work is impacted by cognitive abilities, personalities and experiences. What is important to recognize about the Five Tools outlined above is that they are universal, and can be applied to anyone working anywhere, in any field, in any sector, including governments and non-profits. There is much we can all learn from Five Tool Executives and Diplomats that can help guide anyone who plans to pursue a global career.
In light of venerable journalist Helen Thomas’ outburst and prompt retirement last week, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to emphasize the last tool, Discretion. This day and age of instant and ubiquitous communication, where seemingly every detail of one’s life and every thought is regularly posted, tweeted, and blurted out (and everyone is obsessed with social media as a preferred message platform) has me longing for the days when discretion was seen as a virtue. Discretion, after all is a key component for building and leveraging trust, influence, and power.
Discretion demands wise conduct and management, cautious discernment, and self-control. Thomas Jefferson, when reflecting on the power of society, spoke of a “wholesome discretion” and Scottish novelist Walter Scott eloquently offered, “Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life.” Helen Thomas’ blatant disregard for the impact of her words, especially from someone who has built her life’s work on informing the public of current events, is not only irresponsible - it is one more example of how we’ve lost the art and skill of discretion in American society. However, I take comfort in thinking of all the Five Tool Executives and Diplomats I’ve had the pleasure of observing or working with, like Keith Reinhard and Ambassador Marc Grossman, who in their own way epitomize not only a global mindset but a grace, elegance, and quiet thoughtfulness that I wish more Americans sought to emulate.
And on that note, it is time for America to take a candid look inward, assess our global mindset and skills sets, and begin the hard work of preparing us all for engaging effectively with the world. Subsequent generations of Americans will be increasingly interconnected and global and it is incumbent upon all of us to do our part to prepare those generations to compete and lead on a global scale.
As we hurtle closer to the November elections, with crisis after crisis unfolding on a domestic and geopolitical scale, it is important to keep a global, long-term perspective. I don’t know about you, but I could also really go for a “wholesome discretion” movement right about now. The Five Tools can be a guide for success in our daily lives here at home and for those of us pursuing careers abroad.
If you know any five tool corporate diplomats you wish to recognize, please feel free to acknowledge them in the comments below.
JUNE 2010
Posted to the USC CPD Blog
by Cari Guittard
The conversation began innocently enough - sitting on a porch in Half Moon Bay, overlooking, ironically, The Mavericks - where only the best come to surf and conquer the monster waves.
“Cari, you’re a Five Tool Wife,” remarked one of my husband’s friends.
At first, I wasn’t sure whether to be offended or complimented. When I asked for an explanation, he offered the analogy of the Five Tool Player, a term used in baseball to describe a player that has it all and succeeds in every critical skill necessary to excel over the long-term. The Five Tool player, he clarified, “hits for Power, hits for Average, has Skills & Speed, exceptional Throwing and Fielding skills.”
As he shared some names of famous Five-Toolers in baseball, outlining each area in detail, I started thinking about the global skill sets that make for a Five Tool Executive and Diplomat. As I am immersed day to day through my Business for Diplomatic Action role in engaging and guiding corporate executives in public diplomacy efforts, it got me thinking about those incredible Five Tool Diplomats and Executives I’ve had the opportunity to work with and learn from over the past decade. And then I wondered, what do they all have in common that has helped guide their success internationally? What are the critical skill sets that comprise a Five Tool Corporate Diplomat?
In my mind, the foundation upon which a Five Tool Corporate Diplomat concept should be based begins with an acknowledgment at the outset that a global mindset is a critical component upon which all other skill sets are formed. Seasoned successful diplomats and global executives have this in spades; however it is hardly a uniform skill set and many acknowledge it is a difficult area to teach, especially in the business world where diplomacy has never been seen until very recently as a critical skill set.
Few MBA schools dare to delve into this area, yet Thunderbird, the #1 ranked international MBA program in the US, is leading the way with their GLOBE research efforts and Global Mindset diagnostic tools. The Global Mindset, as Thunderbird defines it, is encapsulated below and comprises the first three or my five tools: Psychological Capital, Intellectual Capital, and Social Capital. In a nutshell they mean: we must know ourselves and the environment extremely well, be open and constantly learning, and finally, know how to build and leverage trusting relationships.
The Thunderbird approach echoes attributes and traits that other global executive development experts have been espousing for decades. As Camille Lavington, (noted personal executive marketing authority and author of You’ve Only Got Three Seconds) recently shared, “In my work with executives who reach the pinnacle of their careers and then go further and farther in their success, their ability to harness and leverage a combination of powerful global skills to develop their own unique brand of influence and power makes all the difference. How they do what they do and why are the keys to un-locking the mystery of what makes a Five Tool Executive.”
The final tools, Passion and Discretion, round out what I would define as a Five Tool Corporate Diplomat, and are derived from my experience working globally with successful global execs and diplomats. All of the global mindset capital in the world cannot make for success unless it is paired with passion and discretion.
The Five Tool Corporate Diplomat:
Psychological Capital – Enthusiasm for diversity; Self-assurance, self-confidence, and willingness to challenge oneself; Involves leveraging intellectual capital; Toughest to develop, takes a long time, based on experience.
Intellectual Capital – Knowledge of industry, market, competitors, cultures, world events; Easiest to develop
Social Capital – Ability to build trusting relationships with people from different parts of the world; Involves excellence in networking, listening, and negotiating
Passion – Powerful and enduring enthusiasm for working globally, with people from different from parts of the world.
Discretion -- Ability to make decisions and choices with prudence; the quality of being discreet, or careful about what one does and says
When taken as a whole, the Five Tools require an individual to have a high sense of self-awareness and the ability to understand and then implement changes in their behaviors as the environment and situation dictates. As great athletes (and particularly Five Tool players) know, you identify and focus on where you are weak, then work daily to build improvement. To some extent, improvement in any sport is easy to track - you simply follow stats and can readily measure improvement. Similarly, successful diplomats know that they have to, in their own way, constantly practice and hone their craft. With executives this is a difficult area to measure, especially since so much of this work is impacted by cognitive abilities, personalities and experiences. What is important to recognize about the Five Tools outlined above is that they are universal, and can be applied to anyone working anywhere, in any field, in any sector, including governments and non-profits. There is much we can all learn from Five Tool Executives and Diplomats that can help guide anyone who plans to pursue a global career.
In light of venerable journalist Helen Thomas’ outburst and prompt retirement last week, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to emphasize the last tool, Discretion. This day and age of instant and ubiquitous communication, where seemingly every detail of one’s life and every thought is regularly posted, tweeted, and blurted out (and everyone is obsessed with social media as a preferred message platform) has me longing for the days when discretion was seen as a virtue. Discretion, after all is a key component for building and leveraging trust, influence, and power.
Discretion demands wise conduct and management, cautious discernment, and self-control. Thomas Jefferson, when reflecting on the power of society, spoke of a “wholesome discretion” and Scottish novelist Walter Scott eloquently offered, “Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life.” Helen Thomas’ blatant disregard for the impact of her words, especially from someone who has built her life’s work on informing the public of current events, is not only irresponsible - it is one more example of how we’ve lost the art and skill of discretion in American society. However, I take comfort in thinking of all the Five Tool Executives and Diplomats I’ve had the pleasure of observing or working with, like Keith Reinhard and Ambassador Marc Grossman, who in their own way epitomize not only a global mindset but a grace, elegance, and quiet thoughtfulness that I wish more Americans sought to emulate.
And on that note, it is time for America to take a candid look inward, assess our global mindset and skills sets, and begin the hard work of preparing us all for engaging effectively with the world. Subsequent generations of Americans will be increasingly interconnected and global and it is incumbent upon all of us to do our part to prepare those generations to compete and lead on a global scale.
As we hurtle closer to the November elections, with crisis after crisis unfolding on a domestic and geopolitical scale, it is important to keep a global, long-term perspective. I don’t know about you, but I could also really go for a “wholesome discretion” movement right about now. The Five Tools can be a guide for success in our daily lives here at home and for those of us pursuing careers abroad.
If you know any five tool corporate diplomats you wish to recognize, please feel free to acknowledge them in the comments below.
Monday, March 29, 2010
GLOBAL PULSE 2010
Worth Checking Out & Participating
About Global Pulse 2010
Global Pulse 2010 is a 3-day, online collaboration event that will bring together socially-engaged participants and organizations from around the world. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is sponsoring the event, in partnership with the U.S. Departments of State, Education, Commerce, and Health and Human Services.
As the name implies, Global Pulse 2010 will take the pulse of thousands of participants on key issues facing communities around the world. The goals of the event are to connect and engage participants who are champions for the same challenges to help build new, or strengthen existing relationships, and to inform U.S. foreign assistance and diplomatic strategies on major themes emerge from the course of conversation.
During Global Pulse 2010 participants will choose from a list of challenges facing the global community within the fields of science and technology, economic development, and human development. Each challenge will have a number of recognized thought leaders and subject matter experts who will help to facilitate the discussion.
As a truly unique event Global Pulse 2010 will enable participants to influence a global conversation that helps to build partnerships across borders, strengthen understanding among cultures, and unite the human race in an effort to create innovative solutions to the most pressing social issues of our time.
https://www.collaborationjam.com/minijam3/jam/index.do?jamId=57
About Global Pulse 2010
Global Pulse 2010 is a 3-day, online collaboration event that will bring together socially-engaged participants and organizations from around the world. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is sponsoring the event, in partnership with the U.S. Departments of State, Education, Commerce, and Health and Human Services.
As the name implies, Global Pulse 2010 will take the pulse of thousands of participants on key issues facing communities around the world. The goals of the event are to connect and engage participants who are champions for the same challenges to help build new, or strengthen existing relationships, and to inform U.S. foreign assistance and diplomatic strategies on major themes emerge from the course of conversation.
During Global Pulse 2010 participants will choose from a list of challenges facing the global community within the fields of science and technology, economic development, and human development. Each challenge will have a number of recognized thought leaders and subject matter experts who will help to facilitate the discussion.
As a truly unique event Global Pulse 2010 will enable participants to influence a global conversation that helps to build partnerships across borders, strengthen understanding among cultures, and unite the human race in an effort to create innovative solutions to the most pressing social issues of our time.
https://www.collaborationjam.com/minijam3/jam/index.do?jamId=57
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Harvard Business Review - Three Steps to Make Your Next Speech Your Best
Three Steps to Make Your Next Speech Your Best
3:28 PM Friday March 12, 2010
HBR Blog
In my experience of over two decades of coaching executives in their public speaking, I rarely run across one who has both the time and the inclination to do what it takes to deliver a great speech. Most of them are satisfied with average, which is partly why there are so many bad speeches given. The bar is set very low, and most executives are content to clear the bar, just.
What's to be done about this sorry state of rhetorical affairs? Here, I offer three quick steps leaders can take right now to improve their next speech. The steps are conceptually sophisticated but relatively easy to implement, thus fitting the busy executive lifestyle and addressing the natural objections of time and inclination.
First, step out from behind the podium and choreograph your relationship to the audience.
Our unconscious minds constantly monitor four zones of space between us and other people. We've evolved this incredibly sophisticated, unconscious radar to keep us safe, and it has important implications for public speaking. Twelve feet or more is public space, and it is the coolest category. We're not very interested in anyone, in survival terms, who's more than twelve feet away from us. So we don't pay much attention.
Twelve feet to four feet is social space. Here, we're paying about as much attention as you do to someone standing in the next circle at a cocktail party. You note them, but you're OK to keep talking to someone else.
Four feet to a foot and a half is personal space, and now we're paying close attention. In fact, we want to keep our eyes on anyone in that space all the time. Again, it's a safety issue. That person is close enough to us to do us harm, so we're going to stay focused.
Finally, a foot and a half to zero is intimate space, and at this level we only are comfortable letting in people that we trust a good deal. Spouses, family members, close friends, the attractive person you just met at that party after downing seven beers — these are the people we let into intimate space.
What are the implications for public speaking? Standing behind a podium means that you're almost guaranteed to be more than twelve feet from everyone. That means that no one is very interested in you, at the unconscious level. So one of the easiest ways to up the ante on your performance is to warm up the connections between you and your audience by leaving the podium and entering into carefully chosen audience member's personal space.
Thanks to comfort monitors and hanging screens, you don't even have to leave your speech behind, but it does help to know the speech well, so that you don't forget what you're doing when you try to walk and talk at the same time.
Move toward your audience, and particular audience members, when you're making an important point, and away when you want to signal a break or a change of subject. This choreography is a simple, easy way to enormously improve the connection you make with your audience, without even raising your voice.
Second, listen to your audience.
This may sound a bit odd — isn't the audience supposed to listen to you? — but all successful communication is two-way, and listening to your audience is a great way to increase your charisma. It will get the folks in the seats basking in your attention.
So how do you listen to the audience? The best way is to put regular breaks into your speech — at least every twenty minutes, and preferably every ten — where you stop and take the audience's temperature. Ask if it has questions, ask for reactions, ask for it to relate its own experience relative to what you're talking about.
You can save Q and A until the end, but it's less effective. People forget questions they may have had ten minutes ago.
Now, here's the important part. When you ask the audience something, you must wait for a response. If you wait a nanosecond or two, because you're in adrenaline mode, and then decide that no one is going to speak up, and go on with your speech, you will be telling the audience never to respond. The speaker sets the rules.
And here's the other important part. When you do listen, listen with your whole body. That means stopping whatever you're doing physically, and turning your whole body to the questioner and holding still. That's surprisingly hard to do for busy speakers on the go, but it's essential if you're to reap the advantages of listening in charisma. Many speakers get the gist of the question half way through and start to move on before the questioner has finished. That's not charismatic. That's dismissive.
Finally, focus on your emotional intentions for approximately three minutes before important meetings and speeches.
Many executives mistakenly think that leadership means not being emotional. That's a big mistake. Think about successful, charismatic leaders, like Steve Jobs, or your favorite politician. People respond to them because of their passion for their subject, their cause, or their products. Charisma comes from the focus of powerful, contagious emotions — like joy, enthusiasm, anger — so spend a few minutes living that emotion as strongly as you can before you go out to speak or go into a meeting. If you practice this, you will show up with greatly enhanced charisma and energy, and people will be drawn to you.
How do you focus? Identify the emotion first, and then think of a time when you naturally experienced it. Recall that time as powerfully as you can, invoking each of the five senses, for several minutes just before your speech or meeting. What did the experience taste like? Smell like? Sound like? Feel like? Look like? Run through these sensory cues, put yourself back into the moment, and bring the emotion to life. Then go out and knock 'em dead.
Practice these three shortcuts to effective leadership communications and watch the bar go up — way up — on your performances.
Nick Morgan is President of Public Words Inc, a communications consulting firm, and author of Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma.
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/03/three_steps_to_make_your_next.html
3:28 PM Friday March 12, 2010
HBR Blog
In my experience of over two decades of coaching executives in their public speaking, I rarely run across one who has both the time and the inclination to do what it takes to deliver a great speech. Most of them are satisfied with average, which is partly why there are so many bad speeches given. The bar is set very low, and most executives are content to clear the bar, just.
What's to be done about this sorry state of rhetorical affairs? Here, I offer three quick steps leaders can take right now to improve their next speech. The steps are conceptually sophisticated but relatively easy to implement, thus fitting the busy executive lifestyle and addressing the natural objections of time and inclination.
First, step out from behind the podium and choreograph your relationship to the audience.
Our unconscious minds constantly monitor four zones of space between us and other people. We've evolved this incredibly sophisticated, unconscious radar to keep us safe, and it has important implications for public speaking. Twelve feet or more is public space, and it is the coolest category. We're not very interested in anyone, in survival terms, who's more than twelve feet away from us. So we don't pay much attention.
Twelve feet to four feet is social space. Here, we're paying about as much attention as you do to someone standing in the next circle at a cocktail party. You note them, but you're OK to keep talking to someone else.
Four feet to a foot and a half is personal space, and now we're paying close attention. In fact, we want to keep our eyes on anyone in that space all the time. Again, it's a safety issue. That person is close enough to us to do us harm, so we're going to stay focused.
Finally, a foot and a half to zero is intimate space, and at this level we only are comfortable letting in people that we trust a good deal. Spouses, family members, close friends, the attractive person you just met at that party after downing seven beers — these are the people we let into intimate space.
What are the implications for public speaking? Standing behind a podium means that you're almost guaranteed to be more than twelve feet from everyone. That means that no one is very interested in you, at the unconscious level. So one of the easiest ways to up the ante on your performance is to warm up the connections between you and your audience by leaving the podium and entering into carefully chosen audience member's personal space.
Thanks to comfort monitors and hanging screens, you don't even have to leave your speech behind, but it does help to know the speech well, so that you don't forget what you're doing when you try to walk and talk at the same time.
Move toward your audience, and particular audience members, when you're making an important point, and away when you want to signal a break or a change of subject. This choreography is a simple, easy way to enormously improve the connection you make with your audience, without even raising your voice.
Second, listen to your audience.
This may sound a bit odd — isn't the audience supposed to listen to you? — but all successful communication is two-way, and listening to your audience is a great way to increase your charisma. It will get the folks in the seats basking in your attention.
So how do you listen to the audience? The best way is to put regular breaks into your speech — at least every twenty minutes, and preferably every ten — where you stop and take the audience's temperature. Ask if it has questions, ask for reactions, ask for it to relate its own experience relative to what you're talking about.
You can save Q and A until the end, but it's less effective. People forget questions they may have had ten minutes ago.
Now, here's the important part. When you ask the audience something, you must wait for a response. If you wait a nanosecond or two, because you're in adrenaline mode, and then decide that no one is going to speak up, and go on with your speech, you will be telling the audience never to respond. The speaker sets the rules.
And here's the other important part. When you do listen, listen with your whole body. That means stopping whatever you're doing physically, and turning your whole body to the questioner and holding still. That's surprisingly hard to do for busy speakers on the go, but it's essential if you're to reap the advantages of listening in charisma. Many speakers get the gist of the question half way through and start to move on before the questioner has finished. That's not charismatic. That's dismissive.
Finally, focus on your emotional intentions for approximately three minutes before important meetings and speeches.
Many executives mistakenly think that leadership means not being emotional. That's a big mistake. Think about successful, charismatic leaders, like Steve Jobs, or your favorite politician. People respond to them because of their passion for their subject, their cause, or their products. Charisma comes from the focus of powerful, contagious emotions — like joy, enthusiasm, anger — so spend a few minutes living that emotion as strongly as you can before you go out to speak or go into a meeting. If you practice this, you will show up with greatly enhanced charisma and energy, and people will be drawn to you.
How do you focus? Identify the emotion first, and then think of a time when you naturally experienced it. Recall that time as powerfully as you can, invoking each of the five senses, for several minutes just before your speech or meeting. What did the experience taste like? Smell like? Sound like? Feel like? Look like? Run through these sensory cues, put yourself back into the moment, and bring the emotion to life. Then go out and knock 'em dead.
Practice these three shortcuts to effective leadership communications and watch the bar go up — way up — on your performances.
Nick Morgan is President of Public Words Inc, a communications consulting firm, and author of Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma.
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/03/three_steps_to_make_your_next.html
Nancy Snow's Recent Blog on Huffington Post
Excellent piece this week by Nancy Snow on the Huffington Post:
A Surfeit of America: Engaging the World in a Time of Excess
Full Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-snow/a-surfeit-of-america-enga_b_498516.html#comments
My Comments:
I am in violent agreement with Nancy's entire post, especially in light of the latest public diplomacy strategy report released last week. Two critical areas that I hope people take note of: 1) the need for further engagement and partnership with the private sector and 2) her call for a Ministry of Culture or some similar equivalent.
The whole of the private sector -- business, NGOs, academic institutions -- should be engaged and leveraged for public diplomacy goals in EVERY region of the world. They should also be brought into public diplomacy planning and strategizing at the outset so that their lessons learned, market research and insight can be part of the process from day one.
The Ministry of Culture concept is one that I also think deserves some deep consideration. Nancy's point about Chinese public diplomacy efforts should not go unnoticed. The Chinese have been investing heavily and strategically in public diplomacy efforts over the past several years and their focus on culture is one that is having resonance as more and more people around the globe are not only learning Mandarin but also the Chinese heritage and mindset. This is critical ground the US should be competing on.
A Surfeit of America: Engaging the World in a Time of Excess
Full Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-snow/a-surfeit-of-america-enga_b_498516.html#comments
My Comments:
I am in violent agreement with Nancy's entire post, especially in light of the latest public diplomacy strategy report released last week. Two critical areas that I hope people take note of: 1) the need for further engagement and partnership with the private sector and 2) her call for a Ministry of Culture or some similar equivalent.
The whole of the private sector -- business, NGOs, academic institutions -- should be engaged and leveraged for public diplomacy goals in EVERY region of the world. They should also be brought into public diplomacy planning and strategizing at the outset so that their lessons learned, market research and insight can be part of the process from day one.
The Ministry of Culture concept is one that I also think deserves some deep consideration. Nancy's point about Chinese public diplomacy efforts should not go unnoticed. The Chinese have been investing heavily and strategically in public diplomacy efforts over the past several years and their focus on culture is one that is having resonance as more and more people around the globe are not only learning Mandarin but also the Chinese heritage and mindset. This is critical ground the US should be competing on.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
USC CPD Blog Post...Simple is Smart
March 2010
Cari E. Guittard
I’m obsessed this month with simplicity.
Maybe it was Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki’s call last week for all of Iran’s Ambassadors to be “innovative and focused on action,” that struck a nerve. Perhaps it was the endless re-hashing of the healthcare debate that I still can’t make any sense of. Perhaps it was the FT reporting recently on the immense loss of confidence publics around the world have in their governments. Or maybe it all began when one of my board members, Alan Siegel (Founder & Chairman of the branding powerhouse Siegel + Gale), shared that he would be delivering a TED talk on the theme of America’s Crisis of Complexity earlier this month. Regardless, I can’t stop wishing, hoping, praying that our political and foreign policy leadership finally get the message (and, ironically, Siegel + Gale’s tagline): Simple is Smart.
Which brings me to this week’s release of Under Secretary Judith McHale’s new Public Diplomacy Strategic Approach for the 21st Century. There have been countless reports, hearings, strategies, and recommendations for public diplomacy efforts since 9/11. I’m afraid to even ask how much all of this introspection has cost the US taxpayer - but I digress. For all of the deep thinking on public diplomacy it is astonishing how, to this day, the goals, priorities and calls to action fail to move beyond sweeping rhetoric and endless org charts. To a certain extent, this is to be expected. After having served in the federal government at the State Department, notably in Diplomatic Security and then in the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy’s Office, I was confounded by the layers of complexity that shroud the halls of Foggy Bottom. While there was no shortage of bright, heavily credentialed foreign policy experts, finding anyone who would be willing, in a simple, clear way to explain what, why and how they engage in diplomatic efforts was next to impossible. And don’t even get me started on public diplomacy. You’d be hard pressed to find two senior officials in the Department who can agree on a clear definition of just what exactly ‘public diplomacy’ is, let alone what it means to the foreign policy making process.
On the surface, the latest strategic review of Public Diplomacy covers the bases. The sweeping rhetoric is all there – engaging, informing and influencing foreign publics while combating extremism, re-shaping the policy-making process, and pressing for new technologies to help our posts better engage and influence narratives in real time. It all seems to make the case for why State’s Public Diplomacy efforts desperately need exponentially expanded resources. The reality, of course, is that with so many priorities and so few current resources, the basic tasks outlined in the report will be next to impossible to deliver on. The strategy, while ambitious, over-reaches - and once again, as with many previous strategies, builds further layers of complexity which only serve to paralyze core public diplomacy efforts.
It is also striking to me that there was no mention of tapping into and leveraging the tremendous diplomatic assets we currently have overseas. We could start, as China does, with our diasporas, by proactively assembling and engaging American ex-pats abroad. Further, we could amass and regularly tap into our global network of Foreign Service Nationals, locals who are employed in our embassies and consulates supporting our diplomats abroad. I would have hoped, amongst all the discussion of people-to-people efforts and emphasis on building trust and support for our foreign policy abroad, there would have been some mention of engaging and informing the American public more deeply on these issues. With the United States engaged in ever more expansive and costly efforts abroad, the American public should have a clear notion of our foreign policy goals and why they matter, as well as a solid understating of what our diplomats are doing about it.
And finally, I agree with Phil Seib’s opinion that State must move beyond a Middle-East and Muslim-Community focused public diplomacy to a more balanced global view. I would only add to this that in order to pursue such a directive, State must also abandon any notion that its public diplomacy efforts should attempt to Combat Violent Extremism. Maybe I am being too naïve and simplistic in my view on the subject, but it would seem to me that undermining violent extremism is a massive effort in and of itself and one best undertaken by experts in our intelligence, security and military apparatus working in concert. Those elements within our federal government are not only trained to understand the extremist mindset but work day to day in some of the most hostile environments and are best equipped and resourced to develop strategies and tactics to respond.
Which brings me back to Alan Siegel’s TED talk. As always, Siegel has a way of brilliantly cutting through all the clutter and chaos, providing a clear directive for our policy makers and political leadership…if they would only listen. The key, of course, to delivering on Siegel’s premise is one of execution and accountability, two words that strike fear into any bureaucracy. Siegel’s call for clarity and simplicity is one that I hope Washington will finally take note of:
Simplicity is not simple-minded or simplistic.
Now is the time to make clarity, transparency, and empathy national priorities. Americans are desperate for communications from government and business that help them make informed decisions. In turn, these will help restore their trust in our public and private institutions. We have only ourselves to blame if we continue tolerating outrageously complex and confusing practices. It’s time to replace this crisis of complexity with a covenant of clarity.
He ended his remarks with a quote from Thomas Jefferson which really says it all: “When the subject is strong, simplicity is the only way to treat it.”
Is Washington listening? Simple really is smart.
http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/simple_is_smart/
Cari E. Guittard
I’m obsessed this month with simplicity.
Maybe it was Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki’s call last week for all of Iran’s Ambassadors to be “innovative and focused on action,” that struck a nerve. Perhaps it was the endless re-hashing of the healthcare debate that I still can’t make any sense of. Perhaps it was the FT reporting recently on the immense loss of confidence publics around the world have in their governments. Or maybe it all began when one of my board members, Alan Siegel (Founder & Chairman of the branding powerhouse Siegel + Gale), shared that he would be delivering a TED talk on the theme of America’s Crisis of Complexity earlier this month. Regardless, I can’t stop wishing, hoping, praying that our political and foreign policy leadership finally get the message (and, ironically, Siegel + Gale’s tagline): Simple is Smart.
Which brings me to this week’s release of Under Secretary Judith McHale’s new Public Diplomacy Strategic Approach for the 21st Century. There have been countless reports, hearings, strategies, and recommendations for public diplomacy efforts since 9/11. I’m afraid to even ask how much all of this introspection has cost the US taxpayer - but I digress. For all of the deep thinking on public diplomacy it is astonishing how, to this day, the goals, priorities and calls to action fail to move beyond sweeping rhetoric and endless org charts. To a certain extent, this is to be expected. After having served in the federal government at the State Department, notably in Diplomatic Security and then in the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy’s Office, I was confounded by the layers of complexity that shroud the halls of Foggy Bottom. While there was no shortage of bright, heavily credentialed foreign policy experts, finding anyone who would be willing, in a simple, clear way to explain what, why and how they engage in diplomatic efforts was next to impossible. And don’t even get me started on public diplomacy. You’d be hard pressed to find two senior officials in the Department who can agree on a clear definition of just what exactly ‘public diplomacy’ is, let alone what it means to the foreign policy making process.
On the surface, the latest strategic review of Public Diplomacy covers the bases. The sweeping rhetoric is all there – engaging, informing and influencing foreign publics while combating extremism, re-shaping the policy-making process, and pressing for new technologies to help our posts better engage and influence narratives in real time. It all seems to make the case for why State’s Public Diplomacy efforts desperately need exponentially expanded resources. The reality, of course, is that with so many priorities and so few current resources, the basic tasks outlined in the report will be next to impossible to deliver on. The strategy, while ambitious, over-reaches - and once again, as with many previous strategies, builds further layers of complexity which only serve to paralyze core public diplomacy efforts.
It is also striking to me that there was no mention of tapping into and leveraging the tremendous diplomatic assets we currently have overseas. We could start, as China does, with our diasporas, by proactively assembling and engaging American ex-pats abroad. Further, we could amass and regularly tap into our global network of Foreign Service Nationals, locals who are employed in our embassies and consulates supporting our diplomats abroad. I would have hoped, amongst all the discussion of people-to-people efforts and emphasis on building trust and support for our foreign policy abroad, there would have been some mention of engaging and informing the American public more deeply on these issues. With the United States engaged in ever more expansive and costly efforts abroad, the American public should have a clear notion of our foreign policy goals and why they matter, as well as a solid understating of what our diplomats are doing about it.
And finally, I agree with Phil Seib’s opinion that State must move beyond a Middle-East and Muslim-Community focused public diplomacy to a more balanced global view. I would only add to this that in order to pursue such a directive, State must also abandon any notion that its public diplomacy efforts should attempt to Combat Violent Extremism. Maybe I am being too naïve and simplistic in my view on the subject, but it would seem to me that undermining violent extremism is a massive effort in and of itself and one best undertaken by experts in our intelligence, security and military apparatus working in concert. Those elements within our federal government are not only trained to understand the extremist mindset but work day to day in some of the most hostile environments and are best equipped and resourced to develop strategies and tactics to respond.
Which brings me back to Alan Siegel’s TED talk. As always, Siegel has a way of brilliantly cutting through all the clutter and chaos, providing a clear directive for our policy makers and political leadership…if they would only listen. The key, of course, to delivering on Siegel’s premise is one of execution and accountability, two words that strike fear into any bureaucracy. Siegel’s call for clarity and simplicity is one that I hope Washington will finally take note of:
Simplicity is not simple-minded or simplistic.
Now is the time to make clarity, transparency, and empathy national priorities. Americans are desperate for communications from government and business that help them make informed decisions. In turn, these will help restore their trust in our public and private institutions. We have only ourselves to blame if we continue tolerating outrageously complex and confusing practices. It’s time to replace this crisis of complexity with a covenant of clarity.
He ended his remarks with a quote from Thomas Jefferson which really says it all: “When the subject is strong, simplicity is the only way to treat it.”
Is Washington listening? Simple really is smart.
http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/simple_is_smart/
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