More great quotes from 2013 graduation speeches

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Tom Musbach
Melinda Gates speaking at a conference

Melinda Gates (Flickr/DFID-UK Dept. of International Development)

Yesterday the New York Times devoted a page to excerpts from recent college commencement speeches. It’s an annual treat that always yields good nuggets of wisdom.

Here are a few that I really appreciate (with my own emphasis added):

“Buy a subscription to a newspaper or a magazine that will tell you the most important news of the day. Install an app on your phone that doesn’t just filter the news by your social network, but by what you need to read. Not only will these habits make you a better citizen, they’ll make you a more interesting husband or wife, and certainly a more informed job applicant.”

- Chris Hughes, cofounder of Facebook and owner of The New Republic (speaking at Georgia State University)

“I wish you perspective when situations or people seem more important than they really are, and the ability to detect those people or events who have much to offer but don’t inherently draw your attention. In other words, charisma is not character. This is also very good dating advice.”

- Actress Laura Linney (at Juilliard)

“There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.”

- Oprah Winfrey, entrepreneur (at Harvard University)

“Technology is just a tool. It’s a powerful tool, but it’s just a tool. Deep human connection is very different. It’s not a tool. It’s not a means to an end. It is the end — the purpose and the result of a meaningful life — and it will inspire the most amazing acts of love, generosity, and humanity. … I want you to connect because I believe it will inspire you to do something, to make a difference in the world. Humanity in the abstract will never inspire you in the same way as the human beings you meet. Poverty is not going to motivate you. But people will motivate you.”

- Melinda Gates, philanthropist (at Duke University)

See also: Graduation wisdom ’13: Find and follow your passion

Your career is not a ladder; it’s a jungle gym (Commencement ’012)

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Simple diagram is key for content strategy

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Tom Musbach

I am posting this diagram here because it will continue to be a useful model for content strategy and content marketing in my work. (And if it helps others, great!)

Content cycle diagram

Hat tip to this post: “Leaner, More Effective Content Marketing in 6 Steps,” from Content Marketing Institute.

 

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Reflections on my 25th college reunion

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Tom Musbach
Yale Commons decorated for the class dinner.

Yale Commons decorated for our class dinner.

This past weekend I traveled to Yale and took a sip from the firehose.

The metaphor is one I first heard as a student there over 25 years ago, when a campus minister used it to describe our attempts to experience and understand God’s goodness and blessings toward us.

But it’s also apt for my weekend experience: seeing the many improvements on campus in over two decades since my last visit (Buh-bye, ugly Cross Campus Library! Hello, renovated Yale Art Gallery!); trying to decide which panels, lectures, and alumni receptions to attend; marveling at the collection of unique people who are my classmates; and being thankful for the amazing 4-year experience I had at Yale so many years ago.

Compelling stories of life journeys

While I was wary going into the weekend that it might be all about comparing status, I was surprised by genuine interest in others and delight at being together again. Storytelling emerged as a more useful skill than bragging. Rather than giving the “elevator pitch” about what you do to everyone as you would at a networking function, this event really called for a concise personal narrative about your life’s journey since graduation.

Many of the stories my classmates told became highlights of the weekend — even the tales of hardship (e.g., being laid off, fighting cancer). The resilience and character of some really impressed me.

Of course, I was also dazzled by many of the unique accomplishments of classmates, including:

  • Producing an Oscar-winning documentary “Inocente” about a homeless teenage painter. (I’ll admit to shedding a few tears at the screening.)
  • Treating the voices of many big-name singers (and attending the Grammy Awards each year “for work”).
  • Being editor-in-chief at one of my favorite magazines, the Atlantic.
  • Having a side job of running a theater program for a men’s prison, in addition to being a history professor and actress.

Two final notes

The remarks of Liesl Schillinger struck me in the fascinating panel about the future of news, featuring eight fellow alums who are journalists. The revolution in publishing/journalism today, she said, has moved from a “filter then publish” model to a “publish then filter” one that has created a “matter-ocracy” that elevates popularity over quality. It’s a provocative observation that rings true, and I’ve been mulling for days now.

In another panel, I learned that Yale has 42 free online courses widely available, featuring the same brilliant teaching and scholarship you get on campus. I’m having a hard time deciding which one to try!

The many photos I took also have their own stories to tell. See my photo album on Flickr.

I soaked in only a fraction of all the insights, stories, histories, and places that were richly available during the weekend. Not a bad way to experience a 25th reunion.

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Graduation wisdom ’13: Find and follow your passion

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Tom Musbach
President Obama in ceremonial robe.

(White House photo: Pete Souza)

The inspiring commencement speeches are starting early this year.

This past weekend two goodies caught my attention, and they touched on similar themes of following your passion. I pulled some inspiring quotes below, with links to transcripts and/or video recordings.

From President Obama (speaking at Ohio State University):

“You can’t give up your passion if things don’t work right away. You can’t lose heart, or grow cynical if there are twists and turns on your journey. The cynics may be the loudest voices — but I promise you, they will accomplish the least. It’s those folks who stay at it, those who do the long, hard, committed work of change that gradually push this country in the right direction, and make the most lasting difference.

“So whenever you feel that creeping cynicism, whenever you hear those voices saying you can’t do it, you can’t make a difference, whenever somebody tells you to set your sights lower — the trajectory of this great nation should give you hope. What generations have done before you should give you hope. Because it was young people just like you who marched and mobilized and stood up and sat in to secure women’s rights, and voting rights, and workers’ rights, and gay rights — often at incredible odds, often at great danger, often over the course of years, sometimes over the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime — and they never got acknowledged for it, but they made a difference.”

Read more here.

From Twitter CEO Dick Costolo (at University of Michigan):

“You cannot draw any of your paths looking forward. You have to figure out what you love to do, what you have conviction about, and go do that.”

Read more here.

“Inspiration season” is off to a good start.

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Istanbul souvenirs helped me learn a new skill

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Tom Musbach
Photo of me with scenic view of Istanbul and bay behind me.

View of Istanbul from atop the Galata Tower.

In February I took a trip with friends to Istanbul. The experience was terrific, and I was determined to get great photos. And why not try a few videos?

My camera (Canon PowerShot A4000 IS) won’t impress professionals, but I really like the dual functionality for photos and videos. My problem has always been that I end up with a few video snippets, but no way to piece them together with each other.

It just so happens that my new laptop (which I got just before the Istanbul trip) was loaded with Windows Movie Maker. So guess what I’ve been trying to learn during the past few weeks?

While my moviemaking skill leaves much to be desired, I have enjoyed the learning process. This program is giving me another content-making tool, and it could benefit me professionally – even in a small way – down the road.

So here’s my latest attempt to make a little movie of my Istanbul experience.

 

And if you’re interested, here is the link to my Flickr album with more photos: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjEc1k2e

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Working from home: a success story

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Tom Musbach
Man at his home work station with computer equipment and monitors.

Here's a successful remote worker.

The recent move by Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer to revoke telecommuting privileges for employees sparked a national discussion about the merits of working from home.

I read many of the articles, and the one that sticks with me most is this editorial from the New York Times. Particularly this last part:

“Thanks to cellphones and wireless connections, it is possible to be tethered to the office and expected to respond to work calls and email messages every waking hour. The doyens of Silicon Valley who have made this always-connected world possible should be the first to realize that the workplace of the future will not be easy to define.”

My interest in this issue comes largely from being a former Yahoo! employee who benefited from telecommuting one day a week. For me the policy was a godsend, saving me 3 hours on my roundtrip commute. I also reserved much of my writing and editing work for those days, since I could be much more productive without being interrupted by colleagues or overhearing conversations in nearby cubicles.

Telecommuting has been very good to me and my job(s); I’d hate to see more companies deny its benefits.

I recently wrote a feature spotlighting a man (pictured above) who’s found great success by working from home after his small business failed. He’s now a successful appliance repair technician on Pearl.com — where I currently work — and he’s an inspiration to all telecommuters.

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The post-job interview assignment: troubling trend?

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Tom Musbach
Young woman working on laptop outdoors

(Photo: Flickr/Ed Yourdon)

I always enjoy reading the “Corner Office” segment in the Sunday New York Times business section because it usually offers some wise nuggets about hiring and corporate culture.

A recent column confirmed what may become a more common trend in hiring: assigning homework to candidates after the job interview.

Here’s what Kris Duggan, CEO of Badgeville, told the Times: “The other critical thing we’ve done in our hiring process is to require every candidate to do homework. It varies by department and by function, but every hiring manager has to have a homework assignment for open positions.”

I’ve applied for a few jobs in the last three years, and as usual did plenty of prep work before each interview. But on some occasions the interview(s) turned out to be a middle step. A  “homework assignment” came next!

The practice bothered me a little. While I can appreciate the post-interview exercises served to demonstrate my skills and expertise, it sometimes felt like companies were putting me to work as a free test run.

In each case, the employer was potentially getting my work and creative ideas to use whether I got the job or not. I have no real proof those who passed on hiring me used my work, but the suspicions are inevitable.

Duggan: “When you have [job applicants] put pen to paper, and compare that against a field of candidates, you get a much clearer picture of how they think and work.”

The advantage is clear for hiring decision-makers. But it adds another burden for job seekers — especially when you feel taken advantage of.

Of course it helps if you can find ways to recycle the “assignment,” as I did here for a blog post.

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6 guidelines to boost shareability of your content

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Tom Musbach
Gold-tipped pen resting on a page with handwritten text.

(Flickr/photosteve101)

I was recently asked to put together some ideas about what makes content more shareable in social media. The notes below help define my approach to content marketing.

Make sure the content environment easily facilitates sharing.

On any article/content page, make sure it’s easy to find sharing buttons (e.g. email, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.) Most readers are accustomed to finding those buttons near the headline/byline.

This point seems obvious, but I’m still trying to figure out how to fix this on my own blog!

Pay special attention to the headline.

Be grabby but useful and specific, even if your headline is a title above a photo. This is key because the headline is automatically posted with every share, in most cases. (It’s also critical for SEO.) Include verbs and pronouns (especially “you”). Target length: 10 words or fewer.

Keep the marketing messages to a minimum.

Advertising is different than content marketing, which is more about building a relationship with customers. You want your content to be trusted and useful; they will turn you off if the message is always touting your company and its products endlessly.

Find a newsy or practical “hook.”

Be creative in your content about how your product or service relates to a culture or news event that is trending in popularity. Example, the high-profile divorce of Kim Kardashian is a natural fit for an article like “Do you need a prenup?” that utilizes expertise of lawyers on Pearl.com.

Chunks or “sound bites” from an article/video/infographic maximize social sharing opportunities.

Studies/surveys are great for this. This article on tourism trends has fodder for several different sharing opportunities on the blog and social media sites. Example: “Travel trend: Brazilians had the highest increase in travel spending on their Visa accounts in 2011 [link]” Or you could tease it by asking which country has the highest increase, etc.

Or if one of your execs is attending a well-known conference, you could do little segments like “Overheard at Consumer Electronics Show…”

Lead with the human story.

This is where content — even “marketing/branded” content — should follow the example of all good media outlets. Be specific, not general. If your company is creating a video to showcase features of a product that will prevent fraud, leading with a talking-head exec describing the features will bore people. But if you first dramatize a specific customer’s problem with fraud and then explain the features, you’ll have a more compelling and shareable piece of video content.

Having a tidy conclusion always helps, too — even though I’m not providing a good example in this blog post. Consider it a bonus insight.

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‘Portlandia’ spoofs online journalism, blog trends

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Tom Musbach

This funny skit from “Portlandia” sure hits home about what many journalists have experienced since the Internet supplanted newspapers.

I’ve made similar — though way less extreme — accommodations in my career, but fortunately the changes have worked out for the better. I’m no “linkalist” … at least not yet.

As Karen Walker on “Will & Grace” used to say, “It’s funny ‘cuz it’s true.”

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Career lessons learned from pro sports this week

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Tom Musbach

Plenty of excitement and instructive career behavior from professional sports in the past week! Here’s some of what I observed:

49ers Coach Jim HarbaughWinner: Jim Harbaugh

Of course I am thrilled that my home team — the San Francisco 49ers — are now going to the Super Bowl! Among 49er Coach Jim Harbaugh’s many achievements this season was the big risk he took in naming Colin Kaepernick to replace Alex Smith midseason as the starting quarterback. Many decried Harbaugh’s move as crazy, but he stuck to his guns, demonstrating good leadership skills.

Now he’s getting nothing but praise for his judgment call, as this NFL video shows. (Of course, huge credit also goes to Kaepernick for delivering!)

As someone who’s a reluctant risk-taker on the job, Harbaugh’s example inspires me.

Loser: Lance Armstrong

I won’t even go into how much this former cycling superstar betrayed fans and fellow cyclists. But just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for him during his big mea culpa interview with Oprah, he admitted to trash-talking a former teammate’s wife with every insulting term but insisted he never called her “fat”!

Taking responsibility for a big mistake (or several) can actually inspire respect, depending on your attitude and delivery. Armstrong didn’t come close, in my opinion.

Winner: Alex Smith

Back to those 49ers. Quarterback Alex Smith got the team off to a great start in the first half of the season before getting sidelined by injury and then demoted to backup QB by Coach Harbaugh. Rather than complain or criticize, he has publicly supported his entire team.

As this article noted, “He truly understands that championships are won by teams and not individuals.” It’s true for wins in so many other professional arenas. I hope Smith gets the Super Bowl ring he deserves.

Loser: Serena Williams

This one hurts a little, because I am still a big fan of this pro tennis star. But the racket-smashing in the middle of her quarterfinal loss at the Australian Open was a perfect example of unprofessional behavior, to say the least. Can you imagine tolerating a tantrum like that in any other professional setting? Watch it below:

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