Archive for the ‘Chris O. posts’ Category

The Chris O-pinion: This week the news is that Arundel Business News has been sold to the Business Monthly.  BizMo has been covering local business in the region for a long time and provides the BizWeekly, an email snapshot of the week’s news. As a subscriber of ABN you will automatically receive the BizWeekly.

To all of you and the picketers outside opposing the sale, you are in good hands with the BizWeekly. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your inboxes and spam filters for the past three years.  I continue with my day job of providing marketing/communications consulting, so I expect I will see many of you at business functions. I can always be reached at chris@chrisocom.com.

The Chris O-pinion: Today I can’t resist ushering in the new year by dipping a toe into world politics with story quote from the Washington Post: “The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis escaped the Persian Gulf while being chased by Iranian warships.”  Whew!  That must have been a close one.  May oil prices now stabilize and business boom.

The Chris O-pinion: Rather than call out a few of you who I know have amusing new year’s resolutions (see last week’s column), I am starting a new tradition of opening up the floor for stories about boss behavior during the holidays. My fave was a boss at an Annapolis non-profit a while back who was so thoroughly into the spiked eggnog that he tried to give gifts twice and fell down while being escorted from the room by his embarrassed wife. Learning what not to do is often the more valuable lesson.

What’s your story??

The Chris O-pinion: Bearing down on the new year, it’s time to think about resolutions as a business person.  Will you take fewer lunches at your desk?  Finally get a handle on social media?  Focus on new initiatives or shore up your existing business?  Let me know and I’ll share results anonymously.   Or I may just single you out and assign you one.

The Chris O-pinion: I consider myself a bit of a Word Nerd, which is somewhat of a prerequisite for being in the communications business.  So, I found it particularly interesting that the lexicographers at Oxford University Press chose as their Word of the Year “squeezed middle.”  It was up against other two-word phrases like “Arab Spring” and even a three-fer, “The 99 Percent,” all of which confirms the adage that you either do words or math, but not both.

The Chris O-pinion: When was your last fishtail?  From recent car ads on television, it seems to be a requirement that drivers do this maneuver where the rear wheels lose traction and the car starts going sideways.  With the untold amounts that manufacturers have spent to improve handling and making their products safer, it’s odd that the clips show them out of control.  Are advertisers being creative and conveying a fun aspect of the cars, or just being dumb?

The Chris O-pinion: How accurate is others’ perception of you?  The August issue of Harvard Business Review says most bosses overestimate how well others view them.  If there are competence and character issues, staff probably won’t trust you enough to say so, not to mention the limits this problem can put on organizational accomplishments.  So it likely comes down to this question: How perceptive are you about others’ perceptions?

The Chris O-pinion:  A blue suit, white shirt and red power tie for men, and, well, I won’t try to summarize conventional business dress for women.  At least for men, the traditional look is more relaxed in the Internet age, even in more traditional industries.  Other than interviews, initial sales calls and performance reviews, what are the occasions that you “dress up?”

The Chris O-pinion:  The only thing worse than being sick on the regular ABN publishing day is being sick and seeing what actually passes for programming on daytime television. There was never a greater need for good content. Without further tardiness, enjoy this issue.

ANNAPOLIS JUNCTION – Boeing has opened a Cyber Engagement Center at 308 Sentinel Drive. The center will house security experts working to address current and evolving cybersecurity challenges.

The Chris O-pinion:  Corporate jet owners have taken a pounding lately for their lavish ways.  In an uncertain economy where many are suffering, is it the right use of resources to ferry the rich to their vacation spots?

Looking beyond the bumper sticker of it all, there are reasons for tax code support.  It helps groups like the Corporate Angels Network, which arranges transportation for cancer patients who need to travel for treatment.  Hundreds of corporations donate 3,000 empty seats a year on their jets.  There are dozens of groups with similar causes that benefit from the much-maligned corporate jet owners.  It’s time to stand up for the rich guys.