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The MacPhie & Company team regularly write articles that offer management and communications insights drawn from the world around us. These articles seek to motivate our clients to find new ways of improving their business practices and individual leadership traits.
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The following is an excerpt from Don't Forget Your Cape! What Preschoolers Teach Us About Leadership & Life by Hugh MacPhie. For more information and More
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The following is an excerpt from Don't Forget Your Cape! What Preschoolers Teach Us About Leadership & Life by Hugh MacPhie. For more information and to purchase a copy of the book please visit www.dontforgetyourcape.com.
First, it was toy cars. More
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Granted, some film experts say there is a lack of depth or complexity to many of the Star Wars characters. But complex or not, the characters of Star Wars have become icons of popular culture.
So I had to wonder: what would it be like to have Sta More
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By the time you read this, over 48 million people will have seen Susan Boyle's Britain's Got Talent audition on YouTube.
If you haven't seen it, I urge you to watch this clip.
Now that Susan Boyle has gone from an unknown lady from ?the villages,? More
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I have a confession to make. I'm not that excited about, or interested in, the new U2 album that was just released.
Not that the music isn?t good ? it very well may be.
But I?ve just grown tired of U2. They?re everywhere, and have been for too lo More
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The battle (of words) for who gets to provide your morning cup of joe has taken to the streets.
My colleague Paul Tambeau just shared with me an article that appeared in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on December 10, 2008 about billboards that McDon More
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You may not agree with what they say, but their tone and cadence inspires and captivates audiences.
This, of course, is easier said than done. Creating a bond with your audience is as much an art as it is a science. In preparing for a major speech, More
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This is a great article that you can read by visiting the article archive section on our website. If you haven?t read the book, it explains different aspects of far eastern religions and philosophies using the characters from A. A. Milne?s Winnie t More
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Within our firm, we have had discussions about the intricate links and over-laps between an organization's brand and its corporate culture.
We?ve often said that there is a blurriness between where the definition of an organization?s corporate cultu More
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In June, I was invited to go to the Alicia Keys concert by my good friend and MBA colleague Cari, who felt that after working so hard for 18 months we both deserved a fun evening out.
And while we did have an amazing time (I strongly recommend you g More
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I have a confession to make that will shock no one who knows me - I?m not really a sports person.
Sure, I like to go a hockey game every once and a while but I don?t share our nation?s obsession with that game. I couldn?t even tell you which teams a More
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I just finished an Executive MBA through the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. It was a long, 18 month process; at time endless, at time going more quickly than I would like.
The MBA exposed me to areas of busine More
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As someone who is doing both an MBA and working full-time, I don't have a lot of free time for extra reading. But when a friend recommended Seth Godin's "The Dip" to me - and mentioned that it was only 80 pages - I knew that I had to find the time t More
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In our last article in the CPRS New Perspective, we shared what we learned from marketing, communications and public affairs clients about what they want from agencies and suppliers.
Here?s a recap of what we learned about what clients want from age More
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Our son Jackson is three and a half year old. And what we have discovered, is that like many three and a half year old boys, there are a few specific things that Jackson is really, really into right now. Pirates, cars, dinosaurs, and... super heroes. More
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When asked about what made him a delighted client, a Toronto marketing executive had this to say:
?On the TV show MASH there was a character named ?Radar?, the aide to a General. He was named Radar because he knew what the general wanted before More
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When I was in Grade Six, I was restless. Needed stimulation. And I thought (like a lot of sixth graders at a school that goes up to grade six) that clearly, I knew a lot of stuff.
So I decided that Westmount Public School in Kitchener, Ontario ? my More
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As I sit here today, I can?t help but think about how much Air Canada has changed. A few minutes ago I was told that it would cost $5 to buy a day-old roast beef sandwich and that they would be showing King Kong as the in-flight movie. I was sorely d More
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There are not too many more effective ways to win a PR battle in this day and age than through web-based content. How often do you get emails from people saying "check this out" or "this is too funny" directing you to an on-line picture, video, or we More
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My youngest son John hit a major milestone last week. He started crawling! John is very happy, and proud of this new-found mobility. And let me tell you - he?s fast! He boots around the floor - somewhat akwardly - discovering all kinds of stuff. CDs, More
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Jackson MacPhie, who is proud to tell you that he is two years old, has starting asking a very important question.
"Why?"
If you have encountered a two-year old before, you may recall that they don?t just ask ?why? once and then let the issue drop. More
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One of the teachers in the toddler room at Jackson's daycare has a great approach with the children. She understands exactly how to interact with them, and on occasion, to get them to calm down.
One ti More
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For those who know our little family, they will tell you this. Nice guy as I am, my polling number with Jackson Robert MacPhie are about thirty points below Michelle's
First thing in the morning? He?s asking for Mommy.
Wants More
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A funny thing happened in our household the other day. For the first time in about a year, Jackson decided to get the pots and pans out of the drawer area under the kitchen counter in which ther are kept, and place them about the kitchen floor.
Now, More
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Several years ago (in the pre-kids era), Michelle and I took a trip to western Canada. One of the more memorable places we stayed was Banff National Park, which truly is a spectacular place.
One afternoon we climbed a small mountain within the park. More
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On January 23rd, 2005, Canadians went to the polls for the 39th time since Confederation. After what seemed like a never-ending campaign, the campaign buses were parked and party leaders were left waiting to learn their fate.
It has become somewhat More
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Since becoming a parent I have learned one thing about toddlers and the way they communicate. They are not subtle. They are not discreet. And they are very clear in their view of whom they trust, and whom they do not trust.
More
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Truth be told, the sho[pping at London?s Heathrow Airport is pretty good.
And when you?re waiting for your connecting flight, and your computer battery has run down, why not have a wee peek to see if you can get something decent? Now, as a rule, I More
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I was speaking with a friend the other day about marketing in general, and we got talking about one of the most annoying advertising campaigns in Canadian history. I am referencing, of course, to the Sleep Country Canada campa More
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Every morning on the 680 News and Q107 radio stations, at almost exactly the same time each weekday, Saul Korman from Korry's Clothiers in Toronto has a radio ad that plays. The ad is different every day, and features Korman s More
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In management and leadership section of most bookstores, you will find tons of material that will describe what managers need to do to motivate people, get them to follow the plan, and deliver better results.
I thought recently about how managers More
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Not long ago, I was driving past the Manulife building on Bloor Street in Toronto. The building is somewhat famous for the impeccably manicured lawns that surround it. I am told they are like putting greens.
So I began thinking of the value of that More
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I was reading through a copy of the Economist recently and one of the ads in the careers sections fascinated me. The ad was from Greenpeace, and there were two jobs for which they were recruiting.
The first was a typical lobbying/public affairs job More
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Given the day-to-day nature of my work, I only have a conceptual need for the finance and accounting lessons that I once learned. While I rarely need to apply most of these conepts mathematically, the concepts and ideas behind them are frequently use More
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When I went to business school - which was in the early 1990's - I don't recall learning about the concept of risk management in any of my classes. Maslow's hierarchy of needs was covered about 147 times, but never risk manage More
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It has been said that if it weren?t for the last minute, nothing would ever get done. No matter how disciplined and efficient some people are, there is a universal truth in that point. The creation of a deadline - real or artificial - has a profound More
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Unless you are in the arts or the creative department of an ad agency you tend to lose your creativity skills over time. When I speak of creativity, I am not referring to someone putting two ideas together in a work environment; many of us do this ev More
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About fifteen years ago, a great book came out called "The Tao of Pooh", explaining different aspects of far eastern religion and philosophy using the characters of Winnie the Pooh.
A very neat book, well worth a read and very entertaining. It lo More
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