#92: The danger of fortune cookie wisdom, the art of claiming credit, and how to document sexual harassment
Like a switch has been flipped - tis the season.
In this edition:
1. You're disillusioned, that's fine. Vote anyway.
2. We need the full story -- the danger of fortune cookie wisdom
3. Leading in thought -- case study with Building Engines
4. How to document sexual harassment
5. Marketing's ivory tower
6. The art of claiming credit
7. Quote of the week: Don't hook the wrong fish
Let's get into it:
1. You're disillusioned, that's fine. Vote anyway.
From the impassioned Roxane Gay in the NY Times:
A young woman in Milwaukee recently asked me if I had any advice for disillusioned young voters. She said that in a representative democracy it was hard to want to vote for, in her words, “yet another 40,000-year-old white man” who didn’t look like her or have familiarity with her experiences.
....In 2016, nearly 40 percent of eligible voters chose not to vote.
... If you remain disillusioned or apathetic in this climate, you are complicit. You think your disillusionment is more important than the very real dangers marginalized people in this country live with. Don’t delude yourself about this. Don’t shroud your political stance in disaffected righteousness.
... If you are feeling disillusioned, get over it, at least enough to vote and vote pragmatically. Tell your friends to vote. Drive people to the polls. Support candidates you believe in with your time or, if you can afford it, money. Volunteer for community organizations that address to the issues you most care about. Attend town halls held by your elected officials. Hold them accountable for the decisions they make with the power you give them. Run for local office. Do something. Do anything.
Don't know if you're registered, where to vote Tuesday, or what's on the ballot? Start here.
2. We need the full story -- the danger of fortune cookie wisdom
In his article, Bruce McTague reminds us of the dangerous (though frequent) practice of taking a headline thought or other "fortune cookie wisdom" out of context, using it to support another conclusion.
As he says: "That is.... well.... f*cking nuts... Truth, more often than not, resides in the full story."
The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” is actually not the full story … it actually is curiosity love things“curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back...
The phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none” is actually not the full story it actually is “Jack of all trades, master of none, but better than a master of one.
The phrase “great minds think alike” is actually not the full story, it actually is “great minds think alike but fools rarely differ.
The phrase “birds of a feather flock together” is actually not the full story, it actually is “birds of a feather flock together until the cat comes.
The phrase "blood is thicker than water" isn’t even half the story, it is a made up headline for a story that really matters. The real story? “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”
I agree with his point: we need the whole story in today's complex world. A good reminder. But in a world of soundbites, tweets, headlines, and frantic news cycle -- I can't help but ask, how? Full article.
3. Leading in thought -- case study with Building Engines
Wondering how best to infuse some fact-based fuel into your 2019 marketing plan?
In this Chief Marketer piece, read how Building Engines conducted a first of its kind industry benchmark report for Commercial Real Estate owners/property managers. 900 participated, and we used the results across a number of channels, up and down the buying cycle. Full-funnel marketing, as the kids say.
Bonus: Head of Research Phil Mobley and I are walking through the report live this Thursday in a 30 minute webinar. 11:00am ET -- sign up here.
4. How to document sexual harassment
In a world where 1 in 5 women (and 1 in 71 men) will be raped at some point in their lives, only 52% of women trust the system enough to report it, if it happens at work. Many feel they don't have enough evidence to make a credible accusation.
In that light, I wanted to share this unfortunately super-handy guide to documenting your next witnessed, or experienced instance of sexual harassment.
“It was very challenging for me, in the face of such strong denials, to every single moment gather together my own clarity to be like, ‘No, I know what happened to me,’” Hagberg Fisher says. “And so in that case, having all of these extra contemporaneous accounts was just really helpful scaffolding for me to be like, ‘Okay, no, I am telling the truth.’”
5. Marketing's ivory tower
Another great one from Tom...
A reminder not to take ourselves too seriously, marketers.
6. The art of claiming credit
This week I read an article about acclaimed astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who in 1974, lost out on a Nobel Prize because her male PhD supervisor at the University of Cambridge took credit for a discovery that she was the first to notice.
Now, she has been awarded a science prize that comes with a $3 million award. But, instead of keeping it, she is using it to help women, refugees, and other minority students follow in her footsteps and become physics researchers themselves through scholarships.
Badass.
Also she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
Dame Badass.
In '74 this was expected -
Back then, society functioned under the belief that scientific advancements were driven by men, Bell Burnell told the The Washington Post. Women, on the other hand, were expected to study cookery and needlework.
But, in 2018 we still face a glut of men who can't seem to let up control over any good ideas at work, especially when they come from female colleagues. Sad.
Cue this helpful resource via Harvard Business Review on the "Art of Claiming Credit:"
If we aren’t thoughtful about how we present our ideas at work, we risk not being heard or, worse, missing out on the credit we’re due. Research shows that women get less credit when we work in groups with men. So, it’s important for us to be strategic with our suggestions and insights.
7. Quote of the week: Don't hook the wrong fish
As many fill open positions for 2019, Kevin Akeroyd (who I knew from my NetProspex days while he was COO at competitor Jigsaw), explained earlier this year why the CMO job is the hardest to 'get right.' And, like any other position, it's based in expectation-setting:
"Be super aware and honest about what you are looking for. If you conceive of marketing as simply a brochure maker (rather than a broad-impact job), then don’t hire a marketer who has predominantly had GM experience. Those individuals will be disappointed with the narrow role. Likewise, I have created a big, broad, high-impact CMO role where my CMO is expected to drive business and contribute to strategy-setting. If I had hired a CMO who didn’t have broad experience, they would have failed. You need to be self-aware and fish in the right ponds. Don’t hook the wrong fish."
Have a great weekend,
Katie
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Content-First Marketing is a virtual event from Chief Marketer, and features a full day of sessions. Catch me and Phil Mobley from Building Engines discussing how to use original research to fuel B2B growth, November 8th at 11:00am. Register here.
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