The Justinarium

reviews, opinion and my take on communication practice

24 Jan 2012

Electic and Earthy, Longman and Eagle Doesn’t Disappoint

Overall 4.5 out of 5          http://longmanandeagle.com/

Two friends and I hit up this hipster-meets-yuppie gastropub for dinner on a whim. Being somewhat new to the city, I hadn’t heard of it but am always up for trying something different. Here’s what to expect…

Great people watching. The patrons consist of a wide-ranging, eclectic mix of eccentric hipsters and the blazer-wearing professional crowd, sprinkled with several well-established members of the 50+ demographic. Everyone seemed to fit perfectly and enjoying the ambiance. If you have little ones, leave them with the sitter. The staff exuded a casual cool mentality. Both attentive and extremely pleasant, our table experience was pretty top-notch.

Fantastic drinks. Do not be fooled, whiskey is what they love.  Whiskey flights and sidecars seemed the items of choice the night of our arrival. I stuck with a Maker’s Manhattan and have to say, it was one of the most AMAZING Manhattans I’ve ever had. They provide a great list of beers, scotch and other beverages for almost any concoction. For the non-drinkers, you can find a great selection of bottled beverages, including Boylen’s Root Beer, ginger beer and Mexican Coke – made with real sugar and not high fructose corn syrup.

Be prepared to wait. Sorry folks, but this was a pretty major downside to the whole night (and the only reason for not getting five stars). With no reservations, and continued popularity, wait times can last hours…literally. We arrived promptly at 7:00 pm to a completely crowded room. After putting our name down, the hostess said it would be an hour and fifteen minutes. We got settled, had a drink, and after a while, it seemed somewhat reasonable. Our patience diminished, and our hunger grew, as we ended up waiting just under two hours to get a table.

Adventurous food selection. This menu is not for the typical meat and potatoes, fish and chips patron. Dishes like tete du cochon (pigs head), sweetbreads and other unique items laced the menu along side a tantalizing mix of fish, pasta and other game. And, as the seasons change, so do the selections. As an aside, the menu we looked at online (10/1/11) was not the menu we saw that same evening. Although a few items looked familiar, the majority of the page was filled with new starters, small plates and entrees – most with an autumnal harvest feel.

We began with the meatball and polenta appetizer with pesto which, although small for three people, was pretty damn amazing. I decided on the wild boar sloppy joe with pickled jalapeno, served with beef fat fries and sea salt. It was above average but don’t know if I’d order it again. The fries were probably some of the best I’ve ever had – and I’ve had a lot of fries. One friend ordered the special, if you will, which was a roasted pork belly with creamy risotto. The other ordered the slow roasted cauliflower with beluga lentils and caramelized onion. The pork belly was rich and hearty, fully flavored and overall pretty tasty. All three of us agreed that the vegetarian cauliflower dish was the best. Each plate was completely distinctive, which made me want to come back and try something new. They also have a separate vegetarian menu.

Save room for dessert. We were thinking ordering one of their amazing desserts but our entrees were so rich, we decided to decline. We were extremely tempted to try the Gruyère filled donuts with fruit compote and hazelnut marscapone, or the Madagascan chocolate with espresso cream, peanut custard and coffee jelly. Perhaps next time.

Good for groups of four or less, this locale offers an amazing experience to catch up with old friends or spend a special night out with your partner. I definitely plan to go again but will make a weeknight attempt.

Date visited: Nov 2011

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04 Oct 2011

Strategic Communication Planning – Step 1: Decide Where You Want to Go

Deciding what you want from a new strategic endeavor should be the very first step.  Although this may seem simple, there’s a lot involved.

The role of the communicator should be to effectively create and execute the communication (marketing, PR, digital, etc.) plan to get from where you currently are, to the desired outcome.

What most people forget to do is define “Point B.”

Deciding what you want out of the plan could address a myriad of issues, some of which are:

  • Defining a group’s or company’s mission
  • Correcting problematic, or creating new, horizontal or vertical channels
  • Increase brand awareness
  • Implementing a new organizational process
  • Generate buy-in from consumers
  • Creating a crisis plan
  • Create a participatory, engaging environment rather than an authoritarian culture

I’d like to call this, as some others have, Strategic Intent.

An organization’s (or group’s, department’s, product’s, etc.) strategic intent is its creative purpose.  It determines why and how the organization (or group, department, product, etc.) will continue to exist.  Once defined, intent also helps to reinforce vision and competitive analysis.

It motivates constituents, and evaluates the disparity betweent a company’s current resources and its desired outcome. It also helps create value in the strategic initiatives.

It answers the question, “Where to do we want to go?”

What it is not are specific goals and objectives.  Goals and objectives, which come later in the planning process and are defined to help execute the intent.  (More on this later).

As communicators at the strategic level, we must not only be good writers, think creatively and execute projects – we must also be able to listen.  Listening will help us better understand the strategic intent and devise a well-rounded plan.  Nick Durutta, a senior communications manager at The Capital Group Companies, states in The Corporate Communicator:  A Senior-Level Strategist:

The ability to actively listen – to absorb not only the surface facts of a situation but to probe the many more subtle factors communicated by an individual or group – is an essential skill for communicators. Communication is often viewed as a one-way process: delivering information to a particular audience.  But an equal part of the process is receiving feedback from the audience, both before the information or message is delivered, and after.

Intent is the basis of the strategy and in order to fully understand that intent, we must be good listeners.  More information on strategic intent can be found by reading the following:

This step is directly connected to Step 2, which is evaluating where the organization is, both internally and externally.  Look for that article next week!

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21 Sep 2011
3 Comments

Strategic Communication Plans – An Overview

Vision is key. Whether you’re planning an internal newsletter campaign, a direct mailer or social media blitz, any successful campaign begins with the end in mind.

As a judge for a communications awards program, I see all types of communication campaigns from across the country.  One of the biggest mistakes made by practitioners, whether they work with internal communications, external marketing, public relations or digital,  is the lack of a formalized plan.

It’s not that people are incompetent.  They know how to do their jobs.  I often wonder how, as professionals, they execute campaigns when they aren’t sure of what they want to achieve?  How do practitioners  justify their budgets to their bosses or clients?  It also seems they’re throwing the opportunity to measure the success (or failure) right out the window.

After seeing this time and time again, I decided to create a series of posts regarding the strategic planning process.  Particularly in this economy, (yes, I used the dreaded “e” word) communicators of all kinds need to demonstrate how they impact their business.

I mean, if we all sit back and think about it, what keeps us up at night?  It’s planning!  We take our already packed, 24-hour workday and manage our clients, our bosses and our subordinates – all with different needs – in a way that (hopefully) yields positive results.  Too often we’re not appreciated, saying that we’re a “soft service” and our leadership won’t allocate funds during budget season because we’re a task facilitator, rather than a vital part of an organization.  And, I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard, “How do you measure internal campaigns?”

Communicators need to plan and execute effectively to ultimately demonstrate that the work impacts the bottom line.

I like this quote I came across while reading Flawless Execution and High Engagement:

Simply following the process and answering the questions helps more clearly frame thoughts and action plans. Having a formal strategy provides a consistent message for one-on-one conversations, presentations, meetings, and any print or electronic media. Consistency is especially critical when there are a number of communicators and diverse media that need to deliver a consistent message. Consistency, among other factors, leads to credibility.

OVERVIEW OF STRATEGIC PLANNING

Strategic communication planning, at a very high (and perhaps over-simplified) level, involves two parts – development of a formalized plan and the execution of that plan.  Although these may seem light – don’t be fooled.  These two steps involve vast amounts of time, effort, energy and sometimes, a fight for a place at the meeting table.

According to Lester Potter, ABC*, former chairman of the International Association of Business Communicators and lecturer at Towson University, a communications plan, contains four phases:  an internal review, an external review, a strategy summary and contingency plans.

I’d like to offer a fresher take; which will be topics for each post in my upcoming series:

  1. Define what you want to achieve
  2. Assess where things currently are, inside and out
  3. Analyze and Establish a Plan
  4. Execute
  5. Evaluate and, if needed, change course

When creating a strategy, it’s important to think critically.  The communicator needs to consider a variety of factors based on the overall campaign goal or company mission – and there’s always room for improvement.

Angela Sinickas, ABC*, president of Sinickas Communications and strategic communication expert states that a “number of other factors can also improve or diminish understanding of strategy…”

  1. How clearly and concretely the strategy is articulated.
  2. The length of time the strategy has been in effect.
  3. How long the same leadership team has been in place.
  4. The extent of major changes at an organization, such as mergers, restructurings or large numbers of new employees.
  5. The volume of content provided on strategy.

First things first…

Having a thorough understanding of a problem (with a client or with a company) is fundamental to crafting a plan to correct it.   Entire books have been written about this topic.  People have made fortunes on the lecture circuit discussing these issues.  It’s vital to an organization, its teams and the projects it executes. Well crafted and executed strategies can create a measurable successes which create credibility, financial impact and a larger sense of respect.

*ABC (Accredited Business Communicator) is a designation earned from the International Association of Business Communicators and represents the highest global standards of strategic counsel and ethical conduct for professionals working in business communications.

Posted in Strategic Communication and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
17 Jul 2011

nostalgia

I know I haven’t been posting this week but things have been stressful.  Work’s been busy and I had some issues with

I also had a conversation with one of my co-workers who’s fiance works in finance.  We had a conversation about my very short stint at Merrill Lynch.  I got nostalgic and began tumbling down that, “what if I would have stayed with this?” road.  Of course, timing is everything and getting laid-off from a finance company after a world-wide financial meltdown doesn’t bode well.

Despite the fact Merrill got a bad wrap, I always view that as one of my ‘big breaks.’  I wonder what things would have been like if I could have stayed?  How much money would I be making a year?  What kinds of lifestyle could I be living?  I know, money isn’t everything.  And, no matter what you feel about the financial sector, I truly enjoyed my time there.  The employees were extremely hard working, smart and supportive (if you knew the right folks).  They provided everything you needed to succeed.  It was one of those things that just felt right for me…but, like I said, timing is everything.

Why do people find change so challenging?  Most people encounter times in their lives where they realize they’re making bad life decisions.  People smoke too much, drink too much, eat too much, run too much, spend too much…the list is infinite.  But, outside of being clinically diagnosed with a disease, why are we such strong creatures of habit?  Sometimes, when I realize I make a good decision in efforts to make a change for the better, I feel really good about it.  But then, I find myself right back where I started three weeks later.  My ego sets in and things become harder than they were the first time.

Perhaps the reason behind the change is the driving force – and I need to find out what that is.

Posted in Marketing Concepts | Leave a Comment
17 May 2011

American Journalism and Another Case of CNN Crap

CNN Money’s Chris Isidore recently published an article, “The Great Recession’s lost generation” which tells the sad-sob story of two recent college grads who currently cannot find jobs in their field.

First, let me be clear by saying I truly feel for anyone who can’t find a job. We do, after all, live in the land of opportunity. I’m sure these bright, ambitious students worked extremely hard during their college careers and certain they took advantage of all the right opportunities. But horribly written, completely irrelevant and poorly researched stories like this – that make the front page of CNN.com – drive me completely nuts.

Isidore opens with the story of Meghan O’Halloran, a graduate of Cornell’s architecture program. He goes on, praising her hard work and internships, but ultimately wants Americans to take pity on this weary soul because she has decided to open her own custom fabric business.  I’m sure she’s a bright and ambitious individual but architecture is one of the worst industries right now.  When I came to Chicago in 2009, all high-rise construction came to a screeching halt. I’m sorry, but if the work’s not there, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Miss O’Halloran, a new graduate without full-time experience, cannot find a job.  Not to mention the fact that The Occupational Outlook Handbook states that over 20% of architects are self-employed, with the heaviest job leads coming from replacing people at firms. It’s a shame that Meghan can’t get a job but why was this even featured? It’s just a sad attempt by CNN to pull at our heart strings. Now, if a medical doctor couldn’t find a job….

Where’s the data?

Isodore’s statistical data for the entire article comes from one study conducted by one employment agency. I’m sure (or would hope) the study is valid but what was the sample size? What were the demographics? I know for a fact universities keep very close tabs on graduate job placement. Where was that information? It would have been interesting to see just how the unemployment from the 2009 and 2010 graduating class differed from the 2007 or 2008 class, in comparison to the national unemployment rate. I’m sure there were no surprises. (In case you didn’t know Isodore, 10% of all Americans were without a job during the same time period).

And it’s not like he selected a broad range of interviews. The two students who participated were from exclusive, top-tier universities. Where were the students from the state universities? Big Ten schools? Where were the interviews from the minority universities?

Hardly well-rounded journalism.

Solution: Work

I’m a firm believer that you can get a job in any economy, if you’re willing to work to get it. As the adage goes, you must look for a job as if it was your job.

I graduated college in 2008 and landed a job with Merrill Lynch the following fall.  Just four months after the financial crisis, I was laid off. Yes, it was hard on me. Yes, I worked for a company that played a part in the global economic meltdown. And yes, I was blacklisted for it. I felt like a victim. Although financial services wasn’t my first career choice, it was a huge break. I was smart about it. I knew there was no way I was getting a financial services job for quite some time (if ever). I decided to move to Chicago and start over. Marketing and communication jobs (my degree is in Communication) started popping up and, despite the 10% unemployment rate in Illinois, I took the chance. Four months after moving, I had a great position with a solid, profitable, publicly-traded company.

Everyone’s experience is different. I had to take my extremely diverse background and mold it into my career. Anyone that went to college knows at least a handful of friends who graduated with some type of degree and work in an entirely different industry.

This generation’s enabled sense of entitlement, and Isodore’s poor story structure, are not what Americans want to (or need to) be reading. “Oh, woe is me!” is not a headline. These students aren’t victims because they haven’t any experience for comparison. They don’t know what it’s like in a good job market and will (hopefully) have a better sense of gratitude when things swing back around.

As for Isodore, I hope he can find some better story leads or he just may be looking for a job himself.  You can read the article by clicking here.

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