Back when life was (sort of) normal …

VIDEO: Do you love Sinatra, Bennett, Darin, King Cole? Journey into a night club where every musical era is represented – swing, jazz, big band, lounge, Rat Pack and more. Enjoy this video of “Live from the Starlight Lounge,” our event this February that raised $23,000 for American Cancer Society.

View here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke1Pv65DwTY&feature=youtu.be

I wrote the below for wonderful friend Jennifer Simpson Carr of Furia Rubel Communications (and a fellow Legal Marketing Association leader) who was drafting this piece on coping during this present crisis: https://www.furiarubel.com/what-were-up-to/25-ways-to-maintain-positivity-and-mental-health-in-uncertain-times/. I wrote too much – per usual – but she was kind enough to include an excerpt. Here’s the entirety of what I sent to her…

I am offering this list of tips that I myself may be failing to follow. I’m putting them in writing in the hopes that they will become a script for me to hang onto my sanity in these troubling times … as we all suddenly find ourselves in the strange predicament of feeling trapped in our own homes, working remotely, uncertain of how long this will last and what effect it will have on the future:

– switch off social media – connection is important. A steady diet of anxiety, judgment, and fear? Not so much.

– tune out that competitive spirit and any voices (real or imagined) saying you aren’t doing enough. Right now staying healthy and taking care of one another? That is PLENTY.

– avoid people who are using this crisis as a platform to further their own ambitions. ‘Nuff said.

– turn off and disconnect. Keep reasonable hours. Yes, you may be saving on commuting time by working in your basement, but that doesn’t mean putting in 12 hour days. Turn work off, read a book, watch a movie, walk the dog, recharge. 

– don’t get in arguments with know-it-alls. None of us know how this story ends. Be calm, be gracious, walk away from trolls.

– from a work perspective, be sensitive to the burdens everyone is carrying. We need to stay the course on projects that will need our attention when this crisis has passed, while communicating information that our colleagues and clients actually need in this moment. We don’t need to be the source of ALL information on this crisis. There are a lot of other people who are doing that better than we are. Share information that is relevant and appropriate.

– most of all. Be kind. To yourself. To others. To this world.

Very proud of the below recognition… happened before all hell broke loose …

Managing Partners’ Forum Awards

– best marketing initiative

2020 winner: Clark Hill

More here: https://www.mpfglobal.com/awards/awards-2020/best-marketing-initiative.aspx

Clark Hill has grown from a regional US firm, to an international firm with 25 offices. Marketing and Business Development was no longer fit for purpose.

They embarked on an ambitious initiative to completely re-imagine their marketing function and make the most of their global potential, through a very clear and comprehensive design of the department and how it has impact as a cohesive central function for the firm.

The judges were particularly impressed by the scale of their research and project commitment, how they achieved buy-in at every level and how they have creatively used data and technology in the delivery and measurement of marketing success, and achieved remarkable results.

Winner’s quote: “We are thrilled and honoured to be recognized by Managing Partners Forum for the strategic and operational transformation of the Marketing and Business Development Department. This initiative was achieved by incredible multi-stakeholder collaboration, the design of an innovative technical infrastructure; and the implementation of a flexible, defined process. A key focus was the capture, organisation and analysis of data which brings a new layer to our firm’s competitive edge.” – Susan Ahern, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer, Clark Hill