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Disney Withdraws Trademark Application for SEAL Team 6

2011/05/25 By Bill Sanders View Comments

File under “it’s rarely too late to try to correct a mistake.” Especially if the mistake you are trying to correct is getting on the wrong side of people who make war for a living.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday that it will withdraw its applications to trademark the term “SEAL Team 6″ for use on toys, games, and other consumer products.

A Disney spokesman said the company was withdrawing the applications “out of deference to the Navy.”

Read more…

I’m glad to see Disney correct this, but I’ve not yet been disabused of the notion that our trademark and patent system is due for an overhaul.

photo credit: ussocom_ru

Filed Under: In The News, Leadership Tagged With: , , , ,

Facebook PR Debacle: If not for Ethics Violations, Fire Them for Incompetence

2011/05/13 By Bill Sanders View Comments

In case you haven’t seen the news:

The social-networking company secretly hired a public-relations firm to push stories critical of Google’s privacy practices. But the strategy backfired when bloggers and journalists disclosed Facebook’s behind-the-scenes role, forcing the company to explain its tactics.

Facebook hired WPP Group PLC’s Burson-Marsteller to pitch journalists and security experts on stories that questioned Google’s practice of collecting information from people’s Facebook and other social-networking accounts. Read more

Everyone involved at Facebook, Burson-Marsteller, and WPP Group is (or should be) embarrassed and ashamed. I wonder what they were thinking. Did they really believe they could use social media to run a behind-the-scenes smear campaign against a major competitor and get away with it? Social media is known for being transparent. Anyone that reads the news on a regular basis would have bet that this would have ended badly.

One might argue the case against firing the individuals responsible on the basis of character or ethics violations, but I defy anyone to argue that they shouldn’t be fired for incompetence.

 

 

Filed Under: General, Leadership, Social Tagged With: , , , ,

Tainted by Financial Self-interest

2011/05/03 By Bill Sanders View Comments

Tom Foremski takes issue with financial bias in reporting – particularly in regard to start-up coverage. In his opinion, “The only acceptable bias is a thirst for a great story and selecting the best startups to write about.” Notwithstanding the fact that we all bring bias to virtually everything we do, I agree with Tom on this issue: Financial bias tends to override even relationships.

Media coverage is very important for startups. It is how they gain respect in their community, it is how they can win investors, and it is invaluable in helping to recruit staff.
Positive media coverage will also help gain users of their products and services, providing valuable marketing services that could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
But the only reason media coverage of a startup and their product is valuable is that the media coverage is seen as a neutral third party — it has no financial bias in its reporting.
Continue reading here…

Filed Under: Leadership, Media, Startups

Osama bin Laden Dead

2011/05/01 By Bill Sanders View Comments

Osama bin Laden

A “Historical Moment.”

I, as everyone else, remember exactly where I was when I first heard the news of 9/11. And I have often wondered why, with all the full might and intelligence of our military, that we had yet to locate Osama bin Laden.

But now, we have. I’m sure we’ll learn more in the coming days of the search, operation, and killing of bin Laden. For now, we can be grateful that justice has been done, and without the loss of additional American lives.

Update:

I predict that it won’t be long before someone in the news media attempts to draw a parallel between the celebration outside the White House at the death of Osama bin Laden with the celebrations throughout the middle east on 9/11. They will conveniently forget to mention that in the case of the earlier, it was a celebration of the loss of innocent life, and in the case of tonight, it is a celebration of justice (however poor in taste some of the celebrations may have been).

Filed Under: General, In The News, Leadership Tagged With: , ,

Live with Purpose, Die with Honor.

2011/04/27 By Bill Sanders View Comments

Portrait at Brian Klemmer's Memorial Service

On April 7 I lost a former client as well as a friend and mentor.

The world lost one of its truly great men, Brian Klemmer.

A few days after Brian’s death, Brad Berens asked me about him. After going on about Brian and his impact for some time, I apologized to Brad for over sharing. His response was something to the effect of “A life well lived deserves to be memorialized.”
With that in mind, here is a small contribution to the memorial of a great man.

Last night I had the privilege of gathering with hundreds of his family, friends, and associates to celebrate his live and continue the process of memorializing him at a service in San Mateo.

Like many such events, they serve to reconnect us with people we haven’t seen or spoken to in years. Beyond Brian’s family and his staff, whom I expected to see and reconnect with, I ran into people throughout the event with whom I worked at Mattel, friends I served with at a non-profit in the 90′s, even current colleagues. And in each case, it was, “Wow, didn’t expect to see you here! How did you know Brian?” from one or the other of us.

A better question might have been “How did Brian impact your life?” for he indeed did impact many lives. Even more remarkable is the fact that he planned to continue impacting lives well after his death.

You see, Brian Klemmer wasn’t normal. He didn’t think the way most people think, he didn’t make decisions like most people make decisions, and he certainly didn’t plan like most people plan. Brian Klemmer had a mission that he knew would require more than his lifetime to achieve:

“Creating bold ethical leaders who will create a world that works for everyone with no one left out.”

And in his mind that required a 500-year plan. Think about that. That goes far beyond any business school succession planning. When I first heard Brian mention his 500-year plan, I assumed it was metaphorical. However, the more I got to know Brian, the more obvious it became to me that it wasn’t.

There are a lot of words that could be used to describe Brian that would be true. From brilliant, committed, focused, responsible to bull-headed, challenging, and blunt. But one word that didn’t fit Brian was false. One of the most amazing things about the man is that he endeavored to apply and live out the values and characteristics that he espoused. When Brian said he had a 500-year plan, he had exactly that.

My insight is that who he was impacted me far more than what he did. Or perhaps another way to say it is that who he was is what actually impacted me through what he did.

One of Brian’s many axioms was “Live with Purpose, Die with Honor.”

And he did. Rarely have I engage with another person who was so consistently playing the Game of Life full-out. He was almost always “in the moment.” My experience of Brian is that when he was with you, he was with YOU. For a moment saying hello in a hallway, on the phone, or in a half day strategy session – Brian was present, engaged; here, now. And yet he never lost the ability to project, dream, and live on the edge of the impossible.

Another impossible to miss characteristic of Brian was his abiding faith. Brian professed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and unlike many I’ve met that profess the same, Brian’s faith wasn’t exclusive, nor simple. Even with strong beliefs, Brian was willing to embrace and live in the tension of the mystery of life. He was a man on a journey of discovery.

Brian was one of those rare & unique individuals who loved people enough to spend his life working to help them start their own journey of discovery without demanding to determine where it led.

Brian left us with a stellar team to carry on his vision, his work, and his purpose at K&A. I’ve had the privilege and honor of working with, training with, and learning from many of them.

Roma, Sona, Janet, Centa, Scott, Kim-michelle, Kimberly, John, Brian M., Steve, & Patrick – I have been honored to know and work with each of you and I have no doubt that you will not only carry forth Brian’s Legacy, but continue to raise the bar.

Brian was responsible for the life he lived. He expects no less from us.

Brian Klemmer

Compassionate Samurai

March 30, 1950 – April 7, 2011

Filed Under: General, Leadership Tagged With: , , ,