9.22.25: 'Ben Thinking' -- Can you avoid politics at work?
Hey, it’s Ben. And I’m back to share some stories and trends I’ve been thinking about.
First…yay me. Yay us! Why? Well, we’re thinking. And if you missed it, there is a real concern about the decline of ‘thinking’ people in the world at the moment. This can be tied to the fact that there’s also a decline in the number of people who read in the world.
When I was little, I would ask my dad ‘how did you know that?’ and he’d say, ‘because I read!’. Today he uses it to justify any argument he’s making mainly because today you can find something that validates any side you want to take in an argument. But nonetheless…he’s not wrong.
So here we are. Here you are – reading the trends, stories and more that make us sound smart at parties. In the pre-meeting chatter. Or, maybe one of these topics is so timely because you read it right before you went to a meeting and someone asked about it! (Hey, I hear it happens.)
I’m here…and happy, to keep sharing these stories with you. So go ahead…keep on reading. Keep on thinking!
Here’s what I’ve ‘Ben thinking’ about:
Reading this will make you think.
Heads-up on what I think is a huge advantage on the field when it comes to strategic thinking: 10 trends redefining the future of strategy. (Chief Executive)
You won’t be disappointed.
Read me please: Political debate at the water cooler! Be there! (Ohio Manufacturing Association/FisherPhillips)
Hey, not sure if you’ve noticed, but a lot of people are upset about a lot of things right now. None of which I plan on touching here in this newsletter or any corner of social media. However, one place I want to be prepared – and so should you – to deal with this is in the workplace.
This article/infographic from Fisher Phillips outlines six ‘free speech’ scenarios you may encounter in the workplace. From debates at the water cooler to employees’ political social posts that go viral to what you can wear on a t-shirt, hat or pin.
I think everything I’ve selected for this week’s newsletter is important…but if you only read one article this week…this should be it. We have handled internal communications for a lot of our clients for a long time…and the prep is the easiest part…but the hardest part.
Listen up…time to up our listening game.
This first story is one that I can’t love enough. Define irony? In doing some research on the topic of active listening, I came across a study from Gitnux on the impact of listening. The date the research was released? April 29. That’s my wife’s birthday. Who will tell me, (over and over) how important listening is…
By the way, here is why I was doing the research in the first place:
“3 ways to be a better listener”
Digital ad spending dims as tariff impact intensifies: special report (Marketing Dive)
I went to college when public relations was having a moment. Websites were on the rise (stop laughing) and people needed to inform their publics about their brands, products, services, etc.
Here we are, nearly 25 years later…and I’m not sure I’ve seen a better time to take a very close, very hard look at your PR strategy.
Speaking of tariffs, what do CEOs think? Oh, I meant in private. (Chief Executive)
Cheers to Chief Executive for the concept – a private, off-the-record, anonymous, informal poll at the annual Yale CEO Caucus in Washington D.C.
The questions asked were direct, ranging from ‘are tariffs driving domestic manufacturing’ to ‘who’s paying for the tariff costs’?
A very interesting, very telling real(?) world view of where companies stand on public policies.
Obligatory LinkedIn update: video is growing, driving engagement* (SocialMediaToday)
We are nearing the fourth quarter and LinkedIn has once again put out a report on what you should be doing on the platform. (I wonder when we’ll see an infographic on ‘not rolling out AI slop’?)
This time it’s video. And of course, they’re right. There are plenty of numbers to back it up. Now, how that video finds its way to you is a completely different question…
*For now.
If you’re doing this, stop. Whatever made you think it was a good idea…it’s not.
Just added this in the last ‘Ben Thinking’…unfortunately there is no shortage of these…
Not sure why strangers in biz dev roles thought it was a good idea to put meetings on our calendars, but stop it.
If your meeting (some of which have nothing to do with what I do) shows up on my calendar, you and the meeting are automatically reported as junk. You wouldn’t show up to my office, sit down and say ‘we have a meeting’…so stop doing the virtual version of this. Squatting on my calendar isn’t a business development strategy.
She is featured in this Fast Company article, talking about the three things we need to do to lead today. It’s common sense. Which means it’s hard.
Also, heads-up…her new book is out!
Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit (a Dare to Lead book)
This is supposed to be fun!
If it’s new to me, it’s not a rerun…
Keep that in mind as you read this next story. I’m sure a lot of you have heard about it but this just came onto my radar: The Hawkeye Wave.
What happens when you mix 70,000 students, a family/children’s hospital and a simple, kind gesture. You get a moment.
Finally…a few Cliff Clavins for ya.
Another new section, named after the ‘Cheers’ character Cliff Clavin…random shit for you to impress your friends and co-workers with!
- Illinois is the leading producer of pumpkins at 485M pounds. Ohio is sixth. (Axios)
- Did you know only three states fall asleep later than Ohio? And we get one minute less sleep than the national average. (Apple)
- The number of baseball teams who have come back to win a title/pennant after being down 15.5 games: zero…until yesterday. (WKYC)
- We’ve seen a lot of great shows come out this year. The Studio, Paradise, Unknown Caller, The Pitt…so naturally, the number one streaming show in 2025 to this point: Bluey.
Feel free to share with anyone else you think would enjoy the articles and resources!
Thank you,
Ben
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