Ben Thinking: You won't like this.
But...tick tock.
(Originally released 8.19.26)
Let me apologize up front. You aren’t going to like this next line but it’s important you hear it:
Here in the U.S., there are 99 days until Thanksgiving.
Why did I pick Thanksgiving and not Christmas? Or New Year’s Eve?
You know why.
Trying to do any heavy lifting between those holidays is like studying for a test five minutes before class. Also? The week after Thanksgiving is the first week of December. So cue up those ‘man, this holiday season really snuck up on us, huh?’ conversations.
Maybe more importantly? Why am I telling you this?
Because we’re getting down to it. This year has been full of…everything. So much so that if your ‘new’ norm isn’t ‘no’ norm, you haven’t been paying attention. (Yes, I know I used a bunch of negatives in that sentence. At least you know AI didn’t write it.)
ONE thing you can still plan on doing in whatever state of normal you live in is planning.
Nah, I’m not talking 12 months of tactics. Planning looks a lot different now. We need to build you an outline of what’s ahead. Identify the key priorities and goals. Understand where the growth opportunities are as well as the threats to your business. All the things you think you know…but aren’t really 100% sure you do know.
Now’s the time to get on it. Put in the work now. Get the team together and start planning. Work with companies like ours to audit and assess so you have as clear a picture as possible. Consider this your warning. If we hit the fantasy football trade deadline and you haven’t done this yet…well, seasons greetings to ya.
(Special shoutout to Mike Lawrence for his Hallmark holiday themed visuals this week.)
Onto what I’ve ‘Ben Thinking’ about:
Meta gets it.
How often can you say that? Well in this case, they’re all over this ‘only 99 days left thing’ (copycats if you ask me).
They just released their holiday marketing guide for brands looking to take advantage of online sales and potential customer journeys.
New playbook available:
LinkedIn releases a four-tip playbook for running ads on its platform.
“Why do you hate me?”
You spent a lot of time putting a review together. Outlining some feedback. It’s good—and fair. Constructive. Cuts to the heart of the issue while still praising the effort of the team member. You deliver it. And…they are extremely upset, hurt and rattled by what you think of their work.
Sound familiar? Of course it does. We’re human, afterall. No matter how much we say we want the truth…we don’t want you to actually tell us.
Turns out there is a right way to deliver feedback while accounting for the inevitable emotional response. How do I know? Because HBR says so.
Peanut butter raises isn’t a Baskin Robbins flavor.
I thought it might be. But just like so many other things, the business world has taken a fun, delicious word and turned it into something controversial.
36% of businesses to be exact. That’s how many companies used the ‘peanut butter raise’ method to give employees increases. As in ALL employees. Regardless of your performance. And now…guess what? Some high performers are really pissed off about it.
However, the numbers are there to support that this method can create positive gains. You decide. But be ready to want a Reese’s after reading.
New LinkedIn data: Your people may matter more than you think. 75% more.
Research from Meltwater and LinkedIn found that 75% of LinkedIn citations in AI-generated answers come from individual member profiles, not company pages. As buyers use AI tools to research companies, products and categories, the voices of executives, subject-matter experts and practitioners are becoming important signals of credibility.
The opportunity is not to ask employees to repost more company content. It is to help the right people share useful, structured expertise in their own voice. Develop and share how-to guides, practical frameworks, data-backed observations and lessons from the market to guide employees as they become more active.
How many employees do you have? That’s how much opportunity you have. Don’t miss out.
Background screening becomes more complex for manufacturers.
There is a lot of resume fabrication out there, thanks to AI. And when a person’s skills and/or qualifications aren’t exactly legit, that means you, the company, are taking on increased liability once they get into their actual jobs. Specifically on the safety side of things.
Here’s how to navigate the situation and take back some control of the screening process.
How to tell employees you want them to think like owners. And mean it.
Show me someone who says this is the thinking at their company and I’ll show you a leadership team that wonders why more employees don’t embrace it.
Well, I already upset you with the Thanksgiving news so I might as well tell you…you’re the problem.
No, not intentionally. It’s not something you’re choosing to do. You just haven’t defined what ‘think like an owner’ means. So how can employees live it? Especially if you’re telling them this but not giving them any say. Telling them what decisions are being made. And not taking their advice once you ask for it? And these are just a few of the 11 things this Inc. article addresses: 11 Tips from Business Leaders on How to Let Workers Lead Their Way.
For the pod squad.
The end of the human internet. The Grey Area podcast.
Can we believe anything we see, hear or read on the internet? Sounds like a bleak question…but one that needs asked.
This is supposed to be fun.
Fantasy Football can be awesome. It can be miserable. So as you get ready for your drafts, remember to have some fun coming up with punishments for the loser. And then do everything you can to avoid punishments like this.
A few Cliff Clavins for ya.
- 60M people – that’s how many people watched Seinfeld in the first six months of this year. Netflix has the streaming rights…Paramount has the cable rights…yada, yada, yada people love it.
- Columbia House – famous for its 12 CDs for a penny offer – is shutting down after 71 years. Resulting in people asking, ‘Columbia House was still around?’
A few Ben Bruglers for ya.
- I am absolutely hooked on these Broadway pro shots. Two weeks ago I saw Hadestown. Last weekend I saw Six. I’m very, very biased towards both of these musicals – I’ve seen both in person and my daughters played Six nonstop back in the early 2020s. But how about we sacrifice a few reboots and a couple of Fast & The Furious films to do more of these? Can we do Book of Mormon next, please?
- I don’t know when a speaker became a must-have golf accessory, but I am so glad it is. It helps to drown out my profanity-laced thoughts on my last shot.
- Watched The Real Wolf of Wall Street on Paramount. It was comical. These guys talk so much about how the movie isn’t real…only to say about 100 times ‘this is one thing the movie got right’ during their interviews. So…you’re telling me the movie is pretty accurate then, right? (Which is just crazy.)
- A few months ago, I ate Taco Bell. It reminded me of Fantasy Football. I know how I’m going to feel after I eat it yet…sure, I’m in.
Thanks for reading! Until next time: "Live life, love life!"
-Ben
Are you a communicator? You’re not alone. Listen in.