Month: February 2016
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Zenefits and the Problem of the Chief Enabling Officer
Yesterday the Wall Street Journal had an article about the rowdy culture at Zenefits, a health insurance brokerage based in San Francisco. They’d gotten their hands on an email to employees which read, in part: “Do not use the stairwells to smoke, drink, eat, or have sex. Yes, you read that right.” The article detailed the difficulty that […]
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You Never Know Who You’re Dealing With
I accepted a new position last week and it will involve once again being a supervisor. I’ve been preparing for the role by asking seasoned managers for their input on how to hit the ground running, and for 360 degree type feedback about their perceptions of me at work. You can never ask enough. Ask, […]
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Talia Jane Just Set Yelp On Fire
I don’t know this young lady from Adam or Jane. I don’t know a thing about Yelp’s corporate culture. But as an outsider looking in, I can tell you the brand of this company just went southward today – significantly. As an employee got fired after writing a negative review of her salary. It’s a bit hard […]
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Just Burn Your Money Instead
The year was 1987 and they paid me a lot of money to work as a temp. Nobody uses the word “temp” anymore, but when I was sixteen that was a real thing. In Manhattan. I typed fast because my high school taught me how to do it and I’d studied piano, so there it […]
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"How to be Single" – and Unbelievable
There are many ways to diagnose a helicopter mom. But I am pretty confident I meet and exceed all relevant criteria. Consider my performance as an audience member watching “How to be Single,” a Valentine’s Day treat movie for me and my husband that quickly turned into an ESPN-like bout of self-expression on my part: […]
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Parshas Terumah – On Giving The Honor To G-d
This week’s Torah reading is Parshas Terumah, in the book of Shmos (Exodus). The Jews are told to make a Sanctuary within which to worship G-d. Very glorious and full of gold. Finding the instructions about Temple-building pretty dry I didn’t even want to read the commentaries. I closed the Bible. And then I realized…this […]
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5 Typical Factors Preventing Brand Alignment
1. Lack of understanding about what branding is – misconception that it’s just a logo or seal when in fact it’s about rallying employees and the public around your clear, compelling MISSION or identity. 2. Fighting about who is going to get the spotlight – the sense that if the organization overall has a brand, then […]
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Why Aren’t You Happy Already?
This morning I was trying to find this coffee shop in uptown D.C., in the freezing cold. The entire job consisted of walking southbound on Wisconsin Avenue. Four blocks from the train and I would have been there. I took out my iPhone just to be sure. Aha! Go that way! I love this thing! Gleefully I […]
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Brand Management: It’s A Marathon, Not A Race
I’ve been on a healthy lifestyle plan for five weeks now. Basically a New Year’s resolution. Got on the scale yesterday after a two-week break. Nothing had changed. I tried to tell myself that it must be the blazer I was wearing. Also the shoes and the fact that it was nighttime. You know you lose […]
2016 Diary - Dannielle Blumenthal 