From your experience as a consumer, it’s pretty clear to see that the worlds of marketing and sales have evolved tremendously from traditional methods. Social media is one of the biggest catalysts for this, driving urgency and engagement for products and services across the board. What might not be so immediately clear, though, is just how important social media has become for B2B businesses. 

The Boldsquare Group has established itself as one of the fastest growing strategy and communications groups in the Southeast. The group’s two business units, Boldsquare and Bandera, work with a rapidly expanding array of leading brands, public companies and innovative organizations.

As a leader, you know that communication is key… but what good is communication if it’s not resonating with your audience? We’re all familiar with the age-old antidote “read the room”, particularly in times of miscommunication and tension. Whether you’re asking for a simple favor from a friend or promoting your products and services to a potential customer, understanding who you are speaking with is crucial in creating a mutual understanding and ultimately reaching whatever your end goal may be. In just about every facet of life, recognizing what motivates your audience is a sure way to pique their interest and desire to cooperate with you.

Not that long ago, the word “disruption” wasn’t exactly popular. Its use was typically linked to a negative or bothersome situation.

I recently spoke to the Association of Corporate Counsels on the topic of how to develop and advance an environmental, social and governance (ESG) program. ESG is one of the hottest topics for lawyers and C-suite leaders right now, with investors and employees pushing organizations to become better corporate citizens in the broadest possible sense. 

From the moment we take our first test at school, we’re told by parents and teachers that we should go with the first response that comes to us. Our gut tells us the right answer, according to popular wisdom, and changing our mind is counter-productive.

There’s nothing like a global pandemic to accelerate change in the workplace. COVID-19 forced companies and other organizations to quickly put infrastructure in place for working from anywhere (WFA). While many of these organizations have been pleasantly surprised that technology has made WFA easier than they thought, there remains little consensus around what should happen next with returning employees to the workplace. 

How we interact with others has changed dramatically since the onset of Covid-19. Holiday gatherings are occurring on Zoom, weddings and graduations are limited to immediate family only, and texting has replaced dinners out with our best friends. On the work front, for most employees, there are no in-person team meetings, town halls or catch ups in the hallways. Days are now filled with virtual sessions facilitated by Zoom, Microsoft Teams and WebEx and collaboration tools like Slack, InVision, GitHub and others. Instead of being stuck in conference rooms, we’re glued to the computer.

Tough though the pandemic's social isolation has been, it has provided an opportunity to catch up on some of the TV that has eluded me over the last couple of years of entrepreneurialism and fast-paced strategy and communications. 

At this time of year, we’re bombarded with news of friends who have decided they’ll be running a 5K by February or are going to start a weekly podcast about crafting. Resolutions generally come to a sorry end shortly after the metaphorical ink has dried. For businesses though, it’s time to think of revolutions not resolutions as you enter a critical year for the organization. Here’s a few things to consider ahead of the return to work: