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Top of Mind Thursday Memo Archive
Top of Mind Thursday, Jan 21, 2021: Much to Heal, Much to Build, Much to Gain
Yesterday, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, with Kamala Harris as the 49th vice president.
This was no ordinary inauguration. The pandemic and recent violence at the Capitol limited attendees and forced the cancellation or reimagining of many of the traditional aspects of an American inauguration.
But in spite of the chill in both the air and the political climate, the overall feeling of the day was about possibilities–starting fresh, carrying forward, seeing each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors.
There was recognition for the Capitol police officer who likely saved the lives of Mike Pence and members of the Senate. Lady Gaga sang an amazing rendition of the national anthem. Members of both parties welcomed the new president and the new vice president, who is the first woman and first person of color to occupy the office.
Some of the most powerful words spoken yesterday came from 22 year old Amanda Gorman, who is the Youth Poet Laureate and the descendent of slaves:
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover in every known nook of our nation; in every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful will emerge battered and beautiful. When day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid. The new day blooms as we free it. For there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.
President Biden said unity is the path forward. Now it’s up to us to follow his lead.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday, Jan 14, 2021: Deja Vu All Over Again
Yesterday, the US House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump for inciting insurrection, in regard to the domestic attack on the US Capitol last week.
If it sounds like we’ve been here before, that’s because we have. Except this time, things are a bit different. The first impeachment charges in 2019 were based on actions Trump supposedly took with the president of Ukraine. The argument was full of he said-she said allegations, and the votes to impeach and to acquit were based totally on party lines.
Next Wednesday, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as president. So why the fuss to impeach someone who won’t even be in power in less than a week?
This time, for Congress, it was personal. The attack on the Capitol put their lives in danger. The angry mob was there at Trump’s bidding and his behavior during and after the attack showed his support for their actions, rather than an attempt to calm things down. The rioters threatened to hang the Vice President and harm other Congressional leaders.
What happened at the Capitol last week was so egregious that there’s a need to be clear these actions can’t be tolerated. The people who stormed the building have threatened to bring about more violence in Washington and at statehouses throughout the country. There should be justice for the people who died last week, including a Capitol Police officer who was beaten while in the line of duty.
Members of both parties voted for impeachment yesterday. It’s time for both sides to come together and address what the inflamed rhetoric has wrought.
Because if we don’t call out behavior that’s unacceptable, we set a dangerous precedent. As bad as last week was, allowing deja vu to happen all over again would be even worse.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday Jan 7, 2021: When Someone Shows You Who They Are…
The scenes from Washington, DC yesterday were incredible: Americans storming the US Capitol in an attempted coup to overturn the results of the November presidential election.
It was shocking to see hordes of Americans acting as domestic terrorists–knocking down barriers, roaming through the Capitol freely, breaking windows, and carrying the Confederate flag into the building for the first time in history.
Call it insurrection, incursion, sedition, treason–what happened yesterday was unacceptable.But it should not have been a surprise.
Donald Trump has been telegraphing for months that he would not accept the results of the election should he lose. He held rallies to pump up his supporters and strong-armed members of Congress to try to override the will of the voters. Yesterday, he told protesters to march to the Capitol and use strength to take back the country–which is exactly what they did.
Too many people didn’t want to see the writing on the wall. The mayor of DC had asked for National Guard protection, but the Guard didn’t arrive until Mike Pence summoned them hours later. The police detail around the building was just a fraction of that deployed when Black Lives Matter held a peaceful protest last year–which highlights the level of racism fomenting in this country.
There are many lessons that should be learned from what happened yesterday. To start, we need to heed the words of the late Maya Angelou:
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
If we had, we might be in a much better place this morning.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday 2021: Good Riddance
From impeachment hearings in January to overflowing hospital wards in December, 2020 has been one helluva year.
In between, we lost 340,000 Americans to the pandemic and had a presidential election that is still being contested. But rather than rehash that and everything else that happened this past year (Remember the killer hornets? Yes, that was also this year), this is the time to look forward to 2021.
Winston Churchill said, those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it. What can we learn from 2020?
- Pandemics don’t discriminate. Viral infections don’t choose political parties or religious beliefs, and they don’t really care about infringing on your freedom. We are all vulnerable.
- Polarization can occur even on the most mundane matters. It’s not about facts–it’s about perceptions. And perceptions on even simple things can be a world apart.
- In the midst of every cloud, there ARE silver linings: We’ve learned to adapt, to use technology more effectively, to create new ways of connecting and earning a living.
- We can make incredible advances when we put our minds to it. The accelerated development of COVID vaccines occurred faster than anyone ever predicted. What else can we do when we bring smart people together without considering their nationality or business affiliation?
- Even through the polarization, we have seen some of the best of human nature throughout the year. People taking care of other people, taking risks to help others, and doing good where good really needed to be done.
- This too will pass. And we need to work now to be prepared to work hard and build success in the coming year.
As we say good bye and good riddance to 2020, it’s time to open the door for better times that are already on the way.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com