by Mark O'Brien | Apr 9, 2015
Is any tired rhetorical trope more trite and trivial than making a difference? “We’re making a difference.” “Let’s make a difference.” “One person can make a difference.” “Our company is making a difference.”...
by Mark O'Brien | Apr 8, 2015
More than 13 years ago, I wrote this piece for Tech Decisions magazine (now Property Casualty 360). I found it while searching the Web for something else entirely, was surprised to find it still out there, to find it still relevant, and to find its relevance still...
by Mark O'Brien | Apr 7, 2015
In the past, we’d have said the younger of my two younger brothers, Ben (to protect his privacy, this is not his real name), is mentally retarded. In these enlightened times, we’re more likely to say he’s intellectually disadvantaged, synaptically challenged, or...
by Mark O'Brien | Apr 6, 2015
Ask a roomful of people (I’ve done it), “What’s your brand?” and most of them will quickly respond, “My logo.” It’s not a bad answer. It’s just incomplete. It lacks context. Your logo is, at most, an aspect of your brand. Especially in your advertising or on your...
by Mark O'Brien | Apr 3, 2015
Since it was clear I was more surprised than Biff was, I spoke up first; although, it was more a reflexive exclamation than a considered inquiry: “Is something wrong …?” “No,” Biff replied calmly. “What makes you ask?”...