A handful of employees in the marketing rotational program at EMC, where I work, put together this really cool program called Lunch with Leaders.

As the name implies, an intimate group of 10 to 20 people get to have a conversation over lunch with a senior leader at the organization. The executive talks about their career path – as well as insights gained from looking back on it – and fields questions.

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a Lunch with Leaders session with one of my informal mentors at EMC, Polly Pearson. Polly’s held many titles in her time at EMC, but a unifying thread has been her drive to create and sustain an awesome culture.

Today, I’d like to share a few highlights from my lunch with Polly.

(These aren’t necessarily things Polly said directly – more what I took away from the talk)

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This is part of a multi-article series on the book Made to Stick.

Photo by Paul L. Nettles

Last week, we talked about how you can use surprise to get people’s attention. But how do you keep their attention once you get it?

Today, we’re going to talk about another emotion: curiosity.

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Two weeks ago, I asked you to help me spread the word about Renegade HR.

Today, I wanted to say thank you!

Over the last two weeks, Renegade HR has added 60 new subscribers and seen a 25 percent increase in traffic. I couldn’t have done it without you.

I hope you’ll start getting more engaged in the conversation. If you have ideas about something I write about, I’d love for you to leave a comment. You can even do so anonymously.

Tried something really cool that worked well (or flopped horribly)? Tell me about it! Disagree with something I wrote? I’d like you to tell me that, too!

Thanks again, and have a great weekend!

This is part of a multi-article series on the book Made to Stick.

Photo by caribb

If you’ve ever been on a plane, you’re familiar with the safety announcement that flight attendants are required to make before the plane takes off. And if you’re like most people, you probably tune the flight attendant out. The information is pretty important, but no one cares.

What if you were asked to make the safety announcement? And what if you actually needed people to listen to you? What would you do?

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If someone wants to learn more about your organization, the first place they go isn’t your company website. It’s Google.

When someone types your organization’s name into Google, where on that list do you want your company website, blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts to show up? The top of the first page, or at the bottom of page three?

Today, I’m going to talk to you about how to make Google love you. I’m also going to answer one of the most frequently asked questions about social media use for businesses: Do I use my own name/photo/etc. or my organization’s?

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This is part of a multi-article series on the book Made to Stick.

Herb Kelleher, the longest-serving CEO of Southwest, once told someone, “I can teach you the secret to running this airline in thirty seconds. This is it: We are THE low-fare airline. Once you understand that fact, you can make any decision about this company’s future as well as I can.”¹

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Photo by Hector

I have a friend named Gary. He’s a nice enough guy, but talking to him can be really painful. Why?

He only talks about himself.

Think about the most interesting conversationalist you know. She probably asks a lot of questions. She’s funny. She shares interesting information about lots of other people and things. She doesn’t just talk about herself (chances are, she rarely talks about herself).

Social media isn’t a magical tool. It’s just a scalable, searchable conversation.

When you build an employer brand using social media, what you’re really trying to do is have a conversation about your culture. And the same skills that make you a great conversationalist in real life apply online.

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