The speaker was Harry Kraemer, former CEO of Baxter International and author of the new book, From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership.

After hearing him speak, I of course bought the book, as did just about everyone there, and I’m excited to dive into it in the coming weeks.

Harry spoke about what makes a great leader and the importance of knowing oneself, one’s priorities and one’s values, and letting those things guide you each and every day.

His four guiding principles, and the main points I took away about each, without having read the book yet, are these:

Self reflection

Taking the time each day or at least each week or each month to “quiet the noise” and simply sit and reflect on your life, goals and priorities is absolutely vital. If we don’t know who we are, how can we lead others?

Harry said that he takes 20 minutes for self-reflection every night, asking himself questions like “What did I learn today?” “How did I treat people today?” “If I had today to live over again, what would I have done differently?” and “If I’m given tomorrow, what will I do to make tomorrow better than today?”

I found this very inspirational, and I’m vowing to make more time in my own life to quiet the noise, stop the multitasking and take stock of my own life and priorities on a regular basis.

Balance

Harry doesn’t like the term “work/life balance” because, he asks, are we not living when we’re working? Of course we are!

Instead, he likes the simpler term “life balance,” and he says we must all acknowledge that we simply will not get everything done that we hope to – in a day, in a year, in a lifetime – and so we must learn the art of prioritizing. Being able to prioritize is a key to leadership, since leaders need to have the ability to identify what really matters.

Perhaps my favorite take-away from his talk was when he circled the number 168 on his pad of paper and asked what significance that number had. I knew it was the number of hours in a week, and another man in the room raised his hand and gave that answer.

I found it funny when Harry commented on how people are always saying things like “I can’t believe our vacation is over” or “Time is flying so fast, where does time go?” He said “it’s basic math, people!” Each day, each week, each year has the same amount of hours in it. Often time goes by seemingly without us even noticing because we squander our time doing things that aren’t important to us and that don’t fall in line with our priorities in life. Again, that’s something that really rang true for me, and he helped me see that I could do a better job of prioritizing my time.

True self-confidence

If you take the time to reflect and you truly know yourself, and if you have your priorities in life straight, then you should be able to attain true self-confidence.

This is the ability to be comfortable with yourself and to recognize your strengths while at the same time being able to acknowledge that you may not always be the smartest or most charismatic person in the room; that you may not always have the right answer; and that you may need to look to others for help sometimes – and that’s ok.

Genuine humility

The last one is fairly simple: never forget where you came from.

This part was very inspirational to me, too. He asked what our answer would be if someone asked us how we got to where we are today. He figured our answers would be “I worked hard, and I’m pretty good at what I do.” And, he said, those are good answers.

And yet, we must all acknowledge that timing, luck and possibly even a higher power or a plan greater than us had something to do with our where we are today, as well. Being in the right place at the right time plays a huge role in people’s success, and great leaders always need to be able to remember and acknowledge that.

He said that when he was the CEO at Baxter International and his office was “half the size of this ballroom,” once a week he’d still walk through the offices below him and past his old cube to keep himself grounded and to remind himself of where he came from. As he put it, “we all started in a cube.”

These principles are so simple and yet have so much logic and importance behind them. I was truly inspired by Harry Kraemer’s presentation and I can’t wait to read more in-depth about his philosophies on leadership.

If you haven’t, you can visit the website here and view the trailer here.

The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and showed on Oprah’s Network (OWN) earlier this month.

As the year moves on, the power of word of mouth and social media are helping this documentary gain a wider and wider audience across the country. I was able to attend a screening of this film several weeks back, and I’m still thinking about it. And I watch with great interest as more attention is drawn to it.

The story is told through interviews with a wide range of high-profile women and inspirational young people; through a variety of often harrowing statistics; and through commentary by the director herself. Certainly, the subject matter is nothing new. Women are objectified in television and film. Young girls often feel pressure to focus on their weight and their outer appearance rather than on their studies and their future. Women make up an infuriatingly small portion of our government and big business. The list goes on.

But it’s the way in which the subject matter is presented that is so compelling to people, I think. The director frames the issue with the birth of her daughter and the fact that she now worries in a whole new way about the world around her, and viewers can connect with her on a personal level. And the content is offered in a way that’s entertaining, fast-paced and enlightening, which in effect makes people want to engage more deeply with that subject matter and act on it after they’ve seen the film.

I certainly felt compelled to further explore the film and to do something about all I’d learned after I walked out of that theatre. But what?

Today it hit me – I’m already doing something. I started doing something the second I left that theatre, when I talked about the film at length with my best friend, and then later that night with my husband, and then the next day with my coworkers. I’ve continued to talk about it – with family, with friends, and online via social media and message boards.

I’m contributing my voice and my opinions to a dialogue that is growing bigger and bigger. With each conversation, each online posting, each sharing of a link or an article, the larger conversation about these very important issues grows and snowballs. And as the noise grows louder and more forceful, change will inevitably take place.

More of us will engage in conversations with our children about the media and about the role that women play in our society. More young women will be inspired to run for office or aspire toward that CEO position. More of us will turn away from the TV shows and the films that cast women in a negative and derogatory light. More of us will contact our elected officials about issues that specifically affect women. The ways in which we can make change – large or small – are endless.

That’s the power of word of mouth. Never before have we had so many outlets and channels through which to make our voices heard. Simply contributing to the conversations happening on issues we feel strongly about, when done in a thoughtful, constructive, respectful way, is doing something – and making a difference.

Buzz Monkeys is currently on the hunt for a rock star Account Executive who will thrive in our small but fast-paced agency environment.

We offer a creative and flexible setting and the opportunity to work on innovative and exciting projects for local, regional and national clients. We need a self-motivated multi-tasker who can blend creative thinking with sound strategy and who has impeccable writing and communication skills.

Related degree and a minimum of 3-5 years of agency experience is a must. Please send letter, salary requirements, and resume to Erin Nevicosi at enevicosi at buzzmonkeyspr.com.

I’ve been known to hit the drive-thru here and there for a coffee or a “treat” for myself, but I hadn’t actually been inside a McDonalds in years.

I had to do a double-take when I walked through the door and what greeted me was not the bright colors, fluorescent lights, and plastic booths and counters of my childhood, but instead a serene, inviting place featuring Earth-toned walls and floors, wooden tables, and a waterfall flowing serenely over an image of those ever-familiar golden arches.

It just so happens that I’d found myself in one of 280 restaurants that McDonalds renovated last year, and I read later that the company will spend a cool billion dollars renovating the rest of its U.S. locations between now and 2015.

Despite not patronizing McDonalds all that often, I have to give kudos to a company – espeically one that is so well known and established – that is able to recognize what its customers want and adapt accordingly.

From the introduction of healthier options to its menu over the past few years such as salads and grilled chicken for adults, and milk and Apple Dippers for kids, to its McCafe line of premium coffee drinks, McDonalds understands what consumers today are looking for, and they’re delivering.

This move toward offering a more welcoming, comfortable atmosphere is one way McDonalds is trying its hand at experiential marketing, and going beyond its traditional advertising outreach. By appealing to a wider range of customers’ eyes, ears, and minds, rather than simply their taste buds, McDonalds is making a move to draw new people in, keep them in their restaurants longer, and enable those people to build a connection with the brand.

What do you think: smart move, or billion dollar mistake? Will this move drive sales and enhance the image of McDonald’s, even as backlash against fast food grows? Will this change influence your behavior?

Anyone who has suffered through hearing the placid, patient, robotic voice on the other end of the phone repeating this statement over and over  - while you frantically and futilely punch the “0” button on your phone – knows the true power of human connection. And, in the world of word-of-mouth marketing, that human connection remains the most valuable tool in the box. Take that, Twitter.

Consider for a moment what I nominate to be the most staggering and inspring statistic of the last year, from noted WOM research and consulting agency The Keller Fay Group: At least 90% of word-of-mouth happens offline. No, that’s not a typo. Do I need to repeat it? At least 90%of word-of-mouth happens offline.

Despite the fact that Facebook’s population may soon exceed that of China, and despite the fact that deep insights can now be conveyed in 140 characters or less, this number proves there is simply no more effective way to reach people than through, well, other people.

Think for a moment about how you make online connections with companies and brands. Maybe seeing your sister’s cute new shoes prompted you to seek out the brand on Facebook. Or you started following someone on Twitter because someone else told you that @somecoolperson is the best source for certain news or information. When you Google something, is it because it randomly pops into your head or because you’re looking for follow-up information about something you discussed with a friend or neighbor?

Our name is based on the theory of 100 monkeys, or the 100th monkey effect. At its essence, this means we learn from watching and interacting with other people. So, although social media can be a powerful and effective tool to build buzz, rarely is it the starting line. Our key takeaways on this topic:

• It’s the message that matters, not the medium.
• You need a clear strategy for how you communicate your brand story to target audiences. Whether or not your message resonates will dictate whether people will engage with you online or offline. Social media by itself is not a strategy.
• Once you make a human connection, online/social media is a great way to build relationships and make connections. Seldom is it an effective tool to start a relationship.
• Online and offline are not mutually exclusive. One should support the other and vice versa. If one doesn’t work without the other, than none of it is working at all.

1. Wait until the noise dies down. Twitter is most quiet in the afternoons, when blogs and news sites are slower, and on weekends. With fewer messages out there competing for attention, retweet and clickthrough rates spike.
   
2. Tweet, retweet, and tweet again. Tweeting the same links two or three times a day gets your message out to more people. Only a fraction of your followers will see the message each time, so change the language a bit and keep tweeting.
   
3. Email more, and embrace the weekends. Companies often struggle with how often to email their audiences. This study finds the actual number of emails makes little difference. It is more important to focus on engaging new subscribers right away, and continuing a dialog with them. And, emails are more likely to be opened and read on the weekends or in the early-morning hours any day, before readers get caught up in their to-do lists.

While these are just a few specific examples, paying attention to timing is an important part of developing a marketing strategy, be it social media, media relations, or any other part of the mix. A lot of this research can be boiled down to relying on good old common sense. Who is your audience and where are they when? Keep timing in mind when plotting out your marketing strategy and your carefully crafted messages will be more likely to reach and resonate with your target audience.

If you don’t get your hands on a copy, these are the best takeaways I pulled from the article.

From David Allen, productivity consultant and author of Getting Things Done:

- David teaches people how to produce more with less input

- He’s uncovered “the strategic value of clear space” and teaches people to achieve freedom by taking very immediate, concrete steps

- He’s a huge proponent of making lists

- “You need lists because your brain isn’t good at keeping them”

- “Your head is for having ideas, not holding them”

- “Just dumping everything out of your head and externalizing it is a huge step and can have a significant effect”

From Tony Schwartz, CEO of The Energy Project and author of Be Excellent at Anything:

- Tony teaches people to get more work done in less time by rethinking how we work

- He advocates viewing the workday as a series of small sprints rather than a marathon

- “Human beings are designed to be rhythmic”

- He recommends working intensely for 90 minutes at a time and then taking a break to recover

- He’s a firm believer in doing the most important task of the day first thing in the morning

I find a lot of merit in both lines of thinking, but I’m especially drawn to Mr. Allen’s philosophy of putting things down on paper and making lists. I’m a list-maker in my professional life and in my home life, and I find it helps clear my head of the clutter and makes me feel more in-control of my priorities and obligations.

Do you make lists? And if you take breaks in your workday, as Mr. Schwartz recommends, how do you refresh and recover?

After reading “Being More Productive” a second time, I vowed to find ways to be more productive in my own workday using the tips from Mr. Allen and Mr. Schwartz.

I like to think I’m pretty productive most days. But two things – constant email traffic and checking in on social media – never fail to impact my productivity level, and I’ve had this nagging feeling that I should implement some guidelines to keep the distractions in check.

It’s a common feeling in our ever-plugged-in world that if we’re not connected at all times we might be missing out on something important.

Facebook and Twitter are constantly beckoning, and I check in on each multiple times a day. And my email inbox is always open.

If I’m getting 20, 30, or more emails each day, that’s a lot of interruptions in my workday. I’ve closed my inbox on occasion, but I always break down and open it again within a half hour or so. What if someone needs a response immediately? What if the person on the other end, whether it be a client, a coworker, or – gulp – my boss, thinks I’m not working?

Jill over at POP! Social Media wrote a post on this recently, and she challenged herself to move away from this mentality.

Today I’m challenging myself to do the same by conducting an experiment to see how limiting my email and social media time will impact my workday – my productivity level, my ability to focus, and my overall mindset and attitude.

The rules:

1. I’ll check email once per hour, on the hour, and respond to pressing messages. Aside from those times, my email inbox will be closed. (Some experts recommend only checking email once or twice per day, but in my line of work I’m just not sure it’s possible to go that far with it!)

2. I’ll check in on social media sites just three times per day – in the morning, at lunch, and before I head home for the day.

What will I accomplish with this extra time? And what will I miss out on if I’m not checking in all day?

I’m thinking a lot … and not much, respectively.

But despite some proclaiming that the press release is dead, we feel strongly that this remains true: traditional media relations is still a vital tool in public relations, and when done correctly, can result in major and valuable exposure for a client.

However, one look through Twitter at the journalists and authors complaining about the pitches in their inbox makes it pretty clear that many PR “pros” don’t quite have a handle on what it takes to be successful in this area. We’re proud of the great track record we’ve built when it comes to media relations and, based on comments and feedback we’ve gotten from media contacts over the years, have distilled the following five tips for media relations success.

The common thread? They all help to make a reporter’s job a little easier.

1.    Know what’s newsworthy

Often a client will come to us with a piece of company news, eager for us to write a press release and get their story into the newspaper. The only problem is, the “news” isn’t newsworthy.

Instead of being yes men (or in our case, yes women) and risking our reputation – and our client’s – with the media, we work with the client to offer appropriate alternatives for how and where to share a certain piece of news. Maybe it’s best for the company website, Facebook page or e-newsletter. Or sometimes we can look for a bigger trend or upcoming event that would help make said item newsworthy. Wasting the media’s time with press releases that aren’t newsworthy is the equivalent of crying wolf; media will be less likely to pay attention when what we send them is newsworthy.

2.    Think like a journalist

Like all of us, journalists are busy. They’re working on assigned stories, and they get dozens – or often hundreds – of pitches every day. To be successful, imagine you’re on the receiving end of the pitch. First off, you want the pitch to be relevant to what you actually cover; and if it is in fact relevant, you want the who, what, where, when, and most importantly, the WHY, and you want it fast. Bonus points for making it easy on their eyes. Break up paragraphs, use bold text intermittently, and use bullets to get key points across quickly.

3.    Offer the complete package

This goes back to thinking like a journalist. The writer or producer wants to cover your story – now what? If you’re thinking a step or two ahead, you know that they’ll likely want a person to interview, and possibly images or b-roll footage. Have these assets ready to go before you send the pitch. That way when you get a request for them, you’re ready to deliver, and fast.

Be available after you’ve sent out a pitch. When a request for an interview or images comes through, respond as quickly as possible. If you’re waiting for interview confirmation and it’s taking awhile, keep the journalist in the loop so they know you’re working for them.

4.    Know when it’s ok to follow up

Gone are the days of following up with every reporter on your media list. A phone call to ask “did you get my press release?” is a terrible waste of both your time and the journalist’s time since chances are good that yes, the reporter did in fact get your press release. If it’s a time-sensitive opportunity that you’re nearly certain a particular journalist won’t want to miss out on, it’s ok to pick up the phone to tell him/her about it, even if you’ve already sent a press release. But usually, focusing your energy on the front side by doing your research on the journalist and crafting a stellar pitch is how you’re going to get attention and coverage.

5.    Follow through

This one is easy to overlook, but is another key piece in developing solid working relationships with media contacts. When a member of the media covers your client, thank them. It makes you look good, it makes them feel good, and it helps that person remember you the next time you send them a pitch.