LONDON — We’re crashing into Christmas. Like everyone else.  Lurking in shop doorways on Dec 24th and thinking “I said I’d never do this again.”

It’s been an odd and uncomfortable week amongst men in the UK though.  The dominant pagan religion of football has seen people talking about “goodwill toward men”, but in reverse.

What qualifies as “lacking goodwill” and what is “just part of a highly emotional, competitive game”?

The answers aren’t making anyone happy.  Teams and players who have been found to have been racially abusing people have been met with police investigations and eight game suspensions.  If you haven’t read about it, I wouldn’t recommend it.

The coverage and fan comments does no one proud.

And ill-prepared TV pundits have weighed in about how much they like ‘coloured people’.  It’s just hard to watch.

None of the people involved have a history of covering themselves in glory.

So it comes back to a question of what we will tolerate in our society and what we won’t.  And although I have heard lots of people say “it’s much better than it was 20 years ago” and “it’s just a bit of fun… you get used to it”, you don’t and you shouldn’t.

In the next few days football fans and football players, reporters, columnists, politicians and you and I have a chance to show some goodwill toward men.  Let’s do it.

Peace on earth in 2012.

I’m in.

/df

MY HOUSE — I am off for Christmas.  Great place to be.  Catching up on sleep.  Meeting my kids again.  Fighting a cold.

And still word comes this weekend that a great character from my childhood has passed away.

The Rev James Leo was the Dean of the American Cathedral in Paris when I was a teenager.  His son Jason was a great mate.  Jason and I went to French high school together, went skiing, and got in trouble.

People talk blithely in business about great leaders and use examples that people want to identify with.  And most often they’ve nothing to do with business.  He was one of those guys.  Business’ loss, but the world’s gain.

Although I remember the 70s and 80s well, they do seem like a distant country now.  And people like Dean Leo lived lives that seem braver and more worthy than ours.  He was a lovely, fun and funny man.  His book of memoires can show you that.  But he was also a tough guy who looked out for others more than most of us would ever dream of.

He was one of a great cast of characters that my own lovely dad managed to associate with.  And just as my dad interviewed kings and tyrants, Jim Leo hosted Presidents, famously gave the last rites to Wallis Simpson and sat patiently while Olivia de Havilland read the lesson.  He spoke in a way that was funny, intelligent and engaging.  A way I have always wanted to speak.

A strength of character and humility shone through.

His Cathedral was an open and inviting place. “That one’s a spy…” my dad would say, as another ‘commercial attaché’ wandered around the coffee room.  And the Dean presided firmly over it all.  Pedro the caretaker never let us get into the communion wine, but when Paris offered us its own poisons the Dean would come out and get us, wedging my head in the electric window so I didn’t spoil his upholstery.

Thank you Jim Leo.  I will miss you.  And the world will be a lesser place without you.

/df

EARL’S COURT — Not sure how I missed this one.  But The Independent has been running a investigative series on lobbyists.  And they’ve chosen one of the biggest and most respected firms to ‘expose’.

In summary, some journalists pretended to be wealthy potential clients from a large foreign country and they recorded the communications professionals bragging about things they shouldn’t have been bragging about.

It’s pretty white-knuckle stuff.  It doesn’t look good in print.

But…

You can easily see where it comes from on both sides.

NEWSPAPERS – Have been the centre of attention from politicians and communications professionals for months over phone hacking and other unsavoury practices.  They probably feel betrayed.  Some columnists are already revelling in the chance to someone else “dirty” and “seedy”.

LOBBYISTS – See themselves as great facilitators, bringing people and politicians together.  And helping the democratic process. They are well paid and unregulated. But perform and important service.

The impact that journalists and a story like this can have can be frightening.  (Although few would argue that journalists themselves can coordinate and wielded it with any precision.)

Furthermore, yes, the lobbyists in question look pretty silly, and their contacts are knocking each other over to get out of their way.  And even Buckingham Palace has launched a stinging (oh!) rebuke.  But what business conversation wouldn’t look silly on paper?  Would the Boardroom and kitchen discussions of any average Briton not be surprising and alarming to many people who read them?

It makes me think of the amateur sting operations in secondary school that caught Harris admitting he’s stolen someone’s can of Coke.

SELF IMOLATION
However the real sport in this story may be elsewhere.

It’s interesting to see some of the Dons of the communication agency businesses lining up to betray each other.

It’s mild at the moment, questioning the accuracy of the other CEO.  Filing toothless complaints with gummy bodies.  Or suggesting that exaggeration is not healthy.  But some of these fellows are pretty tough.  The backroom brawls of the past — though generally unreported — are legendary.  When communication bosses take each other on, it can get messy.

I recommend standing back.  And maybe getting some popcorn.

/df

SOUTH KENSINGTON — There was a piece in the Independent yesterday about Sir Richard Branson’s “three point plan” to get the UK economy going.

Unfortunately the plan is completely pants.

I wish it weren’t, but it is.

Years ago, when I worked in politics a very worthy husband and wife team approached my cabinet ministers with suggested legislation: A Good Samaritan bill.  The bill was to recognise that restaurants, food stores and food services companies throw out masses of food everyday.  And yet many, many people didn’t have enough food to eat.  The only reason this happened — they said — was because you could be held liable if you gave people food that made them ill.

The Good Samaritan Bill would solve that “by absolving people of all legal responsibility for the food they made available…”

What?!

I was so surprised by how wrong that was that I couldn’t even talk to the proposers.

Today Sir Richard proposes a plan that would:
- make it much easier for businesses to hire and fire young people
- offer small entrepreneurs easier access to small amounts of money and
- reducing time spent at university

And I feel the same kind of confusion.  Why would it be better for businesses to be able to take on more people for shorter periods of time?

Do we believe in the fairness of our laws, or not?  Do we want to protect people from the pure business drivers of companies?  Or are we happy to have them bought and sold, hired and fired, compensated appropriately, or not?

The appeal for business is obvious.  Any business manager could see that.

But for young people?  It’s much harder to rationalise.  I have no doubt one can rationalise it… But should you?

The same unfortunately goes for micro-finance for entrepreneurs.

Yes, small businesses account for much of the job growth in the UK.  Yes, entrepreneurs (like Sir Richard… like me) help bring better competition and innovation to our economy.

But that does not mean that if we could convince more people to to try it we’d get even more jobs and more innovation.

Creating and sustaining a business is the single hardest thing I have ever done in my life.  Without exception.  I am still not sure that God really meant for me to be an entrepreneur.  But we did really do all our due diligence, never borrowed, worked like crazy, fought off dragons, made millions of mistakes and only just scarped through.

Often I think it’s something that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.  Why would we decide that more and more and more people should do it?  How many more open and closed restaurants do we need on our High Streets.

And less time in university.  Really?

There are answers to this economic crisis.  Or certainly things we can do to help fix it.  But I am far from convinced that these are they.

Give me better managers and better trained and supported entrepreneurs… better skills… any day.

But not this.

/df

PICADILLY CIRCUS — Looks like the sun might actually come up in London today.  That’s a relief.  And one of my biggest concerns.  Yesterday was dark and I can’t handle that.

So, how lucky am I?  That trivial issues like that concern me?

Yesterday umpteen decisions were made that affect all of our lives and futures.  Not just in London, New York and Beijing.  But in Rome and Athens.  In Geneva and Berlin and Paris.  And in Damascus and Doha. And…

Open the paper and have a look through.  There are an amazing amount of fundamental, big decisions being made by people in places all around the world.

Last Monday Chancellor Merkel said she thinks we’re in the biggest global crisis since 1945.

And she and a group of other diverse, independent leaders, are trying to make sense of the whole thing.  New leaders are being sworn in.  Senior financial gurus are being tapped up.

And big decisions are being made.

In recent years here in the UK a chorus goes up of people saying: easiest job in the world! Paid for nothing! Crooked! Useless!

And today they are doing more than any of us to save our collective backsides.  That’s what leadership is — and probably what we need.  It may even be more than we deserve.

/df

BAHRAIN — This is my first time in Bahrain.  That leaves only really Oman in the area that I haven’t been to / worked in.

United Arab Emirates?
√ Check
Saudi Arabia?
√ Check
Kuwait?
√ Check
Qatar?
√ Check

It’s a part of the world that many people can’t (or choose not to) understand.

In the last three weeks I have flown over it 5 times.  Three of those times I have flown over Iraq.

Well, it’s on the way.

The other two times we diverted.  And flew over Syria instead.

But although areas of conflict may be the image and abiding sense that many people have of the Arab Gulf states, it’s not representative.  (No more than when I was a boy living in London and people always thought I’d be caught up in IRA bombs.)

‘The region’, as locals call it, is very diverse and very active in sport, culture and business.  The region is quietly taking on the world.

And that’s not a bad thing.

Change is good.  And planning and communicating change in this region is important.

The oil and natural gas revenues have allowed visionary leaders to invest heavily in construction and in businesses.  The foreign investment is well documented — both successes and failures.  What is less well documented is the local investment.  It’s immense.

And as a result the region is re-writing business laws.  Some of the smartest people working in business anywhere are working here.

It’s something to see.  Long may it last.

/df

HYDE PARK CORNER — I had a run of texts from a politically obsessed British friend last week. “Have you heard the latest joke about Chris Christie?”

I hadn’t. In fact I hadn’t even heard of Chris Christie.  I was still catching up on the impossible rise and fall of Rick Perry (who I also hadn’t heard of a few months ago.)

So, yes, we’re talking about the US Presidential race.  And Mr Christie, as I have just started to find out, is the current Governor of New Jersey.  Furthermore, it seems that for a few hours last week he was also going to be “the next President of the United States.”

It’s not hard to see why he backed away, even after backing away before.

In many respects you could argue that business is much more forgiving than politics.  Corporate leaders don’t have to submit themselves and their families to the kind of attention and ridicule that politicians do.

However, on the other hand, leaders in business have to appeal to more demographics than politicians.  They have to be leaders of divisions, countries, hierarchies and Boards. 

Being religious might be a requirement for the US Presidency.  But it’s a detriment to a business career.  Leaders of industry need to be able to appeal to people of every background, so long as they can hold a job.

Similarly Presidential candidates have to submit to comments and sniping about everything from their weight to their daughters.  While business leaders may be able to keep their peccadilloes hidden, they also don’t have staff at their disposal to burnish their image.

As Chris Christie found out, leadership comes with it’s challenges that have little to do with the job.

Some days you have to wonder, who’d want to do it?

/df

Two guys, a garage and a plan

LONDON — It’s been three fairly eventful years.  I suspect you’d be hard pressed to look at the last 25 years and come up with three more volatile years in which to be in business.

Able and How was born on 08 September 2008.  If you look here you can see the enthusiasm and excitement of that day. (We asked people to say hello and many, including our moms and kids, promptly did.)

A year later the situation was not as it had been.  The economy in that first year was… not good.  Many of our respected colleagues and friends were out of work.  We were still at it.  And asking for celebratory haikus.

Last year at this time we were coming out of a more settled summer and seeing signs of things picking up.  The optimism was palpable.

But some common themes were also starting to emerge.  Have you spotted them?

1. We’re lucky to be in a brilliant business where we can make a real difference.
2. We’re in it because we believe in what we do
3. We have an amazing team
4. We love doing it
5. We are still in it because we get to work with brilliant people

I am sure it sounds too obvious and too superficial to say that our clients make our business.  However for all of us who work at Able and How the good people who have put their trust in us have made it work.

Thank you. 

Take a bow.  Say hello below.

/df

MY HOUSE — I come from a family of journalists.  And I think that’s a great thing.

Naturally curious.  Opinionated.  Excellent at explaining complex things.  Able to bring the world the news it needs.

My grand-uncle help set up the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  My dad won awards for his work as a foreign correspondent.  There’s a story that one of my rellies loaned a dis-credited Lord some cash to buy his first newspaper.  But I’m not sure that’s true.

When I was a boy we were surrounded by mighty upright typewriters, coffee and politicians.  We were taught to ask about what UNESCO did, who Marshall Tito was, and what the heck the Marshall Plan was all about.

I loved it.

Today I still have great friends in the Fourth Estate and I will walk the extra 100 yards to see all the morning’s paper laid out, like a row of fresh painting each morning in my struggling newsagent’s shop.  Each screaming something slightly different.

This city I live in feels like home, in part, because we are sunk, knee-deep in the tradition of the daily written word.

A great thing too.

So the troubles of News International ought to be more troubling to me than they are.

But they’re not.  I love newspapers for the things they teach me that I don’t know.  In my world newspapers cover news.  They don’t create it.

The whole issue with newspapers and journalists today is a sorry, sad state of affairs. No one can come out of it smelling good in any way.

Today’s ridiculous stack of Sunday papers in the UK show only bitterness and cynicism.  The tabloids have nothing on the troubles at News Corporation on their front pages.  And we think it’s something about casting the first stone…

And the few broadsheets are covering the Murdochs with way too much glee …

The problem is that we have got to the point in London that there are not many papers that are worth reading.  The Sunday Times today… while carrying a full-page ad apologising… carries two cover stories attacking News International’s enemies (an ex-PM and the entire London Police Force).

It’s just not right.  Newspapers are conduits of information.  We risk losing more in the UK and I put it down to proprietors who have forgotten what business they are in and journalists who have become too cynical to ask.

We’re used to seeing industries in transition.  This one is in for a big one.

I worry that it’s more likely to move towards extinction than improvement.

/df

Nowadays I find it quite hard to figure out where your ‘public’ job starts and your real life ends. I know how it works for me. It’s a line a tread carefully and not always successfully, but I’ve been there a lot.

However for many executives it’s an uncomfortable issue. CEOs and Management Teams need to be comfortable with their faces being displayed in Annual Reports and on websites. They are part of the business’ assets.  Like posher sales people, who need to put themselves ‘out there’ to become the face of their product.

But how far out?  And what happens when you start to love it?

There are always cases like Richard Branson, Donald Trump, Alan Sugar and others who are actually more famous than their brands. And there are others who aspire to be, but sometimes come up short, like Gerald Ratner, Carly Fiorina or Arianna Huffington. There are certainly lots of people available to point out the deficiencies and the schadenfreude when it all goes horribly wrong.

I give you therefore this sample video that I have only just uncovered. Look at my horrible Dumb & Dumber haircut in the CRHA corporate video.

However, at other times, like in our recent Social Media at Work video, which is still running strong and gaining viewers, the time invested in putting on a public face seems worthwhile.

How can you tell what is right and what is wrong?

It might just be a question of style and level of ambition.  I like this for example:

But I find these a bit too much:

They just don’t look that comfortable.  Like they’re in a French new wave cinema picture.

However, that is still preferable to these ones: 

It seems to say: “We’ve come to steal your calculator.”

Finding the balance between public and private persona has never been harder than now.  Access to information can make everyone’s life an open book.  But you can be open and honest and still choose which pages people will look at.

/df