Flock of Magpies

Don’t Become an Executive Statistic – Part 1

Christine Pechayco — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:14:49 +0000

At the March 2011 meeting of the Houston Financial Communicators Group, I recently had an opportunity to watch speaker, career coach and change transition dynamo Cecilia Rose in action. Part of her repertoire is coaching executives through their transition into and out of companies, as well as moving up in the ranks.

As a consequence of the challenges of the financial industry, many financial and banking executives are forced to make changes, and Cecilia’s presentation entitled, Don’t Become an Executive Statistic is apropos and resonates with so many.

“Don’t waste your crises,” advises Cecilia. Many successes and the world’s wealthiest were born from dire situations, such as the Great Depression. “Seize your opportunity,” she added.

The financial industry debacle has caused a great deal of consumer mistrust, but key is finding opportunities. According to Cecilia, crises should force you to “stretch your wings and do something you’ve never done before.”

Watch Cecilia discuss “Don’t Waste Your Crises” below.

Next up is Cecilia’s discussion of the Top Three Reasons for Failure and what not to do..

How Hooked Are You to LinkedIn?

Christine Pechayco — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:13:48 +0000

I stumbled upon a LinkedIn poll today that gauges LinkedIn users’ loyalty to the professional networking platform. If LinkedIn went down today, would you miss it? Vote now and see how others voted.

Valentine’s Day = Facebook Love

Christine Pechayco — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:13:54 +0000

WBI is now on Facebook

For many centuries, showing one’s appreciation on Valentine’s Day meant scripting a love note. While this ritual is still true for some, modern adaptations have also surfaced.

Take today, for example. This Valentine’s Day, a group of professional women in Texas would like to see some Facebook love. No, I don’t mean a love connection, rather the simple act of pressing the Like button on Facebook. And, the group that I am referring to is the Sterling Bank Women’s Business Initiative group, which launched its Facebook page today.

WBI provides quarterly educational forums for female executives and business owners in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. By liking the WBI Facebook page, you’ll see information on the latest events, recaps, photos, business tools, and more. What’s not to love?

In the interest of full disclosure, I created the WBI Facebook page. We hope you “like” it!

Will the Motorola XOOM Take a Bite Out of the Apple iPad?

Christine Pechayco — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 05:05:04 +0000

It’s the evening after the 2011 Super Bowl. I can’t even tell you who won! Rumor has it that the Green Bay Packers took home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. One tends to not pay attention when the hometown team is not in the picture. Hence, since 2002, when the Houston Texans was formed, professional football has been somewhat of a non-event, with the exception of the Super Bowl commercials.

While there were many clever commercials this year, as there are every year, the ad for the new Motorola XOOM tablet caught my eye for a couple of reasons. At first glance, I thought it was an Apple iPad commercial. Secondly, it appeared to be a modern take on Apple’s 1984 commercial that launched the Macintosh . What an interesting strategy on Motorola’s part! Time will tell whether the Motorola XOOM will take a bite into Apple’s iPad market share by riding its coattails or by truly revolutionizing tablets, as the ad promises.

What do you think?

Motorola XOOM Commercial, aired on February 6, 2011, Super Bowl 2011

Apple 1984 Commercial, aired during Super Bowl 1984

Patting Ourselves On The Back

Christine Pechayco — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 06:45:26 +0000

The Houston chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) made it official on January 24, 2011. Our little marketing group was recognized as Marketer of the Year in our category for the third year in a row. Woohooo! Yay! Oooh yeah. (We’re a tad excited. Can you tell?)

AMA Marketer of the Year 2010

If you follow the banking industry at all, you may have noticed many changes – we have. Of note is the changing complexion of our competition, some of which became part of banking giants. This very reason makes the award even more special to us. Like the Little Engine That Could, we surprised even ourselves.

I feel fortunate to be part of this amazing group of marketing communications professionals.

Drinking My Own Kool Aid

Christine Pechayco — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 02:54:03 +0000

A little over a year ago, I encouraged Sterling Bank’s Executive Vice President of Business Development and Community Relations Pamela Lovett to blog. She followed my suggestion. While she managed to post regular entries despite a full plate and an even fuller calendar of activities, I allowed my blogging efforts to languish.

Now I didn’t completely abandon all social media activities all together. I had been tweeting feverishly, connecting with friends on Facebook, and networking on LinkedIn, in addition to developing the online strategies for upGrading Texas Classrooms, working with Pam on promoting the Women’s Business, and managing a SharePoint-based website redesign project (more later on lessons learned on SharePoint-based websites), among other things.

But there’s something altogether different about blogging. It sharpens your observation skills, and encourages one to be more inquisitive, concise. However, blogging requires commitment, time, and discipline. I admit — my attention was a little distracted.

Pam, the other day, refocused my attention by urging me to drink my own Kool Aid, which I will gladly take on.

Thank goodness for great friends!

Thinking Out-Of-the-Box Kiwi Style

Christine Pechayco — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 03:30:52 +0000

Air New Zealand’s bare essentials campaign has been out for several months. In case you missed it, here is a look at one that will surely make you blush and, well, go for a second look. Clever, I think.

Add Soundtrack To Your YouTube Videos Without Hefty Costs

Christine Pechayco — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 05:09:34 +0000

Mashable.com today reported about a service called FriendlyMusic, which allows YouTube users the ability to license and add music to videos for merely $1.99. Here’s how it works.

Silly Wabbit! Tweets are Not for Teens!

Christine Pechayco — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:21:48 +0000

Despite the popularity of social media today, still some skeptics dismiss social media, Twitter especially, as child’s play. The reality is that, according to a study released on February 3, 2010, by Pew Internet, Twitter and blogging are not popular among teens.

8% of internet users ages 12-17 use Twitter. This makes Twitter far less popular than texting, which 66% of teens do, or going online for news and political information, done by 62% of online teens.
Older teens are more likely to use Twitter; 10% of online teens ages 14-17 do so, compared with 5% of those ages 12-13.
13% of high school girls ages 14-17 use Twitter, compared with 7% of boys that age.
Young adults (18-29 year olds) lead the way when it comes to using Twitter or status updating. 33% of this group posts or read status updates.

The study further discusses Internet adoption, trends, social media, electronic device ownership, connectivity, purchases, news sources, and much more at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Social-Media-and-Young-Adults.

Social Media is a Contact Sport

Christine Pechayco — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:56:44 +0000

Every now and then I come across people who lament their small following on Twitter, lack of comments on Facebook, and low number of connections on LinkedIn. Yet, these same people don’t post tweets, update their status, comment on blogs, nor make an effort to network with professional connections.

Think of social media as a contact sport that requires energy. Merely sitting on the bench does not make allstars. As with any sport, the rewards are reaped after much practice and some effort.

So, go out there and participate in the conversations. Here are just some suggestions to help you get started:

On Twitter

Follow people and some will follow you.

Use Twitter Search to look for folks with interests relevant to you
Follow bloggers who interest you
Follow some friends of your followers
Follow who your followers follow

Ask questions

One of the most useful words around is “help.”

Help others

Take the opportunity to help someone solve a problem.

On Facebook

Post status updates
Comment on friends’ status updates
Wish someone “Happy Birthday.”

On LinkedIn

Post status updates
Comment on your connections’ status updates
Join LinkedIn groups
Join discussions and post useful information
Establish yourself as a thought leader by answering questions posted on LinkedIn’s Answers section.

The key to social media success is participating in the conversations. Reach out to others and they might surprise you. Go on. Get off the bench, out of the sidelines, and join in!