YourCommunicationsEdge

  RTO mandates are growing in overall number and how many days employees have to be back in the office. What used to be called "face time" has re-emerged as critical to a career. On  Reddit Big Law  a 2nd-year associate was put on a PIP (Proposal to Improve Performance). One reason, put in writing, was that on some of the mandated RTO days they left the office at 4:30 PM to continue work at home. Their generation probably is too inexperienced in The Office to get it how widely and closely they are being "watched."  In boomer times, when Corporate America was peaking, there was that old joke that so little really happens in a formal office setting because workers are watching other workers watch them and the superiors are watching everyone watching them in addition to watching them.  I vividly recall how in my Fortune 50 days wondering where ABC was. Several blurted out in unison, "They went into Joe's office seven minutes ago."  Brass are not excluded

The function of "ghostwriter" has always been controversial.  We boomers recall the crushing disappointment we experienced when it was rumored that our liberator from Eisenhower conformity - John F. Kennedy - might not have written "Profiles in Courage." His public relations machinery did crank out that Ted Sorensen might have pitched in, but the lion's share was the hands-on work of JFK. We wanted to believe. That was then. Later, as we were introduced to how the world of power operates we got it that ghostwriting was not only prevalent but downright necessary. What big wig had the time to research, write and edit all that material which voters, customers/clients, regulators, investors and more consume? That acceptance, however, is in play currently. The media made it known that Princess of Wales Kate Middleton wrote that touching announcement about her health - and that she did so quickly. (The latter resonates because this is the era of productivity and littl

  In an announcement , Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, discusses that she does have cancer. She explains (which really doesn't get the Royals off the hook for the lack of transparency) that it wasn't until post-surgery that the malignancy had been discovered. And she reassures the world (but how can she since cancer can be a wild card) that all will be well. Given the Princess' popularity and that three young children are involved, she will have many supporters. However, the Royals, also known as "The Firm," have lost credibility that it may not be able to regain. That entity has become quite fragile an institution. In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com)

"A local attorney [Ted Rao] is accusing the manager of a popular Crown Heights bagel joint of purposely sabotaging old bagels — including covering them in chemicals and food scraps — so that the dumpster-diving dogooder can’t donate the leftovers." - New York Post , March 21, 2024 Sure, the dumpster serves a concrete function: It contains what could be usable food that can be distributed to those who cannot afford groceries. But it also creates a platform for messaging about everything from waste to the reality that in wealthy America too many go hungry. That total package reaches back to the counterculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Back then, we boomers were on the front lines of a mission to bring America back to the people. As with Rao, a key messaging tool was diving into those dumpsters in affluent communities. Then, we gave out the food and other merchandise to the needy in not-so-well-to-do places. We asked for their votes for progressive candidates. As a form

  Obesity is a medical disease.  That fact had been in the healthcare community before. It also had been embedded in the belief system of Overeaters Anonymous.  But it wasn't until Oprah Winfrey brought it mainstream that the message has begun to penetrate. She did that with her presentation "Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution." And that was after she herself accepted that she suffered from a disease not a moral failing and went on one of the new miracle medications to treat the medical condition. They range from ozempic to orforglipron. The role Winfrey has taken on mirrors the mission of the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous Dr. Bob and Bill W. They got it out there that 1) Compulsive consumption of alcohol is a medical disease, not an indulgence or lack of will power 2) It could be put into remission and 3) There were proven-out 12 steps to start that process of remission. And today here we have healthcare coverage for the treatment of the disease of alcohol

There is the old adage that only one entity can occupy space at one time. For example, in the psychiatric facility there can be only one Jesus Christ. Another resident will have to take on the identity of The Buddha or Greek god Zeus.  So, it is obvious that the Cloudflare branding is post-Brittany Pietsch who recorded and posted the ham-handed termination.  Opening today is the Stephanie Cohen show. A negative for Goldman Sachs Cohen has exited there for the position of Chief Strategy Officer at Cloudflare. The hype in the media about this should erase the residue of the Pietsch Moment. Professional anonymous networks had still been putting the knock on Cloudflare. That could stop now. The joke here would be that Cloudflare better not have to ax Cohen. Otherwise there could be Pietsch 2.0. In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.c

  KateGate buzz has mutated into speculation if Kate Middleton will be searching for a lawyer. Among the reasons she, it is posited, might need one or more include: Medical Malpractice (like, how sick is she) Divorce (has hubby following in dad's footsteps been naughty) Defamation (let us count the ways) Criminal (did someone or something do harm to the princess) So, one is wondering if the many prominent law firms in London are bellying up to the task of making discrete pitches or trying to bash in with slide decks.  They range from homegrown such as the Magic Circle members like Clifford Chance and Linklaters to the imported such as US-based firms  Kirkland & Ellis, Latham and Paul, Weiss. The latter sucked in nice media attention when it represented Melinda Gates in the part of her divorce from Bill Gates dealing with what funds go to the children.  In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentar

Quite strange: “'Every leader who calls himself a leader, who gets paid like a leader, who’s accepted that title of leader, has the responsibility to exhibit ethical leadership,' [Heidi] Gardner  told CNBC Make It  in 2023. 'Failing to communicate with somebody honestly and transparently and humanely before these events have taken effect is shameful.'”  - That statement was posted in CNBC, related to ham-handed layoffs. This time the bungler in treating the terminated without empathy is Outdoor Voices. Gardner is a distinguished fellow at Harvard Law School. She also, get this, advises on leadership. Are those she advises only males?  Yes, it's March 2024 and there is still this kind of gender slip-up. Shame on Gardner. Of course, she should know better, even back in 2023. Also, shame on CNBC for using this kind of quote.  In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (p

" With tech layoffs at their highest since the 2001 dot-com crash, the job hunt is getting harder and many in the industry are being forced to settle for pay cuts if they can find a new gig at all." -  CNBC , March 16, 2024 SPECIALIZATION, YOUTH NO LONGER SAFE HARBORS Yes, that is happening in tech in which just this year 50,000 have lost their jobs at 200 companies. And, with the exception of some AI engineering positions, if they do find another job, they usually have to accept less money and fewer accommodations/benefits. This mirrors the employment situation of being over-50.  Pro Publica  had issued the infamous finding that once you age you are most likely to be pushed out of your job and have only 10% shot at earning a comparable salary. HIGHER EDUCATION AS PLATFORM FOR GLUT Meanwhile, that manpower glut is bound to continue. In college and for advanced degrees there has been the supposed wisdom of concentrating on tech subjects. Professional anonymous networks such as

  " 'Genuinely worried' Meghan Markle has reached out to Kate Middleton 'through back channels': source " - New York Post , March 16, 2024 Such sweet concern.  In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com)

  The pacing of the last episode of "Capote vs The Swans" is stagnant, mirroring the dying of the High Society it depicts.  Essentially the narrator of "The Great Gatsby" summed up that ethos with the phrase "They are careless people." A lost generation of the wealthy they float around the ether, both accidentally and deliberately hurting people and being locked within themselves. Even Jackie and her sister Lee come across as drifters without purpose.  The year is 1984. During it Truman Capote will die. He has to. There is no place for his kind or the beautiful people he chased. Not any more. The episode opens with Capote's being sprawled across Babe Paley's tombstone. He asks to be let in. That is, to be released from a world that has outgrown an aimless culture of pleasure, which dines on petty spite and and the arrogance of exclusion. Obviously, those values have been replaced by the ethos of extreme achievement, built up on the altars of innova

    " ...  the difference between an LLM [large language models] and AI ... [is the difference between] AI tools which were in existence for the last decade that were sort of single use tools ... versus LLMs, which are broad tools. [The LLM is] really a broad-based generation tool which can make all kinds of content. And I actually heard sort of an interesting fact the other day that 50% of new code right now is made with generative AI…" - Excerpt from the  Paul, Weiss podcast "Waking Up with AI,"  launched earlier this month.  Immediately that clarification by Paul, Weiss partner Katherine Forrest blasts through the current growing confusion about AI in general (such as using the Grammarly tool) and that mouthful of a concept "large language model" which has the magic of creating what hasn't existed previously.  About the latter, for example, LLMs cannot only automate current work tasks. They can figure out how to  approach those in a whole new way. T

March 12, 2024 had been a big day of announcements for law firm Paul, Weiss.  Yes, there was the financial performance: There were revenue growth - up 10.9% to $2 billion - and record Profit Per Equity Partner to $6.5 million.  In addition, Paul, Weiss indicated two major shifts in policy. Some of it comes down to how the firm communicates.  NONEQUITY PARTNER TIER One is the introduction of the nonequity partner tier. Essentially that is a tool for law firms to retain experienced lawyers. It provides the title which can prevent them from doing a lateral as an associate and can give them a shot at becoming an equity partner.  Increasingly, especially with AI, junior lawyers are creating less value for the law firm. The tasks they do - and senior lawyers have to carefully monitor them as they perform that kind of low-value work - are ripe for automation. Just consider document review. A sign of these times of reduced demand for the raw untrained newbie lawyer could be the smaller summer

  Oh, we know that boys marry their mother (and females their fathers). Now with KateGate (even Brit comic John Oliver is posting) we can become increasingly convinced that William did indeed seek out and join in matrimony a Diana 2.0.  The chatter is not just that Kate might have an eating disorder like mum's. More recently there is speculation of actual unhappiness in the marriage. Do we have a sad Kate just like a sad Diana?  Many have always wondered why an attractive, well-put-together woman from what seems a loving family would opt to become part of the Royals. The clan seems to be highly dysfunctional.  Meanwhile, since Kate, like Diana, is the glam of The Firm, the current drama makes the survival of this "business" rocky. Who wants to wind up with the boring old timers like the members of Charles' generation?  In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please

Compassion is in short supply when it comes to well-paid lawyers in London lamenting the horrific hours, along with the pressure of deadlines and the high performance standards. On March 10th, an article in the Telegraph detailed much of that. The consequences include deaths which seem associated with the extreme overwork and the angst. (In the US there was the suicide by Sidley Austin partner Gabe MacConaill which some attributed to too much work with inadequate support from the firm.) Those lawyers who decry conditions, goes the flippant attitude, had been forewarned. The article even notes that Quinn Emanuel makes explicit the long hours expected. And, hell, they are paid jolly well, right. Stop the complaining.  The problem with that, though, is that the warnings register in their head. That's separate from the real-life daily limitations of a human being. Since most of them haven't any sustained experience with that kind of situation they don't know how that will actu

Even those not trained in photography found the family photo of Kate and the Kids off. The excessive smiling by the three offspring was, in itself, a red flag. That's how POWs are posed by their captors for international consumption. Pile on that Mum's big smile.  Then, the pros came out with a detailed analysis how the photo had been edited - and ham-handedly. Kate took responsibility. But Firm watchers even wonder about that. Who or what was really behind the digital manipulations and what was the agenda? The timing couldn't be worst for the era of post-Queen Elizabeth. The new king is not only old. He's sick and he won't tell us the details. The spouse of the next in line for that job is also sick and she's essentially MIA and also won't provide details. Conspiracy theories about Kate include an alleged eating disorder (and we are stuck in  the possibility that William did indeed "marry his mother" who had an eating disorder.)  The ghost of Dia

  Again, Paul, Weiss is out there in front of the developments impinging on business - and providing unique perspective as well as services. This time it's using the glut medium of podcasting in a fresh way to guide business in navigating AI.  Back in Spring 2020, Paul, Weiss was the first US law firm to establish a specialized ESG (Environmental Social Governance) practice.  Now, it's the  Paul, Weiss  podcast series  "Waking Up with AI.”  It is hosted by partner Katherine Forrest and counsel Anna Gressel.  Explicitly Forrest and Gressel indicate 1) They are aware there is a podcast glut 2) Therefore, the objective is to shape this as business' go-to for briefings and insights that, of course, have legal pointers. But the latter will be packaged as non-lawyerly. This circles back to the law firm's mission to serve the overall business needs of the clients, not just focusing on the legal issues. There is that old joke: The client won the case, then wound up falling

Finally Joe Biden is hitting his stride in Campaign 2024. That's through his State of the Union which is being described as "high energy." Such a style has evolved into the kind of leadership we are grabbing onto during these crazy times. In itself it can neutralize concerns about age in politics. You bet we need to bear witness to the passion of a "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." That bleeds into career matters, such as a job search or making a presentation with a slide deck. The current era has become all about productivity (the increase of which, goes the thinking, accounts for the surge of the Dow) which is symbolized by, you got it, high-energy teams.  Actually that isn't new.  If you wanted to make it in the prestigious lucrative sector of professional services you needed plenty of stamina. Don't try that out that line of work without it. Demanded are 14-hour days, usually six or seven days a week. Add on travel, too, including how you use your Sund