A Note to Readers
More 'Management by Walking Around' Bill Marriott, Chairman & CEO of Marriott International, recently started blogging. He's not the first CEO to blog, and he's not the most visible, either. There are actually quite a few C-suite executives who blog (there's a wonderfully comprehensive list here). But what I love about Bill's blog is that, as Organic's David Feldt puts it, "he has captured the true essence of what blogging is all about (telling stories, listening, learning, engaging in a dialog, nurturing the community and sharing one's passion) and I love reading his posts." That last piece—"I love reading his posts"—is a vastly undervalued metric in blogging... or any kind of business communication, for that matter. There are a lot of business blogs that are... well, not all that compelling, because they feel like they are missing a critical component: a CEO who actually enjoys writing, and who loves hearing back from his "community." Here's what Bill says about launching his blog: "A year ago, I didn't even know what a blog was—until my Communications team began telling me about all the blog traffic on travel and tourism. Now I know this is where the action is if you want to talk to your customers directly—and hear back from them. Soon we'll add an audio version of the blog. That's how I'm most comfortable: telling stories and listening." And here's why he thinks it's important: "Blogging will allow me to do what I've been doing for years—on a global scale. Talking to the customer comes easily to me. I visit 250 hotels around the world every year. This year I'll be traveling once again to China where we have 27 hotels, 16 under construction and many more in our development pipeline. At every hotel, I talk to associates, from housekeepers to general managers, to get their feedback. I call it 'management by walking around.'" I love his mention of the old saw "management by walking around," and I think it applies equally well to the effect that companies can have when they embrace blogging, podcasting, v-logging and other means to interact with customers, vendors and employees. Check out Bill's blog, when you get a chance, and see if you agree. Until next week, Ann Handley ann@marketingprofs.com Chief Content Officer MarketingProfs Keeper of the Blog MarketingProfs Daily Fix
|