Blog - Mahony Partners

Sep

2011

Friday Risk Reading: Three speeches by Steve Jobs

I’m starting a new feature that will run every Friday (well, that’s the plan anyway) and focus on one or two interesting pieces on risk. I’ll flag news articles, speeches, commentaries and other content that offers a thoughtful perspective on risk - both purposeful risk-taking as well as risk mitigation. This week, it seems appropriate to feature one of the greatest risk-takers of our time, Steve jobs, who just stepped down as CEO of Apple. Compared to other CEOs, Jobs has had little to say over the years for a man with so many accomplishments, but his few speeches are gems. Here (with a big hat tip to Read More

Aug

2011

3 Rules for public companies when attacking a critic

Financial Services, Taking & Managing Risk

Bank of America’s shot at Henry Blodget is a measure of how influential the blogosphere has now become in the financial markets. It’s also a reminder of the pitfalls of taking on critics publicly in any forum. For every company that has seen its stock price plummet, the scene within BofA is a familiar one: Shareholders are distraught, the board is urging the CEO to take action, the PR people are under pressure to staunch the bad ink - so the company decides to take a swipe at a critical analyst. Not so long ago, a public shooting was reserved for analysts at big-name firms o... Read More

Aug

2011

3 Lessons from the S&P downgrade

Financial Services

It’s hard to know if Standard & Poor’s believed its Friday-night downgrade of the US credit rating was a routine action or something unusual. After all, the agency had warned about the risks of a downgrade, and many in the market believed it was possible, if not likely. And it announced the decision in the same way as any other rating action, with a published report and a news release. But if S&P might have viewed the downgrade as a routine matter, policymakers and market professionals saw it as highly unusual and Read More

Aug

2011

3 of “Richard’s Rules” for employee communications on M&A deals

Taking & Managing Risk

I recently spoke to graduate students at Baruch College in New York City. The topic was employee communications in M&A deals, and I introduced what I call “Richard’s Rules” for these situations. Here’s a sample. 1. News will leak, and usually at the worst time. Anyone who has handled communications for an M&A deal knows that a leak is always a possibility. People talk, rumors spread, and pretty soon there’s a call from a reporter or a blog post gone viral. For a recent example, look no further than Sunday afternoon’s announcement Read More

Aug

2011

Two interesting innovations in magazine publishing

Media, Uncategorized

There were two interesting items in the New York Times yesterday on innovations in magazine publishing. The first, by David Carr, looks at Lucky Peach, a new food-centered magazine started by chef David Chang that's rich in content and texture. At 174 pages and printed on heavy matte paper, it turns magazine convention on its head but has found a fiercely loyal following. At the other end of the spectrum, the Times reported on the new iPad Read More

Jul

2011

Keith Richards: My Business Guru

Music, Taking & Managing Risk

Not long ago, I read Life, by Keith Richards. Sure, he’s known around the world as the lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones, but I’d add him to the pantheon of business-management gurus. Surprised? Don’t be. Richards’s life is filled with examples of the kind of behavior that people and organizations should do to be successful. No, I don’t mean the heroin. I mean re-invention. Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones burst onto the ... Read More

Jul

2011

Business Update

Uncategorized

I am happy to report that our business continues to grow. In recent months, we have helped clients use communications take risk to reach their goals and to manage risk when faced with the unexpected. Notable assignments included: Leading a message-development program for top officials of an industry association facing legislative challenges at the state and federal level Writing remarks for the CEO of a U.S. broker-dealer on regulatory policy issues in a fast-growing market Advising a professional-services firm on its marketing strategy, including social media, press relations, advertising and sponsorships We are also pleased to announce an affil... Read More