Colorful cloud formations after sunset

People are more drawn to arrogant leaders in an uncertain world. They mistake swagger for strength & skill. Narcissists are unfit to lead. They see power as an opportunity to seize, not a responsibility to serve. Great leaders blend confidence with humility and put their missions above their egos.

Of necessity and through experience dealing with the American president, Zelensky has learned to practice elements of the ‘grey rock method’ in his leadership communication: limiting emotional reactivity, avoiding provocative escalation, and staying message-disciplined.

I’m heading to Los Angeles January 15-20 on a client comms mission. If any SoCal friends would like to connect, please send me a DM.

-24 tonight 🥶

No you're not a "storyteller" you work in content / marketing / public relations / design etc.

Narcissists don’t just act alone; sometimes they come in groups. This is homophily — a well-established social-science phenomenon in which people associate with, reinforce, and validate those who are similar to themselves. 'Birds of a feather flock together.' 1/3

This newly published study taps into a big theme in public communication: the interplay between persuasion and polarization. The research findings underscore that: (1) Message framing matters not just for behavior change, but for social cohesion. 1/2 www.asiaresearchnews.com/content/pric...

Brilliant views coming into Calgary tonight

People overestimate how many social media users post harmful content online, but underestimate how vocal they are. This can be a PR problem because when comms decisions are driven by misperception, organizations overreact, misallocate resources, and cater to extremes rather serve the mainstream.

White Christmas flying conditions 🎄

“Public affairs officers were told to rewrite their news releases and online posts with stronger, more aggressive language if they wanted the agency’s main communications channels to promote them.” www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...

Thousands of internal chat messages show how ICE’s public affairs arm has raced to satisfy the White House by pumping out viral videos of confrontations and arrests. https://wapo.st/4j7GWgk

60 Minutes is one of only two documentary-style public affairs programs left on the air. The other is Frontline on PBS, which saw its funding gashed by the Trump admin and Congress. They have a matching donation rn. www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...

Plenty of stars visible in the night sky tonight, even with the glow of the city lights near Ottawa International Airport.

City lights over Calgary tonight on my way to Ottawa for the holidays.

The icy Bow River

New study suggests “Zoom fatigue” is largely gone in the post-pandemic workplace

Quite the tint (no filter) on the ice and snow as the sun goes down – and the temperature goes up.

25 years ago today. This was a turning point in world history. The United States was at its zenith heading into the 2000 election. This concession speech was a big deal then: it was a fine and fitting address of a character, maturity, and statesmanship that now seem like artifacts of a bygone era.

The Canadian Pacific Railway coming in to Calgary

Calibri came out around the same time that Windows Vista was introduced, when social media took off and the iPhone was launched. It was a font of the early digital screen age. Whereas Times New Roman was prevalent during the paper-based MS-DOS word-processing era and earlier versions of Windows.

"Once upon a time, a chief executive openly signaling that he’d reorient a newsroom to appease a sitting president would be a five-alarm corporate scandal, the sort of fire that would send the company’s public relations teams sprinting through the hallways to extinguish."

"While 69% of C-suite leaders say their organization has communicated clearly about AI, only 12% of entry-level staff agree. Leaders may believe they’re communicating clearly, but most employees aren’t hearing it, putting successful AI adoption/engagement at risk." — DHR Global

A new study underscores a truth every public relations professional knows instinctively: crisis communication isn’t driven by plans on paper — it’s shaped by how people actually behave under pressure. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

If you want successful communication, design for the smallest circle – not the largest.

“Communicators have a duty to work with responsible journalists to resist government censorship, and also to resist self-censorship intended to pre-empt potential attack by those in power. Communicators need to be able to share the truth.” mailchi.mp/a1759cad282b...

White city lights and sodium vapour glow over snow

Media interview aficionados will find this exchange illuminating. Note the glaring caveats and carefully calibrated phrasing: “not with intent,” “49 years ago,” “genuine abuse,” “never directly really tried to go and hurt anybody,” etc.

Skyscraper crowned with fog en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TD_Terr...

Toronto towers

Winnipeg out the window

Twilight over Saskatchewan

YYC departures ✈️

In light of recent events and statements from military public affairs officers, today’s panagram feels particularly suitable

Seems like we all live in Pottersville now youtu.be/xXQhTmNDTGo?...

This iconic British product is way better in the original glass bottle that is still sold in the UK versus the plastic squeezable available in Canada.

Onward.

The Three Sisters

Lit up

Ranked: Flags of the World, by Most to Least Recognized www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-flags... #countrybrands

Impressive and helpful how NOAA in the US communicates public relations “key messages” real-time to keep everyone informed about geomagnetic storm levels.

Aurora borealis overhead right now

A new study finds that presenting a greater number of arguments can leave people suspicious, rather than convinced. More isn’t always better in persuasion. Add too many arguments and you sound smarter AND more manipulative - effects that cancel each other out. www.bps.org.uk/research-dig...

Crepuscular rays

Sunday evening atmosphere

Saturday night film noir movie: “Black Angel” (1946) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_A...

The edge of night

Snowy day! ❄️

Fog rolling in