It’s a little late in the season to talk about holiday parties! Heck, most of them are done already, but wanted to share with you an interview I had with Darrin & Colleen from Vinyl 95.3. In the short segment, we cover some ideas for introverts at parties, connecting with the big boss and standing out (in a good way!) because goodness knows we’ve all heard the horror stories of people who blew their careers by crossing the line at the company function.

Enjoy! Allison Graham talking about navigating office parties on Vinyl 953

Sure, Florida may be the traditional Ontario mid-winter get away, but for those who are willing to put in a couple extra hours of flight time, there is a desert waiting to welcome snowbirds and you won’t be disappointed. Granted, I’m not even close to being a snowbird, but even so, Arizona is my favourite vacation destination.  Most likely when I am a snowbird I’ll be looking to AZ for a place to hibernate for the winter.

It’s a bit of a hot spot for conferences so I have an excuse to return about once a year.  I would love to see Tuscan and other parts of the State, but Phoenix is usually where I have to go, then Sedona and Scottsdale are where I want to go.

My first trip was after I ran in the 2007 Provincial election. I was exhausted and just needed to get away. The night before I left, a friend said hey, there is a couple from London in Scottsdale – why don’t I introduce you so you have a contact down there. He made the introduction and a place called 22 Palms became my impromptu hideaway.

Since then I’ve returned a few times, always to the same Martha-Stewart-esque-but-Cooler hospitality. I remember writing about 22 Palms and people asking me if they could book a stay. Well, not really. It’s actually Londoners Jamie and Robyn Robinson’s home in Scottsdale. They have 22 Palm trees on the property and thus, it earned its name.

Well, for those who are looking for some Canadian-style hospitality in Scottsdale, there is good news.

While the couple aren’t opening their home as an official resort so others can experience their hospitality, the couple has opened a breakfast and lunch restaurant that is just fantastic called The Egg I AM.

New Breakfast & Lunch Restaurant Opened by Londoners Robyn & Jamie Robinson in Scottsdale, Arizona

With so much travelling in the US lately for me, I find most of the chain restaurants are significantly greasier than their Canadian equivalents. So going to a breakfast joint and getting a fresh, homemade feeling meal in the USA was such a pleasant surprise. Although, there is no surprise in this case because Jamie and Robyn wouldn’t have it any other way. It feels like a little piece of Canadiana in Arizona.

So if you’re venturing to Arizona and wondering where to eat breakfast or lunch in Scottsdale, feel free to check it out. It’s a huge undertaking to open a restaurant and anyone who knows the industry knows how difficult it can be to launch a successful eatery. Somehow though, the couple has found their grove with solid staff and excellent food.

If you go, tell them Allison sent you!

My Canadian readers are thinking, What? Who would be politically incorrect enough to include religion at a non-religious, professional association conference? I can only conclude from my experience at these conferences down south that this is an American thing to do. As I’m writing this, I’m contemplating what to do because in 20 minutes, the Optional Non Denominational Christian Worship Service is about to start. The key word is optional – the confusing words are non denominational Christian service.

The conference I’m at is for President-Elects who are preparing for their leadership role in local chapters. The roots of the founding American association for professional speakers is based on the value that if we support each other as professional speakers, then we’ll creating a bigger pie from which each speaker can carve his or her piece and a more significant recognition of the industry.

The organization was also founded in Southern US by amazing leaders who, even in the 70s, were committed Christians – not sure maybe Baptist or Pentecostal. It’s part of the fabric of the organization. Comments will randomly roll off the tongue of a speaker about Jesus, the Lord and/or referencing scripture. Not overwhelmingly often, but it does happen, usually dependent on who the speaker is at that moment.

To me, ah, no biggie. I’m Catholic, but there’s nothing they’re saying that is so far off the mark on my beliefs that I would be offended.

BUT, yesterday as they were sharing information about Sunday morning’s program, I sat beside a gentleman who was offended. Every time someone would reference the service his face would have this look of shock yet again. As a professional trainer/speaker with an incredibly successful business, he has as much right as any one to be in that room. Yet, as a Jewish man he felt the comments were inappropriate. By dinner our table mates were shifted and now there was a Buddhist at the table, equally annoyed by the constant return to the Christian conversations.

So what’s an organization to do? Honor its history and continue to operate the way it has for years? Or does it need to practice what it preaches and be inclusive? Would you say do-away with the non-denominational Christian service all together? or do your best to accommodate all religions and beliefs represented at the conference. Or what, just hope those with different beliefs aren’t so offended that they walk away from the organization?

Some companies have stopped saying grace before dinner. I prefer when a non-denominational thanksgiving is expressed. Non-offensive to any religion, but gives us time to slow down for 30 seconds to recognize and appreciate what we have. Usually, it’s the person who’s making the decision for grace whose beliefs are reflected in the decision.

Gee, I know we’re not supposed to talk about religion or politics to be politically correct, but someone has to start this conversation.

It made me feel incredibly uncomfortable to watch fellow attendees feel slighted – even if that wasn’t the intent. Yet, if I could find a Catholic service this morning, I’d be walking there now. But what about the others? Can’t help feeling their annoyance for them.

What is your solution? Let’s open the conversation (and please, because this is a delicate subject, be respectful, it’s not people’s belief that are called into question, it’s how do we accommodate a diverse and inclusive professional association while honouring the leadership’s beliefs that what used to work still works.).

You’re likely aware of the outrage regarding London’s new professional baseball team called the Rippers with a logo that highlights “Jack” the Rippers’ mascot. The team’s president and general manager David Martin claims there is no co-relation between the brutal serial killer and the team’s intended image.

You be the judge. This image was pulled from Wikipedia and made its way around twitterverse last night thanks to Kevin Van Lierop a.k.a. @kvl

@Kvl 's Twitter Picture & Post: "I guess he has a point, they aren't that similar"

From a branding perspective, this is a nightmare – unless David Martin fixes it.

First of all, despite the team’s best intentions to create Jack the Diamond character who left London’s favourite game (hockey) to play at the ball park, anyone in business knows that “intentions” don’t matter. Rarely, if ever, do good intentions out shadow the reality and others perception of your intentions.

In any business if you have to explain your logo, that’s not a good sign. If you have to create a back story so extravagant that people have to pay attention for longer than 140 characters it won’t stick.

What will stick is the public’s gut reaction of your brand. And for the Rippers, the initial gut reaction is not good.

There is so much more to a brand than a logo, name and back story. If you read my recent column on Personal Branding, you’ll be well aware of my passion for how important it is to create and protect your personal brand. It’s the same with companies…or in the case of the new London Rippers with baseball teams.

In the column, I share that a “brand” is the gut reaction that others have about you or your company. You can’t control it, you can only influence it by making good decisions about what people see, hear and feel when they interact with you or your company brand.

The big unveil of the Rippers’ new name and logo left people seeing a  significant likeness to the brutal serial killer now holding a baseball bat rather than a knife.

People heard some random backstory about Jack the Diamond that had absolutely no chance of developing traction thanks to the general public’s comments. The written words outshined anything the team could possibly say to create a new association.

Even if it wasn’t announced during a campaign to end violence against woman, it still drums up feelings about chilling murders dating back to 1888 in the other London. Not to mention the stripper connotation to the word which led to one of my favourite tweets:

“If hubby says he’s going to the rippers tonight, should that be a red flag or should you send the kids?” #justchecking”

The most difficult part of this branding strike-out is how people feel. From the comments on social media it’s easy to glean that people are not embracing the whole Jack the Diamond character as one of their own. Rather they generally feel like the owner made a mistake that he won’t admit to. By using this name and logo, people feel like it’s in poor taste, bad judgement, disgraceful, disempowering toward women and counterintuitive to how hard society has worked to end violence against women. This list represents generalizations, but they are all words pulled from the twitterverse.

Bottom line: People don’t like it.

I love the optimists who think this will pass like so many scandals in the past. But this is different. This is not a scandal or a failed promise of yet another politician. There is nowhere to the channel to (a key element of successful scandal spin).  The team should be a symbol of the amazing sporting community we have in London, Ontario. Unfortunately, with much of those paying attention being offended, it’ll be tough for the team to overcome these feelings and get traction.

Every time a person sees the jersey the team runs the risk of offending someone. If it’s a new visitor, they’ll deduce the same visceral reaction so many people did last night. When the team plays, I know I’ll be looking down from my office window that overlooks the ball diamond and be disgusted that there are a whole bunch of guys who don’t have enough tact or couth to refuse to wear a jersey that is degrading to women and unintentionally celebrates violence against women.

An overreaction? Perhaps. I think they would have had more support with just Rippers without “Jack” the Ripper’s mascot. I think the public could get over the whole stripper connotation/likeness much easier than getting over the serial killer.

So what’s the solution?

It looks like the team’s leadership wants to dig their heels in as they try to champion their version of Jack the Diamond who can “rip” balls out of the park. Why is this the fight you want to fight?

Why not take the high road? Apologize to the public. Recognize that it was not your attention, and it’s not an admission of guilt, but the team is more focussed on representing our community in a positive way and making them proud. Therefore, you will pull the offensive (to the majority) mascot and create a new image for this new baseball team.

Then, to engage the community, run a naming and logo design contest, with the winner getting prime tickets to the opening game and unveiling. London is such an incredibly creative community. Engage the talent we have here and give them a chance to show their support.

This will go a lot further to engaging the grassroots. The goal at this point is to keep the team focussed on winning games rather than fighting the protestors.

Contrary to popular opinion any exposure, positive or negative, is not good for the team. If it doesn’t result in ticket sales, then the team won’t be around to lurk in the shadows of the ball diamond very long anyhow. (yes that’s a bad Jack the Ripper play on words)

P.S. Hey, isn’t it exciting that London has a new Professional baseball team – regardless of the name! The story that has been lost in all this outrage.