Madison Avenue Greetings: A New York Blog
by Ken Rosenthal
October 23, 2014
............”Meetings, what meetings?”
I am always amused by the poker faces that I encounter when I have business meetings. Just yesterday, here I am sitting across from a CEO and her CSO (a newly created title that stands for Chief Strategist Officer). In typical fashion, I had to run the meeting as these two were not the most verbose nor were they that interested, or so it seemed. Upon leaving I realized they were just putting on their poker faces so that I would not know whether they were going to say yes or no to me (they said yes, by the way).
What I wonder, and I know this is a utopian thought, but why can’t people be themselves? Countless times, both here in the U.S. and in Sweden, I meet with people that are afraid of confrontation, afraid to speak up, don’t know how to say yes or no, and just use the excuse of having another meeting to put off the inevitable no. When I conduct business, I am as transparent as possible. What you see is what you get. It has worked for me as I have been a successful business developer. In the work world, you need a stiff backbone.
UCP will be having their annual board meeting next week. The agenda we received shows that a lot will be covered. And I know that the shareholders, whom I am fully supportive of, need to not only be informed better, not only heard more, but motivated to invest more. I mean, UCP oversees some very exciting ad agencies. The world needs to know this!!! But, I am merely one board member, the lone American, who despite my constant voice on behalf of the shareholders (like Barn Cat), will not get a voice at the table in Sweden next week. Perhaps I have been too vocal and the other board members have had enough of me (or shall I say used me enough). So instead of me being at this very important meeting, I presume I will skype in for the board meeting or who knows? Nothing has been told to me. I am in the dark like the shareholders.
Stay tuned…..
