3 things to keep in mind when managing our time & the time of others
November 28, 2018
By Brian Maynor How we choose to spend our time may seem like a small thing at the moment, but those small decisions all add up to how we…
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It’s Really Not That Hard to Prevent a Crisis (Sometimes)
November 26, 2018
By Erin Sanders Senior Communications Advisor with NP Strategy Corporate crises happen every day, and some are simply unavoidable. You can run a tight ship and develop a top-notch…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
Two questions we need to answer to get better at anything
November 13, 2018
By Brian Maynor No matter what it is, we can all get better at it if we really want to. The inherent problem with improving is that it isn’t…
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Assuming the Worst
November 9, 2018
By Connie Cleveland I was training a Golden Retriever for field trial competition, a competitive event where hunting dogs compete against one another in retrieving and other aspects of…
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Two Principles to Guide your Research
November 9, 2018
By J. Bradley Studemeyer NP Strategy A good research project is simple to describe, but difficult to implement. Most of that difficulty can be chalked up to the unprecedented…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, non-profit, on-the-move
Taking a page from the political playbook: Digital Targeting for your company
October 29, 2018
By Amanda Loveday As we approach the November elections, your inbox, social media feeds and internet browser are likely filled with messages from candidates looking for your vote. And they…
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Tips to communicate better
October 24, 2018
By Brian Maynor Life can be hard enough as it is, but when we aren’t able to communicate effectively we only compound the frustrations. Whether it’s at work, or…
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Using crisis management skills to be a better friend
October 19, 2018
By Brian Maynor Friendships aren’t, or shouldn’t be, compared to crises very often, but they are often the people we turn to when the you-know-what hits the fan. Euripides…
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How to help a struggling colleague
October 17, 2018
By Brian Maynor If motivating ourselves can be a challenge, think about how hard it can be to help motivate a colleague. If you’ve ever played or watched team…
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Six Ways to Ease Event Anxiety
October 15, 2018
By Emily Eckert NP Strategy From cocktail receptions to conferences, events are rarely a walk in the park. There’s a mountain of detail that goes into executing an event…
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The Three Layers of Motivation
October 12, 2018
By Brian Maynor When the alarm goes off in the morning what is the first thing that crosses your mind? Chances are those thoughts fall into one of two…
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Coping with secondhand emotions
October 10, 2018
By Brian Maynor Whether we realize it or not, emotions are contagious. This can be a benefit when we are around people who are happy, confident and optimistic, but…
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When persistence doesn’t pay off
October 3, 2018
By Brian Maynor People may not like a quitter, but sometimes quitting is the best option for everyone. The question is knowing when to make that call. There is…
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Dogs Are Problem Solvers — Are We?
October 1, 2018
By Connie Cleveland I travel throughout North America to teach people about dogs and how they learn. The first statement I make in a workshop is that dogs have…
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Stakeholder Engagement – A Silver Approach
October 1, 2018
By Marcia Purday, APR NP Strategy Stakeholder management has been touted as a “silver bullet” to achieve successful projects or implement changes in organizations. In reality, it is better…
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Age is just a number
September 28, 2018
By Brian Maynor I’m sure we’ve all heard that phrase before, but have we ever stopped to absorb the meaning of it? Age really is just a number. Specifically…
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4 reasons business is a self-sabotaging cycle
September 25, 2018
By Brian Maynor Do you ever feel like you’re just treading water when it comes to getting everything done? Everyone seems to be busy, but at the end of…
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Using our ordinary privileges to help others
September 19, 2018
By Brian Maynor Most of us don’t realize it, but we all have privileges that we take for granted every day. These privileges are parts of ourselves that we…
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Play me the song of your people: Why your video might be better without you
September 17, 2018
By Taylor Kearns Are you a real person’? Hang on – don’t answer quite yet. Let me explain: Every morning in newsrooms across the country, young reporters pitch stories…
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It’s time to stop living in fear
September 13, 2018
By Brian Maynor We all have a fear of embarrassing ourselves and coming across as dumb, but is this fear rational? Most of the time it’s not. The need…
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Respectfully disagreeing
September 12, 2018
By Brian Maynor Disagreements are bound to happen, but there are ways to disagree that are more effective than others. Throwing a tantrum and being abusive, physically, verbally or…
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Paternalistic lies & when it’s ok to tell them
September 6, 2018
By Brian Maynor “I shall not tell a lie.” We heard this as a child, but it’s not exactly a truth we uphold as an adult. Doctors, managers, and…
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The #1 office perk
September 4, 2018
By Brian Maynor When evaluating job opportunities, some of the most influential elements aren’t in the fine print, but rather in the perks offered to employees. Some people are…
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You saw what?? How to manage your reputation on social media.
September 3, 2018
By Sara McCarthy 40 minutes a day. In today’s fast paced world, 40 minutes is a long time. More time than it takes to eat breakfast, watch the news…
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I Can Accept Criticism Without Resentment
September 3, 2018
By Connie Cleveland As an elementary student I remember telling my mother that my “best friend” had said my dog’s name, Jinx, was a boy’s name, not a girl’s,…
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4 steps for actual change in life
August 31, 2018
By Brian Maynor All too often the motivation for change ends almost as quickly as it began. Think about all the times we’ve wanted to change something in our…
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Is going with the flow really a bad thing?
August 28, 2018
By Brian Maynor We’ve all heard the expression go with the flow, and understand it’s a metaphor that looks at navigating life like a river, but somewhere along the…
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Dealing with disappointment
August 24, 2018
By Brian Maynor Disappointment may be a part of life, and while we all need to learn how to cope with it, that doesn’t mean we have to like…
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Why your “out of office” message matters
August 21, 2018
By Brian Maynor As Labor Day approaches, vacation season may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean we are going to be chained to our desks until…
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Today’s news culture and the rise of social media
August 17, 2018
By Meaghan Norman How do you get your daily news? It’s likely not the way you used to get it years ago, and may not even be the same…
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Is it really “all good”?
August 14, 2018
By Brian Maynor If we counted, how often would we catch ourselves saying everything is “all good”? Personally I hear myself saying it out of habit, when I don’t…
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5 ways to beat feeling overwhelmed by work
August 7, 2018
By Brian Maynor As summer vacations come to a close and workloads start getting heavier it can be easy to start feeling overwhelmed. Before our to-do lists grow to…
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What are you losing by not paying attention to your website?
August 6, 2018
When you have a need for information, where do you first go? If you are like a growing number of Americans, you whip out your cell phone and search online.…
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The real value of American Legion Baseball
August 6, 2018
By Richard Eckstrom S.C. Comptroller The American Legion plays a special role in the lives of military veterans. It’s a source of fellowship, advocacy, healing, and support, as well…
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How success is like an earthquake
August 3, 2018
By Brian Maynor You don’t often hear success compared to a natural disaster, but these two have one very important commonality, and it’s not laying waste to everything in…
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How to read someone’s mind during a conflict
August 1, 2018
By Brian Maynor Unfortunately we all have our fair share of conflicts and disagreements in our lives, but have you ever noticed that some people can deescalate them almost…
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Words Are Like Spells
August 1, 2018
By Connie Cleveland I was fortunate growing up to have parents that were willing to expose me to all kinds of activities ranging from sports to music and drama.…
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V.C. Summer Expansion Construction Shutdown – One Year Later
July 31, 2018The abrupt shutdown of the V.C. Summer Plant expansion project in Jenkinsville, South Carolina was an event that impacted more than 5,000 employees and their families. These employees showed up…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, law, on-the-move
V.C. Summer Expansion Construction Shutdown – One Year Later
July 31, 2018
The abrupt shutdown of the V.C. Summer Plant expansion project in Jenkinsville, South Carolina was an event that impacted more than 5,000 employees and their families. These employees showed up…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, law, on-the-move
Enough is enough with the conference calls
July 26, 2018
By Brian Maynor Donna Summer sang it best, “Enough, is enough, is enough, I can’t go on, I can’t go on no more no…” and while she wasn’t singing…
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Face the Facts: We’re never going to be “caught up” and that’s ok
July 24, 2018
By Brian Maynor I can’t believe it’s time for ‘back to school’ commercials and sales. Where has the summer gone, and why haven’t I gotten as much done as…
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Where Political Communications and Public Relations Meet
July 20, 2018
For over a decade, I have worked hard to achieve professional success in different but similar professional paths. I began my professional career in the media, then ventured into politics,…
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3 steps to change our perspective
July 18, 2018
By Brian Maynor “Everything you see or hear or experience in a way at all is specific to you. You create a universe by perceiving it, so everything in…
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4 qualities of great leaders
July 17, 2018
By Brian Maynor There is a big difference between being a leader and being a great leader, and it boils down to four qualities. Leaders come in all shapes…
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The natural conflict between Legal and PR
July 6, 2018
Leighton Lord Founder and Managing Director, NP Strategy, LLC Any organization confronting a controversial issue, and especially a crisis, will need legal advice and public relations advice. That, however,…
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Multi-Dog Syndrome and a Pack of Employees
July 2, 2018
By Connie Cleveland Growing up, whenever I asked my mother for another dog, she would reply, “When you have a home of your own you can have as many…
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The 3 types of diversity
June 29, 2018
By Brian Maynor Diversity is always a hot topic, especially in the professional world, but most of the time it is a very limited concept. What do you think…
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Creative ways to share expertise without looking arrogant
June 27, 2018
By Brian Maynor The conundrum of being an expert: No one likes a know-it-all, and yet promotions and career advancement are often dependent upon others knowing we have an…
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Post-promotion do’s and don’ts
June 26, 2018
By Brian Maynor Earning a promotion is a huge accomplishment and testament to our hard work and determination, but afterwards we have to prove we’re worth it. The rules…
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The Top 4 Mistakes Made While Managing a Crisis
June 25, 2018
By Erin Sanders Senior Communications Advisor with NP Strategy No one wants a crisis. Understandably, most people don’t even want to think about a crisis… unless it’s happening to…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, headlines, marketing-and-communications, uncategorized
