Get the inside track

Prevent big fires and sometimes put out little ones. A lot of bridge-building.

I mostly help to build and enhance the reputations of companies in the automotive, social impact and health care industries.

My friends know I’ve spent a lot of time doing work for Toyota, so I sometimes get texts when Toyota pops up in their lives – car rentals, Super Bowl commercials and the like.

For all the mythology about businesses starting out of someone’s garage, the way up and out of there is on the back of good communications. Companies grow, evolve and overcome challenges by making smart decisions – and communicating them well to their stakeholders.

I like that I get to work with so many different groups and functions within a company. I also love having a multi-faceted relationship with clients, digging deep into projects, and seeing how effective communications helps bring a company closer to its broader business objectives.

Last year, I worked on Finsbury’s inaugural Young Professional Networking Event and was thrilled that so many interesting people came together to mingle, enjoy our rooftop views of Central Park and learn about Finsbury’s great work. It was great to show off our excellent bench of young professionals and a good time was had by all.

No, unless it’s critical for clarity. Even Oxford says it’s optional!

Striking the right tone for your audience is critical. As the business world becomes increasingly diverse (good news!), organizations of all kinds have to learn to communicate in new, tailored ways to build relevance and resonate with audiences. But it’s not easy, and many miss the mark when they try to appeal to audiences outside of their traditional comfort zone. It’s another important reason for companies to ensure their talent reflects the diversity of their audiences.

Journalist Maria Popova said, “Critical thinking without hope is cynicism. Hope without critical thinking is naïveté.” So, I shoot for a balanced realism, professionally and personally.

Improving access to education is really important to me and that’s taken a variety of forms over the years. Now, I am on the Young Professional Board of Library For All, a social enterprise that has built a cloud-based library platform for areas of the world where books are scarce but the mobile networks are growing. These e-libraries are customizable and LFA works with local education boards to curate their schools’ books to meet the linguistic, cultural and education needs of their communities. This tech-based solution is more cost-effective and sustainable than building physical libraries. Check them out!