Nelson Mandela -- The Epitome of Leadership

Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela.  A lawyer. A lion. A legacy. A leader.

It was an honor and privilege to have worked with you at the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg in 1991.

God bless you, and many more years to come.

Entertainment, Entrepreneurs and Leadership

Popular culture is driven by celebrity.  Multi-billion dollar industries have spawned to feed the public's insatiable appetite for increasing amounts of celebrity news, gossip, reality and lifestyle.  It dawned on me after reading a short piece on 10 Rock Stars Who are Brilliant Business People that it takes a lot of talent and creativity to be a top entertainer, but it takes something more to be a successful business person in the entertainment industry.  Jay-Z, Madonna, and many other stars can lend valuable lessons to corporate executives on business essentials such as branding, marketing and customer relationship management.  Of course, for all of their business success, many entertainers can still learn a lesson or two about leadership and corporate responsibility, as I point out in Doing Good: The New Rules of Corporate Responsibility.  Maybe that is where the business sector can make a lasting contribution well beyond the bottom line.

Leadership Vision

"Leadership is lifting a person's vision to high sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations."  --Peter F. Drucker

The Media Institute's Leading Edge

Headquartered in a quiet suburban office building a few miles west of the White House, The Media Institute's unassuming plant belies its immense influence and impact on communications policy in Washington.  Few organizations can convene a gathering where the captains of the media and communications industry, leaders of the FCC, an elite group of lawyers and lobbyists, public interest and civil rights advocates, and members of the working press, all sit down over dinner and agree on the topic of conversation.

Yet, that is what The Media Institute has done successfully, year after year, with its singular and unwavering focus on the importance of protecting the First Amendment.  Every October, without fail, two things happen in Washington--the Supreme Court convenes on the first Monday of the month, and The Media Institute elevates the First Amendment onto the global stage through its founding sponsorship and promotion of National Freedom of Speech Week and awards dinner.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the visionary leadership of the Institute's President and intellectual anchor, Patrick Maines, and its can-do chairman, the ubiquitous and indomitable former FCC Chairman, Dick Wiley.  It also helps that A-list companies like AT&T, CBS, LG, NBCUniversal, News Corporation, Time Warner, Viacom, Clear Channel, DirecTV, T-Mobile, Gannett, Microsoft, Verizon, Walt Disney, the Motion Picture Association of America. and others recognize the unique leadership and legacy of The Media Institute and its staff, and provide support for its programs.

In befitting bipartisan fashion, The Media Institute gave voice to Democratic Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Republican FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell, NAACP President Ben Jealous, ATT President Randall Stephenson, and First Amendment scholar Rodney Smolla, as each extolled the value and virtue of free expression as a sine qua non cornerstone of  a democratic society.

And in an unexpected, but not uncharacteristic, expression of exemplary corporate citizenship, Maines announced that a portion of the proceeds from the institute's annual dinner would be donated to the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a nonprofit organization in rural North Carolina founded by Tim Duffy that helps the pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music to gain recognition and dignity by providing grants to meet the basic life needs of aging blues artists and helping to keep their musical traditions alive for future generations.

Full disclosure:  Adonis Hoffman is a member of the Media Institute's First Amendment Advisory Council.

(c)2011.  Adonis Hoffman

Silent Leadership

"We must be silent before we can listen.
We must listen before we can learn.
We must learn before we can prepare.
We must prepare before we can serve.
We must serve before we can lead."

                                                                --William A. Ward

Beyond these poignant words, I am not sure what other advice today's business leaders should heed.

California Invites More Corporate Board Diversity

As the nation's largest public pension fund, with over $224 billion in assets, the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) recognized two years ago the need for more diversity on corporate boards.  Today, CalPERS announced that it was taking the next step in the inclusion journey by inviting applicants to submit their information to the Diverse Director DataSource .

Ostensibly, the registry will be a resource for institutional investors, public companies and others who want to tap into the reservoir of diverse talent for corporate directors.  According to one key observer, "investors looking for ways to increase corporate value will find such voices in the corporate boardroom indispensable to boosting the bottom line."

As a director, lawyer, and longtime observer of board practices, I hope more jurisdictions follow the California lead. A broader set of experiences and perspectives, typically brought by diverse directors, should allow corporations to become more sensitive to consumer concerns in a down economy, while not sacrificing the duty to improve shareholder value.

Ikea's $62 M Pledge for African Relief is Leadership In Deed

When Ikea announced its foundation would send $62 million to help the victims of the Kenyan famine, the world's largest furniture chain reached another milestone. Ikea's pledge is the largest private donation to go to a UN relief agency in the agency's 60-year history.  At a time when national governments and transnational corporations seem impervious to the suffering in that region, Ikea's business leadership speaks volumes through its deeds. Critics have taken on the Swedish company over labor and supplier matters. But if Ikea's commitment to salve the human condition is any indication of its character as a company, the other issues should be easily solved.

More Than Money

In a curious piece in the New York Times, Andrew Ross Sorkin questioned why there was no public record of Apple founder Steve Jobs' philanthropy.  Despite a net worth in the billions, Jobs and his wife appear to leave no trace of charitable giving to any organization. They do not belong to the exclusive "Giving Pledge" group led by billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, and a whispering campaign is now audible about Jobs' commitment to philanthropy.

I'm sure the opinions of other billionaires and the media are far from Steve Jobs' psyche these days as he battles for his life and continues to fret over his company's fate from the chairman's office.  Whatever money Mr. Jobs chose to give (or not) to worthy causes is a personal matter between him and the good Lord. If he never gave a dime to a down-on-his-luck panhandler on the corner, Jobs could still rest easy for all the good he has caused in this world through his works.

We should keep in mind that several of the fabled 20th century robber-barons and industrialists cleansed their hands and souls by establishing huge endowments to aid the public good. Today their foundations carry on their legacies by doing good throughout the land in their names.  Steve Jobs may end up bequeathing a well-funded foundation or something of the sort, which would cast him into posterity.  On the other hand, he may very well  let his marvelous products, and the joy they bring to hundreds of millions of people, quietly extol his virtue.  

Netflix Just for Kids

Recent news by Netflix that it will launch a "just for kids" tab on its online offerings is cool, but wrought with landmines.  The company must be careful to safeguard the data and privacy of its underage users.  It should proceed step-by-step with self-regulatory privacy enforcement, and shore up its data security mechanisms.  If Netflix can perfect this model, it could be come a strong competitor in the online children's content space.  Stay tuned.

Save the Children

Children under the age of 13 are inherently vulnerable to marketing messages.  That is the rationale behind the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which  requires, among other things, that online marketers get parental consent before engaging these young consumers.

When the FTC found out that a company was using a mobile app to collect the data of thousands of kids, and did not notify their parents, it filed a case and compelled the company to stop the practice and pay a fine. That was the right thing to do.  Although the choice of communications platforms have expanded, the basic principles remain the same.  Children are a special and protected category, and responsible marketers should go the extra mile to take care of them, even as they employ new and cool ways to connect.