Timing is Everything ... and Steve Forbes, too. By Gail Davis | Friday, December 05, 2008
I received word on Friday afternoon that Rex Lewis-Clack and his mother, Cathleen Lewis, would not be appearing on 60 Minutes. Rather, this week’s program would feature President-Elect Obama. Disappointing, but completely appropriate.
As a 60 Minutes junkie, I tuned in to watch. It was a great conversation between Steve Kroft and the Obamas. An excerpt below gives you the flavor:
STEVE KROFT: Have there been moments when you've said, ‘What did I get myself into?’ BARACK OBAMA: I will say that the challenges that we're confronting are enormous. And they're multiple. And so there are times during the course of a given a day where you think, "Where do I start in terms of moving-- moving things forward?" And I think that part of this next two months is to really get a clear set of priorities, understanding we're not going be able to do everything at once, making sure the team is in place, and moving forward in a very deliberate way and sending a clear signal to the American people that we're going to be thinking about them and what they're going through.
No matter what business you're in - running a country or running a corporation - everyone is setting priorities for 2009.
I give a presentation to industry groups and clients on the strategies and tactics for selecting a keynote speaker. One of the top priorities: trying to anticipate what will be the current event when your event occurs.
Case in point: I was working with a client to map out his year as education chair of a major organization. As we mapped out the year, we tried to strategically select topics. Teaming with him and his committee, the decision was made not to do the expected “politically” themed meeting. Rather, we would wait until just after the election and have the speaker give an analysis of what the election results would mean moving forward.
A number of pundits and analysts were on the list. And I, of course, had an opinion; Steve Forbes.
I have had the pleasure of working with Steve Forbes on several occasions. He is uniquely qualified to discuss politics, the economy and business. The committee liked the idea and we were able to secure Forbes for the event, which was held a mere nine days post-election.
Who could have predicted during our planning last April that the number one issue in America today would be the economy? Forbes was the absolute right choice! Not that I would wish the current economic situation on anyone.
My client did an outstanding job planning this event. He had the vision to ask us to negotiate in the contract the use of the Forbes magazine artwork. He then secured a photo of each attendee and created individual mock-ups of a Forbes magazine with their photo on the cover.
As luck would have it, the November issue of Forbes had our speaker on the cover. He graciously signed copies for everyone. Small touches like the magazine mock-ups and signed copies are so important.
Forbes opened with insightful comments on the current economic situation, clearly articulating his view of the mistakes that led to the current crisis. My client had solicited questions from the attendees in advance and roved the room with a handheld microphone introducing each member and then they asked their questions. It was timely, pertinent, and best of all, personal. The last question was: “As a widely respected economic prognosticator, where do you think we will be in four years?”
His answer, “I am an optimist. And as my grandfather used to say, ‘You never make money in the long-term selling America short.’” As I was waiting for my car, one of the attendees said to me: “You know, he is one of the few big name speakers that truly lived up to his billing.”
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