What we can learn from Roger Waters

There are certain things that never go out of style. Rock and roll, great lyrics and social citizenship. Roger Waters used his concert last night at Air Canada as a platform to communicate a message about peacemaking and the importance of taking a stand as a global citizen.

How can we apply this to the corporate world? Being a good corporate citizen and walking the talk are two areas quickly rising to the top of employees' lists of what is important in the world of work. In order to attract and retain the best talent today corporations need to shake themselves out of comfortable numbness and re-frame their priorities when it comes to their role and ability to make a difference in the external world.

Give big. With your wallets and your time.

Come on all of you busy executives-- give of your time or from your wallets. Catharine Fennell was recently featured in the Toronto Star for her role in Chairing a Panel for the United Way's Allocations Committee. A well rounded career that involves your day job and contributing as a volunteer on a Board is a great way to market yourself smarter. For those interested in broadening their career horizons Catalyst has done a lot of research in the area of women and board participation.

New moms. Keep your day job.

Long lives the debate on where a woman will seek the most control over their career. Initially, the lure of entrepreneurial life seems quite attractive but is it reducing or increasing work-life anxiety? Newsweek featured an article this week on the mom-preneur trend. Balance? I am not sure.

Building your brand... employment style

There has been a lot written about the employment brand. You know, the special one that your employees or prospective employees see when they look into your company. Isn't it that the employment brand is THE brand. It is tough to differentiate an external-facing brand when you are appealing to the public. After all, your employees are often your customers too.

Maybe more to the point is that employers need to walk the talk in everything they do. They need to be upstanding citizens conducting themselves honourably both behind closed doors and out in the community. There is no longer any tolerance for incongruous 'brand' messages.

Take the recent Radio Shack fiasco reported in the Globe and Mail where 400 employees were given the e-boot in one foul swoop. I am thinking that this poor judgement call on the part of the ivory tower may have some cascading effects.