The impending series finale has already prompted a number of reflective articles from the web’s biggest fans—my favorites include Forbes’ management lessons from Michael Scott and Buzzfeed’s predictably perfect compilation of key Office moments.

But perhaps there’s room for one more. The Office celebrates the notion that company culture is critical; despite Michael Scott’s antics, he ran Dunder Mifflin’s best-performing branch. Over the course of nine years, the show gave us a peek into the pillars of Dunder Mifflin’s success, leaving viewers with five key lessons about maintaining a strong company culture:

1. Be clear about your organization’s mission, and reinforce it. When Michael Scott held the managerial reins, there was no question about his mission: to sell paper and create an office environment where everyone felt like family. While implementing the latter was often more challenging, he never stopped trying—through (often misguided) humor, dinner parties, and unexpected field trips. After seven seasons, when Michael finally parted from Dunder Mifflin, it was clear that he left a family behind.
2. Enable your employees to put their talents to work in the office. From encouraging Pam to develop the warehouse mural, to inviting Andy to share his musical talents with the sales team, the Scranton branch knew that by enlisting their colleagues’ skills and talents in the workplace, employees were becoming more invested in their jobs.
3. Professionally develop as you go. Michael imparted his wisdom through a series of impromptu meetings, often ignited by a simple wave of the hand and shout of “conference room!” Although these sessions often lacked real content, the idea of short, frequent, effective professional development sessions does resonate for companies with busy employees.
4. Give the well-deserved shout-outs. Michael knew that publicly recognizing employees’ accomplishments is an important morale booster. Although the execution was a bit off, Michael’s homegrown award program—the Dundies—gave employees a few moments to celebrate their contributions to the office.
5. A little time out of the office never hurt anyone. Unless, of course, you’re aboard Michael Scott’s second season “Booze Cruise.” But seriously, some of the show’s most beloved characters had their strongest moments at offsite team-building events (think: Pam championing a barefoot hot coal run during “Beach Games” and Toby Flenderson winning the “Fun Run” to fight rabies).

While the series finale marks the end of a very special era in comedy, Michael Scott’s wisdom will continue to live on . . . although perhaps most notably in “that’s what she said” jokes.

What do you think—did I miss any crucial teaching moments?

The Week Unpeeled

Bloomberg terminals and the journalists behind them made headlines last week, after an exclusive in The New York Post alleged that reporters were “spying” on customers by looking at what functions were being used and whether they were logging into terminals (prompting calls to Goldman Sachs at one point about whether a partner had left the firm when a terminal had been left idle).  The story, which became front-page news over the weekend, Goldman and JP Morgan officials were blasting Bloomberg for snooping over security in using the ubiquitous boxes. The Fed and Treasury are now looking into the issue, so the story will have long legs no doubt.

Elsewhere:

• The Dow continued its rally, ending at a record close Friday of 15,118, and the S&P 500 another record close of 1,633;
• The Fed said it is planning (timing uncertain) its wind-down its massive bond-buying program, which was designed to stimulate the economy;
• NBC News is expected to name Deborah Turness, the head of ITV News in Britain, as president, the first woman president of a network news division in the US;
• Alan Abelson, a top editor of Barron’s and columnist for “Up and Down Wall Street, died; and

Researchers last week announced that carbon levels have reached their highest levels in “millions of years” on earth, which no doubt will brings more attention to climate change issues.

In the vein of self improvement, I’ve been asking myself what more could I do on Twitter? One obvious answer is engaging with journalists. Which lead me to my next questions – how do journalists use Twitter?

With the help of my colleague Cary Ruterman, I conducted an unscientific, but telling, audit of reporters’ social media habits. We spoke with journalists from print, online, broadcast and wire outlets and all of them focused on finance (that is kind of what we are known for here at Prosek).

Here is what we asked and found...

How do you use Twitter (professionally, for your reporting)?
All our respondents utilize it in almost in the same way: to monitor news, to connect with sources and to see what the industry and competitors alike are "talking about."

That seems like a lot to rely on Twitter for. How does it really impact you reporting?
Almost all reporters audited consider Twitter to be a key, daily source for reporting with one describing Twitter an “essential resource.” One reluctant reporter admitted that “it is becoming more useful to a degree.”

Now I’m convinced it is important, but who do you follow to get all this valuable information?
Not too surprising, reporters are following influential political, economic and market newsmakers. In addition to relevant figures in the industry, a small group of reporters cited specifically seeking out “interesting personalities.” When deciding who and who not to follow, most reporters mentioned the importance of tweet frequency (not too much and not too little).

I think my clients are influential, do you follow them?
Seven out of 10 journalists follow companies in the industry they cover. Only a small percentage of reporters that have a firm policy against it. 

Are you going to take it personally if these companies don’t follow you back?
While only a small percentage of journos said it is important that those they follow follow them back, eight out of 10 reporters said that it is appreciated. They noted that the importance of their sources following them back was central to giving them an opportunity to interact.

What are you putting out there to your followers? Is Twitter just an avenue for you to promote your own articles?
Seven out of 10 journalists firmly replied that they retweet more than just their own articles and those of their colleagues. A small group of participating reporters said that they mostly do, and an even smaller group specified that they only do because they have the most confidence in that content.

Good to hear you are mostly open to retweeting third-party ideas and opinions. How do you decide what to retweet?
Across the board, reporters said they retweet information that is interesting and useful to their readers. A few mentioned the need for the content to be in line with their coverage and beat.

Would you consider retweeting companies?
Nine out of ten respondents said they would retweet content from a company. Respondents cited the need for the content to be “newsworthy,” “interesting” and “useful.” Most stressed that they are much less likely to retweet "self-serving" tweets and will not act as "marketers for the company."

The Conclusion
The key takeaway is that journalists are out there and they’re watching you. So companies should put out thoughtful and unique perspectives on topics of interest to their industry. The best ideas might be rewarded with amplification.

Would love to hear more from you, our readers. If you’re a PR pro, share your experiences interacting with journalists on Twitter.  If you’re a reporter, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the above too!

The Week Unpeeled

Amid a backdrop of ongoing investigations in motives and scope of the alleged Boston Marathon bombers and the NRA annual convention, the US economy showed ongoing signs of moderate growth with the jobs report showing the unemployment rate declining to 7.5 percent in April and non-farm payroll adding 165,000, better than expectations.  That news propelled the Dow to a record high, closing up 143 points on Friday at 14,973, briefly topping 15,000.

Elsewhere:

• The disaster at a Bangladeshi apparel factory is forcing manufacturers to reconsider their productions and brand images tied to poor workplace safety conditions/records, with Disney already pulling out of the country; No doubt consumers will become a different type of label conscious as where clothes are made;
• Warren Buffett hosted its annual investor hoopla, curious to see what he says about his recent buying spree in newspapers; Meanwhile, Berskhire’s profits jumped 51 percent;
• While circulation has been on the decline for most US newspapers, circulation rose at The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for the six months ended March 31, because of digital subscribers: WSJ held onto its rank as largest daily with average weekday circulation at 2.4 million and NYT at 1.9 million, with a Sunday total of 2.3 million;
• JC Penney launched a big ad/digital campaign after its downfall and CEO shuffle, in a mea culpa of “It’s No Secret,” illustrating on some levels admit errors upfront;
• Apple sold $17 billion in corporate bonds, the largest deal in history that was met with strong investor demand;
• Making front-page headlines nearly everywhere, NBA player Jason Collins comes out as the first major league sports player (during Tony Awards announcements week, no less!); and
• Favorite Orb wins the Kentucky Derby.

Warren Buffett with the late Katharine Graham of the Washington Post at his 50th-birthday party in 1980. Image courtesy: Warren Buffett as seen on Fortune

The most recent issue of FORTUNE features an essay by Warren Buffett entitled, “Warren Buffett is bullish ... on women.”* In it, Mr. Buffett contributes his own thoughts to the recent dialogue taking place around women and work in the U.S., characterizing the unfortunate fact that barriers still remain.

Despite our track record as a nation, Mr. Buffett writes, “America has forged this success while utilizing, in large part, only half of the country's talent.”

Ultimately, Mr. Buffett’s FORTUNE essay issues a call to action not only to the men who continue to lead the majority of our corporations and occupy nearly all of the seats on our corporate boards, but also to those men who manage employees at any level.

Mr. Buffett states:

“No manager operates his or her plants at 80% efficiency when steps could be taken that would increase output. And no CEO wants male employees to be underutilized when improved training or working conditions would boost productivity. So take it one step further: If obvious benefits flow from helping the male component of the workforce achieve its potential, why in the world wouldn't you want to include its counterpart?”

While I don’t wholly agree with Mr. Buffett’s assessment on certain points (I’m sure he won’t lose any sleep over that), I did find his argument to be compelling. It also made me take a moment to look at the public relations profession in light of the argument that embracing the ascension of women to executive roles and directorships within companies, in addition to providing greater opportunity, mentorship and promotion of women through all levels of business makes business sense.

Take a look at the Holmes’ Reports’ Global Rankings of PR Agencies for 2012 and among them you’ll see two notable characteristics:

#1 – All of the top 10 biggest agencies have majority male leadership and boards. All 10 have male CEOs.

#2 – Growth for half of these agencies is 4% or less, with a median rate of 6.25% and average of 7.79%.

The vast majority of public relations professionals are women. While the exact percentage is disputed, PRSA has estimated that around 73% of its membership is women. Let’s assume a ±10% margin of error, just to play it safe. That would mean women comprise around 63% of PR.

Around two-thirds of the employees who power the engines of the world’s largest PR agencies are women, but you’d never be able to tell from these firms’ leadership. While the top 10 agencies brought in an estimated $4.1 billion in fees for 2011, half of these agencies topped out at 4% growth. There is without question room for improvement, particularly when sector up and comers are growing at rates as high as 49.4%, according to O’Dwyers.

As agencies try to remain competitive, we as a profession would be hard pressed not to take Mr. Buffett’s advice. In closing, to quote the FORTUNE essay, “The closer that America comes to fully employing the talents of all its citizens, the greater its output of goods and services will be. We've seen what can be accomplished when we use 50% of our human capacity. If you visualize what 100% can do, you'll join me as an unbridled optimist about America's future.”

*Presumably FORTUNE’s editors titled it thus and Mr. Buffett hasn’t begun speaking in the third person.

The National Rifle Association host its Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center from May 3-5. How will recent gun control debates shape this year’s theme and mood?

Berkshire Hathaway to host its annual shareholder meeting in Omaha on May 4, while the 139^th Kentucky Derby will kick off in Louisville for the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Cinco de Mayo festivals are being held in every major cities on May 5. Check your town’s website for a listing.

The SkyBridge Alternatives (SALT) Conference will take place on May 7-10 in Las Vegas, serving as a platform for balanced discussions and debates on macro-economic trends, geo-political events and global alternative investment opportunities. The year’s featured speakers include President of the French Republic Nicolas Sarkozy, Israel Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, just to name a few.

Don’t forget to honor the numerous Red Cross members and volunteers on World Red Cross Day on May 8 for their dedication to saving lives and aiding the defenseless communities around the world.

On May 8, the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship will host a hearings to examine strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem for minority women. Let’s hope this hearings will generate positive results for minority female business owners.

Mother’s Day is on May 12 this year, so don’t forget to send her flowers.

On May 14, Marketing, a leading UK-based magazine for the marketing community, will host Financial Services Social Media 2013 seminar in London. The agenda will cover various topics including social media strategy, regulatory guidelines, and measurement strategy.

More than 400 PR and advertising agencies will convene at the Mirren Live: The 2013 New Business Conference in New York from May 14-15 to share best practices. If you can’t make it in person, you can watch 22 of the sessions live on the web.

On May 16, Gorkana will host an exclusive breakfast briefing with Bloomberg News in New York City. Editors from the Finance and M&A teams, and Bloomberg TV will share their insights and preferences with PR professionals.

Advertising Age and BtoB to co-host a half-day event on May 20 focusing on the rise of marketing technology. The Marketing + Technology: The Rise of CMO-CIO Alignment event will be held in New York City.

The year’s Memorial Day is on May 27. Please take a moment on this day to remember the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives to keep us safe.

While this particular version of the bill is now considered dead, legislators are re-writing a similar version that could be more protective of citizen privacy.  But if and when a version of this does get passed, professionals nationwide have some serious self-reflection to do.

For many, professional accomplishments are often prioritized ahead of other life goals such as when to start a family or at what age to retire.  So just imagine what will become of us if one of the few places we truly express our personality, our personal social media pages, can now be considered an extension of one’s resume.  Will we be forced to permanently keep our personal pages business-casual?

Suppose for instance that you work at an agency and are on a public relations account for Adidas.  Throughout your work day you’ll likely give your best effort to support the Adidas brand and continue adding to its success.  But let’s assume that on your late-night jog after work you can’t help but lace up your new Nike running shoes and sync your Nike pedometer to your Facebook page.  You’ve seen the posts: “I just crushed a 4.2 mile run with Nike,” which is then followed by a flood of morally-supportive friends liking and commenting on your status.

If your boss had access to your personal Facebook page and saw that type of post, there is a chance you’d be removed from the Adidas account at work due to a conflict of interest.  This could be quite damaging to your career if that account was one you were performing well on.  The question then becomes – under these circumstances, how much of our personal selves must we restrict for the sake of professional success? Is this type of restriction healthy for our well-being, or will it tilt the work-life balance scale too far towards the latter for us to enjoy our personal lives?

Drastic as that may seem, there have already been instances where this extra-access has benefitted a professional workspace.  Take this past NFL football season for instance.  Referee Brian Stropolo was set to officiate a game between the New Orleans Saints and their division rival, the Carolina Panthers.  Shortly before the game, it was brought to the NFL’s attention that this referee was a die-hard New Orleans Saints fan.  His personal Facebook page showed tons of pro-Saints posts and pictures of him wearing Saints gear.  Naturally, a loyal fan such as Mr. Stropolo could not be trusted even under his best efforts to fairly officiate a game involving his favorite team.  He was pulled right before the game started.  Were it not for an awareness of his personal Facebook page by his employer, however, the integrity of that day’s game could have been compromised.

While this is certainly still a developing situation, it is one that we must keep a close eye on.

Which side are you on? Will granting employers access to their employees’ personal social media pages impact how employees brand themselves within their communities? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The Week Unpeeled

Government leaders, thought leaders and media scribes have been busy convening a lot lately with US presidents in Texas making an appearance for the opening of the George Bush library (with US media commenting how Hillary Clinton looked so presidential herself); the World Bank and IMF finishing its round of huddles (amid talk of less austerity more growth); White House correspondents red-carpeting annual dinner in Washington (boycotted by Tom Brokaw who says it’s more about celebrity than news, and President Obama saying he will be opening the Blame Bush Library soon), and the Milken Global Conference kicking off this week in Beverly Hills.

Elsewhere, less convening, more real headlines:

• Boston marathon alleged bomber search found evidence of plans for a second attack in Times Square;
• Washington is confronting allegations that Syria appears to have used chemical weapons, which Obama said would “change his calculus” but many seem unsure what that really means;
• The AP Twitter account was hacked with a Tweet of White House terrorist attack, briefing sending markets sharply lower;
• Koch brothers of libertarian bent made headlines in their exploratory bid for a group of newspapers that include The Chicago Tribune and The Los Angeles Times;
• Apple increased its return of cash to shareholders by $55 billion to about $100 billion over three years;
• The UK economy narrowly missed a third recessionary dip with slight signs of growth;
• Nasdaq OMX is expected to pay $10 million to US regulators for botched Facebook listing (separately $62 million expected to go to brokers); and
• The Dow ended the week slightly higher at 14,703.

Balthazar

This week, while visiting my colleagues across the pond, I had an opportunity to pop in and see Balthazar London firsthand. And when I walked through the door I was utterly shocked. The place is an exact replica - to the point where I kept thinking I'd be walking out on Spring Street upon leaving.

As I stepped back and thought about the experience, I was struck by the fact that Balthazar truly is a masterful example of how to maintain consistent brand standards. McNally has matched every light bulb, napkin and booth and the menu is the same. I should be impressed (our profession is obsessed with consistent brand standards, right?), but I couldn't help thinking that some small nod to the differences between New York and London and the cultures of the British and American people would be appropriate. For example should the shrimp on the menu in London not be called prawns? And despite London vernacular, the frites weren't called chips.

I walked away feeling both awestruck and unsettled. For a marketer like me, that is an oxymoron-like emotion, one that has left me still thinking about the Balthazar double take.

Credit: Reuters/Mike Segar

While on a business trip in London this week, I read a story in the Financial Times about HSBC's planned layoffs.

What could have been a "routine" story (layoffs are unfortunately all too common in financial services organizations these days), became front page news when HSBC decide to get tricky with its word choice describing the redundancies.  Instead of using straightforward, transparent terms, HSBC announced it would be "demising" 942 roles as part of a plan that would "impact" 3,000 employees.

Demising?  That kind of creative, vague terminology was just begging for critical attention - especially in the snarky UK media market.  Apparently, according to the FT, the announcement caused a great deal of anger among employees.

But HSBC is not alone in its insensitivity.  Unfortunately, in our profession, we often see many companies step on similar landmines. A financial institution I know well (which shall remain nameless), recently announced its plan to be a "best place to work" and an "employer of choice" in the midst of an announced restructuring that will result in the loss of thousands of jobs.  Well-meaning as leadership was, there’s no question that working to secure such awards, is a bit insensitive to the employees who are waiting for the ax to fall.

The reminder to all of us PR practitioners is to not only make sure we guide management and organizational leaders to be sensitive, but to always err on the side of being direct, regardless of the temptation to use language, nuance and creative terms to hide the truth.  It’s always better in these cases to be transparent and clear, to take your lumps on announcement day and then let it pass.

The Financial Times didn't write one story, but two on HSBC's insensitive word choice.  The second story also pointed out that the use of a noun as a verb (demise into demising) was not only in bad taste, but it's just plain bad grammar. Ouch.