My Grandfather was an Illinois farmer with a business degree, and he was a man among men. When I was still in garanimals, and my mother was forging the path from secretary to office manager to MBA-toting-glass-ceiling-breaking-corporation-healing badass, he told her two things that changed her life, and mine.

Not that you asked, but it was good advice from father to daughter in the early eighties, and it is good advice for anyone now, so here goes:

1. “Invest in yourself”
   My mom was a newly divorced college graduate with two small kids and an administrative assistants’ paycheck that barely covered the essentials. She’d done the math of working and raising two kids alone and it didn’t add up. Then Time magazine ran an article about how MBAs were the new “pot of gold,” and my Mom knew she needed to act quickly or she would miss her moment. She was afraid to quit her job and go to school full time. My grandfather told her the best investment was in herself.

   We lived on a $5,000 bonus from Mom’s old employer and a GA stipend that could not be seen with the naked eye. Grandpa helped too. We gave up some things, but we’ve never missed them. Mom got her MBA. She now has over 20 years of Fortune 100 business experience under her belt, has engaged with clients from Germany to Singapore to Georgetown, and is doing quite well.

   Whether you are a secretary or an industry leader – now is no time to shrink from self investment. Your past experience and future potential are all you’ve got. Investing may rub against your grain – your gut is probably saying hoard that cash and hunker down. Turn off the CNN and slowly back away.

   The winners in this global readjustment will be bold. They will treat this uncertain time like an

   Oklahoma land grab. There is no guarantee things will get better, or that things won’t get worse. The only thing that is certain is change.

   Imagine yourself doing something different, better, faster – lay out your plan, communicate your mission and your needs to your constituents – and take this crazy world in hand. Been a long time since you talked to your customers? Seen what the competition is up to? Explored a new angle? Gotten your name on the marquis?

   Gandhi said, “Be the change.” Invest in your future. Do it now. It will pay off.

1. “They are lucky to have you”
   Fast forward to my Mom interviewing at BIG JOB HQ, newly minted MBA in hand, worried she won’t make the cut, and how she’ll feed her kids if she doesn’t. The eye of that inner storm was what my Grandpa said the day she aced the interview and landed the ticket to our new life. “They are lucky to have you,” he said, “don’t you forget it.” My mother never has – even in her darkest professional hour.

   How often do we get advice like this?

   Why in tough times do we seek to justify our professional existence? Why do we let fear push us into the dark, out-of-scope recesses – the no-mans-land of trying to be everything to everyone, hoping to make it through the next round of resizing? Why can’t we screw down my Grandpa’s lens and be confident in the singular value we provide?

   Because for most of us, the value we provide has not changed – only the environment has (if this doesn’t ring true to you, see advice item #1 – if what you do isn’t valued, it is time to invest and/ or move on. It may be the best thing that ever happened to you).

   John Lennon said, “I don’t believe in Beatles, I just believe in me.” My Grandpa would be hip to that. The current business climate is, simply put, a hot mess. When in doubt, focus on five simple things:

· Clearly communicate the value you provide in the context of corporate mission

· Be honest about any past shortfalls and realign to address them

· Make promises you’d be proud to keep

· Do your best work

· Most importantly – Stay out of the politics

Deal in what is real. Cast forward. Be confident. This isn’t about making it to the next hitching post unscathed – it’s about pride in who you are, and becoming who you really want to be. Now is the time.

“The present letter is a very long one, simply because I had no leisure to make it shorter.” - Blaise Pascal

I have seen plenty of good ideas fall down simply because their communicators lacked the time and resources to hone their story, and their audience had no time to absorb it. If I had a dollar for every time I have asked or thought, “Let’s get down to the brass tacks–what are we trying to say here?” I would be writing this blog from a bungalow on Hanalei Bay , island of Kauai , while being fanned by a cabana boy with a gold-dipped palm frond. 

Why is it so hard to tell a short, good story?

1. There’s the foregone conclusion: long = complex = smart = valuable. Did this ever add up? Your high school English teacher didn’t think so. Neither did Hemmingway.

2. There is the issue of clear vision and mission which, ironically, tend to get murky as change takes hold in companies and the clarity and frequency of communications become more important than ever before. Understandable? Yes. Insurmountable? No.

3. There is the tendency—frankly rife in boardrooms everywhere—to focus on the short game. Time is tight. Everything is Priority One. The Fire Drill rules. Who has time to think about the story when they spend 16 hours a day reacting to the most recent crisis?

And how long can you remain competitive in this mode?

Stories are proactive. They are the plot that drives prioritization in a world full of “to dos”. When the pressure is high to be everything to everyone, they are bedrock to stand firm on. And on those bad days when you ask yourself just what in the hell you’re doing and how you got here, your story is the shortcut back to the forward track.

But it has to be a good one. One you can tell to anyone who’ll listen, any time, day or night. Because your stakeholders simply don’t have time to wait for you to make your case.

In a world where information knocks long and loud on every door into the human consciousness, where data demands to be dealt with moment to moment, and more and more companies are realizing that information is their business, the competition for your customer’s ear is exceedingly stiff. Make it easy for them to understand your point of view quickly, and the battle for their hearts and minds will be half won.

When I was a little girl, my mother (crook in neck from her head long pressed against the glass ceiling) etched a clear mantra into my impressionable mind: “It’s not what’s on the outside, but what’s in your head and in your heart that counts.” So…instead of the normal body image complexes that plague many women, I have spent my life wondering, am I smart enough? Am I GOOD enough? Am I kind enough? Am I learning? Am I teaching? Am I giving back?

Apparently the C-level execs at many successful companies had mothers like mine, too. Along with flexibility and global environmental responsibility, many are working a message about corporate goodness and giving into the stories they tell–to both internal and external customers.

Target is giving a percent of weekly sales to fund community projects. SunTrust recently launched a “My Cause” campaign that lets account openers give $100 to their favorite non-profits. IBM has adopted a new program whereby its employees can, for regular pay, head out on a ”giving back” sabbatical; they have also created a World Community Grid that lets you donate idle computing time to do things like improve weather projections in Africa and research the spread of infectious disease. Barney’s showcased Rudolf the Recycling Reindeer (made of soda cans and pop tops) in its holiday windows. And have you noticed that ”service” is the watchword in the current presidential political campaign?

Check out this article in HBR for more info on companies that count giving back as a key corporate priority: Transforming Giants: What kind of company makes it its business to make the world a better place?

You’re on fire.

Need to sound the alarm? Be smart. Leave the charts and the jargon behind.
Great communications keep it simple. Give customers a clear strategic vision 
and straight talk that sells.

Your platform is burning. Can they feel the heat?