Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

St. John (Edwards): Most saints started out as sinners

Most saints such as Francis of Assisi started out as sinners.  So, the odds are high that John Edwards could evolve into a major spiritual force in America - or the whole world.

POLITICO has a major article in which experts advise that he go on television and cry his eyes out. Rubbish.  He did his rite of humiliation in that trial which should never had taken place.   For four weeks he was the defendant. 

The penance out of the way, he can start building his new image.  Since his daughter obviously has forgiven him, he does not have to ask anyone else to.  It's time for action, not words from a public relations script.

Like Watergate's Chuck Colson, Edwards is destined for big things.  His temporary fall from grace may be the best thing which had happened to him.

Blankfein, Dimon, Zuckerberg: Is smart-aleck CEO brand over, for now?

The leadership persona in corporate America is rapidly shifting.  That brash style of Lloyd Blankfein (Goldman Sachs), Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan Chase), and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) have become not only out of date.  They scare investors who are fleeing companies with outsized personalities.  The Facebook stock is at 28.09, within a range so far of 27.86 to 45.  So much for the staying power of a high flyer.

Instead of the Big Boom of a man (this is usually a male kind of branding) we are coming to trust the old-line boy scout.  We demand the socially appropriate human being who is oriented to scan the horizon for what the world needs, not what they personally need.  Such leaders and their companies are thriving and without the burden of a feeding frenzy by the media.  My prediction is that the stock market will continue to favor the ordinary guy like Tim Cook at Apple who gave shareholders a dividend rather than the stand-up comic performances of those whose need to be way out there which, we fear, can lead for financial tragedy.

"Mad Men" - The anti-zen theme of striving to own

Would bringing in a Zen consultant fix the unhappy strivers at ad agency Sterling Price?  Maybe.  Each in his or her own way (with the exception of Megan and Sally) demands to own whatever.  A fundamental of Zen is non-attachment.

The plot line for Sunday's episode on "Mad Men" was about getting the Jaguar account.  The mad men came up with the theme "Jaguar. At Last.  Something beautiful you can truly own."  In the process, the Jaguar guy wants to own Joan in bed, at least for a night.  Owning no self esteem or a sense of sense, Joan caves. 

Don, of course, assumes he can own Megan, a woman he proposed to when she was unformed and without career goals.  She is having none of that, pursuing her acting career with seriousness.  It could take her to Boston and Don doesn't like that.  So far, though, the couple has been able to make up after friction.

Don also assumes he owns Peggy, another unformed creature.  But she is gaining some sense of self, both as a professional and a person.  She went after and got another offer.  For right now she's leaving the mad men.  But she is taking her working class ethnic Roman Catholic background with her.  Can she escape that?  If Peggy can detach from who she used to be she could become a force in the advertising world.

Buddhism, as well as many other spiritual philosophies, teaches that what we grab on to hold turns into a handful of dust.  Instead we should be open to living in the moment where everything is always changing.

Preventive Medicine: Healthcare costs aren't simply result of "defensive" procedures

U.S. healthcare is expensive.  Recently I found out that the cost isn't simply the result of "defensive" medicine, that is, procedures healthcare providers undertake to avoid malpractice litigation.  Some of the cost comes from the much more positive practice of preventive medicine.

The combination of what was on the mammogram and the history of both breast and colon cancer running in my family led to two ultrasounds and one biopsy at St. Raphael Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut.  The cost did dawn on me as I lay on the table for the biopsy and observed that four healthcare providers were involved in the procedure, two medical doctors.  I won't know the exact fee until ConnectiCare sends the statement of what it paid and what I have to pony up. 

The news was good, for now.  Yesterday I found that the area of concern was not malignant.  Maybe I lucked out in the genetic lottery.  It could be more of my genes come from the robust Italian side of the family tree versus the prone to cancer Eastern European side (mother's maiden name was "Miksza").   That may just be magical thinking, though.  The medical doctors at St. Raphael recommend a follow-up in six months.  You bet I will comply.  My sister died of breast cancer when she was 60.

After one goes through the ordeal of so many tests and the agony of fearing the worst, humility comes.  It's all too easy to pounce on any one supposed factor for the high cost of healthcare.  In this presidential campaign, both parties should approach this matter without an ideological beef. In addition, there should be respect for the expertise and caring of the front lines of medicine. It could just be that there really are no villains in the U.S. healthcare system, just the reality of high cost.

Arrogance: Not meme of 21st paradigm-shifting century

I've found it: The just-right persona to present myself for assignments as well as full time and part time jobs.  It's low profile, helpful, and humble.  As a result, good things are happening for me professionally.  Because work is great, I'm not so needy in my personal life either.  There's a pull force, much like the law of attraction. The meme of this confusing paradigm-shifting 21st century might be push back against arrogance of all sorts. 

A sign of the times is that the influential publication Bloomberg features the non-arrogant attorney Gary Naftalis of Levin Naftalis & Frankel who is defending former McKinsey head Raja Gupta.  That Manhattan attorney mirrors the Providence, Rhode Island attorney John Tarantino of Adler Pollock & Sheehan who got his client ARCO off the hook in that state's lead paint public nuisance trial.

On the other hand, there are the boys (the girls get knocked out of the game way too early) of Wall Street who are being hammered for, you got it, arrogance.  The smart-aleck ways of JPMorgan Chase Jamie Dimon, once featured as self confidence and praised, are being panned.  Other heads of business could also be in line for spankings by the media as well as shareholders, simply because of a persona which is perceived to be, well, arrogant.

This is really nothing new, is it. The literature majors among us recall the ancient Greek artists who positioned arrogance as hubris, the significant variable which brought down leaders.   Of course, there is the very real danger of moving into an era of Uriah Heeps where too many of us are way too 'umble.

THE NEW REPUBLIC: Where policy and business intersect

A new generation is taking charge of the memes of the 21st century.  One example of that is that Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has taken over the influential THE NEW REPUBLIC.  Now, reports Joe Pompeo in CAPITAL, Hughes is establishing a New York office for this essentially policy publication based inside the beltway.

This move signals that what the new generation will be deconstructing is where policy and business intersect.  There will be plenty to this story as a result of developments such as the JPMorgan Chase $2 billion loss and the trial for "U.S. v Gupta" about alleged insider trading.  The Washington D.C. folks have to respond to this seeming recklessness and corruption in the U.S. financial system.

Could we be entering a time of excessive regulation which happened after Enron?  Could be.  I look at this for financial information company Motley Fool.  Here you can review my thinking.

Mary Kennedy, Former Wife of RFK Jr., Found Dead: Suicide suspected

Tragedy again visits the Kennedy dynasty.  Mary Kennedy, former wife of Robert F. Kennedy's son Robert, was found dead in her Westchester apartment.  Suicide, the media report, is suspected.  She is the mother of their four children.

A few days after papers were filed for divorce she was arrested for drunk driving.  Those of us in 12-step programs felt her apparent pain. 

One of the last times Mary and Robert were seen in public was at Ted Kennedy's funeral.   Not too long ago Ted's daughter Kara died of cardiac arrest when working out in a gym.  Her body had been weakened by treatment for lung cancer.

JPMorgan Chase $2B Loss Could = Obama Victory, Revival of OWS

POLITICO reports that both friends and foes are distancing themselves from JPMorgan Chase. The investment bank which had been touted as making it through the financial antics didn't, did it. Reformers of all types now have their perfect symbol for everything that's wrong with Wall Street.

So we can expect to see those associated with Occupy Wall Street to be camping out again.  We can expect every lefty group to gain credibility as a voice to be heard.  We can expect the GOP to lose big races, including for the White House.  And we can expect a landslide Obama victory.  Bill Clinton, who is helping out in the campaign, will guide with all the right moves to exploit this developmnt.  Meanwhile, since JPMorgan Chase is perceived as distracted, we can expect a major hit to the stock price.

Everything changes, doesn't it. 

JPMorgan Chase Employees: Diminished brand

Many of those employed by JPMorgan Chase are far away from the kind of risks undertaken by The London Whale.  Yet, because of the bad bet on corporate bonds made by The Whale they will find themselves at a disadvantage in doing business.  Those they deal with could see them as reckless.   If they leave and get positions in other financial institutions they could carry this negative branding with them.

This is not the first time and it won't be the last in which employees suffered for the sins of their employers.  Enron staff found it difficult to get jobs.  So have many former mortgage brokers.

As a service to itself and its employees, who are actually the brand ambassadors, JPMorgan Chase should call in a crafty public relations firm - that is, after the crisis dies down.

DIY: Be your own public speaking coach

The DIY movement has unlocked talent and insight professionals didn't know they had.  This extends to public speaking.  Yes, many are learning to be their own public speaking coach, saving thousands of dollars and earning the sweet satisfaction of mastering a skill they assumed only big-time leaders could showcase.

As a speech coach, I have been able to boil down what you need to do to these five steps:

One, figure out your best public self.  We all have a number of professional personas.  The challenge is to select the fit that's most natural and holds up under stress.  This often requires trial and error.  Those who can't go through that process are simply too self conscious.  Believe it or not, former Chrysler head Lee Iacocca was a mediocre speaker.  He took a Dale Carnegie course and would fly out to an event a day before.  There in his hotel room he would practice practice practice in front of a mirror. Eventually he found his best speaking self.  The rest is history as he riveted Americans who demanded he run for president.

Two, set up a kitchen cabinet of trusted family, friends, and colleagues to gently but insightfully provide you a check list what worked, what didn't, and possible remedies.  Apply what makes sense to your evolving performance art.

Three, focus on the audience, not yourself.  The current issue of THE ECONOMIST points out that most mediocre or even horrific performances happen because the professionals - be they speakers or athletes - were preoccupied with themselves. Instead they should have been in the zone or absorbed in the activity.  Being audience-centric comes from being committed to delivering a talk which those sitting there couldn't have gotten elsewhere.  You are on a mission. 

Four, have someone you  know videotape your actual presentations.  Review them with those you trust.  The key here is to have the goal  of continual improvement.  The art of public speaking is a learned one.  Anyone can get better at it, if the effort is invested.

Fifth, coach someone else on a pro bono basis. We learn the most when we attempt to help others learn something new. You can volunteer at the Salvation Army coaching the unemployed on how to present themselves for jobs.