Patrick Dougherty reads from his new memoir, A Whole-Hearted Embrace

I recently attended a very well attended book launch event for A Whole-Hearted Embrace, written by noted St. Paul psychologist and Spring Forest Qigong teacher Patrick Dougherty.

Patrick told us how he combined the two major stories of his life – the first of death and trauma, the second of healing and love – into his book. One night he says the two stories came together in his mind, and his new spiritual memoir is the result.

Lilja was involved early on. We introduced Patrick to Editor Gordon Thomas, who worked with Patrick on his early manuscript. More recently we have helped promote the finished book, including arranging the launch event at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis.

A Whole-Hearted Embrace is a dramatic account of Patrick’s journey to health and healing after witnessing death at an early age, including his tour of duty as a Marine in Vietnam. He experiences a variety of spiritual traditions, as well as the practice of Qigong.

Patrick reminds us that simply opening our hearts is a major step. Doing so does not just transform trauma and grief, but also brings love and joy. Reading his book reminds me that the journey we make from our heads to our hearts is the longest, most arduous journey we'll ever make -- but also one of the most rewarding.

Spring Forest Qigong, an organization that develops and provides educational tools to help people heal and improve the quality of their lives through Qigong, an ancient Chinese practice using breath and movement, published the book.

-Mary Lilja

Author Robert Glennon Speaks at U of M

On Feb. 22, Robert Glennon (pictured above with Deborah Swackhamer), author of Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It, addressed the “urgent water crisis" in our country in a free public lecture at the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul Student Center Theater.

The lecture was sponsored by local nonprofit, and Lilja client, Freshwater Society, celebrating 2010 – The Year of Water, a yearlong series of activities organized by the Freshwater Society to increase public awareness about water issues.

Among the media outlets that covered the event, the U of M student newspaper Minnesota Daily wrote an excellent piece that gives us at Lilja hope for the future of journalism.

With the news media in a state of disarray and budget cuts stretching today’s reporters (who, make no mistake, are excellent in their profession) thin, it seems that journalism would be an unattractive job for the future. But we are happy to see that is not the case, with young capable journalists-to-be ensuring the survival of the free press into the future.

-- Alex Cook

When Bad Publicity is Actually Good

PR professionals have debated if there really is “no such thing as bad publicity” since time began (or at least, since the profession began).

In the spirit of a healthy point/counterpoint to my colleague Alex, I am going to assert that bad publicity can be good – it all depends on how the situation is handled.

There really, truly are situations where bad publicity can help achieve the goals of an organization or person. While we instinctively think a bad situation would draw negative visibility, a bad situation handled properly and with good, solid communications, can actually increase positive thoughts about that person, product or organization.

One may point to Toyota and their handling of faulty brakes as an example of bad publicity being bad. While this isn’t the first time a company has dealt with a product safety issue, others have pulled it off gracefully and with their reputation intact. In contrast, Tylenol’s handling of cyanide-laced caplets in the early 1980’s is the classic example of good crisis management.

Amazing: something dubbed the “Tylenol Murders” by media actually helped Tylenol reinforce its dedication to product safety.

Every issue has two sides. It is the responsibility of the organization in question to react and present their side of the story in a swift and responsible manner. The question is not will communication take place – the question is how you will manage it.

-- Alicia DeMatteo

Two-Way Communications

We have been working on internal communications projects lately, which delight me: it is one of my first loves in the communications field. I like to think of the process as one big conversation that never ends.

I started my career as an intrepid reporter/editor of a company newsletter at a local manufacturing firm. It was my business to report the company news, so I had ongoing conversations with folks on the manufacturing line and in the executive suite. My news came out once a month in a printed newsletter that stayed in employees’ hands (who else would be interested in our news?).

In today’s world the lines between internal and external communications have become blurred. What you communicate internally is likely to be external, as well – now more than ever – so we keep that in mind.

But some things have not changed. Like most conversations, employee communications is a two-way street. A message is sent to an intended audience, and then it is received or not received, for a variety of reasons: pre-existing opinions and attitudes, format preferences, style issues, etc.

As we develop communications plans, we try to take that into account: how the messages or vehicles are likely to be both perceived . . . and received.

That’s why feedback loops of some kind are essential as communications plans, strategies and messages are set, and later as messages are sent.

If you don’t have a feedback loop in your organization, you could just ask employees what they think. And, most important, then listen to what they have to say.

Sometimes you’ll agree. Other times, you won’t.

What’s most important is that you listen first, and communicate back, second. And keep the conversation going in your organization.

-- Mary Lilja

There Really IS Such a Thing as Bad Publicity

With a New Year upon us, what is the number one lesson we learned in 2009?

In short, we discovered that the old maxim, “There is no such thing as bad publicity” was false. As evidence, I need only to invoke the names Tiger Woods, Falcon “Balloon Boy” Heene, Jon and Kate Gosselin, the Salahis… dare I go on?

In each of these cases, we see people who believe that they can navigate or control the media onslaught and come out with a restored image, a TV show, or a level of celebrity earned without any discernable talent.

But in the end they become lambs led to the altar of public opinion, ready for slaughter. Certainly, these people take their punishment in the form of lost sponsorships, freedoms, marriages, etc., but real blame lies at the feet of a news media willing to point their cameras at the target and a public eager to watch the drama unfold.

I won’t try to construct some argument that these media shenanigans never occurred in the halcyon days of Murrow or Cronkite, but when the latest newsmaker lands their live interview on a late night talk or morning show mere hours after their story breaks, are we truly better for it?

I don’t think so. After all, it seems that when we ought to trust the news media to inform us on issues related to our economy, health care and world affairs, all we hear about, or care to pay attention to, are plain Scottish spinsters who have a hidden ability to sing.

I hope in 2010 we expect more from the media and ourselves.

-- Alex Cook

50 Lessons on Leading

Earlier this year, Gordon Thomas, a close friend of Lilja Inc., told us about this fantastic book Steve Boehlke was writing, containing brief statements about leading and leadership. Shortly thereafter, we were able to connect Steve with another close friend of Lilja Inc., mod&co. And (not so) magically over the past few weeks, Steve’s words, mod&co’s designs, and our publishing expertise has yielded a great little book, 50 Lessons on Leading!

Check it out on Amazon. If you’re located in the Twin Cities, you also can find the book at a variety of gift and book stores. We’re proud of 50 Lessons, and think it’s a great conversation starter.

What lessons on leading have you learned along the way?

 -- Kadee Crottier

Holiday Sugar Without the Calories

I have a little trick for staying positive during the holidays that involves consuming sugar without calories. (No, it’s not diet soda.)

I record all of the television movies with the word “holiday” or “Christmas” in them. There’s Holiday . . . Affairs (original and remake), in Handcuffs, Inn, Switch, Wishes . . . and The Christmas . . . Card, Carol, Child, Chair (and that’s just the c’s), Gift, Proposal, Shoes, Story, Town, Visitor . . . you get the idea.

When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I watch one. These simple stories are never about what anybody got, but what they gave, or found – a lost love, a reconciled family - someone or something that sets things right.

As always, it’s the simple things that matter most.

Have a wonderful holiday.

-- Mary Lilja