WAINGER GROUP, LLC

THIS STORY REALLY DISTURBED ME. A recent article in Washington Business Journal about how employers are posting fake job listings to make it look like they are growing and to boost morale is really concerning. According to a survey conducted by a company helping job seekers, 40% of 649 hiring managers surveyed have posted a fake job listing in the past year. Three in 10 responded they have an active fake-job posting. And moreover the majority of those surveyed said they have no moral qualms about doing so. I don’t see how lying about having jobs is a good thing. What message does it send about your enterprise that you have to shore yourself up by pretending that there are opportunities when there are not? And what about the frustration of job seekers who invest time and energy in applying and interviewing for jobs that simply don’t exist.  I wonder if these companies also have value statements that include things like Integrity, Honesty and Respect.  It’s no surprise that employees feel no loyalty.  Ghost jobs erode trust.  #workplaceethics #hiringpractices #trust https://lnkd.in/emCTfw26

BIRTHDAYS DON'T HAVE TO BE DOWNERS June is my birthday, both personally and professionally. Yes, I am a proud Gemini and this year was a milestone birthday. June is also the month I founded my company, Wainger Group, 24 years ago. I never expected to run a business.    My impetus for starting the company was to be home in the afternoon when my kids finished school.  I thought I would do this for a year or two until I got my next job. But as soon as I told people about my endeavor, work poured in.  Over the years, I have been privileged to work with so many amazing people across multiple industries and fields from ground breaking social impact nonprofits to entrepreneurial startups to venture capitals funding the “new new things” to federal and local governments to arts organizations to Fortune 500s.   Each one has taught me something important. I am proud to have helped people clarify and shape their messages, create effective communications functions, develop internal communications, facilitate retreats that lead to breakthroughs, forge strategic plans, and overcome t fears of public speaking to be effective advocates for themselves and their organizations. And now as I look ahead to the future, I will continue to support leaders and their teams by providing training and workshops to help them harness the power of their words and stories to engage, motivate and influence to build and grow their enterprises, engage their employees, partners and clients and make the world a better place. Starting my business was scary, uncertain and filled with twists and turns along the way.  But it has all been worth it. Thank you to my clients, partners, and friends and colleagues who have been generous with their advice, counsel and support. Happy Birthday Wainger Group!

What a week! I learned so much thanks to Anthony Shop and LinkedIn's Erica Pyatt and Christina Maruna at the National Digital Roundtable and heard from some amazing communicators what they are doing. And yesterday I was inspired at the topping out of Redbrick LMD's project the Douglass that celebrated a significant milestone for this bold residential development and that honored the HITT Contracting Inc. team. And finally had some great conversations with fellow Jubilee Housing Board members about the future. It is exciting to be around so many smart, caring and innovative people. What do all of these events have in common: --Strong leadership --A desire to forge relationships --Contributions to others #connection #leadership #impact

A powerful gathering of women for #mentoringmonday Mary Abbajay Kathy Albarado S. Kathryn Allen, Esq. Rosie Allen-Herring, MBA Stephanie Berkowitz Mary-Claire Burick Sage Bolte Torine (Brooks) Creppy Monica Schmude Monica Modi Dalwadi Lynda Ellis Joan Fletcher, PCC Sabret Flocos Angela Franco Tracy Sayegh Gabriel Sara Gibson Indira Henard, DSW, MSW Debbi Jarvis Beth Johnson Susan Lacz Jen Nycz-Conner Allison Prince Linda Rabbitt Julie Rosenthal Traci Schweikert Lidia Soto-Harmon Maria Thompson Sovany Van Kirra Jarratt Liz Wainger Tycely Williams, CFRE Courtney Nakoneczny, CAPM® Andrea H. Evans, Esq.

You don't know me so don't make assumptions. When I first started my company two decades ago, I went to lots of networking events. I wasn't terribly creative with my company name, Wainger Group. More often than not, people at these events would look at my name tag and without a word walk way, deciding that I probably couldn't do anything for them. They made a snap judgment. I could see thought bubbles: Small company, maybe unemployed and hanging out a shingle. What they didn't know about us is that we work with Fortune 500 companies, major philanthropies and nonprofits as well as entrepreneurs, delivering high impact communication strategy, messaging and training. Now I forgo the name tag and make them work to find out who we are. People think that if you have a small company, you must be small minded. In business, we measure success by size not always by quality. Growing a large company with a big footprint and impact is powerful. Big has its rewards but also its downsides. Smaller companies offer something different--personalized work, no cookie cutter solutions, experienced people who care because their name is on the website. For years I wondered why I didn't build a big company. Bottom line: I didn't want to. I deliberately chose to be a boutique firm. It enables me to do the work the way it needs to be done, to do what's right for the client and to work with people and organizations who share my values.

This email stopped me in my tracks. A holiday greeting from law firm Goulston & Storrs. Gone were the perfunctory and impersonal messages. Instead, they made a video featuring the beloved pets--dogs cats and even a few reptiles-- of their personnel-- in happy and silly poses with just the name of the human owner. It was funny, joyous and made me smile. And it also showed a group of professionals, often maligned for being cold, with lots of heart. I don't know about you but my inbox has been overflowing this week with lots of greetings and wishes and most of which are boring and immediately sent to trash. Worse yet, I am getting these good tidings from companies I don't know, don't care about and am not sure how I got on their list. What makes this holiday campaign wonderful is through the pets they show their humanity. Now anyone who knows me, knows how much I love my own furry child, Buddy pictured below. But even if you don't love animals, you still have to hand it to these lawyers for creativity. If I needed an attorney, all things being equal, I'd probably want to do business with them. See the video yourself in the comments. Happy holidays from Wainger Group and our Chief of Security, Buddy! #holidaymarketing #lawyers #

Still looking for that perfect holiday gift? Consider the gift of a refreshed and vibrant personal or organizational brand. I wrote Prism of Value: Connect, Convince and Influence When It Matters Most to help leaders, teams and individuals clarify their purpose, simplify their message and amplify their presence. The book is filled with tips and tools to help you put your best forward. The result: you feel more confident, the people who matter most to your success understand you, value you and want to do business with you, support your cause and tap into your wisdom. Check it out and get ready for 2024! Ordering info is in the comments.

Would you have the courage? It’s a question I asked myself after watching a horrifying documentary on Netflix,  Bad Surgeon Love Under the Knife. It tells the disturbing and heartbreaking story of an Italian surgeon who committed medical research fraud that killed people as well as duped at least three women who believed he was a loving and caring romantic partner including a smart investigative journalist. I don’t know what was more upsetting–the acts of the man himself or the people at  some of the world’s best medical institutions who looked the other way or the media that hailed him as a pioneer but didn’t ask enough tough questions about the claims of the success of his regenerative medical procedures. Three surgeons at the Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden (which determines the Nobel Prize for Medicine) where this doctor was on staff were also taken in by the charismatic doctor. Until they realized he had skipped key steps in the research, gathered evidence that his work was harming people and presented it to the powers that be, only to find themselves under investigation by the police and their reputations called into question. The leaders of the hospital didn’t want  to risk their reputation so they covered it up.  The sad thing is that when the truth came out, those leaders had to leave and their institution was badly tarnished. The cover up, the lies are always worse than the truth about wrong doing.  This surgeon (who I don’t even want to name because he deserves no more attention) was eventually convicted and sentenced to two years in prison which he is appealing. What is so chilling is how effective he was at charming people and preying upon people’s hopes and fears who so desperately wanted to believe in him and the miracles and love he promised. And how many people, who should have known better and had doubts, ignored them and enabled him to do what he did? The surgeons who exposed the fraud were extremely brave and suffered for it. In the end they were vindicated but at great personal cost. So I ask myself and you?  If you see something ethically, morally or criminally wrong in your workplace or in your life, would you have the courage to stand up and risk your own future for what is right? My answer is that I would hope so.  And could any of us be taken in by a manipulative con artist?  Unfortunately, the answer here is yes. #ethicalleadership #reputation #authenticity