Unproductive meetings are a sign of an unproductive workplace
Posted On October 22, 2018
Who likes going to meetings? Not many of us would raise our hands in response to that question. Most of us see meetings as time that would be better spent actually getting some work done. But workplace consultant and executive coach Michael Nash says it doesn’t have to be that way. Nash, who joins us again for another episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” says it really isn’t the meetings themselves we hate, it’s that they aren’t being conducted effectively. Meetings actually serve important functions, Nash says. They allow employees to have face time with their supervisors, and they… Read More
Categories: Podcast, What's Working with Cam Marston, Work, Workplace
Lessons from a Green Beret: In the military or in business, building relationships is the key
Posted On October 14, 2018
We often use military metaphors when describing other things. We might call a hard-fought football game a “war,” or refer to a tough sale as a “battle.” But is there anything that the military can teach us about how we do business? Our guest in the latest episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” is uniquely qualified to answer that question. Brad Israel is a U.S. Army Green Beret and Afghanistan veteran who is now the Chief Leadership Officer of 68 Ventures, a real estate holding company based in Baldwin County. Israel says there are several lessons he’s taken with… Read More
Categories: Podcast, What's Working with Cam Marston, Work, Workplace
Reports of print media’s demise may be greatly exaggerated
Posted On October 4, 2018
Is print media dead? Rumors of its demise abound. Distrust of media in general is high. Readers can find content free on the internet. And Craigslist has killed off the cash cow of classified ads. Many once-thriving dailies have slashed their staffs, reduced their editions and turned their focus to the web. But look beyond the headlines and you’ll find smaller, independent weeklies still serving their communities with the news of the day in good, old-fashioned newsprint, and some are even thriving. One such independent paper here in Mobile, Alabama, is Lagniappe. Joining us for this episode of “What’s Working… Read More
Categories: Podcast, What's Working with Cam Marston
Banking in the digital age means doing more with less
Posted On September 26, 2018
During the recession about a decade ago, many banks found themselves saddled with bad debt and forced to freeze their lending. This created an opportunity for new banks to gain a foothold – smaller, more nimble institutions with fewer branches and more flexibility. One such institution was ServisFirst Bank, a Birmingham-based bank that’s now operating in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Our guests in this episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” are two of the leaders of ServisFirst’s operations in Mobile – Bibb Lamar, who serves as President and CEO for the region, and Alex Arendall, Senior… Read More
Categories: Financial Services, Podcast, Recession Economy, What's Working with Cam Marston
Even today, honesty is still the best policy
Posted On September 20, 2018
In this age of instantaneous and global communication, where a lie or a bad review can travel, as they say, halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on, how does a business control its own message? Our guest in this episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” is Kinnon Phillips, an accredited public relations professional who is experienced with crisis communications and what to do when the weight of the world – and the worldwide web – is crashing down on your business’ reputation. Social media is now our “town square,” Phillips says, and “word of mouth” takes… Read More
Categories: Advertising, Entrepreneurship, Podcast
Faith in the workplace: Where do you draw the line?
Posted On September 12, 2018
Where is the line between religious freedom and discrimination in the workplace? The recent case of a baker who refused service to a gay couple on religious grounds brought the issue to the forefront nationally. But there are many other less sensational everyday instances where employers might be exposing themselves to potential litigation. What if an employer likes to play religious music or display religious symbols in the office? Or asks about a potential employee’s feelings toward such displays during a job interview? Our guest in this week’s episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” is Bill Wasden of the… Read More
Categories: church, Podcast, Workplace
Forestry and land management are more than a walk in the woods
Posted On September 4, 2018
When you drive up I-65 from Mobile to Montgomery or across I-10 from Mobile to Tallahassee, the acres and acres of pine trees along the roadside make for a rather boring drive. But to someone like Barrett McCall, it is a beautiful sight. McCall, our guest in this week’s episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” is president of Larson & McGowin Forest Managers and Consultants, one of the area’s foremost land management firms. Most of the timberland managed by companies like McCall’s is owned privately by families who hire management firms to handle harvesting schedules, hunting leases and the… Read More
Categories: Entrepreneurship, Podcast
Dilly dilly: How millennials are changing (not killing) the beer industry
Posted On August 22, 2018
What do you see when you step into the beer aisle at the grocery store? Twenty years ago, you probably would have seen a lot of Budweiser, Miller and Coors products, mixed with a few imports like Corona and Foster’s. Walk down a beer aisle in practically any grocery store today and you’ll still see a lot of Bud, Miller and Coors. But you’ll also see scores of other obscure brands – craft and local brewers, many of whom weren’t in existence five years ago, much less 20. The loosening of regulations on the brewing industry has resulted in an… Read More
Categories: Podcast, Work, Workplace
Saddle up for a ride into the wild, wild West of buying and selling a business
Posted On August 18, 2018
Say you’re a business owner who is ready to retire. You don’t have anyone in the family to pass the business along to, and you’re looking to sell. Do you know where to start? Or say you’re in the market to buy an existing business. How would you go about it? Buying and selling businesses isn’t like a normal real estate transaction, where a realtor puts a sign in your yard and lists your home on MLS. In most cases, you wouldn’t want your employees or your competitors finding out the business is up for sale until a deal is… Read More
Categories: Entrepreneurship, Podcast
Implicit bias: Confronting the monster you don’t even know is there
Posted On August 14, 2018
When we last spoke with Melanie Miller, she joined us for an enlightening discussion about sexual harassment and how to avoid fostering a hostile work environment. In this episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” Miller turns her sharp eye to the problem of implicit bias and its effects on hiring practices. The concept of implicit bias is the idea that we all have unconscious beliefs about people who are different than us, regardless of how open-minded we believe we are. “I believe to be human is to be biased,” Miller says. Even if we aren’t consciously aware of them,… Read More
Categories: Podcast, Workplace