University of Maryland

May 23, 2013 by Marc Hausman

What Can We Learn from F-Bombs and Teen Popularity?

Sorority president’s f-bomb laced email led to her resignation. (Photo: thefrisky.com)

University of Maryland junior Rebecca Martinson was fuming when she sat down at her computer.

President of the local chapter of the Delta Gamma sorority, Martinson had observed and heard reports of her sisters failing to live up to their Greek Week responsibilities. As a result, the reputation of the sorority and its standing with the university’s fraternities was in a precarious position.

Martinson’s profanity laced diatribe was leaked to the media, spread and shared via social media and quickly branded the “most deranged sorority Email you will ever read.” Martinson resigned from her post in shame a few days later.

Retailer Abercrombie and Fitch recently came clean on its policy of marketing its clothing solely to thin and attractive teenagers. CEO Mike Jeffries explained that “good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that.”

Mike Jeffries, Abercrombie & Fitch. (Source: Chicago Tribune)

The outcry was deafening and resulted in a precipitous drop in the company’s brand reputation. A quick backpedal ensued with a company-issued apology.

While the tone and delivery by Martinson and Jeffries was clearly flawed, their message was candid, straight-forward and 100 percent accurate.

I’m a former fraternity member at the University of Maryland and sororities deemed anti-social are quickly blackballed from events. And, in the case of Jeffries, a fashion retailer is in the business of selling a beautiful image.

It is a bitter pill, yet in many instances that image precludes people outside a specific look. The movie the Devil Wears Prada captured that philosophy.

These instances leave me with a few take-aways:

Leadership and management is not a popularity contest. There are times you have to communicate a message that an audience does not want to hear. The sorority girls needed to get their act together. Plus-sized teenagers should find somewhere else to shop.

Style of delivery is just as important as content. Give it to your audience straight. Be honest and credible. However, embrace sincerity and empathy to ensure people focus on the message.

September 14, 2011 by Marc Hausman

Why Innovation Thrives Throughout the Washington, DC Region

Geographies with thriving technology, software and telecommunications communities share a number of key attributes.

One such characteristic is the presence of a collection of market leading companies that serve as a breeding ground for executive talent. In the Washington, DC region, past innovators such as AOL and MCI once filled that role. They spawned a myriad of spin-outs and start-ups, which helped create an eco-system of innovation.

Today, government focused systems integrators such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Booz Allen Hamilton, as well as fast risers like Living Social, Merchant Link and Broadsoft provide the ideal environment for the cultivation of the next generation of business and technical leaders.

Additionally, centers of technology are populated with a capital community – from angel investors, venture funds and private equity firms to investment bankers who help entrepreneurs realize a successful financial exit.

Washington, DC scores high in access to funding. Consider the membership ranks of professional organizations like the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA) and the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG). Executives with a bold idea, a credible business plan and a track record of execution typically find funding in town.

Finally, one vital – yet often overlooked – ingredient necessary for technology to take off in a region is the presence of high quality, research oriented universities. Think of the impact Stanford has in Silicon Valley or how MIT and Harvard define Boston.

Again, the Washington, DC region shows well when it comes to colleges that flood our business community with trained talent and viable ideas.

The University of Maryland, College Park is a prime example. While the business school and engineering program typically bask in the accolades, there are also less profile initiatives with a comparable level of benefit for the region.

For the past decade, the University of Maryland has fielded a team to compete in a global competition called the Solar Decathlon. Pulling students from multiple areas of study, including architecture, business, medicine, engineering and journalism, Maryland’s solar decathletes are charged with the design and construction of a house that meets the most stringent levels of environmental sustainability.

With funding provided by the US Department of Energy, as well as a handful of corporate sponsors, Maryland’s team will unveil its eco-friendly house this month for formal judging. The competition includes collegiate teams from the across the United States, plus countries like Canada, Belgium and New Zealand.

Win or lose, many of the 30 plus students who comprise the university’s Solar Decathlon team will enter the Washington, DC’s region work force primed to a contribute in a meaningful way.

And we’re all the better off because of it.

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