Two weeks ago, the Republican and Democrat leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives did something they rarely do: they publicly agreed on a controversial topic. The significance of this event demands a little background.

The FBI is investigating Rep. William Jefferson (D - La.) on charges of bribery. A former aide has pleaded guilty to bribing Jefferson. The FBI alleges in an affidavit that they found $90,000 of bribe money used a sting operation in Jefferson’s freezer wrapped in “various food containers” and tinfoil. And, the FBI also alleges that Jefferson failed to cooperate with a subpoena for records related to the investigation.

Based upon this evidence and believing that materials in Jefferson's office were pertinent to the investigation, the FBI secured a warrant and proceeded to search Jefferson’s Capitol Hill office. It is the first time that such a search happened.

The reaction from Congress was swift, decisive, and unified in condemning the Justice Department and the FBI. Unfortunately for Congressional leaders, we are not all Constitutional scholars. Their intended messages in their reponse may vary greatly from what most American heard.

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We have written 24 articles for this section on a variety of topics in the four-year history of the Atkinson Advisor. The following are five of our favorites:

• Right brain vs. left brain (June 2002)
• Your organization’s three identities (Aug. 2002)
• How communications impacts results (Oct. 2004)
• Most important words in a crisis (Feb. 2005)
• Elements of great stories (April 2005)

We hope you enjoy this review as much as we look forward to publishing the next four years.

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Next time you are conducting performance planning with your direct reports, try asking each of them to name three important things they will accomplish next quarter. For every direct report, that adds up to 12 important accomplishments during the year. The sum of their accomplishments will most likely result in important changes for your organization.

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ESPN used to be known as a great sports brand. In the last few years, it has transcended the sports label to become one of the best brands anywhere.

The company’s lineup now includes its flagship cable station, numerous specialty cable stations, a top-rated website, a successful magazine, and destination restaurants. The company recently launched its own mobile service for sports junkies.

CEO George Bodenheimer has received much of the credit for ESPN’s brand growth. In a recent Business Week profile of the company, Bodenheimer explained his own philosophy toward brand building:

1. Define your mission – “We serve the fans.”
2. Know what your brand is – “We view ourselves as the world’s biggest sports fan.”
3. Cultivate relationships with your customers – “Talk to fans, not at them.”
4. Develop an inclusive culture – “I came up from the mailroom, so I had managers who were listening to me.”
5. Continually enhance your product – “We have launched three new channels in the past two years, a broadband service, and a cell-phone service.”

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www.snap.com

We don’t doubt Google and its ability. However, sometimes, you need a little fresh approach to the search engine. Snap.com presents information in a user-friendly dashboard format that shows search results on the left side and the actual websites that correspond to the search results on the right side of the screen. Snap.com also has features making it easier to navigate the results themselves.

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The Leadership Challenge by Jim Kouzes and Bar Posner

The Leadership Challenge is the seminal work for Kouzes and Posner, acclaimed leadership researchers from Santa Clara University.

The book lays out a framework for developing personal and organizational leadership in five leadership practices:

• Model the way
• Inspire a shared vision
• Challenge the process
• Enable others to act
• Encourage the heart

The authors illuminate the practices with 10 leadership commitments (two per practice) that help put the practices in motion. The book dedicates a detailed chapter to each of the 10 practices.

Kouzes and Posner have also developed an online tool called the Leadership Practices Inventory, which allows followers of the book to measure their behavior against the practices and commitments. For more information, visit their website at www.leadershipchallenge.com.

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