mccullochblog

Psych!

One of my clients decided it would be a good idea to include some pyschometric personality testing within the agenda of a meeting we had this week. While I would normally welcome such an exercise as much as a lifelong job as a shoe salesman or the cancellation of all football forever, I must confess there was something relatively comforting about having my foibles and quirks laid out in a 28-page report.

I think I can say this now because I've gone through at least four such tests in the course of my professional career, and have finally come to terms with my profile, which reads something like this:

Intravert or Extravert? - Extrovert. David likes talking to people. People are interesting. However, if he's at a party, he'd much rather have a really good chat about one thing with one person, than to flit around like a social butterfly. He likes substance to his extraversion.

Intuitive or Sensory? - Intuitive. David gets very bored with lots of detail. He tends to think he's clever enough not to worry about gathering all the facts before he makes a decision. Isn't it obvious? I mean, why waste the time actually 'knowing' that you're right, when you have a perfectly good gut reaction! Come on! Get on with it! Oh, and he's an optimist, a visionary, if you like...he doesn't worry if thing's are terrible now...they'll almost certainly get better.

Thoughtful or Feeling? Thoughtful. David likes facts. He loves logic. He studied maths. He thinks of his job as a science, not an art. It's not about creative writing; it's about understanding markets, capabilities and sales strategies. Oh, and he loves a good think. I mean, turn off the radio, TV...everything...and just let him mull things over for a while. Hmmm....fantastic!

Judgmental or Perceiving? Judgemental. This is about order, predictability and control. (This one requires some commentary) Paradoxically, I hate planning anything mundane in advance... really...I don't plan anything that isn't a holiday (except when I absolutely have to...you know, for work... but I do like to determine my own schedule, which means I get crabby about chores suddenly appearing on my list. According to Myers-Briggs, I'm more ordered than spontaneous, but I love change...or at least, I hate monotony. This was a difficult category for me. Can you tell?

Anyway, all of this is useful for other people to know...because apparently it ensures we all get along better....and I think harmony is important on an online forum such as this. Don't you?

Good. That's why I'm inviting you to pysch yourself to see if we're really compatible. Go on, you know you secretly want to...

Blind Ambition.

I can't exactly recall whether it was an interview with a careers officer, or a newspaper horoscope that first brought the concept of 'ambition' to my attention.

I vaguely remember a horoscope commenting that Geminis are typically visionary and believe in great futures for themselves. I'm pretty sure it was around the same time a careers officer told me that wanting to be an actor or Prime Minister was a sign of immaturity.

In 1984, or thereabouts, I was actually pretty sure I was going to be Prime Minister some day. I even wrote to Margaret Thatcher asking her exactly which qualifications came in handy for the job interview. I got a reply too...although I didn't like the answer (chemistry) much at the time, which is probably why a run for office doesn't appear to be in my immediate future.

In the early 90s, I was fairly sure I was going to become a journalist. I did even become one for a while. But it was whilst seving on the 'death notices' desk of the Bucks Free Press that I realised (a) ambitions aren't always quite what you expect and (b) 'ambition' and 'affluence' don't necessarily go hand-in-hand (I was briefly working there for free, if you can believe it).

Then came PR. Marvellous stuff and a move to Silicon Valley thrown into the bargain. I think I  knew America lay ahead for me from the day Rich, Ant and I arrived in Boston in 1995 without a hotel room or a damn clue what we were going to do for a week. That's how we ended up in New Bedford of course (FYI - Mosquito spraying tonight), but still, America found me!

Well, aged 35, I guess I still want to be a journalist of sorts. As my loyal readers know, I've been agonizing over a book for about four years. In a recent office poll I was voted "person you would most like to see get a book deal", so bouyed by a potential audience for my first work, I'm still plugging away (I wrote two pages today).

Other than that, I still quite fancy being Prime Minister, or perhaps President. Arnold Schwarzenegger seems intent on making the possibility of a foreign-born President a reality, and his only academic achievement seems to be that he was "cheerful, exhuberant and good-natured" at school. I reckon I'm still in with a shot!

So, come on...'fess up. What were your childhood ambitions....and are they still in your stars?

How PR works.

In case you've ever wondered...this is what PR people do with survey data.

Airlines and Government Offices Rank Bottom of Global Customer Service Survey

Cable and Telephone Companies Next on 'World's Worst' List According to Consumers

San Francisco, Calif. August 9th, 2007 - McCullochblog, a globally-renowned publisher of commentary on current affairs and domestic events, today unveiled the results of a global customer service study which revealed the organizations from whom consumers expect to receive the worst in customer service.

The study, conducted by pollster Vizu amongst individuals in the highly sought-after working professional, aged 18-40 bracket, revealed that 44% of consumers expect to receive the 'worst service' from airlines and government offices. 33% of respondents said they expected 'abuse...if you're lucky' from cable and telephone companies. Other organizations singled-out as providing poor service included: taxi drivers (22%), Internet service providers (11%) and buses (11%).

"Suffice it to say we've received numerous travel vouchers from United Customer Service to make up for their many mistakes," said Stephanie Datta of Burlingame, in a comment representative of the feedback provided by those polled. She added: "...which then cause more issues, but that is another story."

"There was a time when flying used to be considered glamorous. Not any more, clearly." said David McCulloch, Managing Editor, McCullochBlog. "I think the industry needs to find a great image consultant to address these perceptions. Me? Oh, I charge $400 per hour. Why do you ask?" he added.

Representatives of airlines, government offices, telephone and cable companies were not contacted to respond to the survey, but if they had been they probably would have put its authors on hold for ages.

- ends -

The Great Outdoors.

After a challenging week in the office, there's nothing quite so relaxing as getting away from it all...you know, just hitting the open road and heading to a campsite in a forest, with just the basics: a tent, a camping stove and some chili to cook.

Oh, and two camping chairs, of course, for sitting by the open fire. Well, that, and a nice bottle of pinot noir and a few beers. And obviously you need a cooler to keep the beer cold. And if you're bringing a cooler, you may as well throw some eggs, milk, bread, hot dogs and butter and in there, right?

Yes, there's nothing better than cooking out in the open air around a campfire. Of course, you need some bug spray to make it pleasant, and then some wet wipes to get that stuff of your hands (it really stinks). And obviously it gets a bit dark in the forest, so you need a few torches and candles, especially when it's time for bed. After all, it's a bit annoying crawling over the inflatable mattress (did I mention the inflatable mattress?) looking for your warm clothes in the dark.

But at the end of an energetic day of playing tennis (obviously we brought the rackets) and a terrific 16 mile ride (oh, and we brought the bikes), you really feel the joy of the outdoors, especially when you can have a nice warm shower before settling down for the night. Well, you've got to have SOME luxuries, haven't you?

Yes, it was great to get away from it all this weekend! ;-)

p.s. The wild west pictures are from a town called Boulder Creek, suprisingly close to San Francisco.

p.p.s. The pictures of the Buddhist monastery 2 miles from Boulder Creek!