Issue 49 - August 2006The M Powerer comes to you each month from M Power. Its 'fast four' format makes The M Powerer a purposefully quick read with a mix of quotes, tips, reviews, news and views on areas we work in, including - communication
- public relations
- empowerment
- individual effectiveness
- organisational productivity
- life balance
- customer service.
Karen Morath
Managing Director
M Power 
The ‘fast four’ for August are
1. Buzzwords
2. A quote we like
3. On leadership
4. This month’s book review
1. Buzzwords 'Astro turfing' is a term finding some currency in Australia, but has been around for sometime, especially in the states.
It is the process of creating the illusion of grassroots support for a cause - imagine campaigners exaggerating claims about the number of people who join them in their protests or how quickly and cheaply built websites could make a small group of advocates look like quite a force. The University of Texas says 'grass roots support is an essential legitimizing force, so political and corporate economic campaigns often subsidize or even manufacture the appearance of grass roots activity to advance particular interests. Thus, the creation of the appearance of grass roots support has gained its own label - astro turfing.'
Don't believe everything you read. Source - www.pria.com.au 2. A quote we like “It is funny about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the very best you will very often get it.”
Source - W. Somerset Maugham 3. On leadershipPeggy Stevenson, General Manager City Services, Latrobe City Council, defined contemporary leadership when she won the inaugural SACS Award for Leadership in Local Government recently.
Her approach is to focus on vision, commitment, resilience and determination and to encourage the people who work for her to build, reshape and enhance their individual skills to incorporate them into their successful professional life. Sounds positively empowering to us. Source - SACS Award for Leadership in Local Government, The Australian Club, July 28, 2006
4. This month’s book review The 8th habit by Stephen R Covey, Simon and Schuster UK 2004 This book threatened 'sequel' for me so it took me a while to pick it up, despite my enthusiasm for the seven habits. It is not giving away the ending (it's on page 5 of 382) to say the eighth habit is to 'find your voice and inspire others to find theirs'. Your 'voice' is your 'unique personal significance' which manifests itself when talent (your natural gifts and strengths), passion (those things that naturally energize, excite, motivate and inspire you), need (including what the world needs enough to pay you for) and conscience (that still, small voice within that assures you of what is right and that prompts you to actually do it) come together.
I'm for finding that! Covey's downfall is his dabbling with made-up academic constructs that interrupt the flow of his writing. It's worth pushing beyond these affectations though. His perspective nurtures. To buy the 8th habit from Amazon click here.
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