June 25, 2010 by Gary Seigel.

Once upon a time, there was a little ten year old girl, named Carly, who sat with her two sisters, Annie and Rebecca,  on a flight heading from Atlanta to  Milwaukee, when a mean Flight Attendant  came up to her and said, “You have to get rid of your turtle.”

“My turtle?” the girl asked. “You mean Neytiri?”

“Yes, and you need to do it right now.”  .

“But I was told to just put the cage under my seat? What am I going to do? She’s my turtle.”

The mean Flight Attendant took a deep breath and squinted her eyes. “No. Federal regulations – see Clause 3456 – state no turtles allowed on Air Tran. We’re taxi-ing back to the gate, taking you and your sisters off, delaying the flight a full hour, so we’re asking you right now: Get out of your seats and take the turtle off this airplane, or we’ll have to call security.”

So the teary-eyed Carly and her two sisters  lifted the cage with the two inch turtle inside as the Pilots and mean Flight Attendant escorted the sisters off the jet way.

“When you say get rid of it, what do you mean?” The teary-eyed Carla asked.

“Throw it in the trash and get back on the airplane,” the mean Flight Attendant said again.” You’re holding up the entire Trans Air Airline. What do you think we have all day?”

So Carly, Rebecca and Annie reluctantly placed the caged two inch turtle in a trash bin, quickly called their father in hopes he might retrieve the animal before it got dumped into the sewers of Atlanta, and re-boarded the airplane.

Now I may have embellished this story a bit – it’s sort of Airplane Meets Snow White — but truly, this is based on a factual story, and the airline delayed a flight, forced passengers to wait at least an hour, and created a PR nightmare (broadcast around the world) just so that they could follow the letter of the law: No turtles on domestic or International flights. I have to admit - I have a hard time with this.  What’s the big deal? So the turtle breaks the rules.  It’s a little, tiny pet, and let’s face it – it got through security. The little girl even asked if she could put it under her seat and she was told that was fine.My take?  Let poor Neytiri stay in her cage under the seat. Put the rule aside and move on. Or, do you follow the letter of the law, and handle this uncomfortable situation with perhaps kit gloves?  (Trans Air obviously didn’t do a good job of this). Listen to BlogTalk radio,   http://www.blogtalkradio.com/consultantinsultant  Tune in this Sunday to listen/hear the Insultant/Consultant take on this. How do you deal with the breaking of rules at your company? When does it become a Public Relations nightmare and how can you avoid that?  E-mail questions to Gary@themouthtrap.com 

Posted in The Mouth Trap | 4510 Comments »

June 23, 2010 by Gary Seigel.

Every day now when I look in the mirror, I see my dad.

Age, I guess, does that to you, but I’ve been seeing my dad in me for decades. 

When my kids were little, I read to them from the same Golden books that my dad read to me. I took the time to help my kids with their English homework, editing (sometimes rewriting their sentences) much as my dad had done when I was struggling in high school.

Just as he would often finish a phone conversation with “I love you,” I do the same with my kids. And the respect and love he showed for my mother, often leaving love notes strewn across every chairs and sofas throughout the house like fallen leaves, may not have quite inspired me but encouraged me to never be embarrassed by that mushy romantic stuff..

But the most important influence my dad had on me was his love of writing and his skill at business. If I learned nothing else from watching him negotiate deals, create advertising campaigns for Christmas (in July!), and confront tough, hostile work situations – it was this: Always be kind and respectful even when you hate the guy.

Such talent for camaraderie, even among enemies, sustained him in business and teaching for nearly six decades His generous and comforting style impressed many generations of students at

I feel fortunate to have had a father like this, and I realize not everyone is as lucky.

But for those of us who can trace the roots of our success to our dads, what better time to consider those lessons than this weekend, Father’s Day 2010.

Tune in this Sunday at 8:30 am Pacific Time to the Dr. Brian and Dr. Gary Insultant/Consultant Show and learn how the traits of being a good father can often influence a great management style.

Call in with your own stories – and hear Dr. Brian and Dr. Gary share some surprising secrets they picked up from their dads.

Every day now when I look in the mirror, I see my dad.

Age, I guess, does that to you, but I’ve been seeing my dad in me for decades. 

When my kids were little, I read to them from the same Golden books that my dad read to me. I took the time to help my kids with their English homework, editing (sometimes rewriting their sentences) much as my dad had done when I was struggling in high school.

Just as he would often finish a phone conversation with “I love you,” I do the same with my kids. And the respect and love he showed for my mother, often leaving love notes strewn across every chairs and sofas throughout the house like fallen leaves, may not have quite inspired me but encouraged me to never be embarrassed by that mushy romantic stuff..

But the most important influence my dad had on me was his love of writing and his skill at business. If I learned nothing else from watching him negotiate deals, create advertising campaigns for Christmas (in July!), and confront tough, hostile work situations – it was this: Always be kind and respectful even when you hate the guy.

Such talent for camaraderie, even among enemies, sustained him in business and teaching for nearly six decades His generous and comforting style impressed many generations of students at Pierce College, and I continue to channel his warmth whenever I want to bite the heads of managers and supervisors.

I feel fortunate to have had a father like this, and I realize not everyone is as lucky.

But for those of us who can trace the roots of our success to our dads, what better time to consider those lessons than this weekend, Father’s Day 2010.

Tune in this Sunday at 8:30 am Pacific Time to the Dr. Brian and Dr. Gary Insultant/Consultant Show and learn how the traits of being a good father can often influence a great management style.

Call in with your own stories – and hear Dr. Brian and Dr. Gary share some surprising secrets they picked up from their dads.< -->

Posted in The Mouth Trap | 4316 Comments »

June 11, 2010 by Gary Seigel.

This week the 89 year old Helen Thomas, a reporter who covered the administrations of ten presidents in a career spanning nearly sixty years, resigned after apologizing for her remarks about Israel.

She said Israelis should “get the hell out of Palestine” and should return to Germany, Poland and the USA.

One critic felt it was not the sentiment but the rough language that caused the controversy. Had she said, “Get the heck out of Palestine,” would the reaction have been different?

Frankly, the thoughts themselves are quite ridiculous: Go back to Germany?  What was she thinking?  If one puts it in perspective (she’s old, cranky, and near retirement), why blame her? She simply stayed on too long and should have been given Happy Acres contract years ago!

Nevertheless, it has initiated an International incident.

 Interesting how one comment can instantly label one of the most revered reporters of our time a traitor, even an enemy of the state!

Loose lips sink ships, my mother once said, and this is a classic example of that…

In an age where TV, radio, twitter, facebook, and even marijuana induced memories cause us to record everything that is said on this planet,  we have to be especially carefully about the words that fall out of our mouths.

One need only look at the comments from Toyota, British Petroleum, AIG and numerous other companies to realize words can haunt you…

Tune in this Sunday to discover some ways to see whether or not your employees have the lips that sink ships.

Do you have a Helen Thomas or a Carly Farina on your staff?

Did you just hire someone whose words fall out of her mouth like gumballs?

Let’s face it. No company can afford the loss of income, the law suits, let alone the political/social consequences of a very badly worded message. The good news? It can be avoided through some technology and techniques Dr. Gary and Dr. Brian will share with you this Sunday in a show that can’t be missed!

This week the 89 year old Helen Thomas, a reporter who covered the administrations of ten presidents in a career spanning nearly sixty years, resigned after apologizing for her remarks about Israel.

She said Israelis should “get the hell out of Palestine” and should return to Germany, Poland and the USA.

One critic felt it was not the sentiment but the rough language that caused the controversy. Had she said, “Get the heck out of Palestine,” would the reaction have been different?

Frankly, the thoughts themselves are quite ridiculous: Go back to Germany?  What was she thinking?  If one puts it in perspective (she’s old, cranky, and near retirement), why blame her? She simply stayed on too long and should have been given Happy Acres contract years ago!

Nevertheless, it has initiated an International incident.

 Interesting how one comment can instantly label one of the most revered reporters of our time a traitor, even an enemy of the state!

Loose lips sink ships, my mother once said, and this is a classic example of that…

In an age where TV, radio, twitter, facebook, and even marijuana induced memories cause us to record everything that is said on this planet,  we have to be especially carefully about the words that fall out of our mouths.

One need only look at the comments from Toyota, British Petroleum, AIG and numerous other companies to realize words can haunt you…

Tune in this Sunday to discover some ways to see whether or not your employees have the lips that sink ships.

Do you have a Helen Thomas or a Carly Farina on your staff?

Did you just hire someone whose words fall out of her mouth like gumballs?

Let’s face it. No company can afford the loss of income, the law suits, let alone the political/social consequences of a very badly worded message. The good news? It can be avoided through some technology and techniques Dr. Gary and Dr. Brian will share with you this Sunday in a show that can’t be missed!

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Posted in The Mouth Trap | 4352 Comments »

June 5, 2010 by Gary Seigel.

A Three-Part Phone Conversation with the Insultant/Consultant Team of Dr. Brian and Dr. Gary  

Imagine you’re in the travel business – in 2010 – and not only are people cutting back on their entertainment expenses, but every day another airline is announcing more restrictions, delays, up front costs, and security problems.  

Oil now threatens to destroy beach travel all across the South. 

 Even new political changes and scandals (AIG, immigration laws) cause entire companies  to boycott having conventions or conferences anywhere outside their warehouse.  

And to make matters worse, the whole of