Tag: writing

  • Emergency Operations Center: Where the Pieces Come Together

    I’ve worked in an Emergency Operations Center, or EOC, almost every day since the Winnebago County tornado. When I mention it, I usually get the same question: What happens there? An EOC helps coordinate a large, complex emergency across communities, agencies and organizations. It can operate in person, virtually or both. The Puzzle Think of…

  • If a Process Improves and Nobody Hears about it, did it Really Happen?

    Somewhere in a health system right now, a team is doing something remarkable. They spent a week last month rethinking how patients move through pre-op. They ran experiments, hit some dead ends, and landed on something that cut prep time by 20 minutes. The department knows. The staff who work directly with that unit know.…

  • Pull up a Chair and have a Seat, Communications

    Pull up a Chair and have a Seat, Communications

    Here’s the truth most small and medium-sized organizations and nonprofits don’t want to admit: You probably don’t need a full-time communications department, but you absolutely need communications leadership. Too many businesses run without anyone truly owning the story, the message, or the strategy internally and externally. And it shows: missed opportunities, preventable misunderstandings, reactive decisions,…

  • Support Your Local News

    Support Your Local News

    Before Compass Communications, before strategic messaging and media planning, I was a local news reporter. Not a generalist chasing headlines across the country, but someone who reported on the school tax levy, the business expansion down the street, the church bake sale that raised money for a family in need, the county fair. I worked…

  • One Year Later: What I’ve Learned Since Saying Yes to Myself

    One year ago, I quietly started my first day as a full-time business owner.There was no grand announcement. No photo with balloons. I was too busy doing what I do: helping my former employer fill my role, juggling contract work, walking the dog, applying to speak at a conference, and making dinner. That first day felt exciting,…