The dust-up between Southern cooking maven Paula Deen and bad boy chef Anthony Bourdain boils down to this: what is your core brand promise?

In announcing her Type 2 diabetes, Paula had two ways to go: she could say “Honey, I’m your cook not your doctor” or she could admit that copious amounts of butter and sugar and fat had done her wrong.

In fact, she’s done both. Her recipes remain, untouched, and Paula will continue to create and serve them. Yet she is also behind “Not my Mama’s Meals” on the Cooking Channel and her sons’ healthy reinvention of her artery-hardening southern favorites on her website.

It's the week of (American) Thanksgiving. Soon we'll be eating turkey, watching football and arguing politics with our nearest and dearest. And hopefully we'll stop and give thanks for all that we have.

I'd like to suggest a special addition this year: a few moments to remember our best teachers.

There are the official teachers. The ones who helped us grasp algebra, introduced us to the wonders of poetry and gave us the courage to submit our work for public scrutiny (thank you Mrs. Gradowski, Mrs. Carlson, Ms. Zaccarro).

Rupert Murdoch brings us the latest example of what happens when you ignore the dark side of your brand.

Synopsis: A The News of The World tabloid reporter hacked into the cell phone of a 13-year old murder victim, after she disappeared, but before she was found. When this came to light last week, Britons were outraged, demanding action. Illegal payments to police officials were uncovered and a former editor has been arrested. Another Murdoch mega-deal was in jeopardy over the scandal.

The family’s reaction? Shutter the paper, send 200 employees packing and yet keep the editor who was at the helm during the hacking incident.

Really?

I attended a delightful dinner party co-hosted by a highly experienced consumer market researcher. Listening to him was a mini master class in truth seeking and truth telling.

No shrinking violet, Bob built his reputation on listening to everyday consumers and asking tough questions, unswayed by client or agency opinion. Being real and challenging conventional thinking are core elements of his DNA.

Which got me thinking. Are truth seeking and truth telling given adequate attention in the advisory professions?

Few American presidents could best Abraham Lincoln in the pithy quotes department. Gems such as “What kills a skunk is the publicity he gives himself” or “No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens.”

But he also could turn a phrase to inspire a nation wracked with civil war. To mark Presidents' Day, I give you a handful best suited to those running professional practices.

“Important principles may, and must, be inflexible.”
Successful professional advisory businesses are built upon clear, inflexible principles—values. There are no shortcuts to integrity.