Trust-Based Relationships in Business

It's not personal; it's business.

Wasn't that the mantra of the last era in business? Surely, folks are still holding fast to the ideal that the ends justify the means.

Take off the gloves and throw yourself into the fight. At any cost, make sure your company comes out on top.

And how did that paradigm work out for us? Looking at the state of the economy these past few years, I would say not very well. Looking at the reports of increasing stress-related health problems, such as depression, obesity, and heart disease, plaguing the United States, I would say not very well.

My mentor and friend, Mitch Anthony, an ad guy with a conscience, agrees. In his post "Uncovering the Logic of Deep Change, " he writes:

The time has come to look beyond the four walls of existing enterprises and instead focus on connecting people across large numbers of institutions, shaping much broader ecosystems of participants and helping them to build long‐term trust‐based relationships that encourage and enable a new kind of human synergy.

Off the record: It IS personal and it IS business, and trust-based relationships are the foundation of the new world. Like it or not, we've got to start tearing down the walls that separate us from our colleagues, clients and competitors. "Competition" is old-school. Collaboration is the way of the future.

I, for one, am forging connections with professionals who, in the old paradigm, I would have considered competitors/threats. The experience is enriching, enlivening, and increasing my career satisfaction. These mini-"think tanks" bring me a wealth of camaraderie and knowledge, and stimulate my creative juices, leading to a higher quality product for my clients.

I invite you to join the new paradigm, and share your experience with collaboration here.

Read "Uncovering the Logic of Deep Change."

Good Bye to Conscious Cow

Off the Record:  I have a hard time letting go.

This is why I have held on to my alter-ego, Conscious Cow, for almost a year without posting any new blogs on "her" site.

I had the best of intentions to get something new out there.  But...
I haven't posted anything new for two reasons:

1. re-purposing, recycling, re-using, and composting are more mainstream today than when I launched Conscious Cow in 2008.  You can find books, websites, and magazine articles (a few written by yours truly) covering these topics.

(Other resources on the web include: www.greenlivingtips.com, www.focusorganic.com, and www.howtocompost.org.)

2. I had been doing it as a public service.  Keeping a blog like Conscious Cow fresh and relevant requires a ton of time and effort in the form of research. Business ramped up in 2010 (yay!), and I suddenly found myself super busy with paying projects, family obligations, and activities in my local community.

Hence, I bid my alter-ego a fond adieu, and thank all those who visited her and took her message to heart.

(Surprise to me:  it feels good to let go!)

What's Your Thesis?

OFF THE RECORD:  I probably need a new website, with a new design, typeface, etc, etc, etc... but it ain't happening any time soon.  ?Por quoi pas?   I've been so on the go, this is the first moment I've taken to write a blog post, let alone update my website, let alone design a whole new website.

Ah, well.  What sparked this little confession was, while searching for the perfect web design for one of my projects at UML, I discovered a totally fun site, with a great look, written by a web designer.  She uses Thesis.  So, my friends, one day I probably will use Thesis, also.  Of course by the time I get around to redesigning my site, I will have found a different, totally gorgeous web look to cop.

Maybe I should just hire a web designer.  I'm such a DIY type, though.  Speaking of which, I need to go take my peanuts out of the oven, and make my family the peanut butter I promised them.

For more regular updates, check my Twitter feed.  @RebekahLFraser

Behind the Times?

Off the Record:  It's a busy, busy time for me.  Between moving, editing a book about business leadership, writing multiple articles, developing a science website for kids, and taking on a few new clients, I've been on the go!  The upshot (or downside, as it were) is that I've been remiss in blog posts and in updating my website, rebekahlfraser.com.

Never fear, I will eventually post updated materials.  However, if you want more info about my work, like my latest writing credits, before I have posted it on the site, just drop me a line, and I'll get you clips or whatever else you need.

By the way - pick up the latest issue of Vegetarian Times at your local news stand to learn more about urban composting. That little blurb is my contribution to this month's issue.

Gulf of Mexico - the responsibility is also ours

OFF THE RECORD:  One thing the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico shows me is that we as a species and a society are not at peace with this planet! 


As a teenager struggles for independence from it's parents, we fight against mother earth and her natural order. 

Its easy to blame a corporation, but each of us plays a role in this disaster by living as we do.  Do you drive a car?  Do you heat with oil?  Do you use personal care products or cosmetics made with petroleum derivatives?  Do you purchase toys, home goods, office supplies or disposable items made from petroleum-based plastic(most plastic is PET based)?  Did you side your house with vinyl?   Do you see how this is a global problem?  We are all creating this mess.  The good news is we have the power to STOP hurting mother earth.

We may even be able to begin a healing process.

I encourage you to commit to changing one thing each day to lessen your reliance on petroleum products.

We are not powerless and we do not have to point fingers. The path of peace puts the responsibility and the power in our hands and voices.


I will sing and chant for peace on Monday, and my first commitment to environmental change is to stop purchasing products made from petroleum based plastics.

Will you join me?

Confessions of a Typeface Junkie

I'm envisioning a website to get tweens psyched about science...  thinking about fonts, layout, etc...
Font Squirrel has an excellent assortment of opensource typefaces.  So far,
my fave is

It's fun to look at, and it's got a great name. But, I wonder if kids might be more drawn to headlines in

3dumb also comes in 2dumb (a 2dimensional hand-drawn typeface).   I love the movement and irreverence of both.  There's hundreds to choose from.  Here are a few more of my faves:

My daughter just walked in.  These are her top 3:

OFF THE RECORD:  Veggieburger's got me looking for ketchup.

Good Stuff

OFF THE RECORD:  I'm not that hip to the Beantown scene.

Although I grew up in MA, and moved back to the commonwealth a few years ago, I never really got into Boston life.  So, magazines that cater to Bostonians have never really "done it" for me... until recently.

While eating organic vegan sushi in Brookline, I picked up a copy of the freebie rag, STUFF.

Why?  Who knows, but I'm glad I got it, because otherwise I wouldn't have discovered this extremely well-written, informative, useful and moving article, "Renewed Self, Revamped Style," written by Scott Kearnan.

Check it out, and then visit www.myrecycledhandbag.com to support a great business and a great cause.
You'll probably also be interested in www.rosefund.org