Maurilio Amorim

Month: April 2012

Easter Sunday and the Return of the White Pants
What should I wear for Easter Sunday? If you happen to be living in the South or Southwest of the US, that’s a question a lot of guys ask this time of the year. More than any other weekend, Easter Sunday brings out boldness in even the most fashion-timid of guys. And nothing says spring more elegantly than white pants.

For several years the white pants have been in a status of hiatus, relegated to tropical islands and part of the esoteric “resort wear.” But lately they are making a come-back. Lacoste, Dolce and Gabbana, and Gucci have all featured white pants in their 2011 spring and summer collections. Gucci and Guess have great looking white jeans versions. But wearing white pants come with responsibilities and warnings.
1. No Pleats. Don’t pull out your 1985 college edition of the white pants.
2. Right fitting. Dark colors can look ok if they are a bit tight. White pants don’t. You don’t want people seeing your “business” in church. For the love of all that’s good, don’t wear white pants that are too tight. When in doubt, ask a friend.
3. Belt awareness. White calls attention to itself the same way black blends things together. White pants will scream at people, “hey look at me!” You’ll need a good looking belt to balance and help focus people’s attention from your crotch.
4. Proper underwear. This is no time to wear you Valentine’s undies with red hearts. Unless you’re wearing white jeans, these pants show through so do yourself and the rest of us who are going to be looking at you a favor and wear a solid white pair of, must I say, clean underwear. Your mom will be proud. The rest of the world will thank you.
Resort wear with flip flops work in the most casual of environments.

For the fashion-aggressive the purple socks add even more drama–as if the white pants weren't enough.

You can pair white with a dark more formal top. Suddenly your winter coat becomes a Spring option. Notice the canvas shoes and no socks.

White jeans with a bold belt are back strong this season.

What do you think of the return of the white pants to mainstream fashion?
April 6, 2012
In Memory of David Foster and The Lessons He Taught Me

I was stuck in my career until David Foster offered me a job based on the potential he saw in me. Late into my twenties, I worked on the staff of a small, traditional congregation, but my heart yearned to reach those outside the faith with a non-traditional approach to church. My experience, however, showed a completely different type of ministry. During that time I felt like being in a no-man’s land where my desires and opportunities were not in sync. David’s vote of confidence in my abilities was the catalyst that changed the course of my entire career.

Sometime in the early hours of Monday, David woke up in heaven. He was only 58. During my nearly seven years of working for him, I learned a lot from Dave, but a few of these lessons are salient in my mind today.

Church should be a safe place for the broken. David used to say that the better we do our jobs reaching those outside the faith, the messier and more complicated things would get. He was right. We worked hard to create an environment where God would be the one changing people’s hearts and not a preacher’s expectation for them to cosmetically “clean up” their act. Transform the heart first, then everything else will follow. It was a paradigm shift that changed my thinking and my life.

Don’t ever say “no” for someone. I would often be timid about asking volunteers and staff to go above and beyond the call of duty. Dave would remind me that my job was to make the ask and let people decide how to answer. Since then I have been surprised by people’s generosity and their ability to go the extra mile when asked.

Try new ideas, even crazy ones. David was very creative. Together we were dangerous. We would come up with all kinds of ideas. Some were brilliant; others short of disastrous, as the time we decided it would be a good illustration to have a mock funeral during the weekend services complete with a casket, pall bearers and a fake eulogy. But no matter what happened, we would always ask the open-ended questions: “How can we reach more people, touch more lives, and impact further those around us?”

Trust is sacred. While we sometimes did not see eye to eye on every issue or decision, we both trusted one another. I have seen how important trust has become in my personal and professional life over the years. David was a trustworthy friend and boss.

David Foster left us too soon, but I owe to him the opportunity to have been part of a community of believers that has impacted so many over the years, and the privilege to have served with great people, many of whom have become life-long friends. A visionary leader not only sees the future of an organization, but he also recognizes the potential in people and compels them to reach new heights. Dave certainly did that for me.

Who in your life has propelled you to become a better person, or even a more competent professional?

April 3, 2012
What’s the ROI of Social Media?

“We are afraid of wasting money on social media. What’s our ROI (return on investment?)” said a potential client recently. I understand the hesitance, especially from organizations that have successfully fundraised, or sold goods, for decades through more traditional means such as events and direct mail. I understand their concern. It’s a legitimate one. What should they do? Here’s my answer:

Continue doing what’s working. If you are finding success through direct mail, it would be foolish to stop pursuing it. But also look at trends and costs. Most likely you are seeing a diminishing return on your investments in these campaigns. With good strategy and planning you can incorporate social media tools inside your traditional advertisement or appeals.

Reach a new audience while you can. There are great groups of people that do not respond to letters of appeal or glossy brochures. If you don’t engage them now, you won’t be able to count on them when you really need them to step up. Communication is changing and whether you like it or not is not an excuse to refuse to use new tactics. The longer you wait to adopt it, the costlier your entrance cost becomes.

A relationship first. Social media is the only instrument that currently allows you to begin a relationship with your future stakeholders, whether they be customers or donors. “Get to know me before you ask something of me,” is the cry of the generations X and Y.

It’s not addition, but multiplication. While the engagement cycle for a social media campaign might be longer than that of traditional media, its rewards are also much greater. If you capture the attention and heart of someone, you are most likely to be introduced to their entire network. A Facebook post, a shout out on Twitter, a comment on LinkedIn exposes your organization to an entire group of people you would normally never touch.

There are tools to measure and quantify engagement in most social media campaigns. But what they cannot account for is for the viral potential inherently present with each post, tweet, video, or picture. We are all one “forward” away from becoming the next Internet sensation.

What has been your professional experience with social media?

April 3, 2012
3 Questions You Should Answer Before Launching a Website

“We have a technology problem.” Words I often hear from a client or potential client. While that might be a valid concern, most of the time it’s not the technology problem that’s causing the issue, but a communication one. My company, The A Group, has a technology division where we have developed a sophisticated platform for media-rich tools as well as a powerful and easy-to-use content management system. While I’m happy to sell our products to anyone who needs faster, easier, and overall better technology, I’m always careful to make sure people understand the it’s the communication strategy that drives the technology and not the other way around.

This might sound simplistic to some, but I can tell you from personal experience that many churches, businesses, and not-for-profits believe that a shiny new website, a powerful digital media tool, or an iPhone app will cure their communication problems. They won’t.

What usually happen in the absence of a communication strategy is that the new technology gets misused, or worse, underused because there’s no plan or a champion who understands how to use it. So before spending money on a new website or technology, here are 3 questions you should ask:

What do I want this thing do to? Sell products? Gather leads? Create community? Share media? You need to have a clear vision for your new website or project. Remember, however, that the more things any one system is designed to do, the more complex and potentially less effective it becomes. But regardless, you must answer what’s the “win” for the site.

Who will be the champion for this project? I’m not talking about a technical position here. This is not a question about technology, but about strategy. Who understands the DNA of the organization to make sure this initiative will look, feel, and work like it should. In my experience when IT (information technology) drives the project, development focus on platforms or the latest development technique and not on the end-user and their experience, where it should begin and end.

What’s our sustainability plan? Once a project goes live, whether it’s a site or an app, it’s only the beginning. Who are the people responsible for content? What’s the social media elements of the site and who’s going to monitor them? Oftentimes when clients create a media-rich environment and become successful at attracting high traffic, they have to deal with unplanned bandwidth costs. (Think of bandwidth as virtual pipes in and out of your website. The more users you have the bigger the pipes have to be.) If your vision is to give your content for free, that’s great, but you need to figure out a way to pay for it.

What has been your experience with technology in the workplace? What have you learned?

April 2, 2012