| November 1, 2011 | | CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF |  |  | | | News for SmartBrief prospective partners | |
| What's Happening |  |  | | - Do you know your global-business ABCs?
International organizations come in different shapes and sizes, writes Terrance Barkan, from essentially domestic bodies with a smattering of foreign clients to groups that are so thoroughly multinational that they no longer have a home country in any meaningful sense. "[O]nce international membership reaches 5% or more of your total, it is time to develop a dedicated international growth strategy," Barkan advises. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (10/25) - Top tweets: Contract extensions, rebranding and going digital
News from around the association, professional society and nonprofit world:
| Leadership Focus | | | | - The telltale signs of a lousy leader
Bad leadership is common in U.S. business, so it's important to diagnose it in yourself and others, writes Mike Myatt. To spot a substandard CEO or mediocre middle manager, watch out for an absence of personal integrity, poor performance, a lack of focus and an inability to articulate goals clearly. "If [positive] traits are not possessed by your current leadership team, or your up and coming leaders, you will be in for a rocky road ahead," Myatt warns. N2Growth.com (10/24) - Creative bosses know it's OK to break stuff
 Managers tend to prefer order to chaos, writes Mike Myatt, but that's precisely the wrong attitude if you're hoping to find creative solutions to your company's problems. Only by smashing through stale strategies can you disrupt the status quo and find new ways forward, Myatt writes. "Don't agonize over this, and don't ask permission; go break something," he advises. N2Growth.com (10/26) - 8 ways to find the inspiration to innovate
Innovation can be difficult, but putting constraints on yourself can get the creative juices flowing, Jeff Haden writes. Imagining that your company has no money or that a problem must be solved in the next few minutes can help you to look at issues in new ways, for example. Also try other tactics, such as asking why things are done a certain way and learning from other businesses, he writes. BNET/Owners' Manual blog (10/26) | About SmartBrief | | | | - What we do
SmartBrief publishes industry-specific e-mail newsletters in partnership with prominent associations, professional societies, corporations and nonprofits. More than 4.5 million executives and professionals rely on SmartBrief every day to stay informed and save them time. Visit here to view our partners, see samples and subscribe. For updates, follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. Want to explore partnering? Let's talk. | Media 2.0 | | | | - How to put your Facebook fans to work
Your Facebook fan base is a potent resource for crowdsourced projects, writes Jim Belosic. Word-of-mouth marketing, product development and recruiting efforts all can benefit from crowdsourcing efforts, Belosic writes. "Remember that these benefits are predicated on building, nurturing and supporting your fan base, so take the time to interact and engage with your fans," he writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media (10/25) - Social media lessons from Cap'n Crunch
 Brands with well-developed mascots have a head start when it comes to drumming up buzz, Andy Sernovitz writes. Quaker Oats demonstrated that by allowing "Cap'n Crunch" to blog and tweet in the first person, creating a backstory about his trips to sea and allowing him to ask fans for advice on developing the brand. "The Cap'n is always in character -- and this is a fundamental part of the brand's strategy," Sernovitz writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media (10/27) | SmartNugget | | | |  | | - Secrets of e-mail mastery
E-mail has become an essential part of business life, but it can overwhelm you with too many messages or expose you to security issues, Rick Broida writes. To get a handle on your e-mail account, try using tools such as Mailinator, which allows you to create disposable e-mail addresses to avoid getting spammed when you have to enter an address to receive a special offer, he writes. Also try services such as Followup.cc, which allows users to be reminded of an e-mail at a later date. PC World Business Center (10/26) | |  |
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SmartBrief will host a panel on social media at the upcoming ASAE Healthcare Association Conference. The session -- Leveraging Social Media to Your Association's Advantage -- will be 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 8 and will feature case studies, discussion and best practices from the 
