Tis the season where politics and politicians are scrutinized like foreign animals newly donated to the local zoo.

Coaches and composers advise us to do something that scares us everyday.

When it comes to crises, most would prefer Henry Kissinger's sentiment, "There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full." Those were the cheeky good old days. Now, life for communicators consists of full schedules due to the crisis this week, last week, and next week.

What do CEOs want from top communicators? Besides finding the perfect communications metric, knowing and delivering on the answer is the holy grail of the profession.

Public relations guru Michael Deaver once told a story about then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan.

When Mike Warren became CEO of Alagasco, the largest natural gas utility in Alabama, he wanted the company to be more innovative.

Stressing over how to get things done is as old as a "how many people does it take to change a light bulb" joke. And just like the light bulb, bureaucracy touches everyone and burns those who linger too long.

Deciding how to maximize time is one of the more challenging questions that PR people face.

In the movie Dreamgirls, a dramatic moment occurs when the young protégé finally asserts her independence from her manager/husband. She does this in a song entitled "Listen."

Oft-given career advice is to "take one job while considering the next." The point is to manage professional life the way many people manage social life: with gusto and an eye toward what to do next New Year's Eve. Here's another take on the maxim: Take a job thinking about the next one while grooming whoever gets your job.