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This Land of Strangers

"..the most important book of the decade." — Richard Boyatzis, co-author of best seller Primal Leadership

Relationships, in all their varied forms, have been the lifetime study of Robert Hall. He brings a rare combination of experience as a researcher, consultant, writer, teacher and CEO in dealing with the real-world relationship challenges of modern organizations. When coupled with a decade of hands-on experience in the gritty world of inner-city homeless families it translates into a tapestry of vivid stories, well-researched and oft startling facts, and strategic insights that weave together the yet untold narrative of society's gravest risk and most stellar opportunity.

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Robert has published more than 150 columns, articles, white papers, and research studies on relationship. In addition to being a regular contributor at Huffington Post, his work has been published and discussed in Forbes, American Banker, Sales & Marketing Management magazine, The CEO Magazine, ABA Bank Marketing magazine, Computerworld, The Daily Beast, Business Week, The Dallas Morning News, Los Angeles Times, The Detroit News, The Indianapolis Star and in international publications including Sydney Morning News (Australia), European Financial Management Association (London) and Relational Thinking Network (Cambridge, UK).

Writer in Residence, by Monica S. Nagy, quotes Robert Hall, Advocate Magazine

Feb 5

Click here to read the article “Writer in residence: Robert E. Hall” by Monica S. Nagy, on Robert E. Hall’s new book This Land of Strangers. Article originally appeared in Advocate Magazine, Far North Dallas edition, February 2013.

Through his work volunteering with the inner-city homeless, former businessman Robert E. Hall had an epiphany. “I found that most of the families I coached and mentored, most often the straw that broke the camel’s back and resulted in their homelessness was the severing of a […]

Article

How to Avoid a Thanksgiving Food Fight, by Michelle Cottle, quotes Robert Hall, The Daily Beast

Dec 15

Click here to read the article “How to Avoid a Thanksgiving Food Fight” by Michelle Cottle, writer for The Daily Beast, on Robert E. Hall’s new book This Land of Strangers.

Excerpt:

In terms of our substantive beliefs, the nation has not become radically more divided, clarifies relationship specialist Robert E. Hall, author of the book This Land of Strangers. The big shift, he says, is that “we have exaggerated our differences and joined tribes that celebrate and exaggerate those differences and […]

Article

The 2012 Election, by Robert Hall, Huffington Post

Dec 12

“By mid October, the Obama team had personally… spoken with each voter 5 times. Not ‘sent a letter’ but actually spoken, face-to-face, or via phone, on average 5 times!” Tomi T. Ahonen, Communities-Dominate.Blogs.com, describing personal contacts of targeted voters.

Politics aside, one of the defining stories of the 2012 presidential election was how sales and marketing relationship-building efforts delivered unexpected, targeted voter turnout. Even the Romney campaign was in awe of the Obama “ground game.” While much has been made about Obama’s sophisticated […]

Article

Proud Nation Disconnecting, by Mike Masterson, quotes Robert Hall, Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Dec 7

Click here to read the article “Proud Nation Disconnecting” by Mike Masterson via the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, on Robert E. Hall’s latest book This Land of Strangers.

Excerpt:

Hall penned the book This Land of Strangers: The Relationship Crisis that Imperils Home, Work, Politics and Faith, in which he documents how we have steadily become a nation adrift whose citizens aren’t anchored in much that endures. From our relationships to our jobs, families, politics and even our organized faiths, words nowadays […]

Article

Soft Skills, Dog Love and Front Porches

Oct 3

“Nearly 20% of employers cited a lack of soft skills as a key reason they couldn’t hire needed employees. Interpersonal skills and enthusiasm/motivation were commonly found lacking” – USA Today quoting Manpower Group’s 2012 Talent Shortage Survey

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It is tragic that in this era of painfully high unemployment, employers are struggling to find the basic skills needed to answer phones effectively and converse with customers. The need for stronger math and science skills in today’s highly sophisticated world is much […]

Article

The Big Risk and Hope of 2012 Election – Regardless of Who Wins

Sep 11

Please read my article “The Big Risk and Hope of 2012 Election – Regardless of Who Wins” on any of the below websites:

Opposing Views

The Bilerico Project

Chicago Pride

The Detroit News

Robert E. Hall

Article

Why BIG is Going Out-Of-Style

Aug 7

“I am suggesting that they [big banks] be broken up…” – Sandy Weill, former Citigroup Chairman & CEO, who put together mammoth Citicorp and Travelers

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Put the word big in front of business, government, labor, oil, and banks and it makes the appeal smaller. In my March 2010 column “Big Bank Blowback” I chronicled the strong market-place head winds that impeded the progress of large organizations, especially banks. Now over two years later the strong winds have been upgraded to […]

Article