Everyone is an expert of something. The key is figuring out what your expertise are and leveraging them when it's relevant.
I'm an expert in lots of things. Most of my expertise won't help much in the grand scheme of things, but you never know. Here's my partial list:
Expert in procrastination.
Expert in getting things done at the last possible minute.
Expert in navigating to new and unknown locations.
Expert in quoting Ace Ventura When Nature Calls.
Expert in passing cars in high traffic.
Expert in using a George Foreman grill.
Expert in spending money at Target.
Expert in stumbling upon interesting stuff on the Internet.
Expert in driving a manual.
Expert in HGTV programming.
Expert in coffee consumption.
Expert in the stretch of I-35 from Kansas City to Fort Worth.
Expert in efficiently getting through airport security.
Expert in sleeping in on Saturdays.
Expert in Photo Hunt.
Expert in looking at things from different perspectives.
Expert in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
Expert in getting places on time.
And that's just for me, a person. Imagine how many expertise a brand could find, claim and leverage. But when you claim expertise for yourself or a brand you need to make sure they are relevant and true. And then back it up with all you have.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
On Learning to Read Minds
Welcome to the Faux Expert's Free Internet Mind-Reading Course where you will learn to read the minds of others in three simple steps. The process takes some practice, but the results will astound you!
How to Read Minds
Step 1: Make eye contact with the person whose mind it is you wish to read.
Step 2: Vocally state aloud the information you wish to learn when reading the individual's mind. This will usually, but not always, take the form of a question. Make sure you state your request loud enough to be heard, otherwise it may be misinterpreted.
Step 3: Listen to the information being transmitted from their mind. The thoughts will most likely come vocally, so make sure your ears are ready to hear the response.
Troubleshooting Tips
• If the response you receive is unclear or seems dishonest, repeat Step 2, revising your information request if necessary.
• If you wish to probe deeper for more information from the individual's mind, repeat the process requesting the new information.
That's it. Now go forth and read minds!
How to Read Minds
Step 1: Make eye contact with the person whose mind it is you wish to read.
Step 2: Vocally state aloud the information you wish to learn when reading the individual's mind. This will usually, but not always, take the form of a question. Make sure you state your request loud enough to be heard, otherwise it may be misinterpreted.
Step 3: Listen to the information being transmitted from their mind. The thoughts will most likely come vocally, so make sure your ears are ready to hear the response.
Troubleshooting Tips
• If the response you receive is unclear or seems dishonest, repeat Step 2, revising your information request if necessary.
• If you wish to probe deeper for more information from the individual's mind, repeat the process requesting the new information.
That's it. Now go forth and read minds!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
On Lots of Things
On Communication
The only thing worse than miscommunication is no communication at all.
On Loyalty
If you don't have their backs, don't expect them to have yours.
On Telepathy
If you don't actually say it, you can't expect them to hear it.
On Ego
Thinking you're the best doesn't make you the best.
On Hiring
Hire people who are better than you and you'll get better work.
On Bad Days
A bad day can only last 24 hours.
The only thing worse than miscommunication is no communication at all.
On Loyalty
If you don't have their backs, don't expect them to have yours.
On Telepathy
If you don't actually say it, you can't expect them to hear it.
On Ego
Thinking you're the best doesn't make you the best.
On Hiring
Hire people who are better than you and you'll get better work.
On Bad Days
A bad day can only last 24 hours.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
On Bad Days
Sometimes a day comes along that infuriates you so much you want to throw your hands up and quit. It happens to everyone. It happens in any occupation. It happens at big companies and it happens at small companies. It just happens.
So what do you do?
You go home. You unplug. And you go do something that'll make you happy. And then you go to bed.
And the next day, you wake up to a clean slate. You forget about yesterday. Forget about how bad it was. You find a way to just move on.
Moving on is as easy or as hard as you decide it'll be. Because it is a choice. You either choose to dwell or you choose to move on.
I'm wired to dwell. Most people are. It's an ego thing. But you can change that. You can decide that the anger and frustration aren't worth your energy. It takes time to reprogram your thinking. I've been working at it for awhile now, and it's still tough for me to not dwell on a bad day. But I know the anger isn't worth it in the end so I keep trying.
Tomorrow I'm starting over. And hopefully it'll be a better day. But if it isn't, I'll try again on Friday.
So what do you do?
You go home. You unplug. And you go do something that'll make you happy. And then you go to bed.
And the next day, you wake up to a clean slate. You forget about yesterday. Forget about how bad it was. You find a way to just move on.
Moving on is as easy or as hard as you decide it'll be. Because it is a choice. You either choose to dwell or you choose to move on.
I'm wired to dwell. Most people are. It's an ego thing. But you can change that. You can decide that the anger and frustration aren't worth your energy. It takes time to reprogram your thinking. I've been working at it for awhile now, and it's still tough for me to not dwell on a bad day. But I know the anger isn't worth it in the end so I keep trying.
Tomorrow I'm starting over. And hopefully it'll be a better day. But if it isn't, I'll try again on Friday.
On Brand Loyalty
It's funny because until recently I've never really been loyal to specific brands. Well I've been a loyal Apple fan and Jeep fan for years, but that was the extent of it.
But ever since I've been reprioritizing different aspects of my life, I've become loyal to a lot of new brands.
My new more healthy lifestyle has made me loyal to General Mills cereals, specifically plain Cheerios. I felt like I was cheating on General Mills when I bought some Kellogg's Corn Flakes last night. Both brands are great for the health-conscious. The front of the boxes spell out the nutritional information and even better than that, neither have sacrificed serving sizes to get the calories down.
I've also become extremely loyal to KitchenAid. I have loads of shiny new appliances in my apartment to help with all the cooking I'm doing these days. And KitchenAid has become my go-to brand. They're solid appliances that look great. The aesthetic side of KitchenAid is probably what keeps drawing me in.
24HF and BodyBugg are probably my top brands right now. 24HF is convenient, but most importantly the staff is wonderful. They know me by name, they know what my goals are and they keep tabs on my progress. Awesome.
BodyBugg has been a God-send. Seriously. I love it that much. It has helped that much. If I'm not wearing my BodyBugg, I don't feel whole. That's what every brand what's to be to it's customers. That's what BodyBugg is to me.
Other brands I've built a loyalty with recently are Nintendo. Love Wii Fit. Laughing Cow. Hy-vee for it's health food section. Gap won my loyalty with their Long & Lean jeans.
I guess my point is that all these brands have been a huge part of my journey these past few months. So now all these brands hold a special place in my heart. Sounds cheesy, sure. But it's true. And I'm sure they're all stoked to have a new loyal customer that'll keep coming back for more.
But ever since I've been reprioritizing different aspects of my life, I've become loyal to a lot of new brands.
My new more healthy lifestyle has made me loyal to General Mills cereals, specifically plain Cheerios. I felt like I was cheating on General Mills when I bought some Kellogg's Corn Flakes last night. Both brands are great for the health-conscious. The front of the boxes spell out the nutritional information and even better than that, neither have sacrificed serving sizes to get the calories down.
I've also become extremely loyal to KitchenAid. I have loads of shiny new appliances in my apartment to help with all the cooking I'm doing these days. And KitchenAid has become my go-to brand. They're solid appliances that look great. The aesthetic side of KitchenAid is probably what keeps drawing me in.
24HF and BodyBugg are probably my top brands right now. 24HF is convenient, but most importantly the staff is wonderful. They know me by name, they know what my goals are and they keep tabs on my progress. Awesome.
BodyBugg has been a God-send. Seriously. I love it that much. It has helped that much. If I'm not wearing my BodyBugg, I don't feel whole. That's what every brand what's to be to it's customers. That's what BodyBugg is to me.
Other brands I've built a loyalty with recently are Nintendo. Love Wii Fit. Laughing Cow. Hy-vee for it's health food section. Gap won my loyalty with their Long & Lean jeans.
I guess my point is that all these brands have been a huge part of my journey these past few months. So now all these brands hold a special place in my heart. Sounds cheesy, sure. But it's true. And I'm sure they're all stoked to have a new loyal customer that'll keep coming back for more.
Friday, April 9, 2010
On the Agencies (and People) that Inspire Me
Since it's Follow Friday, I thought I'd give a shout out to the shops I follow on Twitter, but more importantly the shops I follow everyday to keep me inspired to do good work. So here they are, in no particular order:
Mullen
@edwardboches
Wexley School for Girls
@Wexley
CP+B
@cpbgroup
@bogusky
rethink
@Rethinknow
BooneOakley
@booneoakley
McGarrah Jessee
@mcgarrahjessee
Cole+McVoy
@ColleMcVoy
W+K
@FakeDanWieden
@WiedenKennedy
Victors and Spoils
@VictorsnSpoils
AKQA
@AKQA
The Martin Agency
@MartinTweets
R/GA
@RGA
TBWA
@TBWA
Mullen
@edwardboches
Wexley School for Girls
@Wexley
CP+B
@cpbgroup
@bogusky
rethink
@Rethinknow
BooneOakley
@booneoakley
McGarrah Jessee
@mcgarrahjessee
Cole+McVoy
@ColleMcVoy
W+K
@FakeDanWieden
@WiedenKennedy
Victors and Spoils
@VictorsnSpoils
AKQA
@AKQA
The Martin Agency
@MartinTweets
R/GA
@RGA
TBWA
@TBWA
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
On Listening
Everyone thinks they're a pretty good listener, but the truth is that very few people actually are. We need to all work on becoming much better listeners if we want to become more efficient in our jobs.
A lot of time is wasted by not listening. Or maybe it's wasted by not listening to the right people. We all know that we need to listen to what our bosses say. We all know we need to listen to what our clients say. But a lot of the time we aren't listening to what each other are saying.
We aren't listening to the people who touch the projects each and every day. We aren't listening to the consumers who actually use the products and services we advertise. And we aren't listening to coworkers who have already spent the time and energy thinking through the task at hand.
So we need to start listening. Start really listening. Because maybe then we wouldn't waste a couple weeks coming to the same conclusion that someone else already has. We wouldn't waste time on strategies that are flawed. And we wouldn't waste time rehashing the same things again and again and again.
Everyone is an expert in something. Everyone has something to bring to the table. The key is listening to what other people are saying. Listening to the insights and ideas that other people have.
When we become better listeners, we'll also become more efficient at solving the problems we need to solve.
A lot of time is wasted by not listening. Or maybe it's wasted by not listening to the right people. We all know that we need to listen to what our bosses say. We all know we need to listen to what our clients say. But a lot of the time we aren't listening to what each other are saying.
We aren't listening to the people who touch the projects each and every day. We aren't listening to the consumers who actually use the products and services we advertise. And we aren't listening to coworkers who have already spent the time and energy thinking through the task at hand.
So we need to start listening. Start really listening. Because maybe then we wouldn't waste a couple weeks coming to the same conclusion that someone else already has. We wouldn't waste time on strategies that are flawed. And we wouldn't waste time rehashing the same things again and again and again.
Everyone is an expert in something. Everyone has something to bring to the table. The key is listening to what other people are saying. Listening to the insights and ideas that other people have.
When we become better listeners, we'll also become more efficient at solving the problems we need to solve.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
On Plussing the Work
My Creative Director and I have been talking a lot lately about the notion that everyone who touches a project should make it better. Think about that for a second. You have an entire agency where everyone contributes one thing to making the project better, to plussing the work.
Account Service and Planning would contribute better insights on briefs. Media would contribute unique vehicles to deliver the message. Art Directors and Copywriters would contribute fresher, more strategic ideas. Creative Directors would add even more fresh thinking to those ideas. Directors and photographers would add their expertise and insights to the project, as would editors and so forth and so on. The work would get better with every person who touched it.
Here's the most important thing: sometimes your contribution might be nothing more than acknowledging that you don't have something to add to make it better. Sometimes that'll be the case, which is okay. But don't feel like you have to contribute just to contribute. If you can't make the idea better, acknowledge that and let the process move forward.
The saying goes if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Well the same principle applies here. If you don't have anything good to add, don't add anything at all.
Account Service and Planning would contribute better insights on briefs. Media would contribute unique vehicles to deliver the message. Art Directors and Copywriters would contribute fresher, more strategic ideas. Creative Directors would add even more fresh thinking to those ideas. Directors and photographers would add their expertise and insights to the project, as would editors and so forth and so on. The work would get better with every person who touched it.
Here's the most important thing: sometimes your contribution might be nothing more than acknowledging that you don't have something to add to make it better. Sometimes that'll be the case, which is okay. But don't feel like you have to contribute just to contribute. If you can't make the idea better, acknowledge that and let the process move forward.
The saying goes if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Well the same principle applies here. If you don't have anything good to add, don't add anything at all.
Monday, April 5, 2010
On Leadership
There is a big difference between being a boss and being a leader.
A boss does what needs to be done to get the task at hand accomplished. They aren't concerned with fresh thinking, new approaches or employee morale. They simply want to get the job done so they can collect their paycheck.
Leaders, on the other hand, inspire. They look for the best ideas, wherever those may be. They understand that their role is to help everyone do the job to the best of the their abilities. They appreciate unconventional thinking. They reward employees who contribute. They don't sit back and wait for a problem to appear before they tackle it. They accept that they don't have all the answers, that they aren't always the best person for the job. Because at the end of the day, they know it isn't about them and what they can bring to the table. They know it's what the entire company can do to produce better work for better results.
Advertising thrives on leaders. Agencies rise and fall based on their leadership. Rising stars are born because of strong leadership.
As agencies restructure to keep up with the new technology and media, they need to remember that their agency's success will ultimately stem from the effectiveness of their leadership. If those at the top are worried about their egos, their legacies and their role in the new structure, the agency will suffer. Right now agencies need leaders. They need people who listen, who inspire and who do it for the good of the agency, not for the good of the their wallets and egos.
A boss does what needs to be done to get the task at hand accomplished. They aren't concerned with fresh thinking, new approaches or employee morale. They simply want to get the job done so they can collect their paycheck.
Leaders, on the other hand, inspire. They look for the best ideas, wherever those may be. They understand that their role is to help everyone do the job to the best of the their abilities. They appreciate unconventional thinking. They reward employees who contribute. They don't sit back and wait for a problem to appear before they tackle it. They accept that they don't have all the answers, that they aren't always the best person for the job. Because at the end of the day, they know it isn't about them and what they can bring to the table. They know it's what the entire company can do to produce better work for better results.
Advertising thrives on leaders. Agencies rise and fall based on their leadership. Rising stars are born because of strong leadership.
As agencies restructure to keep up with the new technology and media, they need to remember that their agency's success will ultimately stem from the effectiveness of their leadership. If those at the top are worried about their egos, their legacies and their role in the new structure, the agency will suffer. Right now agencies need leaders. They need people who listen, who inspire and who do it for the good of the agency, not for the good of the their wallets and egos.
On Priorities
Advertising is not the most important thing in your life. Let me say it again. Advertising is not the most important thing in your life.
Family, friends, health, happiness. All those should be higher priorities than your career in advertising. That's sometimes a tough thing to remember.
I love this job. I love this industry. But for years my entire focus was on breaking into this industry. Then once I made it my focus shifted to proving I belong here. But recently my focus changed yet again. This time it shifted from consuming my life to loving my job.
There's a big difference between being passionate about something and letting it consume your life. Passion is good. Passion keeps you energized. It keeps you pushing to be your best. But when you mistake that passion towards you job for life as a whole then there will be sacrifices. Sacrifices of time spent with family and friends, and most importantly sacrifices of your well-being.
This just recently clicked for me. And since I realized that I loved advertising but didn't live for it, I've focused a lot more of my attention on my family, friends, health and happiness. Perhaps best of all, now that I don't live for my job, I find myself loving my job even more.
Part of the reason I have this blog is to keep it that way. To keep me from taking all this to bed with me at night. Because when I finish my work and leave the office for the day, I want to go live my life. I don't want to live my work. And neither should you.
Family, friends, health, happiness. All those should be higher priorities than your career in advertising. That's sometimes a tough thing to remember.
I love this job. I love this industry. But for years my entire focus was on breaking into this industry. Then once I made it my focus shifted to proving I belong here. But recently my focus changed yet again. This time it shifted from consuming my life to loving my job.
There's a big difference between being passionate about something and letting it consume your life. Passion is good. Passion keeps you energized. It keeps you pushing to be your best. But when you mistake that passion towards you job for life as a whole then there will be sacrifices. Sacrifices of time spent with family and friends, and most importantly sacrifices of your well-being.
This just recently clicked for me. And since I realized that I loved advertising but didn't live for it, I've focused a lot more of my attention on my family, friends, health and happiness. Perhaps best of all, now that I don't live for my job, I find myself loving my job even more.
Part of the reason I have this blog is to keep it that way. To keep me from taking all this to bed with me at night. Because when I finish my work and leave the office for the day, I want to go live my life. I don't want to live my work. And neither should you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)