.creativity

"The stone age didn't end because they ran out of stones."

- Anonymous

Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected and break out of established patterns in order to look at things in very different ways.

When asked about their process, many creative people will say the solution just 'appears' before their eyes. This is due to creative thinkers having an innate or learned ability to effectively recall (not relive) past experiences, and process them along with the current information, thus resulting in a 'new idea'.

Although it may materialize itself easier for some more than others, I am a firm believer that creativity is naturally inherent in our human genome. And for those who proclaim they "don't have a creative bone in their body", I recommend spending less time trying to draw straight lines, and see where the curvy lines take them.

.brand

"A brand that captures your mind gains behavior. A brand that captures your heart gains commitment."

- S. Talgo

A brand is not a logo, product, slogan or business. These are explicit elements used to communicate and build the brand. They are planned, manufactured and can be replicated. It's the personalization of these components that develops the brand...and that's what consumers buy.

In our personal lives, we are constantly developing our own 'brand' through our relationships, how we dress, what we say and do, and where we live and work. Your closest friends are the ones you gravitate towards and trust over others, because you believe in their brand. Company or product brands are no different.

I believe a well-crafted, long-term brand strategy leveraging multiple media channels is paramount to building an effective, potentially multi-generational relationship with prospects and customers.

.social

"Social media's greatest assets - anonymity, virality, interconnection - are also its main weaknesses."

- E. Morozov

In 51 B.C., the famous Roman statesman Cicero began having his speeches scribed on papyrus, and sent to select friends and associates. As each scroll reached a recipient, they were copied, edited with comments and passed along to the next person in the 'network'.

The social networking we know today takes on the appearance of internet-based virtual communities where there is a 24-7 creation and exchange of user-generated content. Same concept, better technology.

When it comes to developing relationships with consumers, there are not many other media channels more effective in today's marketing landscape than social media.

I believe to be effective in social networks you should be practicing the 90-10 rule. That is, 90% of your content should be thought-leadership or interaction-based, and 10% should be 'shouting out' about your products/services. Also, it's more important who you are connecting (and engaging) with than how many are connected to you.

.management

"Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them."

- P. Hawken

I was told early in my career by a former CEO of mine, "Management is one of the most important and thankless positions in any company."

Next to the CEO, there is likely no more important role in any organization as it relates to long term growth and success. In a recent study, when asked who they trust the most in their company, employees overwhelmingly selected their direct managers (70%+) over senior executives (50%).

As someone who considers himself a good 'people manager', I always enjoy collaborating with my teams and believe consistent communication and effective mentoring/training and are keys to retaining and nurturing the future leaders in the organization. A good manager is an amalgamation of an effective communicator, leader, mentor, disciplinarian and colleague -- a jack-of-all-trades, master of some.

.collaboration

"Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up."

- O. Wendell Holmes

You hear the term 'collaborate' used all the time in business nowadays, although I have rarely seen it used truthfully. Many managers say their teams are collaborating, but in reality they are still 'teaming'.

They say there is no 'i' in 'team'. Which is good. Because a team is supposed to be a group with similar views, skills, talents and experiences that work together to achieve a specific goal.

Collaboration, however, does have an 'i'. And that's very important, because effective collaboration is a result of a group of individuals, each leveraging their own view, skill, talent or experience, towards a common goal. To promote successful creative collaboration it is important to choose the right people, create positive conflict, establish communication protocol, be a good facilitator, show respect and praise successes no matter how small.

.process

"If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what
you’re doing."

- W. Edwards Deming

Whenever I take on a project, campaign or problem, I strive to take all aspects of the process seriously and not cut corners, especially when it comes to the early stages of production.

To explain the value of good process, I like to use the analogy of laying a new sidewalk. The pre-planning stage -- measurements, setting guidelines, getting materials etc. -- is most important to the overall success of the project. As you move further through the process, it becomes more and more difficult (and more expensive) to make design changes. Changes early in the process are a matter of moving a stake and guideline, but if you make even a small change much later you'll likely need a jackhammer.