In 1937, 26-year-old economist, Ronald Coase, published an article called "The Nature of the Firm." He wouldn't win the Nobel Prize for this work until 1991. Unfortunately, this is usually what happens when someone predicts a major change to people terrified by it.
Read MoreYears ago I received a gift from one of the vice presidents at a corporate client of mine. This leader had an unusual style. He was stern, but surprisingly warm and inviting. He had a unique office setup in the middle of downtown St. Louis, MO. He had a wooden sculpture of a unicorn on the glass walls of his office, while many of his peers preferred private offices. He wore jeans to work, when all of his peers were wearing blue blazers and pleated khakis.
Read MoreI've come across so many articles about large corporations working on their "digital transformation." The term, likely something coined by some overpaid industry-expert/propaganda maker, seems to have taken hold in so many corporate technology offices. I think this is the term CIOs must use to compete for the funding they need. Politics aside, there is something to be said about companies looking to change their culture. At its core, that's what I think a digital transformation is all about. But let's examine what that really means.
Read MoreI love being around interns! They bring energy, ideas and healthy ignorance for many things in life. Makes me think of my Northwestern Mututal internship over ten years ago. I was a bushy-eyed 20-year old who let the summer sneak up on him. I applied to the Financial Representative internship without any idea of what I was doing. I had no idea the job was 100% commission or that I'd spend my days selling the good people of St. Louis the best whole life insurance money could buy. With all the interns out there figuring out what they can learn this summer, I'm going to reflect on the best lesson I pulled from my internship experience.
Read MoreBy the end of this week I will have shipped a printed book, a few portfolios, a couple blog posts and have just signed up a customer for a new web project. My job is to help people tell stories, make videos, create web sites and any other sort of content that will attract someone's attention enough to encourage change. For as much content as I'll have shipped, I will have read, watched and listened to a hundred times more than that.
Read MoreSpend as much time as you can working with your mentors. They know more than you because they've screwed up more than you. They won't be around forever.
Building up on that last point...if you want to get good at something fast, just start screwing up faster. Just watch a baby learn to walk. The subjects may change, but the learning process remains the same.
Read MoreWhat a beautiful convergence of talent I get to witness every day at work! We have a team of business people working alongside designers. I started my career doing corporate finance stuff. After all, I had a degree in business. Why? I didn't really have a passion for "business," whatever that means. It was better than "Undecided." Over the past few years I've jumped into more design work, doing videos, websites, graphics and nearly any piece of communication I can. Last week, I received validation that this mix of business and design interest is beginning to be pretty vital for those in the creative field.
Read MoreI've been getting asked more and more to teach people how to give better presentations, tell better stories, and essentially sell what they do. The next time you are asked to give a presentation, here's the one thing I think you could do to instantly step up it up. The secret lies with what every documentary, movie or TV show director already knows: use B-Roll.
Read MoreNormally, I post things I find interesting or educational. For today, I want to brag and reflect on how awesome our creative team at work really is.
Read MoreI've shipped tons of creative projects, both on my own and as part of a team. Working with others is always more rewarding and always much more of a challenge. You have to make trade-offs when you work on a team. You have to be accountable to others on the team. As a project manager, you have to manage the contributions and expectations of team members, customers and partners. Amidst all these jobs of a project manager, you have one that stands on its own as the most critical.
Read MoreThe chief job of a marketer is to generate trust with a group of people on behalf of a brand. As Seth Godin points out in this conversation with Gary Vaynerchuk, to get trusted you need attention. How do you get attention in a world where we can't skip ads fast enough?
Read MoreWhen fixing a problem with a machine, there is always a right answer. There is always a bug to be fixed. It doesn't mean it's always easy to find, but there is an end to the search eventually.
Read MoreAs soon as some of these startup enthusiasts find out I work in a corporation, they either apologize or look for a way out of the conversation. It's like all of a sudden they think we are on two different sides of the planet. They act like there's no way I could comprehend all the troubles they must encounter working in a startup. Sure, there are differences. This Forbes article attempts to highlight some. The article is very thought-provoking, but I'd like to expand on the four points the original author makes with my own experiences.
Read MoreI've been in a bit of a story-writing frenzy this week. We have a big deadline to meet for a corporate client that involves several story vignettes for each team. The challenge is making sure we have honest, compelling, interesting and short stories ready for print by next week. All this story-writing has made me think more about my approach. Figured I'd share a few things I find helpful when drafting (and re-drafting) stories.
Read MoreYou just graduated school. You are ready to begin your creative journey. Yes, we get it. You can code. You are an expert design thinker. You can draw. You can take pictures. You are so talented. Why must this greedy corporation insist on paying you that entry-level salary? Don't they know your worth? Don't they know how much skill you have?
Read MoreWorking in corporate America and being very involved in the startup community means I can't help but notice some similarities between the two. Both seem to fall in love with $2 words like innovation. You don't release prototypes anymore; they're MVPs. Startups love to "disrupt." Corporates are busy "transforming." No matter which world you occupy, it still comes down to a bunch of people trying to stamp their version of a better world on us. It's necessary. It's beautiful. It's messy and I love it. There's just one distinction I make between the two: sweat equity.
Read MoreI took a crack at making my first meal tonight involving roasted garlic - Lemon Orzo Soup. I was challenged to write a blog about marketing and relating it to garlic. I'm going to talk about a marketing tactic that gets used all the time and compare it with this delicious "food enhancer." The tactic is called euphemism. Its purpose? To get past people's tough exterior and help them appreciate all the goodness you have to offer. Stay with me on this one..."
Read MoreOne of my favorite exercises to do when I help teams with their identity is the "We are this, but not that" game. Business owners tend to have difficulty when it comes to owning their brand. They'll usually start with the more visible stuff like a logo, a name and some colors they like. But what about after the "new brand smell" starts to wear off? How do you build a brand that goes deeper than these superficial elements? How do you build one that lasts?
Read MoreIf you consider yourself a marketer or creative professional, what does your resume really get you in a world where you can film your work life with a phone? Does your bullet list of buzzwords and seemingly random facts really illustrate what you do? Stop and think about what a resume really is supposed to do. It's usually reviewed in advance of an interview where a prospective employer or client can figure out where you think you excel. They can brainstorm their questions and determine which risks might need more discussion before they make their hiring decision. However, as attention spans get more narrow and selective, the chances of a hiring manager or client sifting through your vague sentences is pretty slim.
Read MoreThe concept of branding is becoming increasingly important, especially for my clients that work inside of a large corporation. Teams that have enjoyed the steady protection from "statements of direction" and similar corporate propaganda are finding those methods less effective as more teams can step in as direct or indirect competition. To stand out and earn the attention you need, you might think you need to learn about things like identity development, typography, color theory and iconography. You do, but not as much as you think. Take a page out of the songbook of my favorite rock band I mentioned above.
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