Idea "Identity Theft" - Stealing "Credit" For Success

Who Really Is Responsible For The Touted Work?

By David Miranda

I've never hired a person solely on their resume' and I've never retained a company solely on "examples of their past work".

I have, however, hired talented people and retained companies with talented people.

There is a big difference.

Today's currency is ideas - big ideas from talented people. It is critical, therefore, to interview people and companies for talent. Too often, prospects are guilty of idea identify theft, e.g. taking credit for the ideas and accomplishments of others. Was the candidate for hire really responsible for his or her resume' claims? When a company presents its work done for others, are those people still with the firm and, if so, will they be working on your businesss?

Resume's are glorified bios putting the subjects who composed them in the best possible light. What do they tell you about the individual and his or her talents. The answer is very little. They don't tell you if they are likable or despicable, arrogant or collaborative; shepherds or sheep; self-motivated or heavy maintenance; ethical or amoral; or a potential asset or liabilty. Finding the right "needle in the haystack" requires face-to-face dialogue by an experienced "talent scout" asking questions like "why did you move from this job to this job?"; "would these companies hire you back or would you even want to?"; "if you get this job, what is the first thing you would do?"; "I can hire anyone, why you?"; In other words, find out what makes this person tick.

Too often, companies present and tout stuff they did for other clients as in "here are examples of our previous work". Here you need to ask questions like "how many of the people that produced this work are still with your firm?"; "will the people who are on the pitch for my business really be working on my business"; "will you take these people off my business if you get new accounts and will you advise me in advance?"; "have you lost any business lately, and if so, why?; "how successful are you at recruiting and retaining talent?".

Asking the right questions and getting the right answers will save you a great deal of time, money, and frustration up front.

Hire or retain the real talent, not those who seek to claim the credit.

The "Envelope", The "Box" And Other Fictitious Boundaries Of Human Thought

Why Do We Relentessly Use Restrictive Metaphors To Explain Creativity?

By David Miranda

I am a big fan of the human race, particularly those members whose creativity have changed and shaped the lives of the rest of us in so many different and diverse areas - the arts, science, medicine, architecture, transportation, human rights, technology, and, yes, business.

The names of these people, past and present, are too many to list here, but they all have one thing in common - they were creative thinkers who had to battle the inertia and resistance of their ideas from those whose comfort zone was the status quo. History continues to repeat itself although we always hear rhetoric to the contrary.

I have attended countless marketing meetings, conferences and seminars where marketing executives and gurus have encouraged the attendees to "think outside the box" or "push the envelope" to create products and services that provide a strategic competitive advantage for their firms or clients.

What is this "box" or "envelope"? Simply stated, it is the sacred cow - the status quo. Here lies the hypocrisy. Encourage new thinking but hang on tightly to the way we currently do things.

In any successful enterprise today, there should be no status quo, no comfort zone. The status quo is a terminal illness if left untreated. Relentless innovation is the answer. Innovate or die.

Need some examples? Local newspapers, passenger trains, typewriters, vinyl records, barber shops, milkmen, travel agencies, local bookstores, mom and pop hardware stores, door-to-door sales, dial-up Internet services, etc. etc. etc. All represent businesses that clung to the status quo too long to save themselves.

Ladies and gentlemen, there is no "box" or "envelope". That's why they call it "thinking". So don't think outside "this" or try to "push" beyond "that". Just think and you'll find better solutions than those who play in "boxes".

The State Of Advertising - We Miss You Mr. Ogilvy

The "The Father Of Advertising" Would Be Appalled At The State Of His Beloved Industry

By David Miranda

David Ogilvy, considered by many to the Father Of Advertising, penned the "little red book" of advertising, "Confessions Of An Advertising Man" in 1963, yet his wisdom, insights, and advice still ring true today. Mr. Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy, Benson, and Mather, passed away in 1999 at the grand old age of 88 after a legendary career on Madison Avenue.

Here are quotes from the master:

On Advertising: "I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information. The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be."

On Advertising Effectiveness: "Ninety-nine percent of advertising doesn't sell much of anything."

On Consumers: "The consumer isn't a moron; she is your wife. It is flagrantly dishonest for an advertising agent to urge consumers to buy a product which he would not allow his own wife to buy. "

On Advertising By Committees: "Committees can criticize advertisements, but they should never be allowed to create them."

On Creativity: "If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative."

On Using Judgement vs. Research: "I notice increasing reluctance on the part of marketing executives to use judgment; they are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post for support, rather than for illumination."

On Setting Goals: "Don't bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals."

On Hiring Talent: "If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants. Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine."

On Clients: "I avoid clients for whom advertising is only a marginal factor in their marketing mix. They have an awkward tendency to raid their advertising appropriations whenever they need cash for other purposes."

Mr. Ogilvy, we'll try to do better.