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BIG IDEAS AND THE GARMENT OF TRUST Without insight, they are shallow observations. Without talent, they are pudgy middles impersonating muscular definition. Without ego and salesmanship, they are flat beer. And without the recognition that they are alive and therefore must grow, our ideas are merely scraps of fine fabric hoping to one day become a celebrated and useful whole. As a business of ideas, marketing is inherently a business of imagination that demands us all to make leaps of faith. We need to “see” what others in the development process will add in order to bring form to our thoughts, even though we may not fully understand the particular path they will take. From the moment of inception, an idea should be placed on a conveyor belt and taken away to be hammered, beaten, held up to the light, scrutinized, rough sanded and polished to perfection before making its public appearance. This, of course, is a great irony of our business. Since careers are built upon creating successful ideas, or maligned for championing the wrong ones, trust is a prized commodity along an idea’s arc of life. Meaning, that while we can easily “white board” the path of development from the beginning of an assignment to its finale, once it is removed from the academic state we actually have to put our ideas into the hands of people for them to become meaningful. People who think differently than we do and possess powers that we do not. As a matter of course, we “trust” that our colleagues are competent in the skills they were hired for. We “trust” they are aware of the correlation between their participation in an idea and the continued relationship with the people paying for it. But these limited expectations of trust alone are rote and mechanical and uninspired. And our willingness to trust only becomes more difficult as we extend to the next concentric circles outside of our group – photographers, directors, developers, printers and more. It is only natural to feel that we are losing control. But that’s not really what we are losing. What we are really losing is trust. Think now of a degree of trust that instead is dramatic and daring. A trust that at each point an idea is handed gingerly to the next, its temporary caretaker will continue to grow and influence what the first has started. And each of us is actually okay with that. In fact, we welcome the surprise. Imagine a trust where each is granted a wide enough berth to add a character trait or perspective that only he or she can. That is a trust that readily admits we cannot fulfill our great ideas on our own. It is a trust that allows for new, inspired interpretations to unfold, and unique magic to happen from others that are far more qualified than we. If your forte is assessing strategy and market opportunities, don’t worry how others choose photographers or kern type. That’s what they were hired for. If you’re good at writing headlines, don’t worry whether the client contact is asking the right questions or conducting the proper research. That’s what they were hired for. If you are brilliant at selecting a group of talented people to create your marketing materials, remember why you where brilliant in the first place. And if you do anything else, whatever you do, don’t try to tell a developer how to write code. You will hurtle into the abyss. The point is that at the very least, we are all programmed to bring different strengths to the party. Certainly most bring years of education and experience beyond that. And for however professional a service we may provide, to do it well demands a certain degree of tradecraft in each area. So be cognizant of the time people need to deliver their piece. If it were that easy, we’d all be doing our own plumbing. Fortunately for everyone, there is a sixth sense that reminds us it’s probably better not to. Yes, we need to challenge each other. Yes we need to collaborate. Yes we need to articulate goals and direction. But to build a garment of trust between and across people of many talents and departments is to build respect for everyone’s contribution. It is to build confidence by acknowledging the strength in each individual. It is to build a mind where people are unafraid to fail in the pursuit of innovation and the limits of their own abilities. I trust you will agree. Mike Connell
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