I’ve been very lucky throughout my career. I’ve worked with and close to the best in marketing and business. Richard Waddell (RIP) introduced me to Noble Phillip, the best marketing person I know. That was 30 years ago and I’ve been able to lean on Noble for all sorts of advice throughout my marketing career. Some of my other mentors include Tim Nafziger, Winfield Aleong, Chris Vuyk, James O’Reilly, Denny Post, Eddie Ayin and Dr Anthony N Sabga. The latter is an extraordinary man, with a nose for doing the right things and an unyielding drive and tenacity to make them excel.
Here’s some of what I got from these exceptional leaders:
- Anything is possible so dream big
- Hard work is not optional
- In marketing be consistent
- Merchandising is more important than we think (how we package and communicate the offer)
- Know what you want your business and brands to be and stick to it
- Selling/Operations and Marketing must be on the same page
- Do as you say
- Relationships matter
A few years ago I added a virtual mentor, Seth Godin to my life. Seth is bright. He is innovative. He is prolific. And he’s willing to share everything he knows with anyone who will listen. Check out this blog that came into my inbox this morning and you’ll see again why you should make sure and find yourself a mentor or two.
Why jazz is more interesting than bowling
Bowling is all about one number: the final score. And great bowlers come whisker-close to hitting the perfect score regularly. Not enough dimensions for me to be fascinated by, and few people pay money to attend bowling matches.
Jazz is practiced over a thousand or perhaps a million dimensions. It’s non-linear and non-predictable, and most of all, it’s never perfect.
And yet…when we get to work, most of us choose to bowl.
