"You can learn a lot from a Dummy" ~ some sort of PSA from my childhood.
I remember this line, because I firmly believe you can learn a lot from anyone. If you pay attention enough. Life is one big Community College Class, and each and person we come in contact with, is an opportunity for growth. And when I say growth, I don't mean the "Los Angeles Life Coachey" growth of transforming into a beautiful butterfly and saving the rain forests. I mean growth in the ability to not keep doing the same thing over and over and over again. Too many people continue to do the same thing over again and expect different results. I am flabbergasted when I encounter humans with a printer issue. The printer clearly says "Paper Jam", yet most humans give up. They assume the printer is broken since clearly there is no jam. They assume since they looked for more than 2 minutes, there has to be something wrong with the printer. This happens over and over and over again. And 99% of the time. There is a paper jam. There is an entire industry of printer repairman that thrive on this basic principle. I want to abolish this. This is why I have spent the last 4 minutes thinking of this blog which is titled.
Brilliant Business Ideas I Learned from Brad Pitt - and other nonsensical nonsense of nonentities.
"Nah, I don't think so. More like chewed out. I've been chewed out before" ~ Lt. Aldo Raine,
This one is brilliant for its simplicity. We, as marketeers, are inept by fear. We are so afraid of some higher structure of corporate America, we cut off our thumbs to spite our pinkys. There is so much creativity in our ranks that if we actually unleashed this power, we would cause Ogilvy to roll over in his cryogenic chamber. Far too often Marketeers are stopping themselves from some fear of Voldemort on the top floor. The simple truth is, always do what is right and ask for forgiveness later. Leadership has entrusted us with the keys to the kingdom. We don't need a consensus, we need to lead. By not being leaders and innovators, we are constantly regurgitating the same trite ad copy that we have done for the past 30 years. We are not creating new consumer benefits, but like a County Fair barker, screaming about features most people don't want or care about. Let's get a little Aldo swagger in our step.
"Careful Bill, you'll give yourself a heart attack and ruin my vacation" ~ Joe Black
We as employees and consumers are all in this game for ourselves. Never forget this. Even the Dali Llama wants a comfortable sandal once in a while.
"How Much do you know about yourself, if you've never been in a fight" ~ Tyler Durden
Nothing is less attractive than a kid who just got his MBA from some university that gives rings and they think they know how to do something (Even if they do). We all need to lose once in a while. It builds character. Risk takers don't always win, so if you are in this game to always win, you will either burn out quickly or try to turn loses into wins. Nothing irks me more than someone who changes the words problems to "opportunities". There is nothing wrong with problems, problems are great. Problems spur change, problems encourage creative thinking, problems also force activity.
"He's a nutbag, just because the f**ker has a library card doesn't make him Yoda" ~ David Mills
Lots of people inside the organization and outside claim to be the guru from on high. Beware these charlatans. You can always learn as much from someone on the bus as you can from someone who claims to be the king of all marketeers. The flip side to this coin, find the real "Yoda's" in the bunch and learn from them as much as possible. They do exist, there are brilliant people around. Be adept at filtering the Wheat from the Chaff. Here's a tip, anyone who claims to be a guru, is not.
"Hey, get some beer and some cleaning products" ~ Floyd
I just love this quote, and no one is reading this far anyway. If you are, be sure to celebrate your successes and clean up your messes.
To wrap this up, Brad Pitt taught me a lot about marketeering. He was also great in "Legends of the Fall". I tried to find a quote from that movie, but every time I put it on, I couldn't focus.
josh minnick
www.vitaminID.com
