First, let’s be clear. There is a big difference between taking yourself seriously and taking yourself too seriously.

If you’re in business, taking yourself seriously is important. Perhaps critical. But taking yourself too seriously almost always leads to…well…nowhere.

Yet, when it comes to creating advertising, many advertisers find it impossible to resist the temptation to project an image of self-importance. Sure, it’s good to be proud of who you are and confident in what you do, but consider this.

You’re on an airplane and a couple of rows up a business person is on the phone making a string of calls as if he were the only one on the plane. One to his secretary to move a meeting with someone from a big huge company. One to an associate in which he drops more big names and titles and numbers. Then, he calls a friend and proceeds to talk about how successful he has been lately, and throws in a quick caveat on how he catches hell for it sometimes.

So…how many people do you think are dying to find out more about this guy once the flight attendant instructs all passengers to turn off all electronic devices? Or, better yet. How many people do you think are happy that he had to turn off his cell phone?

Self-confidence is appealing. Self-importance is not.

John C. Maxwell tells a story of a man who once challenged his view that as a leader, it’s important to acknowledge your weaknesses. The man was mortified that Maxwell would suggest such a thing and maintained that being a good leader was about never letting people see your weaknesses.

To paraphrase Maxwell’s response, “You assume, sir, that they don’t know what your weaknesses are.”

Take a look around at some of the most engaging and entertaining advertising. In many cases, it is from companies with enough self-confidence to laugh at themselves and allow us to do it with them. Or, the advertising provides an opportunity for viewers to laugh at themselves. Rarely is it overly self-important.

Don’t misunderstand, playing to your strengths is critical to success. But when it comes to making advertising, leave the chest-pounding to those who take themselves too seriously.

It’s that time of year again. The time when selfishness is set aside. The time when the spirit of giving dances on the cold wind and brings warmth to offices, homes, neighborhoods, cities, towns, villages, and (lucky you) e-mail inboxes. So, instead of the cookies and candy (which you probably have plenty of by now) we’re bringing you a small token that won’t give you a sugar buzz, might not make your coffee taste any better, and doesn’t come in a box. Well…not one you can put under the tree, anyway.
Enjoy.

_____

One day, while living on the west coast, Jack received a call from his mother, still in New England.

“Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday,” she told him.

Memories flashed in his mind like a movie trailer. He was speechless. He had almost forgotten about Mr. Belser.

“Right up until his death, he would ask about you every time I saw him,” she added. “He liked to reminisce about the many days you spent on his side of the fence.” She added, “After your father died, he stepped in to make sure you had a male influence in your life.”

“I wouldn’t be in the business at all if it weren’t for him,” Jack said. “I’ll be there for the funeral.” Mr. Belser taught Jack carpentry, among many other things.

During the flight home, Jack remembered how much he loved that old house Mr. Belser lived in. He also began thinking about his wife and children with whom he spent very little time.

The funeral was small and uneventful. Mr. Belser had no children of his own and very little family left.

Afterward, he and his mother visited the old house. Jack paused as he stood in the entry way. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every detail carefully preserved but with one exception. A small gold box that Mr. Belser always kept locked on top of his desk.

Jack must have asked a thousand times, “What’s inside the box?” The answer was always the same “The thing I value most,” the old man would say, and left it at that.

The box was gone. Now Jack would never know what was in the box.

Upon returning home, Jack received a package. It was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years before. The return address read “Mr. Harold Belser.” Inside was a letter and the gold box.

His hands shaking, Jack opened the letter that read:

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. Carefully, Jack unlocked the box. Inside was a beautiful gold pocket watch. Finely etched in the casing were the words, “Thanks for your time, Jack.” – Harold Belser

It is our hope that the few minutes you spend with us each week is valuable to you. And we hope that we can continue to be a source of inspiration for you to do great things for others through best practices and good solid communications.

Thank you for your time.

Happy Holidays

Three frogs are sitting on a lily pad. One of those frogs decides to jump. How many frogs are left?

If you said “two,” think again. Just because the frog decided to jump, doesn’t mean a thing. Because he didn’t actually jump. He only intended to.

On any given morning, we can wake up and decide, “Today is the day I will…(insert behavior change here.)” Then, as the day goes on, we slip back into the pattern with which we are so very comfortable, even though we know there’s a better choice to be made. One that makes life better for everyone.

We could talk about why this is. But that’s a conversation better suited for a couch and a PhD with a steno pad and a fountain pen. So, instead, let’s talk about how NOT doing what you know is best can be a quick way to lose your competitive edge, and miss a golden opportunity to bring attention and value to your brand.

Merely intending to do good without actually doing it is of little value. Yet, it is not uncommon for a good idea to show up out of nowhere, get talked about like it’s the best idea on the planet, actually gain some immediate support and then die on the vine like a forgotten bunch of Cabernet grapes.

It happens all the time. Four people are sitting around after work at some happy hour joint talking shop. The next thing you know, someone starts playing “what if?” and pretty soon, the whole table has joined in. There’s laughter, snorting, more drinking and a flood of ideas (many irreverent, but ideas, nonetheless). Then, everyone goes home with nary a bar napkin or note to remind them of the sudden burst of creativity that just happened out of thin air. Then everyone goes to sleep and forgets about it by morning, never realizing that it was good intentions and some social lubricant that shook (or stirred) the ideas up to begin with.

Nothing beats a decent idea backed by passion and the will to win.

When an idea makes sense, and gets people talking and joining in, that’s creativity. If you ever find yourself in the middle of one of these situations, write things down. You don’t have to do anything with them right away, just write. Because one day, one of those ideas will make perfect sense. Then, with some fortitude, what was once simply an expression of one’s good intentions, can become something great and could be the value-add that makes a difference and sets you apart from the rest.

Pave your way to the promised land by capturing creativity as it happens. Otherwise, you may find yourself forever driving on the devil’s asphalt.

It’s inevitable. Somewhere along the line, regardless of one’s good intentions, something goes awry. And, as we all know, even the smallest slip-up can have a profound impact on people’s perception of a brand, especially when it goes unacknowledged by the one who slipped.

It’s common that when a mistake is made, people tend to look for a fall guy—

someone else to blame for what has happened. Or worse, they make attempts to sweep the mistake under the rug and pretend that nothing happened at all. Almost as if to think, “Maybe if I act like nothing happened, everyone will forget soon enough and the thing will just fade away when the sun goes down.”

Why? Because when we know we’re wrong, we get scared. Scared that we’ve done an injustice to someone and that they may never trust us again to be what they expected us to be. Again, fear (one of the most powerful emotions) takes over and causes us to act without thinking.

But having a good relationship isn’t about never making mistakes. It’s about how you deal with them when (not if) they happen. Because they do. Take last week’s Seed, for example.

For you detail-oriented individuals who were kind enough to point out the misreference in last week’s Seed, thank you. We’ll do our best to avoid this kind of mishap in the future.

Misquoting a former Commander-in-Chief may be an excusable mistake that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Still, it goes against what we believe in and what we stand for as a brand.

So, in an effort to “write” a wrong, it was Franklin Delano Roosevelt who said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

We won’t let fear keep us from acknowledging to you, faithful reader, that we’ve blundered. Because we value your readership and loyalty.

And, we want to stay friends for a long, long time.