Meet the Author

Do you know who this is? She is one of the most influential people in U.S. history, but her face and story are largely unknown.

We all have a keen sense of our own mortality. People die. Family members die. Our pets die. And even though most of us don’t like to think about it, each of us will die. Although it’s the single most uncomfortable fact of life, we all understand this certainty and we accept it.

However, we often subconsciously assume brands are immortal. We assume that the logos that line the shelves at our local superstore are written in stone. That once a brand “makes it big”, that it’s time to sit back and enjoy the ride.

In agency life, too often you can see the train wreck heading your way.

Sales people are trained to smile. They are told countless times that, “a smile can be heard over the phone,” that “smiles are contagious,” and that “a smile sets the tone.” And, though it may sound cliché, it’s still very true. An authentic smile, so simple and subtle, can be very powerful. Strangely, this simple technique that works wonders in the world of sales often isn’t taught in the world of project management.

Project managers are taught to focus on deadlines and deliverables. They’re taught to be Six Sigma Black Belts and master agile development methodologies. They are taught to be super intense, no frills, no fun, laser focused, and armed with Gantt charts and project plans. However, the best project managers know intuitively that the best way to get things done is by being empathetic and understanding. Others learn it over time.

Quite often, we can hear one of our most cheerful project managers answering the phone, “Happy Wednesday James! How are you doing today?” The PM isn't being fake. Or putting on a show. The PM is genuinely and authentically happy. And is a purposely positive person. The PM is also a darn good project manager and simply gets things done.

Every year, the day after the NFL regular season ends, a number of coaches get fired. In a 32-team league, the number varies, but it’s often in the 5-8 range, which means there’s an annual turnover rate between 15% to 25%. This year, 5 coaches were fired. Black Monday, as it’s now called, represents a major miscalculation in professional sports. But it’s also representative of a larger failure in the business word.

A “fire first” mentality has taken hold in most industries. If sales are down this year, get a new VP of Sales. If your cost per lead doesn’t drop 25% like the Excel spreadsheet needed it to in order to please the new Marketing Director, then get a new agency. It’s cause and effect. Right?

There are many problems with this line of thinking. But before we delve into all of the flaws of the current firing zeitgeist, let’s see what we can learn from one of the greatest coaches in NFL history – Tom Landry – a man who never would have achieved legendary status in today’s climate of impatience and instant gratification.

Love is a word that gets thrown around a lot and sometimes loses its meaning. I love my job. I love my car. I love my phone. I love my new "insert material item here". It's so easy to get wrapped up in on our day-to-day lives and careers and our material possessions. Sometimes we need to be reminded about what's truly important.

When it comes to our jobs, we don't work so hard, or care so much, or obsess over deadlines and deliverables to simply be a labor output. To simply get the job done.

We do it because we have people in our lives that we'd do anything for. We want to make their lives better. We want to make our parents proud. We want to build a foundation for our kids' future. We want our dogs and cats to have amazing lives. We do it so the world is a better place - even if we can only see the impact with our immediate loved ones.