Monday, September 26, 2005

DNA

Is our behavior a result of DNA - our “bio-heritage” - or is behavior a result of environment, patterns, and/or influence? (Our “experio-heritage”, if you will.) Clearly, this debate has been raging since science and philosophy gave jobs to scientists and philosophers. Where do you come out on this? Read on..

We talk a lot about best practices, about excellence in performance and delivery, about delighting our clients with thinking and practice well beyond the norm.

We give awards for best of show and crave the credibility those awards bestow. We try and codify the path that led to decoration and honor, secretly wondering whether or not some just have it and others just don’t.

We watch some organizations grow and prosper while others wither and fade, all the while fearful that maybe it is just cyclical and that no matter what you do, today you are up and tomorrow you are down.

So what is it? Do we win awards because we have the right DNA? Do we prosper because we were born to or fail because it’s our time? Can we deliver the best - always? Can we delight our clients time and time again - just because it’s the Wunderman way. Lester’s DNA?

Here is a thought from the dawn of the debate:

“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then, is not an act - but a habit.”
Aristotle

First of all, are you going to argue with a guy with just one name? Particularly when after so many thousands of years he still doesn’t need a last one.Anyway, the thought is clear and a lesson too.

Excellence is neither in our genetic make-up (beyond the general human desire for it) nor is it a one-off phenomenon or a seasonal/occasional occurrence. Excellence is a product of our dedication, our focus and our desire to perform in a superior and enhanced way.

The “Wunderman Way” is a commitment. It is dedication to a path of excellence and a code of behavior that sets us apart as a company. It must become a habit or it is no better than the behavior of anyone else working anywhere else.

In short order you will hear a lot more about this. The Wunderman Code - a habit, not an act and not a chemical pattern - is a concise set of decisions, on all of our parts, that will make us ever more competitive and ever more unique in the market.

Make Wunderman a habit.

The Wunderman Code will debut soon. Keep your eyes open.

Posted by jim on 09/26 at 03:43 PM
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