Monday, July 31, 2006

Rules

What’s your take on this?

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the differences between process and procedure.  Process is liberating.  Procedure is a constriction.  It seems many of you agreed.

Recently I talked about similar issues with some colleagues—all solid citizens of our company and all focused on our success. Without generalizing (at least not too much), I could divide most of them in two segments.

To begin, all were proud, card-carrying, flag-waving Wunderpeople. Most had read Lester’s book.  Many logged onto The Loop regularly.  The majority had been through Wunderman training and in general fit the profile of active, smart, clear thinking focused and client centric.

Yet, there was a difference.  Some were focused on business outcomes.  That is, they were able to assimilate the Wunderman mission, apply it to clients and new business, and their resulting track record of growth and wins is enviable.

The rest were inwardly focused.  Obsessed with “finding the mission,” erasing confusion, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and in general looking for a well paved highway with well lit signs to follow.  Guess what their track record was like…

It’s funny, somehow our clients seem to know what we do (if anything we fail to push ourselves to expand).  We win impressive new business and we are invited to pitch important accounts.  Yet, some of us are still in doubt.

My sense is that I have yet to encounter the company (or I should I say I have yet to encounter the growing dynamic company) that isn’t in some state of flux or in the midst of a bit of chaos or isn’t in the middle of healthy commotion.  It’s often been said that only dead fish always swim downstream

Clarity is good.  Order is admirable.  But drive; passion and results trump all.

As one of the great examples of this philosophy once said:

Hell, there are no rules here—we’re trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

Seems to me that we are a step ahead. We are trying to accomplish something and we have a few rules that are designed and intended to help make accomplishments even more powerful and we have you.

Posted by David on 07/31 at 09:04 AM
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