Diary of a Marketing Man Part III: Where Do We Go From Here?
The other day I sat down to watch Up In The Air with George Clooney. I have to say it was an incredible film. For all of you who have not seen it yet a prevalent theme in the movie is the bitter resentment of former employees fueled by major corporations hiring outside career transition counseling firms to fire them. Although I outlined a different set of scenarios in my previous post, lack of direct communication is the common thread. When will we return to simply saying “No” directly instead of going through the internet, another 3rd party, or both? This is where technology creates a communications chasm.
Moral of the story: Always be careful of how much information you present in proposals because sometimes people are just looking to extort information. Anyone who says they will meet you or call you back, but is too busy to deliver on their commitment, expecting you to chase them down, will not make for good clients. They’re not serious. It’s like running around after a woman who says she wants to have lunch, but meanwhile has a husband, two kids, and a black lab at home. I don’t have time for it.
Business ethics in America cannot continue to follow the status quo. Web 2.0 technology is meant to supplement, not replace, the human decency of staying connected through face-to-face meetings and good ole telephone conversations. I like to observe people in social settings. Have you ever done that? Go to a restaurant, movie theater, baseball game, or shopping mall and take a look at how distracted and unconscious so many people are. When I worked at Davidoff I must have witnessed close to a dozen people walk headfirst into the storefront window pane while exiting the store. We are turning into efficiency machines while losing perspective that everything here on earth is just stuff. That’s it.
Hey don’t get me wrong. I’m not perfect. The other day I got blue ink all over my hands trying to empty a butane lighter with a fountain pen. Believe me, early in the game I dove headfirst into gigantic projects that were a little out of my league, and I wanted my hand in every aspect of the project. I feel like I’m learning my limitations, finding local talent to assist me, and if you’re for real I’m ready to help you out. Let’s cut out the game playing, and have a real conversation.
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Business Ethics Stories on Video (The Right Thing by Jeffery Seglin)
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