So we had or annual "looking forward" meeting last month and you never know what the principals might have in store (besides the beer and wine, of course). This year was no different as we were presented with "Tequila Shots .... Brains on Fire style," which is a small bound book outlining our goals and vision as a company peppered with inspirational quotes from our own. My favorite?


"What's under your fingernails? The work you do, if it truly matters, becomes a part of you. Like the mechanic who never really loses the oil stains under his fingernails, our work stays with us wherever we go. It becomes a part of our language and our very being. That is not to say work is everything, but if your work is your calling and not just a job, you will embrace it in everything you do."
When you get in there and get your hands (and nails) dirty, you're making it personal. And in this age of marketing clutter, if you DON'T make it personal then customers and employees will see right through your marketing efforts. This is why genuine insight is critical.
Gone are the ivory towers. Gone are the focus groups. And gone are the times when you make decisions for your customers. Instead, it is about getting face-to-face with people, looking them in the eye and having a brutally honest conversation in which you do the majority of the listening instead of the majority of the talking.
It is the difference between tactics and something sustainable. And it's why throwing a blog or an online community at a problem won't work without a big picture based on deep Insight.
So what's under your fingernails? Mine? Kayaks and running shoes and scrapbook supplies and teen anti-tobacco passions and Ultimate Driving Machines. And that's just the tip of the cuticle.