The Seven Ways to Exterminate Sheep

The quality of our ideas is what separates our thinking from our own flock of competition. And the best ideas often spring to life when a problem is attacked by more than one mind. Collaborate with each other. Challenge each other. Collaborate with those outside our doors, too. There’s a reason collaboration and integration rhyme. Sort of. But remember that collaboration does not mean “consensus-building” or “decision by committee.”

Be curious about whether the way it has always been done is really the way it should be done now. Be very, very curious about the people you’re trying to engage. Find out what makes them tick, what it takes to surprise and delight them. Be curious about everything. (In this instance, be curious means “be inquisitive” and not “be odd.”)

If you don’t ever stand out from the flock yourself, it might be harder to create communications that do. Do something unusual every week. Something different from your normal routine. Something nobody expects you to do. See how it feels. You might learn something about yourself. You might learn something about human nature. And even if you don’t, it’s fun to work at a place where the person in the next cubicle plays harmonica with her nose.

Care about what you do to a fault. Dive in headfirst each day. Look for potential in every project. Look for opportunity in every obstacle. Finesse every detail. Ponder every nuance. Love a crossed t and dotted i. And every month, make sure you’ve done at least one thing that you’d want your mom to put up on the refrigerator. If you haven’t, talk to a partner right away about what’s stopping you.

Good is the natural enemy of great. Respect yourself enough to never be satisfied with good. Halfway decent is out of bounds as well. Push yourself. And respect your teammates enough to always be honest with them. Be utterly clinical in your quest to provide our clients with the highest quality of thought.

Standing out from the flock isn’t merely attracting attention to yourself. We hate sheep, but we hate Jerry Lewis just as much. “Hey, look at me!” isn’t a strategy. It’s just plain dumb. Anyone can write a fart joke. We’re better than that. So are you.

Keep your motives absolutely pure. Everything we do must always be in the best interests of our clients. Sometimes that means disagreeing with them. Sometimes it means agreeing with them. No matter what, it always means listening to them and doing what we truly believe is right. Our clients are our livelihood. Our success follows theirs.