LESSONS FROM MY DAD

My dad recently gave me a few documents he created from when he was still working in the corporate world. He thought it would be good for me to review because he feels that I am doing the same kind of work and might just learn something from it.

O…K. So, I took the papers and thought, what could I learn here? Where could the similarities be? I mean, he was in business in the 70s and 80s well before high-tech and digital marketing. What could he possibly have that would help me? He was a Philosophy & Economics major. A Management Consultant. I’m a gadget girl, a lover of all things digital, a marketer of global brands as well as small local businesses. An Advertising major. A Marketing consultant. So what the heck could I learn here?

Well, I read through them and I was SO IMPRESSED! Why? Because even back in the 70s and 80s (and honestly, since the dawn of time) there is one thing that remains the same: the business hierarchy. There’s the big boss all the way down to the little guy. Yet, sometimes those people are in the wrong place and either fail miserably, or never get a chance because they aren’t given an opportunity to shine.

The funny thing is this, I never really thought I had follwed in my dad’s footsteps. It’s easy to say this if your parent is a doctor or attorney, but my dad was a management consultant. The guy that comes in, says you are inefficient with your process and suggests the team members that need to go, as well as the ones that are rock stars and need to be promoted. I am a marketing consultant. The one that comes in and says we need to revamp your website, add this functionality, drive traffic from these [insert any media vehicle here] efforts and measure the ROI so we can do it all over again – but better. I’m also the one that creates programs and cross-collaborates with everyone. Why? Because that is how you learn and become resourceful. That is also how you launch a successful campaign.

Through the years of observing how business works, I guess I have become this business advisor to companies, helping them innovate and grow not only through marketing but through strategically planning how the business can scale. So WOW – epiphany! I am doing the same great work my dad did in his career! That’s cool. His focus was operations and financial. My focus is marketing and operations.

Business Planning, be it conceptual, strategic, operational or tactical is not an attempt to predict or forecast the future. It is a well thought out and documented blueprint for changing an enterprise from its present status to another of its own design. Business Planning is a commmitment to achievement.

This quote was written by my dad for a presentation on Business Planning. I couldn’t have said it better – this is what it’s all about. “…a commitment to achievement.” So let’s soldier on and commit to great things. The first step is daring to change.

// KT

p.s. That’s a picture of my dad – not Jack Nicholson! He did it all with a big smile and I definitely learned that from him too! 🙂