Something to Think About

One day a few years ago one of our people told me that we needed to hire “a mobile expert.”  We considered it for a moment and decided not to for one simple reason.  There’s no such thing as a mobile expert.  There may be people who understand mobile today.  But there’s nobody that understand what it’s going to look like tomorrow.   The future of mobile still needs to be invented.

Most companies’ marketing departments are filled with technical experts in direct mail, web development, brand advertising, CRM, media relations, research, or what have you.  All good.  But the new world order demands generalists, problem solvers, and inventors – people who can grasp business problems, not just marketing or communication problems.

As you look at your roster of staffers, figure out who is open to experimentation, freethinking, and imagination.  Who has a natural sense of curiosity?  And who can look at the new digital landscape as an active participant, rather than as an anthropologist?  Keep those people, and get them involved in the invention of solutions.  In other words, get rid of your incrementalists and replace them with revolutionaries.

And in our case, that person who told me we needed to hire a mobile expert actually became our mobile expert.  That’s how it should work.