A lesson from my Father

It’s rare for me to blog about many personal topics, but one year ago this weekend, my Dad suffered a massive stroke and passed away. Naturally, I’m spending this time to remember him and some of the many lessons that he taught me. †One, in particular, was surprising.

Stability was the key

My Dad worked in emergency communications for the police department for over 30 years, retiring as the highest ranking civilian. Back when I was in high school I recall Dad telling me that he chose to a “government job” because it was stable and that, while we’d never be rich, he knew he’d always have a job.

That was true, until he closed in on his 30th year of employment, which would allow him to retire with full benefits. †The final 2-3 years of his employment consisted of daily pressuring and criticism, demeaning attempts to get him to retire before his full eligibility. †I watched my Dad go from a strong, silent leader to a worn down shadow of his former self. †The people in power at the PD, however, underestimated the toughness in my old man. †He outlasted them and, when he finally reached his 30th anniversary, they backed off. At least for a little while.

One day, Dad was called to the chief’s office and informed that his department was being reorganized and that his position was being eliminated. Due to his seniority, he had the choice of either retiring or bumping into a lower position, which would mean that one of his employees would lose their job. My Dad was a man of high integrity, so there was only one choice. He retired in his 50s rather than create hardship for a member of his team.

The surprise

Years later, I was contemplating leaving my position with an ad agency to start my own company with a couple of partners. †It was a tough decision for me since I was married and had a young child. †The new company wasn’t well capitalized, so paychecks were likely to be few and far between. †I turned to my Dad for what I was sure would be a solid, conservative perspective.

Much to my surprise, Dad was all in favor of the move. “The only guarantee that you’ll have a job”, he told me, “is if you’re in business for yourself. I learned that the hard way.” With that advice, I made the move and never looked back.

How is this relevant to a marketing blog?

Too often in marketing, and in life, we defer to a safe choice. For example:

• Rather than try new options in social media, clients feel more comfortable with traditional tactics even though they don’t seem to be working.
• Instead of †considering ourselves as creative problem solvers, marketing professionals often feel more comfortable with titles such as designer, art director and account manager.
• When a client asks for a proposal on something specific, such as an ad, we quickly respond in kind rather than looking at the request from an objective perspective and providing the client with a series of distinct options.

So, the man to whom I turned to for so much guidance throughout my life and who I thought I could count on to be the most realistic was…well, the most realistic. †It just wasn’t the reality that I expected. †Maybe we’d be more valuable to our clients if we provided that same type of reality.

Thanks, Dad.

Mike

ddm marketing & communications