Wallow In The Mud
October 2nd, 2008 Posted in Business, Career, Communications, Kelley, Leadership, MarketingHave you wallowed in the mud lately? Seriously, wallowed in the mud… gotten in real deep?
I was reminded of the importance of getting in real deep at the 3rd annual Kelley Brand Leadership Conference last week.
So, what is wallowing in the mud? No, I don’t mean getting dirty with the pigs in the pen. C. Mack, CEO of IHT Technology (www.iht-technology.com), had an illustrious career at Proctor and Gamble, Ryder Truck, and in financial services transforming business and realizing significant gains in performance. He also managed to transition himself among vastly different industries.
His secret – wallowing in the mud. Learning the language of the industry. How it works. How people think. Asking questions. He learned how to drive an 18-wheeler for Ryder and visited dealers across the country to learn what was on their minds. Before moving into financial services, he earned insurance licenses and worked as a bank teller.
Donna Heckler, a seasoned branding executive who’s introducing the concept and defining brand at Monsanto (www.monsanto.com), is a self-proclaimed city girl. She’s learning the agriculture business from the ground up, literally – walking fields with farmers (in stylish pink boots). And Maurice Markey helped Kraft (www.kraft.com) successfully market brands in Asia by moving his family to Asia; shopping in markets around the continent, and talking to customers about their preferences, tastes and habits.
What do you think? How have you wallowed in the mud lately?
You’ll be able to watch the Conference online later this fall; video from previous years are available at Kelley Brand Leadership Web site
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