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There’s a new face around the Griffin offices these days. Meghan Murphy joined our firm as an account manager. She has jumped right in to work on The Harris Foundation, Astrotech and Dean & Draper Insurance Agency, LP accounts, as well as playing a large role in business development initiatives for us.
What does Meghan bring to the table? Eight years experience as a communications strategist. Most recently, she worked as an account supervisor at GolinHarris in Dallas, where she led the corporate communications team for Texas Instruments, including the launch of a successful digital media program. While at BlueCurrent Public Relations in Dallas, she ran high-profile accounts, including Ernst & Young, Dallas Cowboys and Del Monte. An Aggie undergrad, Meghan also earned MBA from Southern Methodist University.
“When I interview employees, I look for energy and enthusiasm,” said Gwen Griffin, managing director. “I can’t think of two better words to describe Meghan. In her first few weeks with us, she has already shared a handful of strong, strategic ideas with our clients that were well-received. She brings fantastic experience to our agency. I expect great things for her at Griffin.”
Meghan is a self-professed “education junkie.” Just for her own personal enhancement, she is currently studying Spanish and wants to earn a second master’s degree, possibly in Web design. Even wilder, she has a fascination with biology and wants to eventually earn a degree in that field, too.
“At the end of the day, I don’t want to be a Spanish-speaking biologist who can design a Web site,” jokes Megan. “I just love to learn.”
Welcome, Meghan!
I was one of the 27 million viewers that tuned in Sunday for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. I watched Kanye West shamelessly steal Taylor Swift’s moment of glory. Thankfully, Beyoncé swooped in to save the day.
Later that evening, the entire debacle made me think – how often in business do we act like Kanye and make it “all about us?” And, how often do we follow Beyoncé’s lead and commit ourselves to serving our customers? C’mon…be honest.
When things don’t go our way – i.e., clients squash our ideas, cut our budgets or opt to take their business elsewhere – it’s natural to go into reaction mode. I still do it. There’s a logical impulse to defend ourselves, worry about the impact on our lives or our businesses. In other words, to make it all about ourselves.
But, there is a better approach – to serve! And, the best way to serve is to take a deep breath and proclaim “Yes, and.”
“Yes, and” is the cardinal rule of improvisational acting. Under this principle, you accept whatever it is that comes your way (even if you don’t like it). This is the “yes” component. Then, you offer something new to the situation (the “and” element). It’s about forward movement, keeping things fresh and finding solutions. And, it’s a fantastic tool to use to serve others.
Beyoncé applied “yes, and.” She was visibly thrown by Kanye’s outburst. But, when she won her VMA award later in the broadcast, she made a conscious decision to say, “Okay, this happened. I can’t do anything to undo it. But, I can do something now to help.” Hence, she called Taylor to the stage to make her acceptance speech.
But, enough pop culture. Let’s apply “yes, and” to business. It’s time to do the new annual marketing plan for your client. You have a meeting and the client says, “Your plan achieved good results for us this past year. However, with the economy taking its toll, we don’t have as much money to put toward marketing. How can we get the same results with half the budget?”
You could go into fear and cry, “That’s not possible. We need the dollars!!!” Or, you could “yes, and” the situation and truly serve your client. Take a step back and get your client to talk; find out what’s really going on with the business. Educate the client on the real cost of marketing tools and the newer, more cost-effective tactics such as online and social media marketing campaigns. Work with him/her to find an exciting solution that will positively impact the company’s bottom line.
See, when you get frazzled and make it all about yourself, you don’t go anywhere. You end up empty-handed. People don’t want to be around you. That negative, “all about me” energy is draining. People like to be around individuals that are forward-thinking and committed to finding solutions.
I read and watch the news every day and I am amazed at the world’s obsession with “being a Kanye.” Avoid that trap. Rise above it. Simply put, squash your Kanye and embrace your Beyoncé. Commit to serving in your business (as well as in your life). Say “yes, and” and a funny irony will occur. The more you give, the more you serve, the more comes back to you!
Don’t believe me? Just try it for the next month. And let me know what you find out!
Cheers…Brooke Crawford
We had our company retreat at Griffin Marketing last Thursday. Special thanks to @justinlevy of New Marketing Labs for giving us his insight on the future trends in social media.
Part of the reason for our retreat was to take a fresh look at our company’s mission, vision and goals as we are evolving into a niche practice marketing communications firm. As we were going round and round the room, we came back to our existing tagline – fresh ideas, powerful results – and the need to build on that. This reminded me of a phrase that we try to instill in our culture – Is this simple and easy? The idea is that when things start getting chaotic, we need to take a step back and ask this question to avoid over-engineering a solution.
In business and life, it’s easy to over-engineer things or over-commit. I’m sure you’ve heard of the K.I.S.S. principle – Keep it simple, stupid. I first heard this in an advertising class at Purdue. If you think about it, some of the most memorable ad campaigns are built on a simple concept or basic phrase (i.e., Just do it, Got Milk, etc.). But, too often, a company wants to try to tell their entire story in an ad or a tri-fold brochure. What we try to convince our clients is that you first need to grab a customer’s attention. And, you’re not going to do that with an exuberant amount of copy that no one has time to read. The beauty of the Internet is that your marketing tools can drive customers to your Web site, which can house more details on all your products/services (now, organizing your Web site content is another story for another blog).
The K.I.S.S. principle should also be applied when trying to create a work/life balance. I used to be called the queen of work/life balance here at Griffin, but lately, I have to keep reminding myself of this principle. I am a first-time mom of a now five-month-old, precious baby boy, and have much too often felt the overwhelm of trying to do it all. Finding the balance is harder than I anticipated, since I used to be so good at it.
It generally takes me about two hours to get out the door in the morning, and this includes and eating breakfast on the road. Sometimes less if things are going smoothly and my husband walks the dogs and drops off the baby. Sometimes longer if I need to add any of these things to my list. I have pick-up duty in the evening. It’s home, let the dogs out/feed them, feed the baby, fix dinner, occasionally get a work-out in (and that’s a big occasionally) or do a load of laundry, walk the dogs, give the baby a bath, feed the baby, put the baby to bed and then I need to get ready for bed if I want more than 5-6 hours of sleep.
There’s just not enough time in the day. So, I have learned to let things go and prioritize, which is hard for a perfectionist, over-analyzer. At home, things often wait until the weekend. At work, if there’s not a hard deadline, it often gets added to the top of the pile for the next day.
I would love to hear what tips people have out there. For me, it’s about focus. When I’m at work, I focus on work. And, when I’m at home, I focus on my home life. Now, of course, sometimes one spills over into the other, especially when I’m on deadline for something at work or if my baby gets sick at daycare. But, for the most part, it’s this separation that enables me to keep my sanity. I’m a very fast, efficient worker. Not the person you see hanging out by the proverbial water cooler. I try to use travel time between home and work to make personal calls – take advantage of every minute – so, I don’t have to interrupt work. Another thing is that I don’t get emails on my phone or get constant texts at work. For some, this is impossible, but it certainly makes the balance difficult.
I often hear people complaining about their chaotic lives – running here, running there. But, you have to ask yourself how much of that they bring on themselves by over-committing. I ask myself this daily…what am I doing that doesn’t really need to be done. What’s my priority. For me, I’ve taken the advice of many and am trying to enjoy the time with my son while he is a baby. I can get back in shape and volunteer when he gets older and wants nothing to do with me. 
Send your tips, and remember…keep it simple.
Stacy Sarault
