Today, Texas A&M University officially declared Bill Gates (current secretary of defense and former president of Texas A&M University) to be unqualified to come back and be our president because his history is in government and not "academia"- which is what the board of regents is looking for.
First of all, I'm thinking "WHAT!?" This man is wonderful. The whole student body enjoys him. He did a wonderful job while in office at Texas A&M. Why would you not want him back? Then I began to think. Does the board of regents really know what's good for the common student or the common faculty member? Are they in touch enough with reality to actually make decisions that will further the community of Texas A&M and not just their own agenda?
And that's the life lesson today-- once I get in a position where I have authority to make decisions that will effect every single person below me, I will try to remember what it's like to be in their shoes. I will try to think about the entirety of my decision, and not just the tip of the iceberg that I can see.
The same applies for consumers. We, as advertisers, must think like our consumer thinks. We must know what they like and what they don't like. Otherwise, we'll end up selling them something they don't want, or holding back what they do want. Isn't our as marketers to created a relationship with our customer in such a way that they depend on us and we depend on them? And all is good with the world?
Don't loose touch!
Stay connected!
If one day, you are the CEO of McDonalds, eat a Big Mac every once in a while, just to experience what you are actually selling.
