Mad Men Monday Moment

Our favorite lines from this week's show give pause to think about the business we have chosen (okay, so we're big fans of The Godfather too).

A slogan's nothing when you've got a good idea. 
Peggy Olson

Turning creative successes into business is your work. 
Bert Cooper

Mad Men Countdown!

Come July 25th, they’re back! Don, Peggy, Roger, Joan, Pete, Bert and okay, he’s not such a bad person after all, Lane. For several reasons, Mad Men is a favorite and one reason hits close to home. Many of our role models and mentors received their breaks, broke barriers and busted chops on Madison Avenue. They battled what appeared to be insurmountable obstacles to bring diversity to the mediums, messages and managerial ranks. Each episode is a reminder that many of us are benefactors of someone’s time spent at a desk beside the copy machine, in the mailroom shuffling envelopes or as the subject of water cooler fodder. And, there’s at least one Mad Men moment, when perseverance, tenacity and commitment to change in the way we perceive, the way we communicate and the way we execute, takes center stage. Indeed, we’ve “come a long way baby,” and we have so much further to go, but in the meantime, enjoy Mad Men for what it truly is: great TV. Now, if only they’d stop smoking. The new season airs Sundays at 10pm EDT.

Brilliant Idea: Turn Your Next Brainstorming Session into a Tsunami of Exceptional Opportunities

By N. L. Hohns

Brainstorming is the formalized process of team ideation. It is one of the quickest, most accessible and effective methods available to promote creative problem solving, generate new ideas, uncover exceptional opportunities and pave the way for successful innovation. The first step in embracing the collaborative innovation process is to assemble a carefully selected team of eight to ten thinkers. Choose carefully. Your group should include people with different skill sets, backgrounds, personalities and perspectives.

Here are four of our nine rules for brilliant brainstorming: 

• State the purpose of the gathering. Define the problem.
• State the goal. What do you hope to accomplish in the session.
• Set the tone. Aim to create an open atmosphere where new ways of thinking may provide new solutions.
• Begin with the mindset that anything is possible. 

Visit our website to obtain all nine rules and to read this brief in its entirety.