Treating a job as a responsibility

By Mickey Alam Khan

January 26, 2009

Mickey Alam Khan is editor in chief of Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily

The right people don't need to be managed. The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you've made a hiring mistake.

That was management consultant Jim Collins in the Feb. 2 issue of Fortune magazine. Mr. Collins is the author of bestsellers such as "Built to Last" and "Good to Great," so he should know something about good talent and great businesses. Here's more of what he said in an interview with Fortune senior writer Jennifer Reingold:

"The right people don't think they have a job: They have responsibilities. If I'm a climber, my job is not [just] to belay. My responsibility is that if we get in trouble, I don't let my partner down.

"The right people do what they say they will do, which means being really careful about what they say they will do. It's key in difficult times. In difficult environments our results are our responsibility. People who take credit in good times and blame external forces in bad times do not deserve to lead. End of story."

Why this excerpt from Fortune? Because these are bad times in search of good people. People who are willing to make shared sacrifices to help their company and country come through this economic downturn.

While technology and product can be similar, it's that secret sauce -- unique people and creative, responsive marketing -- that will separate a good brand from a weak brand and help it ride out the storm.

Broadcast mobile virtues
It is worth remembering that marketing decisions are made by people. A smart marketing executive will understand that mobile should be part and parcel of the marketing mix, regardless of the state of the economy. Why? Because that's where consumers are.

But, as mobile marketing firms are learning, clients are swayed by the logic of television evangelists: in tough times, go with the mediums you trust. In other words, trust the devil you know. Put simply, spend more money on TV -- the least measured of all major mediums. At least it has the most mass reach: that's their argument.

The TV executives sure have their pitch down. That's why the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl spot is up: $3 million, almost 10 percent higher from an estimated $2.6 million last year.

That's why mobile marketing firms -- and Internet companies -- need executives just as persuasive as the TV crowd to make the reasoned argument. Mobile and the Internet are good media buys in tough economic times simply because they are the most measurable and interactive of all mediums.

Rock climbers, not rock stars
The mobile phone is the last thing that consumers will give up -- after the fancy car, after the multiple credit cards, after the gym membership.

Mobile is becoming the all-in-one lifeline to the outside world, offering communication, news, work and personal utility, shopping and entertainment.

But it takes a smart and fearless marketing executive to understand that moving in lockstep with a consumer trend is not a risk, but a necessity.

Similarly, it takes a smart executive on the vendor side to get that understanding across to the client base.

Education is the need of the hour, but the educator must be sufficiently qualified -- through reading, constant training, interacting with peers and colleagues, and attending networking events.

That's why mobile companies must ensure that they are staffed with the best and the brightest as we head into what is arguably one of the most difficult economic periods in recent memory.

What qualities should marketers look for in their best employees? Quick thinking, great communication skills, team spirit, willingness to make shared sacrifices for the company's greater good while balancing work/life issues and keeping the client's interests in mind. Let's not forget loyalty.

Above all, employers and employees must both display that most critical skill: smart and informed decision-making. Here again is Mr. Collins from his Fortune interview:

"Almost across the board, people are worried. As a rock climber, the one thing you learn is that those who panic, die on the mountain. You don't just sit on the mountain. You either go up or go down, but don't just sit and wait to get clobbered. If you go down and survive, you can come back another day."