Steele Communications

A few years back, I posed the question, "What is 2 + 2" to our employees. The range of responses was amazing. Here is just a sampling.

"What exactly do you mean by two?"

"Normally, it would be four, but it depends on how you are thinking about the number two."

"Is four the answer you are looking for?"

"It could be a couple of things, can you provide more information?"

"Is this a trick question?"

"What are the others saying – I think it might be four."

As people answered, I would just quietly look at them, not sharing if their answer was right or wrong. This made some of them uncomfortable and had them either questioning their answer or looking for reassurance. I did not confirm if they were right or wrong and thanked them for the answer. Out of everyone, only two people responded, with conviction, that "The answer is four."

After everyone had answered, I shared the reason for the question.

"The answer is four. It has always been four and will always be four. No room for discussion, no other options. This exercise was to help you understand the importance of not over-thinking the obvious and believe in what you know and invest your time in exploring those questions that can truly lead to new insights and solutions."

As marketing people in a creative business, it's important that we do not get distracted and feel that every idea, strategy or task requires deep thought, analysis, or discussion from every angle before proceeding, when, in reality, the answer is just four.

Steeling from the Tip Jar is a free, monthly eNewsletter sharing a single item of interest about marketing and advertising. Articles are culled from a variety of industry resources and include Steele insights and/or editing. Steele Communications is a creative agency that can help you keep your marketing efforts on target, on time and on budget. Learn more at steeleweb.com or contact Scott Steele at s.steele@steeleweb.com or 630.968.5106.

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