I am reading a NY Times story that zooms in on a question that has been waltzing around in my mind for weeks.

How did Citigroup get caught up to its eyeballs in subprime junk when one of the true wise men of the financial community, Robert Rubin, was embedded atop its management hierarchy? The same Rubin who attained Wonder Boy status at Goldman Sachs only years out of Harvard and Yale. The same Rubin who went on to rule at Goldman and top that by serving as the greatest Secretary of the Treasury since Alexander Hamilton. The same Rubin who has Mick Jagger status with government and financial leaders around the globe.

Well, the Times piece fudges on the issue at hand - why didn’t Rubin stop the bank from its collision course with stupidity - when his alma mater, Goldman Sachs, turned one of the worst fiscal disasters in US history into a gold mine for its partners and clients.

Rubin’s argument appears to be that because he didn’t have the official title of CEO (the fact is, he held even more power of influence at Citi than the CEO), it wasn’t his place to speak up.

Let’s put this in perspective. Years ago, someone once told me that there were thousands of people as smart as Einstein. They just didn’t voice their theories. They kept them to themselves. They didn’t speak up.

I felt then, as I do now, that there is no such thing as a silent genius.

Unless you have a novel idea and the skill, the guts, the determination to put it forward, to air it out, to toss it to the world and see what the world thinks of it, you are no Einstein. You are no smart person. You are no force. You are no change maker, catalyst, mover of the needle, raiser of the bar. You are a piston in the machine someone else built.

In the history of the world, there has been but one Einstein. He was a beautiful anomaly. So I am not talking about making ourselves heard at Albert’s level. I mean in everyday life. In our jobs, our friendships, our arts, our passions whatever they may be and wherever they may emerge, unless we have epiphanies and then share them with our worlds, we are silent figures moving aimlessly on a stage someone else erected for a show someone else wrote.

It is possible to hide in life. To lurk in the shadows and say not a word of true value. To glide from birthday to birthday without causing a ripple. To say that you care immensely about world peace, the environment, the cinema, the underprivileged, business success. And to be the silent genius who says not a single original thing about any of it.

But you are a legend in your own mind. The fact is, wise people are dummies when there mouths are shut. All Rubin had to do was say “No,” and Citi would have been spared the loss of its prestige and its treasury. All we have to do is to take the ideas we have had for moments or for years - the time of gestation is immaterial - and act on them. Bring them to light and let the chips fall where they may.

It is said that all great people stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before them. One of the true super novas, Isaac Newton, acknowledged that. The same is true for all of us mere mortals. A chain of thought, aired by others before us no matter what we do or where we live, provides a platform for our own thinking and the action that brings that thinking to life.

But I think the chain is more than a platform. I view it as an obligation.

As long as we are blessed with brains and the ability to express what floats around inside of them, we are obligated to make our own voices heard.

Mark Stevens

CEO

I hear it every day of my life.

“I am afraid.”

People tell me they are afraid of losing money. Of getting sick. Of being misunderstood. Of shooting too high. Of being misunderstood. Of shooting too low. Of breaking some kind of social code someone at Harvard invented. Of being disliked. Of taking a risk. Of doing what society frowns at.

What they are really saying in so many words is that they are afraid of life. And once this fear is allowed to fester, once it is left unchecked, once it qualifies for all manner of justification, it sucks its victims into a black hole.

The fear mushrooms and the life diminishes. It is a miserable syndrome. It is paralyzing. It leaves its marks frozen in a compromised place, hostage to what everyone else wants but detached from the experiences, the journey, they really want to take.

Fear makes millions, billions, their own worst enemy. Their heart says fly me away to this beautiful vision that stands before me. Let me take it by its outstretched hand and soar to a place I know will be exhilarating, magnificent, rewarding, challenging, intoxicating, delicious. The hand is honest and pure and true and loving and willing to reach out over and over again, but the coupling never occurs.

Fear strikes. Fear stops. Fear freezes the momentum in its tracks. The person who needs to be safe, to pass the acid test of acceptability imposed by anonymous crowds, to walk the beaten path, to do the traditional thing, to insure against failure, says “No” to the dangerous liaison, the high risk project, the change in direction, the road the priests of false morality seek to bar from passage (for all but themselves.)

Paradoxically, fear prevails when in truth there is nothing in life to fear. There is nothing in death to fear. Fear is the enemy of life. If one has faith, if one simply identifies the few genuine truths and passions in their lives and pursues them with zest and courage, well that is the definition of a life well lived.

The universal aspiration should be to replace fear with faith. There are so many rich things you can do with your life that have zero guarantee of success but which you must jump into like a child cannon balling into a summer pond.

Your career.
Your romance.
Your friendships.
Your time alone.
Your time with many.

All must be conducted with a determination to do it your way, to fully cultivate the gift of life, to take the chances, to embrace the risks, to put the standard setters, the paper prophets, back in their boxes and to busy themselves with others.

You will not fear. You will pick your goals, decide when to act, walk the high wire, care nothing at all when the fear mongers chasten you. You will go to that special place where people achieve and experience the exceptional.
You will never again look back and say I let it get away out of fear.

You will not fear. You see the black hole. It is not for you.

There is too much life to live.

Mark Stevens
CEO

So I think Counting Crows is one of the best bands of the past two decades. No Led Zep but who is or was? At their best, Counting Crows was genuinely good, original, and at times (Recovering The Satellites, Anna Begins) exceptional.

And then they lost the artistic magic or Adam got tired or who knows what but a devoted following sat in disgust listening to Hard Candy, the first Milk Dud by a group of guys who seemed incapable of sinking so low.

Ok, so they had a loser. Everyone is entitled to a bad day now and then and so the devoted waited for the recovery album. And waited. And waited. And nothing…..

Until late last month when the band on the run released Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.

It is a clunker. It is a once seamless band that made magic instinctively now trying too hard. You can hear the hard work. You can hear all the old riffs repeated here.

I think they knew it. I think they recognized this was January compared to August And Everything After.

So what do they do to breathe some life into a wounded bird? They try all kinds of traditional PR, which will drive some heightened anticipation for sure, but it’s sales they want. You can’t take anticipation to the bank.

They know a little secret about the Internet. You can listen to it. You can hear it. So they take the only hook song on the album, You Can’t Count On Me, create a landing page, give you a link to download and viola, digi does what print can’t even touch. (It’s not called a hook for nothing). It sells songs.

There is still a huge place for traditional PR in traditional media. And we should play it like it’s 1953. But with one hand, while the other is on the mouse. Because that “huge place” is relative and gets smaller every day.

And if you can’t hear the hook, you ain’t buying.

Think about it. The Web sings…..literally.

Mark Stevens

CEO

A few days ago, I was bestowed with a charming and old-fashioned gesture: A wish to “Have a Wonderful Weekend.” The problem is, the gesture was plastic. Literally. It was stamped on a bag of band-aids and toothpaste I’d purchased in a local pharmacy. Perhaps I am a cold-hearted SOB, but I don’t get the warm and fuzzies when a bag whispers sweet nothings in my ears. In fact I wanted to, and ultimately did, tell the pharmacy they would be advised to replace the weekend “love note” with one that reads: Whatever You Need, Whenever You Need It. Just call us at xxx or visit us at pleasingyoumakesushappy.com.

Why wasn’t this done at the outset? Why won’t they do it ever? Because what used to be one-on-one customer service that came from a culture that truly respected and appreciated customers as the soul and the lifeblood of a business has been reduced to a series of monotonous and superficial scripts that come from nowhere near the heart:

Have a nice day.

Please hold, we’ll be right with you.

If you would like to talk to a live person, press the pound key.

Well actually, I would prefer to talk to a dead person-or even a plastic bag- than push ten more buttons until I find someone totally annoyed that they have to DEAL with a customer. What’s really happening is that businesses are so focused on consummating transactions that they spend no time building enduring relationships. Plastic bags can’t do it. A “Thank You For Your Patronage ” note stamped on an invoice can’t do it. The only way it can be done is if Management develops a culture that truly embraces customers.

The classic customer service survey asks people:

1. Do you like our products/services?

2. Would you buy them again?

3. Would you recommend them to a friend?

What they don’t ask goes to the core of great business, of extraordinary companies:

Do you have faith in our company? Do you think we are committed to you?

They don’t go beneath the surface, the superficial, the scripts because they don’t want to know the answers. They don’t care. The DNA of true customer service, of businesses built on relationships as opposed to transactions, has virtually disappeared. Sadly, today’s managers think it’s all in the plastic bags.

Today, I sat on a beach and watched two yellow seaplanes flirt with each other. They dipped and banked, flew in tandem, then apart, only to line up again and then diverge under the gorgeous sun.

The courtship in the sky went on for all to watch, but I think I was the only one enrapt in their maneuvers. To me, it was as if they were without pilots: winged lovers playing out a relationship, testing each other, searching their souls, wondering if they were meant to be. Or not.

In their aerial ballet, they were cognizant, consciously or not, of The Line. This is the line between like and love. It impacts everything we do in life. And business is no exception.

When we like, we dabble and move on. When we love, we change. Forever. A part of us never reverts to the way we were before we crossed the like to love line.

Some companies know how to make this happen in the world of commerce. When I started out in business, I happened to meet dozens of Price Waterhouse clients. They were clients for decades and could not be lured away by competitors, regardless of the offer. I was told it was because PW had been working on their books for years and it was just too complicated to leave.

And I believed that nonsense.

Now I know better. PW trained its team to deliver a level of elite professional service and to treat clients as the kings and queens of the business world. Do that and you will have relationships that cross The Line, relationships for life.

In its heyday, Xerox used to pride itself on having its salespeople fly first class. Why? They were told that as the company’s sales force, they were the princes of the business. Elevated this way, treated with this rare caliber of respect, as royalty, they in turn served their customers in truly memorable fashion. The business world didn’t buy from Xerox; they adored the company. They would buy from no one else. They were in love.

All of the world’s greatest business people have been romantics. They are often painted as technicians or financial engineers or scientists, but first and foremost they are romantics. They have to be. They see The Line. They understand its power. They know why the seaplanes flew apart. They know it is better that they did because they were not the real thing.

But, they know how to create the real thing and the thermonuclear force that is unleashed when they do.

They get this by:

* Thinking ahead of you.
* Delivering what you want before you even thought you could get it.
* Generating a constant state of excitement.
* Creating the element of surprise.

In life, there is nothing more powerful than The Line. Getting close but failing to cross means you are a zillion miles away.




Click here to read the full interview with blogger Lewis Green.

What’s that you say? Can’t get enough of Mark’s wit, insight and Unconventional Thinking?

Well you’re in luck! Because Mark is BrandWeek Magazine’s latest blogger:

Mark is described by the magazine as :

Mark Stevens is CEO of consulting and marketing firm MSCO in Rye Brook, N.Y., and one of the cadre of new Brandweek Bloggers.

In addition, Mark gave the keynote address at the recent Platinum PR News 2007. Click the link below to watch Mark’s interview about the future of PR.

By Chris Kieff Sr. Blog Editor for Unconventional Thinking

As most of you know, Mark is currently writing 2 blogs, Unconventional Thinking (this one), and the Digital PR News Online Blog. However, what many of you may not know is that he’s been writing blogs as a companion to his new book “God Is A Salesman” (Shameless plug: Pre-order your own copy today online.) So Mark is now writing 3 weekly blogs in addition to his normal duties of running MSCO.

On Monday you will receive the first blog post with an invitation to subscribe. If you would like to receive the God Is A Salesman blog via email YOU MUST RESPOND TO THE MESSAGE or you will not be subscribed to the blog. This will be your only chance to become a Charter Subscriber to the God Is A Salesman Blog.

MSCO is proud to announce the brand new blog:

God Is A Salesman

You are invited to become a Charter Subscriber.

I’ll leave the explanations of the principles in God is a Salesman up to Mark, you can learn all about it here: www.GodIsASalesman.com. As one who has read the book I’ll tell you that it can be a life changing experience. (And those of you who know me, know that I didn’t have to say that.)

Back here at Unconventional Headquarters we’ve been doing a lot of work getting ready for the launch of the book and some new business ventures for MSCO. We are going to offer several new products and services based on the principles in God is a Salesman in addition to the new blog. So exciting things are a-foot here and we know that you will find them interesting. We will be making announcements about the new products and services as soon as they are available.

One thing I want to say as the UberGeek, to those of you who read the blog only via email; You are missing half of the action! Most blog entires get several people writing in comments or observations as comments. Unfortunately you can’t see the comments in the email version of the blog. So don’t hesitate to click on the blog button in the email and go to the online version of the blog where you can check out the comments and leave one of your own www.MSCO.com/blog

That’s all for now. We at Unconventional HQ (aka MSCO) want to thank you for your time and support in reading and frequently commenting on the blog. Don’t ever hesitate to let us know what you think.

Sincerely,

Chris Kieff, Director of Internet Marketing, MSCO
Sr. Blog Editor, Unconventional Thinking, God Is A Salesman Blog
UberGeek of MSCO

Click on the image to read the whole article on the USA Today Website.

Mark Stevens is in the national spotlight again, this time in a page 3 story in USA TODAY: “CITIES DRAW LINE ON RISQUÉ BILLBOARDS”.

Hundreds of new visitors came to MSCO’s Web sites, no doubt intrigued by the message and asking: Who gets to decide what’s OK and what’s risqué?

The articles begins: “Mark Stevens has seen his website’s name in the clouds, if not exactly in lights: ‘www.YourMarketingSucks.com.’” The reporter, Charisse Jones, then gives an account of how this message was posted on a billboard purchased by Stevens, and one day, without notice, explanation or reimbursement, he drove past it only to find the message removed.

The article identifies similar billboard messages across the country taken down because of one or several complaints. But ask yourself: Do you have a right to eliminate or remove everything you disagree with or don’t like? Is that the American way? Or do we behave like adults who know that everyone won’t agree or like every thing, and move on.

Read the article online to get Mark’s reaction, and comment on the story yourself.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-08-06-billboards_N.htm

In case you missed the kerfuffle earlier you can read Mark’s original post here: Mark Stevens Vs. Warren Buffet And you can read some of the comments on the issue here: Comments on Billboards that Suck

And we’re interested in knowing your take on this whole issue, even if you made a comment earlier… leave one now.

By: Chris Kieff

Okay, the iPhone has eclipsed Paris Hilton as the media’s hysterical focus of attention. It’s the new subject of furious debate that amounts to nothing more than a tempest in a teapot. Will the iPhone sell? Does it connect slowly to the Internet? Is it too expensive? Is it truly a technical marvel? Is Jobs just a huckster with slick designs?

The discussion dominates the national dialogs, techie columnists are spewing forth with their self-important critiques, news shows are holding viewer polls and…Steve Jobs could care less. Not a whit. Zero. He isn’t listening to a word. He’s off at his bowling league or whatever the hell he does when he isn’t making billions selling stuff everyone else wishes they thought of.

It’s not that he doesn’t care about the iPhone’s success. This is one driven capitalist. It’s just that he knows that the iPhone has a secret weapon that assures its fantastic success. A weapon he did not create but one he manipulates masterfully.

It is called Christmas.

Nothing, absolutely nothing can stop millions from putting iPhones under the tree on December 25^th. Steve Jobs owns a big share of Apple but his dirty little secret is that he owns a bigger share of Christmas.

Slow connecting to the Internet? He’ll fix that but even if he didn’t, do I want a damn tie for the holidays or an iPhone? I have absolutely no need for the new Jobs toy, I may not even use it. I may stick with my ugly old cell phone and ancient Blackberry Pearl, but don’t give me the damn tie. I want an iPhone. Just because it’s cool and fun and sexy and none of your business, I want it. And I want to give it for Christmas. Dozens of them. And the gods of tech reviews can’t stop me.

Steve’s true genius isn’t commercializing the graphical user interface, or music downloads, or putting every form of digital information in your palm. It is instead in owning Christmas.

There is a big, noisy, powerful lesson here for everyone in business. Don’t just focus on the product or service, think about THE day people have to buy something en-masse and make it YOUR day. Then you can go bowling while everyone else is working.

Ask Hallmark. Steve did.

Now tell me what you are going to do differently to make your day.

Mark Stevens
CEO