Today is my last day at Brains on Fire. I am leaving to pursue my Masters in theatre. And while I’m excited about moving forward in that part of my life, and I am really sad to leave what has been my home. I have worked at Brains on Fire for a little over five years, and so, in the grand tradition of Virginia Miracle, I thought it only fitting to post my top ten lessons ” big and small, specific and esoteric - learned in my time here. Not that whittling down my time here to 10 tidbits has been easy, mind you. It’s just such a nice, round, David Letterman approved number.

10) Unpack: I have spent a lot of time on the road over the last couple of years, and it was all too often that I would go to pack for my next trip, only to discover that I was still packed from my last trip. But on the trips when I would actually unpack, even if it was just for a day or two, I felt more at home, more in my space.

9) Technology is my friend: I have always been great with a word processor. I type about 80 words per minute on average. But in my time here I’ve learned html tags, resizing images, online communities, Web 2.0, the joy of putting the wrong head on the wrong body… but more importantly, I learned the power and application of those things. Brains on Fire is where I grew up in technology… and I’ve carried those lessons into the work I do for theatre and non-profit… a world that is generally a little behind on the technology front.

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should: This kinda goes hand in hand with the previous lesson. Technology is insanely accessible. Anyone can have a piece of it these days. But not everyone will benefit from a blog. Not everyone will benefit from a social community. Not everyone needs to understand a wiki. Just like any tools before them, finding the right tools for you and for your audience is far more important than using something because it’s there. Be authentic.

7) One person CAN make a difference: I am one of those obnoxious people who feels the need to correct people’s grammar… all the time. I know, it’s annoying. But ask if anyone at BoF ends their sentences with “at” anymore. I’m creating a better world ” one dangling preposition at a time!

6) Write it down: Whether it’s the work you’re supposed to do for tomorrow or something really embarrassing a colleague said that you want to make sure to bring up at every possible opportunity, if you don’t write it down, it will be lost to you forever. And you’ll be sad.

5) Stand for something: anyone can make something, sell something, be something, do something… but if you believe in something, it changes the lens through which you view and are viewed. It changes the game and turns you from anyone into someone.

4) Just because you haven’t done it before, doesn’t mean you can’t do it: It’s a lesson we teach our clients as they take the enormous, life-changing risk of opening themselves up to their customers. And it’s the lesson Brains on Fire taught me when they took the enormous risk of asking me to head up the new-to-us (and new-to-me) insight department.

3) You don’t need to have the “right” degree, you need to be the right person: Again, hand in hand with the previous lesson. I majored in Theatre and English… walking out of college with those BAs in hand, I couldn’t help but imagine myself waiting tables for the rest of my life. But it’s amazing how far creativity, imagination, problem solving, organization, ability to read and understand people, a positive frame of mind, and plain old hard work can take you. We’ve all heard about “the rise of the creative class” and whatnot. I just think it’s an important thing to remember. Skills can be learned, hire for temperament.

2) Working with your friends… works: I’ve been here for five years. I have come to know and love the people I work with, and I venture to say most of them are pretty fond of me (except Spike… jerk). And I truly believe that these friendships/relationships contribute to the work we put out. Sometimes the people you work with are just the people in the next cubicle. And sometimes the people you work with are the friends you’ll have for the rest of your life. Cheesy? Maybe. True? Definitely.

1) Real still matters: in this world where so much is virtual, and every industry is leaping on the internet bandwagon, people are still people, and they still yearn for human interaction. It’s the reason 80+% of WOM still happens offline. It’s the reason books will never become extinct. And it’s incredibly comforting to me.

You know… I need to add one more lesson:

.5) People are generous: I think I tend to assume that people are bastard coated bastards with bastard filling (thank you to Scrubs for that perfect turn of phrase). But through the absolutely brilliant Curiosity Team, I have been repeatedly floored by the extreme generosity of these people who are willing to take some of their valuable time and contribute some of their valuable ideas. Some of them are my friends and family from years gone by… and some are people I now consider my friends after the time we’ve spent playing in the sandbox together. But all of them confirmed for me that people want to play… and people want to share… and I will truly miss them, and be forever grateful to them!

So there you go… my top 10.5 lessons from Brains on Fire. I can’t begin to thank BOF for everything they’ve done for and meant to me over the last few years. So I just have to say thanks to everyone… salute all you blog readers… and I’m still a member of The Curiosity Team… so I’ll see you online!

I’m curious what would happen if we the people voluntarily unplugged America for a day. Of course essential services like hospitals, security and such would continue, but what if we at home and in business joined together for one day to turn it all off? (Except for the refrigerator) No TV or lights. No cars or trucks, trains or planes. No air conditioning. No hot shower. No lawn mowing or leaf blowing. No cooking or computing. No texting or twittering. No blinking signs or squawking speakers. What if we just all took a day to just be alive and talk to each other face to face? Read a good book. Take a long walk or dance in the streets. Play a board game or charades. What if, for just 24 hours, we burned only human energy while the other energies we consume, that are consuming us, took a break? What do you think would happen? What would we save? What would we lose? What would it prove? What might we see that we never see? What might we hear that we never hear? What would learn from each other? What on earth would the world have to say? What in the world would the earth want to say? In joining together to turn it all off just imagine the power we would feel.

We’ve had a lot of discussion on here lately about movements and best practices for online communities (which are often an important part of a movement) and all that good stuff. So, when Geno sent us this post today, I just had to link to it.

It’s a very comprehensive article with a lot of good thoughts in it… so I won’t overkill by dissecting and rehashing it too much here. I will say that one of my favorite points is his #4: Measuring success with community requires new yardsticks. That’s something that I run into a lot in my particular niche. As a “researcher” of sorts, a lot of companies still seem to expect that there’s some magic question or demographic or survey that will guarantee the ROI of their dreams. But the most profound and compelling successes of a community could never (and arguably should never) be “predicted” by insight. Hinchcliffe uses Dell as an example - citing the number of new ideas that have come to them through their community. And we can certainly speak to that experience through RAGE and Fiskateers.

I also loved #9: Mutual ownership and control of communities enables trust and involvement. Really, more than anything… use the word trust, and I’m yours.

So anyway, hats off to a kindred spirit (he even uses circles in one of his charts!)… and go read the full article!

It is not without some trepidation that I post this. But (and here’s my way to unceremoniously announce this) since this is my last week at Brains on Fire*, I may as well go for broke!

Over the years, I have developed a rather sizable amount of venom toward Apple. Not good, working where I work, among a tribe of “believers.” Perhaps it’s even BECAUSE I’m surrounded by all these believers that my tendency to be contrary has taken on such vehemence. Perhaps you’ll recall my post a few years ago about not wanting an iPod? And my subsequent admission that I ended up caving? Now… this post could be about the fact that said iPod has been nothing but trouble since I bought it, but it won’t be. Spike’s sick of hearing about that anyway. I’m not even going to argue about Apple vs. PC or attack Apple outright. The fact is, Apple makes a very good tool for graphic and creative applications. And I am definitely not going to argue that Microsoft rocks… it doesn’t (I will never succumb to Vista!).

My real conundrum is this: The general sentiment these days is that a brand has to be open and interact with its customers - inviting them to own and engage with the company - in order to survive and thrive. But doesn’t it seem that Apple does the opposite? We talk about transparency, about letting those who love you get close, “opening the kimono (which I think is a really gross term)” to give them a peek, rewarding their loyalty… Apple doesn’t do any of those things. Do they make good products? Absolutely (my iPod notwithstanding). But they are secretive and exclusive and “reward” their fans only by coming out with the exact same product slightly cooler 6 months later so you have something new to covet. An insider story from an old teacher of mine (the specifics of which I won’t share out of respect for my teacher) who used to work on the Apple marketing confirmed for me that the company’s motivation is not generally with their customers in mind. It’s about what’s “cool.” They all but admitted how overhyped the iPhone was when they refunded $100 to some of the early purchasers because they had so overpriced their product that even Apple felt guilty about it.

I had a problem with my iPod recently and looked online for help, where I was informed I “do not qualify for phone support.” Having spent a good deal of money on their product, I don’t “qualify” to have a condescending tech guy roll his eyes at me over the phone. I’ve spent far less and gotten far more by way of long-term support. (And before you comment Scott, yes… I know that I could have paid more to get the Applecare plan [which would have expired by now]… and no, there is no Apple Store in Greenville.)

One of the Mac Heads around here said that when people tried to create their own applications for the iPhone, it would “brick” - become totally useless. They were actually penalizing their customers for trying to love and personalize their product. To be fair, I have heard they are working to rectify this… but still… This “there’s no way you could make this product better” sort of mentality floors me.

Now… what Apple DOES do EXTREMELY well is stand for something. From their famous “Think Different” and “1984″ spots up through today, Apple has elevated its brand beyond being a tool company. Microsoft will always be a tool company… that’s just who they are. But Apple stands for creativity… and perhaps the emotional nature of that forte is what attracts such passion despite their refusal to display many of the open “transparent” behaviors that are preached so often these days.

So there ya go. You can post 30,000 comments about how I “don’t get it.” And you’ll be right. But you’ll be missing my point. I don’t worship at the altar of Apple and I never will. Your comments won’t convert me… and I’m sure you all don’t want me in your club anyway. I am just pondering the extremely person-based success of a company that seems so much more concerned with its cool factor than with its customers. If you have examples to contradict me, by all means, share them. I’m not looking to stir up a hornet’s nest so much as I’m looking to understand what appears to be the exception to the rule.

*If it happens to interest you, I am leaving Brains on Fire to pursue my MA in Theatre at the University of South Carolina. Good times. I’ll post my official final post on Thursday… provided I finish writing it.

I am stunned at the number of times I sincerely say, ‘brilliant’ during my day.

Sometimes I stumble on great ideas or thinking. I sit in on a meeting and see someone taping it just for fun, listen to a phone conference and see the relationship we have with a client, get sent a document that is simple and clear and chock full of thought leadership, hear phone conversations all around me that are full of warmth and engagement and laughter, or see someone quietly walk up to a group who is trying to solve a problem and simply solve it in 10 seconds flat. All day long, I am reminded of what talent surrounds me.

As the currently designated ‘Courageous President’ of Brains on Fire, I realize more and more my main role here is simply to get out of the way and allow others to grow, make mistakes and reach for the excellence inside of themselves.

This morning in our weekly team meeting, I asked a few questions about our blog.  And I found out that almost everyone here reads our blog everyday.

So this afternoon I’d like to use this very public space to say thank you out loud to the amazing group of wildly talented individuals that call Brains on Fire home.

Because here is what I know for sure:

I know most of you get job offers on a regular basis. Sometimes for stunningly large sums of money. I know because you tell me. Or the person who offered ends up telling me how you turned them down. I know without a doubt you could ‘work’ somewhere else. Some of you could flat out start your own companies, but instead you choose to be a part of this amazing movement we call Brains on Fire.

So Chris, Matt R, Jack, Brandy, Kathie, Spike, Geno, Cathy, Carrie, Jenn, Steve, Amanda, Justine, Alison, Eric, Megan, Ramsey, Cordell, Joe, Matt, Justin, Eric D, Kim, John and Liza ” you are all so very brilliant. Shine on!

OX,
Robbin