Our meetings proved painful, thought provoking, exciting, but, mostly, it made me realize the power of planning. There may be nothing more powerful than strategy, thinking ahead three moves and the permutations associated with each possible event.

We have the possibility of making the first full time hire at Strategic Blend over the next year. This is great for us, but it also brings about the question WHO? Who do you hire?

In my experience, managers typically fall into THREE categories; King Makers, Know It Alls, and Hard Asses. (Sorry Managers out there… you’re one of these…)

King Makers:

King Makers are typically hyper-successful individuals. They’ve made their mark on their industry of choice. There’s not much left to conquer, but if someone else “makes it”, they want to be able to say they’ve had their hand in it. This is to say, these folks will take risks with their hires. They’re the guy who makes the 25 year old an executive, and if he leads the organization to greatness, he’s the first one to pipe up and take the credit for him. If you’ve been employed by this guy/gal, you know he’s not terribly interested in anything but your performance, because that’s all that will reflect on him. It doesn’t matter if you’re managing well, or showing improvement gradually, the King Maker needs you to hit a homerun….. and quickly. Generally King Makers just want to crown the next King, and get some additional credibility while doing it.

Know It Alls:

The Know It All just needs reassurance. He’s solid on his opinion, but he really just wants to hire a “Yes Man”. People who propose original thought need not apply. Know It All wants the regurgitation of his ideas… A prop for his/her ego. These people can be extremely successful, but would probably be more efficient if they just did it all themselves, as opposed to micromanaging the organization… Working for these folks you can be assured of two things, you’ll ALWAYS under their specific tutelage and watchful eye, and they’re not going to put up with you telling them they’re wrong.

Hard Asses:

These guys are difficult to work for, for the simple reason that they’re demanding. They’re also the most beneficial experiences I’ve had in my professional career. It’s up to the employee to propose solutions to problems as they arise; it actually behooves you to disagree with those in authority when working in these environments. The best part of working for the Hard Ass is that he’s invested in you, they are not claiming to have all the right answers, and the employee can benefit from having opposing views, and calling the Hard Ass out from time to time. They don’t want a “Yes Man” and they’re still hungry to accomplish more, not just trying to make a new King.

One of the greatest assets to any leader is to realize that they don’t have all the answers. I have a great deal of admiration for every Hard Ass boss I ever had, and I always felt like I was EARNING my paycheck, by bringing something to the table other than an agreement to everything that flowed out of their mouths.

If the thought of coming up with a new proposal, a new way of doing business, or a new solution is your idea of a good work environment…. we may need to talk later in 2009.

They get Wade to Contention BUT Ben Foster and his gang of outlaws catch up.  Wade is their leader and they want him back.  Foster’s character, examining the situation, realizes there are only 10 of them against 7 other men holding Wade, many of which are lawmen and sharpshooters.  They have Wade held up in a hotel until the train arrives, and Foster isn’t a patient man.  So looking around, he sees that the town-folk have started to pay attention and he does something truly incredible.  Foster jumps into the street and offers $100 to anyone who kills any of the men holding Wade captive.  Instantly, men (and women!) emerge from inside the town, guns at the ready!  The gang suddenly goes from 10 men, to 100, all incentivized to join the cause!

I have to laugh everytime I watch this scene.  I understand that it’s a movie, and a bit of historical drama, AND this particular exploit brought out the worst in people.  BUT it still makes a great point.  Looking at his competitive odds, Foster applies a bit of strategy and in a matter of seconds suddenly has a new team of people, ready to help him accomplish his goal.  The odds turn drastically in his favor.

This same psychology and strategy can be applied in any marketing campaign.  Reward-based incentives to an interested crowd of fans or consumers can help you accomplish big tasks.  The key is finding the right incentive for the particular demographic you’re marketing to.  In the movie, Ben Foster saw a group of poor town-folk, probably bored and itching for some excitement.  This badass looking gang just rolls into town like rock stars and suddenly wants THE LOCALS to be part of the action too!  Who could resist?

If you’re in entertainment you already have that edge.  If you’re a business with a little less glamour, you can still find something compelling about your products or services that creates a “marketing experience” that your fans can participate in.  The more you know about your customers or fans, the easier to find the incentives.  Maybe just offering direct access to your brand and team for helping you market is enough.  Maybe it’s the promise of a new ipod to the person who does the most.  Maybe it’s literally $100, just like in the movie.

The key is BUILD a great promotion, INVOLVE your fans directly in it’s execution, and INCENTIVIZE them properly so they eagerly participate.  Play it right and you too could suddenly have a gang of 100 townsfolk!