What does 'smart' look like in your company?

"The scene at mission control was what smart looks like. Retrorockets could have eased the Curiosity straight down to the surface, but that would have stirred up too much dust, perhaps fouling its works before it even got started. So the engineers chose the hard and creative and dangerous solution for the simple reason that it was also the best one." Time Magazine, Live From Mars, by Jeffrey Kluger Scientists may spend a lifetime working on one problem. When I read about their efforts, the job of marketing seems so small by comparison. Then I remember that even if marketing is often devalued, great communication never is, and ultimately that is what great marketing delivers.

The challenge is that great is not easy. Great is hard, pain staking, time-consuming and frustrating work. However, great results are so exhilarating that you'll want work twice as hard as before.

Which brings us back to the question, 'what does smart look like in your company?'

Like creativity, 'smart' looks and acts differently in people and organizations. Many companies spend too much time reacting and not nearly enough time 'pro-acting.'

What do you need to do to make your company use the 'smart' you already have in your company?

Clear communication is the next killer app

Mark my digital words. Clear, well-considered communication will be a trait that makes someone a lot of money in the next 20 years. Most certainly that communication will be about a product or service that is remarkable, but chances are someone will use their great communication skills to develop something worth talking about, or at least to build the team to create the product.

We are connected and communicating more than ever before - and often saying less. Certainly the speed in which communication is allowed contributes to our inefficiency.   Inefficiency in this case = noise. When there is noise we invent things like mute buttons, caller ID, and spam filters.

I love having choices about how we may communicate with one another, but eventually everyone gets weary of noisy chatter and wants something of substance:  a challenge, a conversation, a  book or a great product that solves one of life's hurdles.

Foster clear, concise communication for yourself and those around you. It will set you apart and it might even make you or your company remarkable. Now that's something worth talking about.