“Plans go wrong for lack of advice;many advisers bring success.”

I’ve been working with a company for a number of years now and I am reminded by them that each time they have reached a point where they hit a wall or stumble, it is because they have moved forward without enough of, or the right advice.  We are all susceptible to this, but for some reason it is an easy mistake to make.  Last year a number of well known brands launched marketing campaigns that after they were made public (to great embarrassment) the first thing we ask ourselves is, “Who didn’t tell them that was just wrong?”  Well, it was probably because someone moved forward without asking for advice.  It was 20 years ago this month that I was at a corporate marketing meeting, globally attended by the top executives, partners and customers when the same thing happened. The CMO of the company rolled out an advertising campaign that he hadn’t consulted with, or asked advice from the best marketing minds in the business.  With great fanfare and expense the advertisements were screened.  Other than the gasps the only other reaction was silence.  Do I need to say that this was that CMO’s last meeting with the company? And to think, with a little advice, everything could have been different.

What plans have we made for this year that we didn’t solicit advice for before we launched out on them?  If we are still following a list of resolutions, we might find that one or more on the page have been established without any advice or counsel.  And then we wonder why our plans don’t work out or go awry?  With just the following of King Solomon’s advice we could ensure that our plans come to a positive fruition.

Reference: Proverbs 15:22 (New Living Translation)