Curt Hanke is the co-founder and account director of Shine in Madison, WI. Shine works on the Wisconsin Cheese account, among others.
Hanke is also one of Ad Age’s many guest writers plucked from the agency pool. But he’s one with something to say and a knack for saying it.
Picking up on Nike’s 10th Maxin, “We are on the offense. Always.” Hanke runs with the missive and determines what it means for himself, and his team.
We’ve kicked this around internally and boiled it down to three reminders.
Knowledge. This one’s first for a reason. You can’t be on offense if you don’t know the playbook; it’s that simple.
Desire. Whether you’re an employee, a manager, or an owner, being on offense requires desire.
Confidence. In our teams. In our clients. In our own skills and best intentions.
To me, “We are on the offense. Always.” also says there’s no need to be defensive.
I think we all know how important it is to be proactive on our client’s behalf. When you advise for a living, by definition, you’re regularly introducing new ideas and practices.