"If you're good at corporate politics, but you only have mediocre creative talent you can still do well at a big agency. But, even if you're a creative genius, you won't last long in a corporate environment if you're a lousy politician."

I come up with this pearl of wisdom in a trade article I write. Shortly after, I discover that ADWEEK has excerpted my comment and published it in their Agency Buzz section. I conclude that I must have said something either very profound, or very stupid. Either way, I've apparently struck a chord. As a result of my published comment I receive much agreement and adulation from peers. They also admit to not having the balls to go on record with such a cage-rattling statement. No doubt the fact they have jobs has something to do with it.

During my career I've had the balls, or stupidity, to say other not-so-politically-correct things -- things that didn't score points with a couple creative directors I worked for. However, both were very short and probably had small penises.

When a headhunter once summed me up as "a bit of a rebel" I was insulted. Now, I see it as a compliment. Being "a bit of a rebel" may not bode well in a corporate environment, but it's mandatory in an entrepreneurial one. I've also found solace in discovering that Sir Winston Churchill was not blessed with the best political skills. In his Churchillian eloquence he once stated...

      "In the course of my life I have often had to eat my words and I must confess that I have always found them a wholesome diet."

One weird experience involved politics of a different kind and re-enforced the adage that one should never discuss sex, religion or politics with business associates. The tete-a-tete involved an ad concept that I had come up with to encourage voting in an upcoming presidential election. The headline read, "If you don't vote, you may regret it for days." while the visual listed 1460 days -- every day for the next four years. Joe, my business associate, loved it and insisted we find a sponsor to run it. Although we didn1t expect to get paid, our hope was to get some press and possibly, maybe, an award. I busted my ass for weeks, pushing aside other jobs, to finesse the labor-intensive layout while Joe searched for an organization to claim the ad. He was having no luck and Election Day was fast approaching. With just days before the election, and no takers, we decide that if we can't find an organization, we'll become one. No one need know that the "organization" consists of only two members. All we need is a name. I boil it down to Citizens for Democracy, or Citizens for Voting. and settle on Citizens for Democracy. Not exactly rocket science.

When I run the name by Joe, I get a strange "not crazy about it" response. His reason is vague and only after much prodding do I get a clear reason. He suggests that Citizens for Democracy "might be offensive" to some people. "Offensive?" I react in disbelief, "To whom?" I reply, reminding him that American Nazis and Communists are not our target audience. As I try to make sense of Joe's logic I have to remind myself that this is the same guy who wasn't sure of his own name only a few weeks earlier. I attempt levity:

"What's the matter...don't you believe in Democracy?" Heh, heh.