I’m in the middle of my annual office cleaning. (I do it once a year whether it needs it or not.) It’s a good way to get ready for the New Year.

Today, I’m tackling my business card file (yes, I still save old-fashioned printed cards) and client files (ditto). Fully half of the cards I’ve collected are obsolete. Some of the companies have gone out of business. With others, my contact person has moved to a different firm or has transferred out of state entirely. A few (my role models) are now retired.  Sadly, a couple of folks are no longer with us.

It’s the same with the client and prospective client files. Some never panned out. Others have closed up shop or decided to go in a different direction. So I’m boxing them up and taking them to storage. There they’ll sit, collecting dust, until I’m comfortable depositing them in recycling on their way to a new existence.

Besides the emotional cleansing of starting the year fresh, the whole exercise is a valuable reminder of how much things change in 12 months’ time. Smarter people have said it better than I can, but it all boils down to the same thing: “The only constant is change.”

A brief digression (sort of). When my grandson was 5, he had a girlfriend named Sarah. Every day when my wife would pick him up from school, he and Sarah would hug goodbye. Then, one day, Sarah wasn’t there. My wife asked him about it and he said, “Things change.”

Indeed they do. And they churn and turn over and act in all kinds of unpredictable ways. The lessons are numerous but not necessarily easy. Don’t get too comfortable. Expect the unexpected. Embrace the future. Oh, and clean your office more often than I do.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. See you at the recycling bin.

Brian Rouff serves as managing partner for Imagine Communications.

Contact Brian at brouff@weareimagine.com.

Talking to a friend of mine the other day, I was surprised when she mentioned that she regularly phones it in at work now that she’s reached a comfortable position within her company. She seems like a conscientious person, and I wouldn’t have thought of her as someone who would do just enough to get by.

This got me thinking. What if everyone did just enough to get by – and no more?

The way I see it, the world would have quite the problem on its hands. It’s people who are at their best – and giving their best – who make the world a better place. It’s the ideas that are nurtured from an initial concept to a full-fledged, well thought-out plan that move society forward – on all levels.

I encountered an example of this at the macro level when my husband (then boyfriend) and I decided to spend a weekend in Mesquite, Nev., a few years ago. At the time, some Mesquite hotels had a longtime deal going, something like $100 for two nights at one of their hotels plus one spa treatment or a round of golf. We grabbed the deal and headed to the tiny little town north of us for a quiet weekend.

For my spa treatment, I settled on a facial. My skin needed all the help it could get. I hadn’t had good skin since grade school and, worse, didn’t know how to take care of my skin to improve the situation.

As my beautician inspected my skin, she immediately asked if I typically wore a liquid base with mineral makeup over the top. Highly specific and highly correct. How on earth did she know that? She proceeded to explain that that’s why I was breaking out the way I was; she outlined a simple plan for me to take care of my skin and even convinced me to go makeup-less for the next few weeks to let my skin clear up. When you have bad skin, going makeup-less is not appealing, but I gave it – and her suggested skin care routine – a shot.

Years later, I still think of her and thank my lucky stars that she took it upon herself to go above and beyond for me. She didn’t just give me a facial; she gave me knowledge that would benefit me for life. What a difference my experience would have been if she’d phoned it in – simply given me a facial and called it a day.

There are those kinds of opportunities – chances to make a difference – everywhere, every day. Imagine what would happen if everyone made a conscious decision to do their best ALL the time. I’m a Pisces, so I’m a dreamer, but I imagine the world would look something like this:

• People would work more efficiently. By doing so, they would increase their capacity and allow for the company to take on more business.
• Having cut out the “fat,” companies would be able to hire more people to handle the new business they would then be able to take on.
• With everyone doing their best, clients and customers would be happier with their service and waste less money searching for a vendor that suits their needs.
• With everyone generally happier, people would start being nicer to one another, increasing overall happiness throughout the world.
• Life as we know it would improve.

You with me?

It turns out my friend’s company doesn’t treat its employees very well, and, in turn, its employees reciprocate in kind when it comes to the output they’re willing to put forth. It sounds like a mess – and a blog for another day.

Melissa Biernacinski serves as Director of Media Relations for Imagine Communications. Email Melissa at mbiernacinski@weareimagine.com.

For years I’ve subscribed to an online medical newsletter written by a noted health care professional. You might know his name if I told you. Although he’s a medical doctor, his views are a bit unorthodox, just outside the mainstream, which is one of the reasons I look forward to his thoughts. Sort of like getting a second opinion without all that pesky paperwork.

Recently, the doc started selling his own line of products: nutritional supplements, books and DVDs, home health care gadgets and the like. From a marketing standpoint, it makes good sense. He’s leveraging the trust and respect he’s built up over the years.

Still, I hadn’t considered buying anything until a few weeks ago, when he began touting a whey protein powder made from the organic milk of grass-fed cows. The $24.95 price tag for a month’s supply sounded fair, so I began the online checkout process. When it came time to choose a shipping option, I was astounded to see the lowest price at $14.95. This was for standard ground, not priority or next day. The package couldn’t have weighed more than a pound or two, so this looked like price gouging, plain and simple.

Just like that, I bailed from the site. The years of credibility and confidence that the good doctor had so painstakingly established vanished in an instant, replaced by disappointment. Maybe I was naïve, but up to that point, I believed he had his readers’ best interests at heart. Instead, he showed his true colors as just another garden-variety money-obsessed marketer.

I don’t expect anyone to give away products or services for free. I’m more than willing to pay a legit price. But please don’t take advantage. It’s a good business lesson for all of us. One bad misstep can undo everything. It behooves us to think before we leap.

Brian Rouff serves as managing partner for Imagine Communications. Email Brian at brouff@weareimagine.com.

Being a newbie wasn’t something I was eagerly looking forward to; having worked in the financial arena prior to my job here at Imagine, I anticipated change.

I knew there would be significant differences and industry paradigms to embrace. And though I have a degree in communications, I lacked a measure of professional experience within the marketing industry. It felt like college all over again – I was eager to begin a new career, excited about starting a new chapter in my life, but I must admit, I was a little anxious about the uncertainties that lay ahead.

In spite of the ambiguities, however, I was ready. Ready to learn, ready to grow, ready to work, ready to experience. I was just plain ready. As I participated and progressed within my position, I quickly realized there are two things I truly enjoy about my work – things I see daily, that are of great benefit, and that best describe my 90-day experience at Imagine Communications. They have transformed my “I have to work” mentality into an “I enjoy working” mentality. They are, in my opinion, necessary catalysts of a healthy and progressive company. These two things are teamwork and a unique company culture.

Teamwork is perhaps Imagine’s strongest trait. Simply put, we are a team of creative minds, sharing ideas to achieve a common goal. My being new has not hindered team participation; if anything, my new ideas are valued, my input is sought after, and my creativity is encouraged. We work as a team and grow as a team.

Equally as valuable is Imagine’s uniquely inclusive company culture. Yes, we are a team, but our diverse individualities are the life blood of our culture. I’ve come to realize how a strong team and a rich company culture can positively impact an employee’s experience.

It is the paradox of encouraging individuality that cultivates the team and enriches the culture. Imagine’s strength lies in this balance, and it’s the importance of this balance that I discovered in less than 90 days.

Diana Chege serves as client relations assistant at Imagine Communications. Email Diana at dchege@weareimagine.com .