As a thinkbank intern, you’re never quite sure what your day will bring. Not long ago, my boss – in this case, our touchpoints director, Paul – asked me to run an errand. At first, I jumped at the chance to get out of the office for a bit. My task: deliver a DVD to a competing advertising agency…and test out an eavesdropping device while inside the enemy’s headquarters.

The device in question looks like a small eight-inch satellite dish with a set of headphones attached. Point it any direction, pull the trigger, and seemingly out-of-range whispers and conversations suddenly become audible (kind of).

My first reaction was, “Are you kidding me?!”

No, they weren’t kidding. As it turned out, this was a tongue-in-cheek prank intended purely for the recipient of the DVD, who had also once worked as an intern for Paul, and who was now a person of some prominence at the other agency. Luckily I own a handbag that’s big enough for my entire closet to fit in. A fellow intern, Erica, decided to come along for the journey. We drove to the other agency in a panic. While sitting in the parking lot, we called Paul to confirm our orders.

“Do you really want us to use this?” 

“Yeah,” said Paul. “If you get to his office, just turn it on and walk around with it. Put it up to the wall. Wave it over his computer.” 

In retrospect, I’m not sure what waving the device over his computer would accomplish, considering the device only picks up sound waves. I’m pretty sure it was an attempt by Paul at making us even more nervous than we already were.

We finally got enough courage to walk in the place and ask for our contact. A few minutes later, he came to meet us. 

We delivered the DVD, but, sadly, we never got a chance to use our spy skills. Still, you can imagine our hearts beating out of our chests as we waited at the front desk with an eavesdropping device in my handbag. The photo below is an accurate representation of how we felt that day.

It’s hard not to be cynical as we close 2008.

Our year was littered with a cacophony of names of people who left us to question our government and business leaders – John Edwards, Bernard Madoff, John Thain, Eliot Spitzer, Rod Blagojevich, even Mrs. Blagojevich got in on the action. And I’m sure there are many, many more, but, quite honestly, each story is footnoted by one of two fundamental characteristics – greed or hubris (and the really juicy stories have both).

All kidding aside, it makes me very sad, because in each scenario, the person embroiled in these controversies seems to have lost sight of what’s really important.

Here at Pavone, we have far fewer commas and zeros on our balance sheet, but I must have already realized something that these so-called leaders aren’t even close to. I know that leadership, in its truest sense, has nothing to do with the pursuit of self-interest.

Leadership has everything to do with taking responsibility – and very little to do with taking credit.

Leadership has everything to do with running in when others are running out – and very little to do with running over people to succeed.

Leadership, in its truest sense, has very little to do with being better than everyone else around you and everything to do with making everyone around you better.

And it is with that bit of knowledge that I hope for some heroes to look up to in 2009.

Each year, the thinkbank members who reside in centrally-located area affectionately known as “The Hole” open up their workspace and share their yuletide spirit with the rest of the agency during a lunch hour Hole-iday Party. This year’s bash featured eight pizzas, some Diet Coke, a few bag of Doritos and about 30 people in a really small space.

We also gave away our annual Holee Awards. Some were good, like the “Honorary Hole Member” and “Distinguished Hole Alumni” award (given to someone who used to work in the Hole, but escaped long ago). Some aren’t so good, like the “Most Likely To Cut Through the Hole” award and the “Hole Hater” award.

Either way, fun was had by all. Here’s a shot of some of the action. Below that is close up of someone who decided to spoil the photo with a juvenile act. That’s right, Becky, you’re being called out here on the Think It So blog for all to see. It should be noted that she got no awards at this year’s Hole-iday Party.

When you work were we do, fun stuff just happens. The incident you are about to read about started about three months ago right here in the thinkbank.  About five beers deep into our fantasy football draft, myself and one of our web designers, Jeremy (that would be Jeremy Steen to normal human beings and “FroggleRocksaur” to all those World of Warcrafters out there), got into a heated discussion about which team was better: his Eagles or my Redskins.  We eventually decided to resolve our debate with a little wager. It would all be settled in the first head-to-head match-up between the two teams.

An Eagles win meant I would go to a bar of his choice in a tight pink McNabb Jersey.  A Redskins win meant he goes somewhere of my choice as a Hogette.  

Thank god the Redskins won, because this was rewarding.  Once he got that outfit on, I remember him looking at me like Ralphie Parker in “A Christmas Story” rocking that dreadful pink bunny suit.  Thanks to the Monday night pitcher special though, he was running around the bar in no time, looking like a drunken Mrs. Doubtfire, while the rest of us enjoyed watching him turn the doiley on his size 19 maternity dress into a bib for bleu cheese and wing sauce. That’s me with our fun loving swine below (I’m on the right).

I’d like to thank Jeremy for being a good sport and following through on his bet.  It was a good time had by all, and look forward to the stakes of next year’s game. 

I understand the economy is a huge concern for everyone right now and retail sales during the upcoming Holiday season has increased importance, but a Blitz Line at Wal Mart? Cmon, isn’t that pushing it a little bit? I’m all for driving sales but this is a little overboard for the retailer and consumer too. Just ask the family of the guy who got trampled to death.

I’m sure everyone read the headlines and perhaps saw the video. I was struck by a panel discussion raising the question — Is holiday shopping worth a life? Is the news outlet asking that question serious? What experts do you call in for that discussion? Personally, I think the news media feeds the problem as much as anyone. After all, there are better things to cover, like a holiday food drive or something.

I saw some caution tape at a Toys R Us too. Something about a shooting caused by an argument over something that won’t even be cool next Christmas. Isn’t lining up at four o’clock in the morning (when doors open at 5:00) enough to put people in the right position to score that new flat screen or Wii? I’m pretty sure inventory levels are high enough that if I rolled in there at a very late 8 AM I’d be able to pick one up.

This is where the Internet dominates. No waiting in lines, open 24/7…you know all the perks. The only real issue is a slow download or a lost connection (thanks Comcast), but there’s no chance of getting caught up in a Blitz Line. In all seriousness, I think we need to take a step back and evaluate some things to avoid tragedies like this in the future. I’ll do my part as a consumer, just not at four in the morning, unless it’s from the comfort of my couch buying something on Amazon.