Ego kills

In case you were wondering, yesterday marked the start of the 2012 Cannes Advertising awards – excuse me – I mean the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. As if creativity is the sole property of the advertising industry.

Self-aggrandizement has never been a problem for people in the ad biz (yes, I realize the irony in that statement coming from someone who thinks his thoughts are interesting enough to post on an almost daily basis). If you ever want to see it in its highest form, I'm told you must make the trip to Cannes.

Not that I'm opposed to a little ego. When it comes to work ego is critical whether you're in advertising, medicine, automotive, technology or any other industry. You have to believe in yourself and your mission. You have to fight for your ideas. Without ego, that doesn't happen.

Ego kills mediocrity. It kills the urge to compromise. It kills complacency. It kills the naysayers, the nitpickers and the committees whose sole purpose seems to be to bleed the life out of ideas one pinprick at a time. Ego is the point of view that differentiates you and your work from everything else.

Ultimately when properly channeled ego is a key component in producing great work like this, one of my favorites of the finalists for the Film Grand Prix at this year's festival.