Years ago, while working at a small dot-com startup in Greenwich, CT. I was in a heated back-and-forth with one of our sales guys. He looks at me and goes, “John… you’re just the talent.” That one stuck. Not because he was wrong, but because it made me realize talent alone doesn’t carry the work. Understanding the client, the message, and actually delivering something that works—that’s the job.

And that’s what I focus on.