Recently, I had the good fortune of meeting with the owner of one of the most admired and well-known brands within St. Louis (hint: they make pizza). The meeting was to present some new screen designs (which our amazing design team absolutely killed, by the way), but we were able to spend a little time talking about business philosophy and life in general.

Toward the end of the meeting she made it a point to share with us that one of the reasons she picked our firm for the website redesign was due to the fact we… well…had integrity. She was genuinely thankful in how we approached the relationship.

I like to tell clients “we try to work ourselves out of a job,” meaning we don’t purposefully lock ourselves into having any client rely on us for continued service/support (which seems to be a sales strategy for many firms). Instead, we work hard to empower our clients to better understand technology and then help them better leverage technology themselves to support their overall business objectives. Many of our projects actually end with our taking the time to train our clients to do a job we could easily charge a lot of money for. It’s like old proverb of teaching a man to fish… we want our clients to eat for a lifetime.

Somewhat surprisingly, a few of our clients have even questioned why we would be so unselfish in our approach.

The answer is simple.

We believe every project we do, and every client we have, is a reflection of us as a company. We strive to paint all our work with excellence, pride and, perhaps most importantly, by staying true to who we are.

We do business with Integrity. Do you?

When not ideating new applications or reconsidering user experiences, I like to work in the yard – its quiet, peaceful and “outside.”

Yesterday (during some light tree maintenance), I noticed a mosquito circling me with a degree of interest. After a few failed attempts at swatting I refocused on my pruning. Then, my arm begin to itch. Yep – I was bit. I didn’t feel the bite itself (she was long gone) but I knew exactly where she had been. While focusing on my arm, my leg began to itch as well. My little friend had bit me again – but was nowhere to be found. I realized I was so distracted, I stopped gardening and had even stopped looking for the mosquito – I was too busy focusing on my discomforts.

With regard to competitive advantage, mosquitoes have it right. Keep the competition focusing on where you were, not where you are. Take their focus away from what they should be doing (ideating new features / building better service / delivering greater value) and lure them into a defensive role where they burn precious time/money making incremental improvements on your innovative ideas. Always a version or two behind. Always wondering where you might bite next.

This takes passion. Creativity. Risk. Innovation.

Innovation is no nicety. It is the singular road to growth, remarkability, competitive advantage, differentiation and (ultimately) survival.

So, is your competition following you – or do you find you’re the one scratching?

The teams have been chosen. The table has been oiled. The matching wristbands have been coordinated. The official Integrity foosball tournament is ON!

Friday, December 11 will usher in the first annual company foosball tournament. In preparation for this monumental undertaking, teams have been strengthening their flicking wrists, practicing their high-fives and trash-talking like Perez Hilton after three martinis.

“In honor of this time of holiday spirit and giving,” says Ed Morrissey of team Something Awesome, “We’re going to give John and Beth something to cry about.” His partner in crime, Catherine Betz, joins Ed in this festive proclamation of kicking ass.

Tensions are running high as more and more “important meetings about that website stuff… and things…” are being called-followed by the clicking and smacking of balls in the basement. And the occasional sob of defeat.

“We need our own theme song, we need our theme song!” cried Berrek Thompson, the other half of team Army of Darkness, along with Natalie Kurz, who was heard declaring, “That can of whoop-ass doesn’t come with a return policy, bubba.”

The office rivalries forming are epic—like Jacob and Edward, Harry and Voldemort, Jennifer and Angelina, Laverne and Shirley…oh, wait.

The winning tactics for team Tsunami, comprised of Reshma Chamberlin and Jake “the Viper” Wood, is for Reshma to squeal with delight at every goal in an attempt to unnerve the opposition.

Beth Buchanan, the other half of John Simanowitz’s team Master of Kung Foos, has been overheard shouting, “I’m gonna take down Facebook! Take it DOWN! Wait, what is this for again?” But it was shouted so ferociously, she has everyone shaking in their Uggs.

Robin Rath and Deanna Simanowitz, of team Master Paddlers, have taken the high road and refrained from partaking in the juvenile shenanigans of ribbing their opponents. Unless they are engaging in some form of silent mind control tactics. Freaky!

Check out the brackets and catch post-game highlights after we sober up enough to post them!