One of the earliest comments my parents made about me was that I “always had my nose in a book.” That is still true today; I am often reading one book for professional development and another for pleasure. One recent book – Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan – was a little of both.

Although not technically a deadhead, I have seen the band in concert a few times and own a couple of their albums. I’ve always admired their approach and their pure love of music. Mr. Scott and Mr. Halligan tie much of the Grateful Dead’s activities to marketing lessons. For example, the band was practicing social media back in 1965 or so, long before the term was coined. Their mailing list was meticulous, even though their stage demeanor may have been a bit on the lackadaisical side. And rather than try to close down the merchants in the parking lots at their concerts, the band embraced them (albeit keeping the brand attributes intact by making sure the merchants knew how not to stretch or skew the logo). Embracing was a key to the Grateful Dead ethos. Nobody, no matter how weird, was considered a misfit.

I could go on and on about the book because it is a great poolside (or short flight) read. Truth is, the Grateful Dead taught us many lessons about running a very successful business in a not very conventional way. We have a lot to learn. Listen to the band.