Al Golin
Al Golin
Chairman
agolin@golinharris.com
When asked by some of my cronies why I don’t think of retirement, my response is, “people retire from jobs they don’t like.” I started GolinHarris over 50 years ago and I still enjoy the excitement of the business, our clients and the people I work with at GH.
I like to say that unless you stay “current,” this is not the business to be in. When young folks ask me about what are the important traits I look for in our people, three words come to mind — and they all begin with the letter “C”: CURIOSITY — CURRENT — CREATIVE.
I’ve always been a news “junkie” since I was a kid. And I’ve always had an insatiable curiosity about everything, and I like to think that I still do.
My most UNfavorite cliché is, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I hate the expressions, “don’t make waves,” and “don’t rock the boat.”
I’ve always said, “Fix it BEFORE it breaks.” We must have the courage to change things BEFORE we have to. I think this is the key to our maintaining partnerships with our clients and our people for long periods of time. We never take them for granted no matter how long we’ve been together and we constantly nurture these relationships.
This has been a wonderful ride for me — and I must admit I feel a great sense of pride when I see the GolinHarris name on office doors in cities throughout the world.
Tenure
53 years, since 1956
Areas of Expertise
Branding and Corporate Strategy
What’s on my iPod, Kindle and TiVo
Mahler’s 7th Symphony, Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, 24, 60 Minutes, Bill Maher
My Favorite Pastimes
Golf, swimming, listening to good music
My Favorite Quote
“We don’t stop playing when we get old…we grow old BECAUSE we stop playing.”– George Bernard Shaw.