Today’s Special

It’s easy to get caught up in the pressures of agency life.
High profile work.
Major budget responsibility.
Blue chip clients.
Sometimes I think we forget that we work in the service industry.
OK, so we don’t bus tables or divide the tips at the end of our shift.
But our primary goal is to make our clients welcome and encourage them to come back again.
Think about this next time you turn up to your favourite restaurant and the Maitre D tells you there are no tables.
Are you going to stand in the doorway for an hour?
Of course not, you’ll go somewhere you’re wanted.
We all work to some ridiculously tight deadlines.
And as I’ve said before, we’re all busy.
Clients don’t want to hear that.
Nor should they.
Because guess what
They’re busy too.
We can give them a million reasons to come to us.
But they only need one good reason to leave.
Don’t let the fact that you’re constantly in demand be that reason.

Forget The "Me" In Team

These last few weeks I've been spending lots of time with the other agencies in the IPG network.

It's always useful to visit sister companies - there's really no better way to learn.

This may sound a little 'Miss World' but I really do relish every collaborative opportunity

As I have said before collaboration is the "new black".

But there's a big difference between sitting in a room with some colleagues and collaborating.

So no matter if you are in the network or not and with apologies to David Letterman, here's my top ten collaboration tips:

1) Remember that we're all very talented, but in different ways - everyone brings something unique to the party, your job is to deliver your bit.

2) Collaboration doesn't just get the job done, it's a handy opportunity for building great relationships.

3) The sooner you can start sharing information the better.

4) Keep the lines of communication open - if they break down, the project will soon follow.

5) Try to be open and honest. Politeness is great, but not if it hides what you're really thinking.

6) Nobody's perfect, so don't expect them to be, because you aren't. We all make mistakes, so forgive and forget.

7) When mistakes do occur, make sure that everyone on the team learns from them.

8) Things won't always go your way, so suck it up and try not to sulk.

9) You won't always be successful, so keep an open mind and give it another go. And another...

10) Finally, keep your eyes on the bigger prize.

Collaboration maximises everyone's potential, which means greater rewards.

The Other Three Rs

Forget reading, writing and ‘rithmetic, the three R’s we should all be focused on are Real, Relevant and Right.
For a brand experience agency like Jack Morton, those three words are the ultimate proof-point.
In the world of advertising, it’s sometimes desirable make bold claims.
Big promises tend to inspire little more than a roll of the eyes or the occasional tut.
But in the experiential space, you’re face-to-face with those all important consumers.
If you’re behaving in a way that doesn’t match your promises, you’re in for a world of pain.
It’s much harder when you can see the whites of their eyes.
Gone are the days when someone like Peter Brough could forge a successful career as a ‘radio ventriloquist’.
These days, audiences want truth, authenticity and relevance.
With the general election just weeks away, the political parties need to bear this rule in mind.
Maybe that’s why Saatchi’s have launched a new campaign focusing on Gordon Brown’s unkept promises.
They understand how frustrated people can get when word and deed don’t seem to correlate

Buddy Can You Spare The Time .....To Read This?

Ok, brace yourselves for a news flash.
We’re all busy.
Stacked, crammed, up-against-it.
The pressure’s on, the diary’s full.
We’re all in the same boat.
So here’s my problem: “I’m too busy...”
What exactly is “too busy”?
In my book, it actually means “I’m too busy for you.”
Just be honest – tell it how it really is.
Otherwise, it just sounds like an excuse.
Even when your plate is full, there’s something that can be done.
Delegation, prioritisation, diary management – all great ways of finding time to help out.
Some people have already got the hang of it.
Even when they’re snowed under, they still find a way of offering support.
It only takes few moments to reschedule your workload and lend a hand.
You’d be amazed at how much extra time you’ll find.
That’s the funny thing about time – it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

We All Know What Practice Makes...

Tonight’s a special night in the Jackson household.

It’s Fox’s penultimate performance as the longest-running Billy Elliot in London.

He’s got over 200 friends and fans turning out to cheer him on.

It’s a nice round number, and it reflects the 200 shows he’s performed since he first took to the stage.

Just think about that for a second.

How does anyone keep their enthusiasm up when they’ve done something a couple of hundred times?

The first few times, it’s a case of conscious competence.

You maintain your focus by thinking through every move.

After a while, this becomes unconscious competence.

Unfortunately, some people see this as ‘muscle memory’.

That’s when autopilot beckons.

However, Fox has figured out a way to compartmentalise his brain.

He lets half of it take care of the performance – hitting his marks and making the moves.

But the other part of his brain is very much alive.

He’s thinking about the instructions that Nick, Lee and Damian give him at every rehearsal call.

“Think about the space, connect with the other cast members, express your emotions.”

It means that even after 200 shows, every performance is fresh and new.

The next time you think you’re going through the motions, try focusing on ways to re-energise your performance.

Bring something new every time.

And break a leg.

Let’s Get Together

There’s a real buzz around collaboration at the moment.
Lots of opportunities and lots of people getting involved.
But are we really making the most of the situation?
When it comes to collaboration, you need to enter into the spirit of it.
That means no preconceptions, no agenda.
Remember the big blue genie in Disney’s Aladdin?
He offered three wishes, along with a few conditions.
Aladdin was incredulous:
“Conditions... on wishes?”
He knew that conditions negate the very idea of a wish.
And that’s how it works with collaboration.
Open minds are what’s needed, not preconceptions.
Maybe it’s an age thing.
After too long spent doing things our way, we become reluctant to show much flexibility.
It’s a little like the dating game.
When you’re young, you enter into it willing to go with the flow and see what comes out of it.
Bright eyed and bushy tailed.
Then, as you get older, you start applying all kinds of conditions.
That’s really no way to work.
And besides, you just end up lonely.

I'm In Pieces Bits And Pieces

I think the Dave Clark Five had the right idea

At various points in our life we all look for role models.
Sometimes it's a colleague, sometimes it's a friend, and sometimes it's a complete stranger.
But we tend to choose our role models one at a time.
Why is that?
You can find inspiration in all kinds of people, so pick and choose the best bits.
Look for the skills and qualities that you like in the people around you.
Then pull them together as an amalgam.
That way, your 'role model' will be completely unique to you.
Instead of trying to follow in someone else's footprints, you'll start creating your own.
After all, no-one ever changed the world by trying to be someone else.

Baby Boom!

In an ideas-led business, there's a great deal of pressure laid on the shoulders of those who're expected to come up with the goods.
Ideas come naturally and if you're the one coming up with the ideas, it's up to you to help them grow.
Don’t downplaying your idea before you've even said it out loud?
Why give people a reason to disagree, before they even know what it is they disagree with?
As I've said before, ideas need to be given room to grow, space to breathe.
Think of ideas as ....as.....babies.
It's not enough to be the mother (or father)
You have to be the midwife too.
Deliver it safely into the world, check its vital signs and give people what they need to nurture it.
Everything starts with an idea - cities, companies, ambitions...
So don't start by introducing it as the runt of the litter - it won't stand a chance.

Those Who Can....... Teach

A few years ago, Sir Ken Robinson gave an inspiring speech to an assembly of teachers in Harrogate.

His task was to encourage creative thinking and unlock some of the restrictions placed on kids’ imagination.

He came up with a great analogy that got people thinking.

He asked the teachers to imagine how they’d react if William Shakespeare was in their class.

Although he’s now widely recognised as the greatest dramatist of all time

Bill was also a bit of a maverick.

If he couldn’t think of a word to express something

He made one up.

In fact, it’s estimated that he made up over 3,000 words.

That’s a lot of broken rules.

But here’s the funny thing – 1,200 of them (here's a list) have been adapted and incorporated into everyday language.

Follow that line of thinking for a moment.

Would Picasso’s art teacher have said

“Well I like the colours, but maybe try putting eyes on either side of her head”?

Despite the best efforts of teachers, peers and managers, great ideas always find an audience.

Rather than reacting with “It can’t be done” we should give them time to breathe.

Or we can just keep drowning them in a bucket of cold water.

The Smartest People In The Room

Don’t get me wrong

I love working with smart people.

And there are a lot of big brains in the agency world

But sometimes we can get off track.

Getting a bunch of bright people in a room to solve a clients brief, the focus can shift away from the task at hand.

Instead, we all start ‘talking shop’ .

We focus on what’s missing from the brief

Or what we’d do differently if we were them.

But that’s not what we’ve been asked to do.

We’re here to make our own contribution to meeting the clients’ objectives.

The smartest guy in the room might just be the one who gets on with solving the problem.

You’ll find it’s easy recognise him

He’s the quiet one.