Our Time To Shine

On Friday I was at the Event Magazine Awards at The Roundhouse.
(pictures here)
Jack Morton was honoured to walk off with the "Brand Experience Agency of the Year" prize.
And I was particularly honoured to be the one dashing onto the stage to collect it.
I was tempted to blog on Friday night but felt a degree of sober reflection (sober being the key word) was needed before I burst into print.
The days of the acceptance speech are long gone.
So there was no time for my "I'd like to thank..." moment.
If there had been, I'd have thanked all of the amazing Jack Morton people across the globe.
They truly are the most talented bunch I've ever worked with.
And our 1Jack philosophy (we're one team, no matter what office we're in) really does enable us to really deliver a global offer.
But mostly I would have thanked our truly amazing clients, who trust us with their brands.
Let's face it, no matter how great we are, we'd be nothing without you.
Big up my home boys.

An Idiot At Work

Don't know if you managed to see the first episode of the new Ricky Gervais creation "An Idiot Abroad".
The basic premise is that Ricky and his writing partner, Steven Merchant, send their friend Karl Pilkington (the idiot) to visit the seven wonders of the world.
The first episode followed Karl on a trip to China to visit the first wonder.
We know it as the Great Wall of China.
Karl thought that the OK Wall of China would be a more apt description.
In his words, "It's very long, but so is the M6".
Ricky's objective was to expose Karl's 'Little Englander' mentality.
To challenge his narrow world view, and address his distrust of anything foreign.
That made up the fair share of the show's running time.
But, to his credit, Karl was also keen to challenge accepted wisdom.
He kept asking 'why'?
"Why should we do it like this, just because that's the way it's always been done?"
In a country like China, with an almost unrivalled sense of history and heritage, that kind of questioning is akin to heresy.
But I think we should all dare to ask those difficult questions.
Not be afraid to upset the applecart.
Be the idiot in the room.
Karl's hunger for understanding painted him in a different light to the one Ricky had originally intended.
Or did it?

It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know

I’m starting to sound like a broken record
(that’s the thing that we listened to before MP3s and CDs).
We’re so busy at the moment we’ve had to take on a bunch of new people to deliver our projects.
There’s an amazing energy around the agency at the moment.
Not to mention a whole host of new faces.
We’ve just welcomed another 20 people into the fold.
It’s important that they feel part of the family.
And that we help them get to grips with our unique culture and ethos.
They need to live our values of passion, agility and respect.
So we all got together for a few drinks.
As I watched everyone mix and mingle, the old and the new, I could see the spirit of Jack Morton being passed on.
And you know what?
It worked like a charm.
By osmosis, we all became one holistic team.
Two key learnings here:
Delivering a brand experience works every time.
And go easy on the wine.
Anyone got a paracetamol?

When I Stop Talking You'll Know I'm Dead.

That's the name of the book I've just finished.
It's the biography of Jerry Weintraub - a genuine all-american success story.
Not heard of him?
You'll certainly know his work.
He's a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, who's been everything from concert promoter to film producer.
Along the way he's made friends of Elvis, Sinatra, George Bush (Senior) and George Clooney.
That's some address book he's got.
He's also got talent.
Get-up-and-go.
But what really stood out for me, as I read about his incredible life, was his ethos.
"Let's give it a go and see what happens".
In the agency world we spend too much time worrying about our place in the world.
We constantly feel the need to legitimise what we do.
I suppose it's only natural - after all, we have to measure our outputs and deliver great results.
But we mustn't lose sight of the fact that we're in an ideas-led industry.
Sometime we just need to give it a go.
We act like a bunch of doctors or scientists.
But what is science, if not a series of experiments?
A stream of "let's give it a go and see what happens" moments.
Now, obviously, the smaller the experiment the less chance of blowing everyone up.
But don't be scared to give it a go.
Bring your vision to life.
Try it.
Worst case scenario - you learn something.
Kaboom.

You’re Going To Get Your F***ing ‘ead Kicked In

Way back in the 1980s, it seemed ok for us to treat football like we were animals.
The grounds were toilets, the toilets were even worse.
No facilities.
No comfort.
We allowed ourselves to be caged in.
As a result, we behaved like animals.
Now look at the state of play.
The grounds are spectacular.
The facilities are great.
Even the travel options are improving.
Surprise, surprise, the fans are better behaved too.
In fact, it’s now the players who get into trouble.
Often, in the business world, we look for a “grown up” to take on a project.
I hate that phrase, by the way, but that’s not my point.
Expect the best not the worst.
I believe that if you give people the authority and responsibility to do the job, you can sit back and watch them deliver.
Treat them well and they’ll respond.

Our Man In Manchester

Remember I promised you more about my adventures in Manchester?
Well, never let it be said that I’m not a man of my word.
One of the things that really stood out from the conference was the genius of Daniel Pink.
I highly recommend his new book ‘Drive’ – it’s really amazing.
One of the things I took from it I’m already putting into practice.
It’s the concept that mastery of your chosen profession is an asymptote.
What’s an asymptote you ask?
It’s an algebraic term for an unattainable target.
Imagine that you have to walk across a room to the other side and you can only step half the distance of your previous step.
It’s at same time both hugely frustrating and tremendously alluring.
But we all want to get better.
It’s a huge driver for us.
The constant search to get there never ends.
But it is a joy to keep trying.
So start now.

Motivating Manchester

On Monday evening I found myself rushing up to Manchester for a networking dinner, prior to attending a Benchmark for Business event.
The conference, hosted at the Hilton, featured Daniel Pink and Marcus Buckingham, and so thanks go to Colin Ross of Benchmark for Business for pulling together such a great event.
If you’re dying to find out more about the conference, hold onto your hats.
All will be revealed later in the week.
In the meantime, I wanted to talk about something the chairman said in his opening remarks.
Richard Wellins of DDI, a authority on leadership development and employee engagement (with lots of books and articles to his name) talked about a survey he conducted on the plane over from the US.
He asked 15 fellow travellers if they thought the workplace was a crueller place than two years ago.
13 said yes.
Looking at Richard, I guess he wasn’t crammed into steerage eating a half-frozen sandwich off his own knees.
That means his fellow travellers were probably pretty senior people.
All of which makes his survey results a little shocking.
Because if the guys in the comfortable seats are feeling it, how must everyone else be feeling?
Recession. Cost-cutting. Redundancies.
Doesn’t exactly make you want to dance in the street, does it?
The world’s a serious place right now, and maybe that’s as it should be.
But surely all that negativity starts to eat into productivity.
It impacts our effectiveness.
So we can’t fiddle while Rome burns.
But we can remember the string quartet who continued to play on as the Titanic filled with icy water.
Try to find ways to release the pressure.
Recognise little wins.
Complement a job well done.
Praise outstanding effort.
Talk up examples of the behaviours you want to see more of.
And what the hell – tell a few jokes as you go.
Here’s one to get you started.
A terrorist targeted a supermarket chain, placing a bomb next to the alphabetti spaghetti.
A police spokesman said it was lucky their expert defused it.
If the device had gone off, it could have spelled disaster.
Thank you
Here all week

A Simple Thought

Do you know what the biggest problem in business today is?
Go on, see if you can guess.
I know cause somebody told me today.
It's not the recession.
It's not a dearth of relevant employee skills.
And it's not misaligned strategy.
The biggest issue facing today's businesses is....
Knowing what you need to do and then not doing it.
FACT.
See, you can't argue with it, because I just wrote 'fact'.
In bold.
Now, you need to ask yourself, what am I going to do about that?

It Never Rains...

So I have to kick off with an apology.
I’d planned to write this blog in honour of Rafael Nadal’s triumph at the US Open.
Instead, we’ll just have to see how my powers of prediction are faring, since the final is being played tonight due to heavy rain in New York.
No matter, my point still stands.
In case you didn’t know, Nadal came on the scene in around 2002, winning his first grand slam in 2005 at the French Open.
The French Open is a clay court tournament.
Winning on clay is a specialist skill and Rafael was seen as very much a specialist.
He was good on clay – that was his destiny.
But he wasn’t happy with that.
He worked hard to develop his game, and has triumphed on Wimbledon’s tricky grass surface in 2008 and 2010.
Now he stands on the cusp of his first American hard court “slam” in New York.
What’s fantastic is that Rafael didn’t listen to the “experts”.
They’re the ones who wrote him off as nothing but a clay court specialist.
But he knew better about what his future was.
And then he put in the work to make it come true.
As I read on the wall in a “bathroom” in the States
“The future is in your hands.”
Now please wash them.

You’re So Good At This

I love Chris Rock - stand up comedian, movie star, Oscar host.
He has so many “bits” that I love.
Not all of them are suitable for reproduction here.
But one that really stands out for me is his definition of a job, versus a career.
If you have a career there aren’t enough hours in the day.
If you have a job, the days, minutes and hours can’t pass quickly enough.
True d'at.
There’s another line he uses that I really believe in.
Don’t let your happiness make someone else sad.
Don’t let your happiness make someone else sad.
He says it twice so I’m going to.
Its particularly true around your skills at work.
Never let your knowledge put the fear into your clients.
You may see the pitfalls well in advance.
The dangers in the road ahead.
After all its what you do, you know what may happen.
But rather than panic the client and come to the rescue, try presenting the solution first.
Show your knowledge in a pre-emptive way.
It’ll build your confidence, as well as the clients.
Make it all possible.
Otherwise, you’re just like the mechanic who looks under the bonnet, sucks the air through his teeth and shakes his head.
“Hmmmm, it’s gonna cost you...”

One True Voice

OK, let’s be honest, leadership isn’t without its fair share of problems.
I’m not talking here about the guys or girls in the big black leather chairs.
I’m talking about project managers and account leaders.
One of their problems is their niceness.
Too collaborative.
Canvass too many opinions.
Of course, I’m not saying that isn’t important.
But there’s a point where it has to stop.
There’s a time where you have to take the lead.
Make some decisions.
Give some direction.
Someone needs to pull the disparate strands together.
Show your team that you’ve got ‘it’.
And show your client that you have their best interests at heart.
It’s a tall order.
But you know what, the more decisions you take, the easier they become.
Now, do I fancy a glass of red, or a glass of white?
Maybe a beer!

How Does Seth Do It?

For those avid readers out there, you know I've been writing this blog for almost eighteen months now.
Trying to make sure I post everyday is tough.
I've blogged from Turkey, Dubai, the US, and even my sick bed.
But despite what I consider to be an Olympian effort, when weighed against the considerable output of someone like Seth Godin, I feel very much like an also-ran.
He writes every day, without fail. Sometimes twice.
I guess I'm a little short.
That's a height joke for those of you who know me.
Occasionally I miss my own deadline.
Too many plates spinning means that occasionally something's going to drop.
And it's usually the blog.
But as Julian, my MD, said in his great C&IT column this month, available at all good news-stands, this is our busiest time of year .
Briefs are arriving, clients are asking for meetings (rather than being enticed into the room with a trail of M&Ms), and I've got three speaking engagements between now and Christmas.
Barcelona, Kenya and South Africa - in case you were wondering.
On Monday, we helped the Evening Standard with an event attended by Lord Coe and The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.
In his enthusiastic and energetic style the Mayor urged us all to get out there and make things happen now.
He was, of course, referring to London 2012,but it's true of everything.
If you want something to happen, you have to get out there and make it happen.
No-one else is going to do it for you.

I Love My Job.

No really, I do.
Why not?
After all, sales is full of precious little victories.
A million moments that all warrant the Didier Drogba/Steven Gerrard/Cesc Fabrigas slide across the pitch on your knees.
A meeting .........yes!
A pitch.......get in!
A win ........COME ON!!!
There's nothing better.
Actually, that’s not strictly true.
Because sales is about people.
The relationships, the stories and the learning.
I was on a call with Josh McCall , our chairman and CEO, yesterday and he was telling me a quick story about THE Jack Morton.
You all know he was a real person and founder of the business, right?
Anyhoo...
One of Jack’s core beliefs was that the most important word in a salesman’s dictionary is “help”.
Not just “Hello, how can we help?” but also “I need your help with this...”
This is a business that depends on teamwork and collaboration, especially with our clients.
Simple fact, but easy to forget.
Asking for help changes the dynamic of relationship, from attack and defence to one of respect and support.
It’s a very powerful lesson from a guy who knew a few things.
Thanks for your help Jack.

Storm’s A Coming

Maybe it was the box of chocolate*
Or perhaps it was the roses*
But I find there’s a newfound sprightliness to many of my clients at the moment.
They’re full of ideas.
Bursting with vitality.
I don’t know about you, but I find that energy contagious.
The same goes for enthusiasm.
They spread like a virus, and affect everyone they touch.
So the briefs are also pretty energising.
Maybe it’s because 2012 is on the horizon.
With opportunities in abundance for anyone who wants to play their part.
I know we’re still in the grip of a recession.
I only need to look at the value of my house to remind me of that.
But things are starting to turn around.
Listen carefully, and you can almost hear the crackle of electricity.
Like we’re minutes away from a spectacular summer thunderstorm.
The skies are heavy with potential.
The heavens are going to open.
A change is coming.
And not a moment too soon.
*By the way, Mr Sarbanes and Mr Oxley, if you reading this - I’m only joking
(If you’re not I mean every word)

RIP the RFP

Let's be honest, nobody loves the RFP.
It served its purpose for years, humbly providing the neat little boxes into which hungry agencies could paste their stock answers.
Gather them all up and you can easily compare like-for-like.
But the world isn't really like that.
You can't compare apples with apples, when you're dealing with grapefruits and kumquats.
Stick with me, it's just a fruit metaphor.
My point is - agencies are diversifying, even within relatively narrow specialist fields.
There's no level playing field.
Thankfully, smart clients are moving towards a smarter version of the RFP.
Competitive advantage is gained by the processes you share and the questions you ask.
The dreaded spreadsheet is detached from the creative.
And there's a quick-fire round that's all about the money.
OK, to some that will still be the most important round.
But at least things are moving in the right direction.
Forget the boilerplate organograms.
We're moving to a more fluid set-up.
And I, for one, couldn't be happier.
Now, fingers on the buzzers...