Be Specific

Have you ever listened to the wannabes on any of the TV talent shows talk about their career aspirations?
It’s easy to spot the ones who will go nowhere – they’re the ones who talk about wanting to be rich, famous or successful.
If you really want to achieve your goals, you need to be specific about what they are.
It’s not enough to say “I want to be rich.”
You need to know exactly how you’re going to go about accomplishing it.
Think about it, do you want a car, or a three-series BMW in blue?
If you choose the latter, you’re far more likely to get it, because the specifics give you something to focus on.
Look at the contestants on Mastermind.
The successful ones have a really narrow field of expertise, which means they have their eyes on the prize.

The Life Blood Of Any Agency?

If I had a pound for every time I heard new business described as the lifeblood of the agency, I’d have enough money to buy a new book of clichés.
Everyone says it, but if actions speak louder than words, hardly anyone really believes it.
Half the time, agencies don’t even have a dedicated new business team.
Instead, the role falls to an account director who has “new business responsibility”, on top of all the other things they need to do.
We’re all responsible for sales, I can’t deny that.
And everyone has to fully commit to getting behind the new business agenda.
But if you want to keep the pipeline going and win more pitches, you have to invest in the discipline
It needs to be someone’s job, not just a task to be fitted around their other job.
Sales, like most other agency disciplines, such as creative, planning or production, requires a specific skill set.
I don’t need to tell you how competitive it is out there at the moment.
Without a dedicated sales team you’re just trying to get your life blood from a stone.

Ka Mate, Ka Mate, Ka Ora, Ka Ora

I always love to see the Haka
The Maori ritual performed by the All Blacks before an international rugby match.
It’s a fantastic statement of arrival and intent.
It shows complete focus, coordination and team spirit.
A willingness to do whatever it takes to win.
And it has the added bonus of scaring the crap out of the opponents.
Now I’m not suggesting that you start stamping and chanting before your next pitch, but there’s huge value in developing a version (ideally quieter) that will work for you and your team.
The energy, commitment and determination are already there, they just need to be harnessed

Turn On. Tune In. Blog Out.

Waking up this morning the radio is full of our friends in the US analysing President Obama’s first 100 days in office.
It seems that the legacy of any new president can be determined by their effectiveness in those first three months.
Weirdly, it also happens to be about 100 days since I first made the decision to keep a blog. So what better time to reflect back and look at what, if anything has changed?
Actually, quite a lot has changed.
For a start, I’ve never felt more focused or motivated. Robin Fielder of LDL (I’ve mentioned him before) says that we keep up to 30% discretionary effort in reserve, only to be used at times of high motivation.
This blog has been the best way of applying that extra energy and it’s turned into something with a life of its own.
It’s renewed my ambition, sharpened my skills and made me hungrier than ever.
I feel it has also helped make me a more rounded person and brought me some great speaking engagements.
It hasn’t made my hair grow but hey, you can’t have everything.
I’m not suggesting that it’s the answer for everyone, but I’ve found it a great way to consolidate my view of the world.
So thank you for reading I really do appreciate it.

Made To Measure?

Great news - Jack Morton, those are the guys I work for, managed to make the Times Top 100 places to work list. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article5666884.ece
Not only is this a great achievement in itself, it also means we're in pretty prestigious company.
So what now?
Do we sit back and wait for the great and the good to congratulate us?
I don't think so.
As tremendous as this achievement is, this is really just the first step on a journey. A journey that starts with an objective “Let’s be a great place to work”
We're 59th this year, which means that next year we don’t want to do any worse and maybe we’ll do a little bit better.But at least we'll know what we're measuring.
That's the thing about measurement - it's not a cure-all panacea for all your business ills.
It's simply a guide to what you're doing well, or what you should be doing better.
It's an all too common problem.
We spend so much time talking measurement, metrics and return on investment, that we focus too much on the 'how', overlooking the 'what' and the 'why'.
Take time to consider what success looks like.
Think about your objectives, and ask whether those are really the right goals for your business. Focus on what’s mission critical.