You’ll Get There

German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer believed that truth passed through three stages.

At first it is ridiculed.

Secondly, it’s violently opposed.

And then finally it is accepted as self-evident.

Sometimes, when I write this blog, it occurs to me that I’m reiterating things we already know; truths that we’ve already accepted as immutable.

I see that as a good thing, as Julian Pullan (you all know who he is by now) says “if we could only remember all the things we know we'd be brilliant everyday”

So back to Arthur, sometimes, we’ll find ourselves in the first camp.

When we see things that no-one else can see.

Just remember that, although it may initially feel like a battle to get those ideas accepted, before too long your discoveries will become common wisdom.

To me that’s a great win.

Looking Good...Feeling Great...

I’ve written before about Jack Morton’s EVP...MD Julian Pullan, so indulge me while I name check him yet again.
(and it can’t be a bad thing with my end of year review coming up)
The thing is, Julian is a great leader because he understands the importance of positivity.
Before a pitch we always encourage the pitch teams to put their proposal in front of Julian to get his opinion.
He starts by commenting on all the positives (design looks great, strong idea, good strategy) and makes a few helpful suggestions if there’s an area that can be improved or tightened.
It’s a great approach and it helps focus the energy of the team before they head off to present.
Above all, Julian understands that no-one ever benefits from being told they’ve done a bad job.
Everyone needs a cheerleader.
It helps when they’re the ones sitting in the big leather executive seats.

Show Some Love

You’ve probably all heard of Secretary Day, where people try to make up for a year of treating someone like a dogs-body by buying a card and a bunch of flowers.
But I’ve got another suggestion, it’s bold, it’s radical I'd like to propose a 'Love Your Boss' week.
The thing is, great leaders are few and far between.
Management is about control, whereas leadership is about inspiration.
It’s not easy either, although a great leader makes it look easy.
Running the business, staying on top of the finances, reporting up, down and across and still managing to have fun in meetings and give open, honest feedback. All the while pushing the organisation to be the best version of itself and pushing us all to be the best versions of ourselves.
As Robert Altman, said in his Oscar acceptance speech
"The role of the Director is to create a space where the actors and actresses can become more than they’ve ever been before, more than they’ve dreamed of being.”
I look at Julian Pullan, the Managing Director of Jack Morton here in EMEA and I marvel at how he manages to do all of that.
It's a big job, and somebody’s got to do it.
But not everyone can, so be sure to say thanks.

PS
I know that he’s my boss , but like Roy Walker - I say what I see.