I like planning.
Yes I know I had a bitch about it last week and I’d rather be back living my pretend Rock God life … but I like it … and after 20 odd years, I think that’s a pretty good achievement.
Maybe it’s because it’s the only job I can think of that expects me to talk to the weird and wonderful out there.
Or maybe it’s simply because they let me wear my beloved Birkenstocks?
Who knows, but I like it.
But the thing I am especially happy about is that I work in a part of the World – and an agency – that still expects me to ‘do stuff’ regardless of the the fancy title I have.
Now for some, that news might sound like hell, but I like it.
No, I love it.
You see apart from the fact – as I said – I enjoy doing what I do, I still, possibly naively, believe my best work is ahead of me, not behind.
Then there’s the fact that I am continually looking to prove to myself that I’m any good at what I do.
I’ve written about my insecurities in the past but despite still being employed after 20 years and working at arguably, the best agency in the World, I still wonder if I am any good at what I do.
Sometimes I think I am … sometimes I think I’m not … but I’d rather have more good days than bad and to be honest, I’m not sure if that’s the case.
The beauty of my position is that I can evaluate my success beyond just the work I produce, I get to see it through the achievements of my talented team of planning bastards.
I’ve said it before, but as much as I don’t want any of them to ever leave, if they do – I want them to go to a much better job than they might otherwise of expected, because that lets me kid myself my guidance and encouragement has helped them achieve things that got them to that position.
Of course it hasn’t, but it lets me delude myself for a little longer.
But at the end of the day, I like doing planning.
Getting into projects rather than just conducting them.
I like the energy, the pressure, the tension and the results.
I like seeing what a team of talented people can do together … what is inside people’s heads … how they can make good things better.
The thought of just ‘managing’ doesn’t do it for me.
To be honest, one of the reasons we sold cynic was because that’s what a few of us found ourselves doing.
Don’t get me wrong, it was great – but we had evolved into a classic ‘management’ position, without even realising it – and that was counter to why we started the company in the first place.
I don’t know what this post is really saying other than always find ways to do the things you love … because career advancement shouldn’t mean enjoyment decline especially, as my Dad used to say, if you’re going to be away from the people who matter most – ie: family – you owe it to them to be doing things you like or that’s the ultimate insult.