Advertising brings out the best and worst of people.
You could say it is an industry designed to give your entire spectrum of emotions a workout.
Good … bad … happy … sad … calm … angry …
While some of this is because of the way the industry operates – from bad timelines to inter-departmental tensions – I’m sure some of it is because it is a discipline that has no ‘wrong way’, just lots and lots of right ways.
To be honest, I can be a bit of a nightmare.
I’m absolutely fine when people have different viewpoints to me or different approaches to me, but when I sense that is being driven by laziness or apathy then I sort-of explode.
Of course, laziness and apathy are in the eyes of the observer, but having been doing this for a long, long time – I can sense when someone is striving for the lowest common denominator rather than the highest.
Or pushing for satisfying their ego rather than creating something commercially interesting.
Or just speaking without understanding the task – and context – in hand.
And when those occasions happen, I have been known to show my Italian side.
You know, when you become like a baby who has consumed too many espresso’s and e-numbers.
To be honest, it’s something I have been struggling to improve about myself for a long time and I would like to think I have improved over the years … but when someone is making comments or decisions that reflect what will make life easy for them rather than doing what’s right for the task in hand, I have been known to become – to quote Andy and a few other colleagues over the years – a spiteful little fuck.
And that’s where Desmond Tutu comes in.
Because I saw a quote that sums up what I should be doing.
Something that will improve the chances of getting a better outcome.
Something – with my families background in law – should be infused in my DNA.
Something that isn’t about ‘winning’, but encouraging those people to not settle.
“Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument”.
Despite being almost 44 [8 days time, send your birthday cheques] I still have a lot to learn.