Filed under: Comment
One thing I hear a lot of, is people saying “why do things have to be so complicated?”
What this tends to translate into, is “why won’t people just do what I want them to do?”
Well, there’s a bunch of reasons for it … from personal agendas [yours and theirs] to personal stupidity [yours and theirs] to egomania [yours and theirs] to commercial requirements and realities and pretty much anything and everything in-between.
The reality is that while you can definitely influence how people around you behave, collaborate and align, the raw reality is somethings going to happen, the issue is how much are you going to let it screw everything up.
In my experience, there’s a bunch of ways you can try to manage this:
The Dictator:
It doesn’t matter what the feedback or situation is … you act like a child full of caffeine and e-numbers the moment there is the slightest change of plan. This might work once, but even if it does, you have started a reputation where people won’t want to work/help you in the future.
The Pleaser:
It doesn’t matter what the feedback or situation is … you agree with whatever the client says or wants before you have even aligned with your broader team. This might make some clients like you, but it starts the a chain reaction where by the end of it, the relationship between client and agency is doomed to failure. [Either creatively, commercially, culturally or all 3]
The Professional:
It doesn’t matter what the feedback or situation is … you assess and discuss the implications and impact of any feedback against the bigger goal and then make the most appropriate decision – even if it means pushing back or pulling together. This approach not only keeps people focused on the real/bigger prize [rather than let meaningless details throw you off course] it creates better work, results and relationships. Honest.
Anyway, the reason I say all this is because I recently saw this timezone map …
Now I am sure there are a bunch of reasons for it, but how complicated is it!!!
Almost every line has some kink along the way.
I know I am probably wildly wrong, but something tells me there was a large amount of lobbying along the way.
Maybe farmers wanted to have more light during harvest?
Or fisherman wanted the ability to be out in the seas for longer?
Or maybe airlines just preferred to land at a more reasonable time?
Or maybe the people behind it were just pissed out their heads and actually thought they were drawing straight lines all the way through it?
Who knows what the real reasons behind it are … but I wonder if it had anything to do with the person in charge being a dictator, a pleaser or – god forbid – a professional. Anyway, have another look at it and be grateful that you don’t have to deal with that much [potentially pointless] political bullshit in your job.
See, your Monday suddenly got miles better.
You can thank me later … though if this sort of thing does resemble your average 9am-5pm, then I apologise and suggest you either visit here or here.
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PS: Dear NSA … or CIA … or HR … please don’t fire me for promoting that 2nd link in the last line of the above post. It was just done for humours sake and in no way am I advocating murder. Nor am I guaranteeing success in getting away with it. Thank you. Ahem.
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you forgot one campbell. the only child. they dont take no for a fucking answer then throw a big fucking tantrum when they dont get their way. sound like anyone you know?
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2014 @ 6:26 amYes it does, but I thought you had a sister?
Comment by Rob August 25, 2014 @ 7:59 amha fucking ha you immature twat.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2014 @ 8:30 amand for the fucking record, after reading this, my monday wont be better, it will be fucking shit and I have about 6 hours to try and forget about this bollocks before you ruin the start of my fucking week. bastard.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2014 @ 6:27 amThe easiest way to stop things being complicated is to get rid of planners. Sorted.
Comment by DH August 25, 2014 @ 6:36 amIf you did the timezone map, there would only be 3 lines.
Day. Night. Holiday.
The last one would be the biggest line naturally.
Comment by DH August 25, 2014 @ 6:38 amThe word professional should never appear anywhere in this blog.
Comment by Billy Whizz August 25, 2014 @ 6:39 amYou mean professionalism shouldn’t appear anywhere near Rob.
Comment by DH August 25, 2014 @ 6:46 amYou left out
The Blackmailer: It doesn’t matter what the feedback or situation is … you know where the bodies are buried and so are free to go on holiday safe in the knowledge that someone else will sort it out.
Comment by john August 25, 2014 @ 6:56 amFor the win.
Comment by DH August 25, 2014 @ 6:57 amSmart arse.
Comment by Rob August 25, 2014 @ 8:00 amThis is 2 posts in 1. The “type of manager” is very true but I would say there is one you missed, the delegator.
They’re the people who agree to a particular request then hands over the responsibility (but neither the authority or reward) to someone else. They also never brief the other party correctly leading to more stress and confusion.
The timezone map is very interesting. I’m sure I have seen it many times but when you highlight how crazy those lines are, you wonder what was behind it. I’m guessing, as you implied, politics.
Comment by Pete August 25, 2014 @ 7:11 amSince airlines didn’t exist when the map was drawn, I’d go with the need not to split cities, regions or small islands in two.
Comment by john August 25, 2014 @ 7:15 amYou also forgot the secret doer. The people who make decisions for their client and do the work themselves, only telling their colleagues when the job is finished and finalised. I have only worked with one of those people once in my career, but they made me angrier than Andy after sleep depravation. To make it worse, the company backed this individual because they said he was being conscientious and hard working.
Comment by George August 25, 2014 @ 7:35 amWas this at TBWA? Well they do say they’re all about disruption and that approach would disrupt everyone.
Comment by Rob August 25, 2014 @ 8:01 amIt was. For the record, your explanation makes more sense than the one I was given. That is how bad they handled the situation.
Comment by George August 25, 2014 @ 8:36 amThe reason the time zones are not in straight lines is because they were designed to match their internal and international borders. That was the justification for them at the very least.
Comment by Lee Hill August 25, 2014 @ 8:59 amShowoff.
Comment by Rob August 25, 2014 @ 9:32 amThank you Lee.
Comment by Pete August 25, 2014 @ 11:53 pmHello.
Go to 07:36. An amazing moment.
Hugs and love as always.
Comment by Marcus August 26, 2014 @ 2:32 pmI love that documentary.
Comment by Rob August 26, 2014 @ 3:18 pmIt is a tiny bit brilliant, isn’t it? You well?
Comment by Marcus August 26, 2014 @ 4:48 pmAlarmingly so. And normally that can’t happen unless I’m pissed about something. Frankly, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
Comment by Rob August 26, 2014 @ 4:50 pm