Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Creativity, Culture, London, Management, Martin Weigel, R/GA
That’s quite the post title isn’t it?
Well it’s for a simple reasons because a year ago today, I joined them.
Poor fools.
What’s worse for them is that I don’t intend on going anywhere – which means I’m going to be here longer than the last gig I had.
There’s a bunch of reasons for that …
I am learning.
I am being challenged.
I am doing things I find interesting and exciting.
I am doing things I have literally never done before.
From the future of reading to the future of fashion to the future of the future. Kinda.
I am dealing with people who see the World completely differently.
I am working with a bunch of wonderful people from a huge range of disciplines.
I am – as usual – working with an incredibly brilliant gang of talented planners.
[They can be a bunch of dicks, but nothing the threat of lunch with me can’t sort out]
But even more than all those wonderful things is one stands out the most …
Everyone has been nothing but kind and generous to me and ‘my ways’.
From messing with the planning approach to adding some chaos to the creative process to letting me give a talk at Cannes with Martin Weigel for our little hobby company, every single person – from the very, very top – has been incredibly supportive.
Now I know that being yourself shouldn’t be a big thing, but after some recent experiences – and hearing so many terrible stories on Corporate Gaslighting – I realise it’s not something everyone gets to enjoy and so to be supported and encouraged despite my “unorthodox, immature and annoying ways”* means I am incredible grateful to everyone for giving me the space and environment to be who I am.
So despite putting me on planes so often I can only presume they’re trying to give me DVT, I want to say thank you R/GA … I just really, really hope you don’t fire me this afternoon because not only will Jill, Otis, Rosie and our bank manager [rightfully] beat the crap out of me, this post will have been a massive waste of corporate toadiness.
Till next year …
____________________________________________________________________
* A genuine quote from Mr Nice Guy, George Byrant from many years ago.
29 Comments so far
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My condolences to R/GA.
Comment by Bazza October 1, 2019 @ 6:26 amI am sure WK are so happy to see this and know they are free of you. Though you were there for centuries so they shouldn’t get too smug, they still made the longest mistake.
Comment by Bazza October 1, 2019 @ 6:27 amI know for a fact they still miss him which makes your argument redundant or even more damning.
Comment by George October 1, 2019 @ 6:52 amIs that t-shirt following on from yesterday’s post?
Comment by George October 1, 2019 @ 6:53 amIf it doesn’t it should.
Comment by Pete October 1, 2019 @ 7:41 amThat wasn’t why I did it, but you have helped me reframe it to Jill so she might not think I have career death wishes.
Comment by Rob October 1, 2019 @ 8:20 amjill isnt that stupid despite marrying you.
Comment by andy@cynic October 1, 2019 @ 2:17 pmIt’s great to see you so happy. It’s also great to see R/GA know the best way to get the best out of you is to let you bring your authentic self to the work. That is the best way for any company to behave but so few do, confusing rules with culture.
Comment by George October 1, 2019 @ 6:51 amMaybe they leave him alone because they want to pretend he doesn’t work there?
Comment by Bazza October 1, 2019 @ 7:15 amThat’s probably the reason Baz.
And yes George, they have been great … well, most of them, ha. But in all seriousness, that’s so true about company culture. There’s been a few places I’ve worked where it was insanely good but the vast majority have tried to cultivate it without realising what they’re doing is the opposite of it.
Comment by Rob October 1, 2019 @ 8:22 ami hope theyve done it to lull you into a false sense of security so they can fuck you over when youre not expecting it. that would be fucking brilliant.
Comment by andy@cynic October 1, 2019 @ 2:17 pmThat went fast. Happy you’re happy.
Jemma xox
Comment by Jemma King October 1, 2019 @ 7:30 amVery. Hope you’re good lovely.
Comment by Rob October 1, 2019 @ 8:22 amCongratulations on a year of mischief.
Comment by Pete October 1, 2019 @ 7:40 amThe tee is excellent. Did Greenberg see it?
Of course, I wore it when I met him.
He was – how shall I say it – rather bemused by it, But he didn’t fire me, in fact he was very nice to me so it seems I got away with it. Maybe. Hopefully.
Comment by Rob October 1, 2019 @ 8:22 amMadman.
Comment by Pete October 1, 2019 @ 8:30 amCongratulations Robert. Theyy are better for you being there. Possibly slightly less productive, but definitely much better.
Comment by Lee Hill October 1, 2019 @ 9:18 am🔥
Comment by DH October 1, 2019 @ 8:40 pmLittle do they know what’s yet to come.
Comment by John October 1, 2019 @ 10:45 amIt is testmony to the resilience of that culture and your colleagues that they have survived a year of you. Though you don’t mention whether HR are having retention problems.
Comment by john October 1, 2019 @ 12:16 pmso much for rga being smart. what a bunch of fucking idiots.
Comment by andy@cynic October 1, 2019 @ 2:16 pmIt’s not like they didn’t know what they were getting which makes it even more amusing.
Comment by DH October 1, 2019 @ 8:30 pmSo Rob. Were you fired?
Comment by Bazza October 1, 2019 @ 10:28 pmNo, but Forest lost. So, karma.
Comment by John October 1, 2019 @ 11:05 pmAccording to the BBC, they drew.
Comment by Pete October 1, 2019 @ 11:11 pmWe did. And I’m still up and really shouldn’t be responding to John Dodds blatant attempts to rile me.
Now if I was a Spurs fan …
Night.
Comment by Rob October 1, 2019 @ 11:12 pmAre you still up because you’re celebrating you didn’t get fired today?
Comment by Pete October 1, 2019 @ 11:22 pm*confetti* *party hats & horns* 🙂
Comment by Sebastian October 3, 2019 @ 2:42 pm[…] a year has passed and I’m still here [fools] so I thought I’d waste a bit more of Otis’ inheritance […]
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