Filed under: 2025, A Bit Of Inspiration, Aspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Clients, Communication Strategy, Context, Craft, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Design, Details, Emotion, Empathy, Fashion, Imagination, Integrity, Italy, Jewellery, Legend, Loyalty, Luxury, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Martin Weigel, Passion, Paula, Perspective, Planners, Planning, Precision, Professionalism, Reputation, Respect, Strategy
A few months ago, I found myself in Milan, having lunch with one of the most famous and successful designers in the World. At their house!!!
It was bonkers.
I had no right to be there, but the person I work for occasionally is a very good friend and he had wanted me to attend a few meetings … which is how I found myself one Tuesday lunchtime, eating pasta and trying to talk in broken Italian to them and their family members.
But this isn’t a post about my good fortune, this is a post about one thing they said that really hit me.
This designer is known for the distinctive nature of all they create.
The intricacy and craftsmanship that goes into every element of what they do.
Their work is instantly recognizable and this has built the foundation of their success, prestige and aspiration for decades.
Anyway, at one point – in mangled Italian – I asked them about where does ‘craft’ come into their process of design to which they looked at me like talking to a small child who didn’t know what the fuck they were saying [ahem!] and simply said:
“When you ask about craft, it sounds like you see it like an outer layer of the process. We don’t think that way. For us, everything is about the integrity of what we value and believe. It starts from the inside, never the out”.
In some ways, it sounds obvious, but it hit me hard.
So much of our industry is based on ‘making something’ and then ‘crafting the details’ to make it shine.
But they do it differently …
The ‘shine’ is the starting point and their goal is to ensure that is never lost in all they do.
It’s not an ‘after thought’, it’s the focal point.
More than that. It’s judging craft more by how it feels than how it looks. Or said in ways more relative to our industry – craft isn’t about gaining applause from the industry it’s done to help others connect more deeply to the work.
And somewhere along the line – in our quest for efficiency and speed – we have forgotten that. And as a result, we have increasingly lost it. Both in terms of having the time to do it and – arguably – the ability to. Because too many people see it as an ineffective use of time, when it is literally what helps give what we do it’s real value.
I couldn’t help but think of the Strategy Is Constipated, Imagination Is The Laxative talk Martin Weigel, Paula Bloodworth and I gave at Cannes in 2023.
There, we argued that too much of the straegic process is designed to blindly follow where logic takes us versus going where imagination reveals we can play. And by doing this, we are actively removing the excitement of possibility from our approach rather than doing all we can to protect it.
And that’s one of the reasons we are where we are.
Protecting the wrong things and as a byproduct of that, destroying what makes us valuable.
And while I appreciate some will say that is both a naive and commercially stupid statement … maybe, just maybe, what it actually reveals is how our whole industry has lost sight of how to build things versus just say things.
Lost in the cult of systems, tools and market evaluation rather than appreciating and understanding the integrity of who they are, who they’re for and where they can go.
Or, as the nice hosts of my lunch in Milan also said.
“Shortcuts lead to long term oblivion”
Which – to paraphrase the brilliant Lee Hill – explains why building a career these days is less about what you do, and more about identifying the optimum time to get out.
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Today is the 2nd anniversary of us saying goodbye to our dear Rosie. In some ways it feels even longer than that but the loss still cuts deep.
She was a complaining princess, but she was our complaining princess and I’d like nothing more to have her here, bossing Bonnie about – who would love her whereas Bonnie would simply be tolerated.
Love you Rosie. Miss you.
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Aspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Corporate Evil, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Emotion, Empathy, Experience, Leadership, Loyalty, Management, Passion, Stress
Over the years I’ve written a lot about companies viewing ‘emotional people’ as problems.
Viewing them as too passionate.
Too dramatic.
Too impatient.
But the reality is, emotion means you give a fuck and I’d rather have that than work with robots who efficiently execute what’s needed without ever wishing to add, elevate or challenge the status quo.
Of course, the irony is the companies who criticise employees for caring deeply about what they do, tend to also expect their people to be disproportionately passionate and loyal about the company – but guess what fuckers, you can’t have one without the other.
Now I appreciate there are different ways to express emotion …
And when it becomes about what YOU want versus what you want the work to be – they’re very different things.
But having people who care … who deeply want to do the right thing, the better thing and the new thing … is creatively and commercialy far more valuable – let alone interesting – than having an entire department of drones. And yet in these optimisation obsessed times, companies have decided the opposite is true.
Which leads to the point of this post.
Recently I saw this clip of Robert Glasper playing Radiohead’s ‘Everything In It’s Right Place’.
In it, you witness Robert crying as he plays the piece.
The emotional impact he feels because of the piece.
It’s not ego.
It’s not performative.
It’s pure, unfiltered emotion. For a piece of music he didn’t write but feels deeply connected to.
So connected, he gives his all in performing it. To honour what it means to him and what he hopes the audience will get from it.
In many ways, it’s one of the most selfless, geneous acts you could ever witness.
Something I am sure Radiohead would feel honoured by, rather than say:
“Robert … Robert … stop being so emotional about the music. It makes us feel uncomfortable and we don’t know how to deal with it”.
Because that’s the thing … the issue of emotion is not about the person feeling it, but the people who never can.
Who are so disconnected to what they do, the only thing they value is the checklist of what has been done.
Because for them, quality isn’t the goal, it’s productivity.
People who care about what they do and what the company does, is a gift.
It’s why we have to put an end to this false narrative of them being a problem … because they provide life to what so many senior leaders destroy.
Enjoy.
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Colleagues, Corporate Evil, Corporate Gaslighting, Creativity, Culture, Leadership, Loyalty, Management, Money
A while ago, I listened to someone explain one of the best lessons they’d ever learned.
And they said what the title of this post says …
Don’t let temporary people make permenant decisions.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it because it has made me realise how much of what we have to deal with in life is because we have done the absolute opposite of that.
And we do have a responsibility in this …
Because while the people who have those positions have been put in there by others in similar positions … we allow them to fuel their commercial and egotistical self-interest by keeping quiet and compliant.
Now I get some people don’t really have a choice.
And I also appreciate people who stand up against it can easily be smothered and discarded.
But when I look at how much of our industry, discipline and life has been fucked over by temporary people making ‘self-interest driven’ permanent decisions, it’s bordering on criminal.
Well, in some cases, it probably is. Allegedly.
From making decisions that blatantly look after friends at the expense of other employees livelihoods through to destroying organisations so they can hit share price bonuses … we’re seeing more and more of these temporary people get paid vast sums even though they leave what they were responsible for, in a worse state than when it started.
Of course, the problem is their definition of ‘responsibility’ is to everyone other than the employees.
Shareholders.
Investors.
Themselves.
And probably not in that order.
So, while I have no problem with people being rewarded very well for doing very well … it’s crazy when ‘very well’ is defined by destruction rather than creation – regardless how hard they try and spin it otherwise.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Business, Clients, Communication Strategy, Complicity, Confidence, Conformity, Consultants, Craft, Creative Brief, Creative Development, Creativity, Experience, Fulfillment, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail
I’ve been around.
I’ve been doing this strategy thing for longer than many who read this blog have been alive.
And of all the things I’ve learned, one of the most valuable has been to never doubt the importance of having a good client.
To be clear, a ‘good client’ doesn’t mean they never challenge you. Or place high expectations on you. Or resist the urge to add pressure to what needs to be done and by when.
The reality is good clients do all those things. The difference is how they do it and why.
Because a good client acts as a proper partner.
They take responsibility for what they need to make happen.
They calm and control the internal noise, voices and opinions.
They share your ambition for the work, not just for the desired impact of the work.
They welcome, encourage and invite truth and transparency.
They remove the barriers and fears that stand in the way of making something great.
The don’t blame, shame or complain – they stay the course and know when to get involved and, just as importantly, stay out the way.
They never dictate … because they’re always clear with what needs to be done and why.
And if things change, they tell you early and transparently.
Plus you know they will have done what they can before that situation occurred.
They always listen at least as much as they talk.
They brief with an actual document not just a casual conversation.
They give feedback that is objective rather than just subjective
They don’t let internal processes stand in the way of opportunities that come their way.
They trust you and your expertise and look for the best rather than seek out the worst.
And they never, never treat you like you’re a servant, commodity or low-level employee.
They do all those things.
All of them. All the time.
Which is why you can have all the processes in the world …
You can have all the systems, data, structures and efficiency tools …
But not one of those comes close to what a great client can deliver and do.
For the work.
For the business.
For the customers and employees.
And for making sure you do everything you can to given them the work of their lives.
We don’t talk about this enough.
And we certainly don’t teach it or train it.
Instead, we keep hearing how we must adhere to a singular process or format, regardless of category or context, even though it has often been created by people who have never made anything of note and if they have, in one area and one area only.
You can tell who they are because they love to sound like they are business liberators when – as I’ve said many times – they’re far more like insurance salesmen.
And that’s find if you want that sort of thing – but often that is never how it is sold. Now of course I understand there’s huge costs and risks associated with creativity and marketing … but there’s a major difference between playing to win and playing not to lose … which is why there’s a huge difference between a client who uses process and deliverables as a stick and those who operate via transparency, taste and trust.
And for those of you who don’t think one person can negatively – or positively – influence the output of a corporation, even if they have built an approach and format that has been tested over years, I refer you to the quote by the Dalai Lama.
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito”
We need more training from the people who have made great things happen and over again …
Actual things, not just theories, self promotion or
Filed under: 2026, Advertising, Airports, Attitude & Aptitude, Birthday, Brand, Brand Suicide, Creativity, Culture, Customer Service, Effectiveness, Experience, Loyalty, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Privilege, Professionalism, Reputation, Travel, Trust, Uncommon, World Cup
The next few weeks are big for me.
My birthday.
Jill’s birthday.
Paul’s birthday.
The World Cup starting.
Trips to LA, Milan, Berlin, London and Amsterdam.
Meetings and dinners with legends of film, fashion and music.
And a bunch of lovely planners in Germany, hahaha.
I’d love to pretend I’m nonchalant about it all, but that would be a massive fucking lie as I’m exited to fuck about it all – bar my birthday.
But this post isn’t about my impending weeks of mega-madness, it’s about the madness of dealing with British Airways.
I am in the incredibly lucky situation of having someone pay for all my flights.
Better yet, they are paying for them to all be Business Class.
I booked on Air New Zealand, who – because of the flight itinerary – also scheduled some of the flights on BA.
So far. So good.
Having chosen my seats on Air NZ, I went to BA to do the same with them … except my booking reference didn’t work.
I then tried logging into my British Airways Frequent Flyer account, but got the same response.
No problems, maybe they use a different booking reference, so I contacted Air NZ to ask – and they told me, they use the same number and so it should work.
So I tried again. Nothing.
So I tried calling. No answer.
So I tried their chatbot. No reply.
It was getting frustrating so I went on the website to see if there was another way to contact them and there was.
A customer service contact button. So I clicked on it and what did I find when I did that …
A postal address.
A fucking postal address!
They want me to write – from New Zealand – to work out why my booking reference number doesn’t work. Mind blowing.
But it gets worse …
You see, I went back to Air NZ and told them the situation and they said they would talk to BA on my behalf. And they did.
So after 3 attempts for the website to accept my login details, I go on there to choose my business class seats and what do I find?
Yep, they want to CHARGE ME for choosing a seat.
This on top of the fact it has already cost a fuck-ton of cash.
Now I appreciate this is a first world problem.
I totally get I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to experience this.
But it blows-my-fucking mind that BA wants to charge me even more money to choose which seat I fly in – especially when airlines like Air NZ, let you do it when you fly economy.
Now I should point out BA have said once check-in is open – ie: 24 hours before the flight leaves – I can choose my seat for free, but apart from that still being bollocks, I am pretty sure when I try to do it, they’ll tell me I have to mail in my request by post.
Uncommon have done some amazing work for British Airways.
They have elevated their standing and prestige with some beautiful work.
And the line they created – A British Original – sounds great, until you remember that the British Leyland Mini Metro and also one of those and was a fucking shit experience as well.
