Filed under: Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Culture, England, Equality, Family
Recently a mate sent me a photo and – quite frankly – I’m all kinds of obsessed with it.
Look at it.
LOOK AT IT!!!
How amazing is that?!
I have no idea how they could capture so much in one frame, but they did.
Everywhere I look there’s an image that makes me go, “WTF?” … from the travel agents, that seems the most misplaced shop in the history of misplaced shops, through to that guy in the top window seemingly relieving himself on the people below.
I have no idea if this image is staged.
If it is, it’s utterly brilliantly done.
But I have a feeling its real, because while I’ve never seen all of these things happen at the same time, I’ve definitely been in places where a bunch of them have.
More than that, I’ve been in places where what we see in this photo is not some sort of circus of chaos, but everyday normality.
While I didn’t grow up in that environment, a lot of my friends did – and so I spent a lot of time in those places when I was younger. And you know what, I only saw good in it. The community. The interaction. The colour and vibrancy. The noise. The freedom.
Which is why even though it would be easy to make judgements on the people in the photo – and the environment they’re living in – my personal context tells me they’re good people [except maybe the guy urinating on those below] dealing with a different set of circumstances and options.
Or said another way, they’re a product of a system designed to dismiss them rather than enable them.
A system that determined they only deserve minimal investment in housing, education and infrastructure because there was more personal-gain to be had directing the funds to places and people who offered more political and professional capital.
Sick really isn’t it?
Especially when council’s and governments are supposed to look after the best interests of all, not just those who will keep them in power.
Now many of my friends who grew up in these places have gone on to do great things.
Started their own businesses.
Become amazing parents to amazing families.
Moved into jobs where they can help others move forward.
But all of this was because of who they are – and who their families are – rather than the system wanting to help.
Which is the issue I have with democracy … because it encourages self-interest, not the nations.
Now of course, democracy is better than the alternative but I do think it would be better served if the voting age was 16 – 65.
A way to better equalise the balance of voters.
A way to allow more policies designed for youth rather than about them.
A way to stop youth only being able to make their voice heard from the age of 18, when those 65 and above, can keep pushing their opinion till death.
This does not mean I want to rob the elderly of their rights or the benefits they deserve. It’s just I don’t want youth to be told what they can have by people who aren’t them and so, don’t really get what they want or need.
So while this photo is amazing for a whole host of reasons, the main one – for me – is how we live doesn’t represent who we are.
Filed under: Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Colleagues, Comment, Confidence, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Dad, Honesty, Insight, Management, Mum & Dad, Parents, Planners, Planners Making A Complete Tit Of Themselves And Bless, Planning, Point Of View
When I was about to begin working for the first time, my Dad sat me down and said, “be generous, be kind, but never be a pushover”.
What he was basically telling me was I should always listen and learn … but I shouldn’t blindly follow what someone has told me without asking questions and exploring or voicing my own thoughts and ideas.
Nothing reinforced this than my first ever client meetings.
I was 19 and in a room with very senior and experienced clients.
After it happened, my boss called me in to ‘have a chat’.
He wanted to know why I’d been so quiet throughout the meeting when normally – as my Dad had told me – I kept asking questions as I wanted to learn more and to start to form my own perspective on things.
I told him I was worried I’d say something stupid so felt it best to keep my mouth shut … and that’s when he gave me 3 pieces of advice that not only changed my career, but that I pass on to anywho who feels in a similar situation.
1. When you’re young you’re not expected to have answers so you should exploit the chance to ask whatever you want while you’ve got it.
2. You’ll find out if your views are stupid or valid by speaking up … and you’ll find out from the most qualified people in the room, which is worth its weight in gold.
3. Remember you were hired because we believe in you. So while you might not always be right, we trust any question or opinion you have comes from the right place and with a desire to be useful and make a positive difference.
And while I’d like to think that the response I got is what everyone would get, you just have to read the stories on Corporate Gaslighting to realise what I was being encouraged to do – by my boss and Dad – is not what many are encouraged to do.
In fact, I’d go as far as to say in many cases, it’s not even tolerated.
You’re called a trouble maker.
Not a team player.
A maverick.
Which, of course, is all kinds of rubbish [not to mention debilitating in terms of personal development, standards and reputation and quality of work] but it seems to be what a lot of modern corporate culture often expects – no, scrap that – demands.
But there is good news.
Because if you find yourself in this exact position, you can either read this post I wrote years ago about how to be Freddie Mercury in the boardroom orread the letter below and see how 97 year old Mary Grant proves it’s never to late to change.
We never needed more Mary’s.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Consultants, Culture, England, Finance, Government, Money
So I saw this job ad doing the rounds …
Now I appreciate, £66,500 is a lot of money.
Especially at a time when the world is facing economic pressures.
But this is for the Head of Digital Currency.
At the Central Bank of England.
On behalf of the Government’s Treasury Department.
Maybe I’m mad, but shouldn’t this position require someone of such economic and political standing … understanding and experience … that they can command a much, much higher salary than this?
I mean, I earn more than that and I got 2% in Mrs Kirk’s maths class.
Who is going to take this job?
Why are they going to take this job?
Who is going to decide who gets this job?
It’s just laughable.
Laughable … because this is coming from a Tory Government who claim to be the economical responsible party but have put the country into financial oblivion with delusional lies like Brexit.
Laughable … because the government is led by a PM who wants to kill the arts in favour of more maths classes, because he feels that will drive more earning potential for people.
Laughable … because an important financial position is hiring down to a price, rather than paying up to a standard.
As I said, I get almost 70 thousand pounds is a lot of money.
But for what we need, I doubt it’s anywhere near enough.
And here’s the thing … if we get someone who can actively help ensure our kids have a better chance of a better future than their parents – which currently is widely acknowledged as not being the case – then I’d be more than happy to see more of my taxes going to them. Because being fiscally responsible is not about how cheap you go, but how much value they offer.
That said, the bigger question is whether I trust whoever is responsible to hire this person … because not only did they decide what salary to offer, but they may also be as under-qualified as the person they want to hire or – more likely – another blinkered, arrogant and ignorant Tory who helped get us in this mess in the first place.
And politicians wonder why the public don’t trust them anymore …
Filed under: Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Creativity, Culture, Planners, Planning, Strategy
Saw this. Saw this insta and laughed.
Seemed perfect to use for a Monday.
When we all get back to work and talk about our weekends.
Even if it consisted of ordering a pizza and watching endless YouTube.
Though it’s also a perfect encapsulation of the state of planning these days.
A lot of talk. Not much listening. Or reading. Or discovering. Or exploring.
Part of this is because too many clients think the job of their agencies is do as they’re told.
Part of this is because agencies have sold the value of creativity so far down the river, that speed is the only way to achieve profit.
Part of this is because procurement have demanded agencies only get paid for ‘doing’, not thinking … or even researching. [That’s what free pitches are for]
Part of this is because the strategic discipline has become a place of ego not curiorsity.
Hence the art of conversation and constructive debate has been lost to a game of spotlight inflation. Thank god for the strategists who want to show their smarts through the work they help create rather the voice they want everyone to listen to.
Filed under: Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Innovation, Insight, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Technology
A few weeks ago, a client of mine at Google posted this on Linkedin …
Fortunately, due to its lack of swearing and use of bullshit terms like Gen-Z – not to mention the fact it was more professional than I’ve ever been in my whole life – it was pretty obvious no one was going to mistake this for me.
Which means my job – whatever it is I do – is safe.
For now.
And I say now because it’s only going to get better.
That should be obvious, but the amount of people who judge new ideas by the standards of established ideas is insane.
Of course that doesn’t mean every new idea is going to be successful, but it does mean every new idea has more places to grow and go than established ideas and for that alone, we should keep an open mind rather than – as this industry loves to do – make grand declarations about the impending doom of anything we don’t understand, don’t like and/or don’t want it to destroy what you’ve spent years trying to build for yourself.