Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Chris Jaques, Comment, Confidence, Context, Creativity, Culture, Diversity, Education, Effectiveness, Emotion, Empathy, Environment, Experience, Fulfillment, Insight, Legend, Loyalty, Management, Perspective, Planning, Point Of View, Relevance, Resonance, Respect, Standards, Teamwork, Wieden+Kennedy
A while back I wrote about how some companies offer incentives and bonuses to their staff to try and boost morale when the reality is all the employees actually want is the company to act in ways they can be proud of and believe in.
Values.
Standards.
Behaviours.
Ambitions.
The most depressing part of this is that in many cases, the companies know this but just think it’s easier to try and ‘buy staff off’, than to change how they act.
But if you think that’s bad, there’s some who are even worse.
The ones who believe their staff will be inspired and impressed by any gesture the companies shows towards them … even if it is an act that shows how little they really think of them.
Acts like this …
Or this …
Seriously, what on earth were they thinking???
Even if they were giving away a bunch of bananas rather than a single one, it would still be bad … but a postage paid envelope, that reiterates this is a ONE TIME act of generosity.
Either the people behind these ‘gifts’ are evil or utterly delusional … which is why the best leaders I’ve ever worked for have been the ones who are transparent and honest, whether for good news or bad.
There’s something really reassuring of knowing where you stand. Where there is constant dialogue with where you’re at and where things are. That even in bad times, you know what is going on, what needs to change and some suggestions how to do it … because the person telling you genuinely wants you to succeed. Not simply to make their life easier, but to help make yours bigger.
While there are a lot of benefits to management, it can’t be denied it’s a tough gig.
You’re dealing with a bunch of moving parts all at the same time.
Egos.
Colleagues.
Team development.
Individual growth.
Client satisfaction.
New business requirements.
Company reputation and profit.
And then your own, personal satisfaction and growth.
In some ways, each of these moving parts can act as a barrier to the other being successful … and that’s when a manager can get into real trouble, because pressure means they can end up choosing what ultimately makes their life easier rather than what makes everything better.
Now I am not saying I am a great manager.
While I think I am OK, I definitely have my failings.
However over the years – and with some excellent mentors and role models – I’ve definitely learnt there are some ‘rules’ that I believe can help companies ensure managers create an environment where good things happen can happen, for the work … the clients … the individuals … the team … and the company as a whole.
1. Stop promoting people simply because that’s the only way to give them a pay rise.
This is more than just about managing staff cost ratios – or keeping salary bands in line – it’s the reality that some people are just much better at doing their specific job than managing other people doing their specific jobs. Often they know this, but feel they have to accept the promotion ‘opportunity’ to get the money they want. The great irony of this approach is it ends up costing everyone more in the long term. Because the promoted person ends up stopping doing the work that made them – and the company – stand out and other talented people leave, because they are being badly managed. Until the day the company realises their mistake and lets the person go who didn’t really want the job in the first place, but did it as it was the only way to get fairly valued for their talent and experience.
2. Stop thinking being good at the job means you are naturally good at managing
Being good at a job doesn’t automatically mean you are going to be good at managing others doing it. Not only that, being good at your job doesn’t mean your approach will – or should – translate to how the entire department operates. Sadly, too many companies don’t think this way. Instead they promote without consideration to the ways of the individual or the needs of the department and company. Of course, sometimes the reason for that is because it’s a way to ‘keep’ talent from going to another company or because doing it makes things more ‘convenient’ for the company when someone has resigned. What makes that approach even worse is they then place huge expectations and judgement on people so that when things don’t go exactly as planned, they start adding additional stress and barriers. The reality is you don’t make good managers through a title, you do it by giving them training and time.
3. Every level needs training
It doesn’t have to be formal. It doesn’t have to be academic. But it does have to happen.
Not just in terms of learning the company processes and org charts … but in terms of learning how to actually manage. What to look out for … how to engage … how to encourage and motivate. Not from a book. Not from an online course. But proper training with people who have done it very well rather than people who just hold the title. There are so many great managers who never got to realise that simply because they were thrown in the deep end and then kicked out because they weren’t given the support and time to train for their new position.
However I know the things I’ve suggested won’t be common, because too many companies see personal training as an expense and judge success as getting stuff done, regardless of the cost. Which is why after all the years I’ve had doing it, I still rely on 4 huge lessons I learnt from Dan Wieden and Chris Jaques.
+ When your focus is the work, every decision becomes easier.
+ Brilliant work sorts out almost every problem,.
+ Honesty and transparency is the greatest gift you can give someone.
+ The best way to stop complicity is to create an environment of openness and debate.
Sure, none of these are as easy as giving a banana or even a paid-return envelope … but I guarantee the positive effect will last a hell of a lot longer.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Confidence, Context, Creativity, Culture, Diversity, Egovertising, Emotion, Empathy, Equality, Experience, Fulfillment, Legend, Management, Perspective, Relevance, Resonance, Standards
I’m reading and hearing more and more people position themselves as some sort of elite force … because the pain, hardship and obstacles others face, didn’t affect them.
Except – as the tweet by Daniel above shows – it did.
It’s happening everywhere.
From that prick Piers Morgan claiming he is in someway responsible for the brilliant achievement of Emma Raducanu through to certain members of the marketing community who acknowledge there’s many barriers people face in the industry, but then add how they were still able to succeed … unsubtly insinuating their talent is so exceptional, they got to the top despite all the obstacles others say “holds them back”, conveniently ignoring the fact they’re white, educated to hell and privileged as fuck.
I’m over it.
There’s so many people out there who face challenges the majority of us will never appreciate.
Never understand.
And while that doesn’t mean the achievements of anyone should be dismissed, the assumption that everyone is playing by the same rules and contexts is total bullshit.
Which is why those who put others down by saying ‘they faced challenges and they turned out alright’ are missing the point … both in terms of the effect their actions and behaviours had on their wellbeing and the definition of what success has to be.
We’re all fighting demons and challenges only we know about.
So by all means be proud of what you’ve done, but don’t use that to then backhandedly dismiss the achievements of others – especially when they’re not really comparable in terms of context, category or celebration.
Past or present.
Have a great weekend.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Creativity, Culture, Effectiveness, Emotion, Empathy, Insight, Management, Marketing, Planners, Planning, Point Of View, Relevance, Resonance
OK, I should start this post by saying I have only physically been in the company of Matt Tanter twice in my life, so I appreciate there is a chance I may be bombarded by people writing in and saying, “you’re wrong Rob, he’s a massive dick”.
But I doubt it.
Not because I think how people behave with me represents how they behave with everyone – and even if that was the case, they’d be likely act with me much worse than they would act with anyone else – but because of what he hasn’t done.
He has a big job at Mother.
He’s part of big campaigns for big clients.
He used to be the chair of the UK Account Planning Group.
And yet, while many would may let these achievement go to their head and act like they’re hot shit, Matt doesn’t. Quite the opposite in fact.
He doesn’t big himself up.
He doesn’t enter mindless twitter spats.
He doesn’t act like he has intellectual superiority.
He doesn’t do any of those things, instead he just gives a shit .. for his family … his team … and people in general.
Now I appreciate some may read this and think “what a wimp” … because for the industry likes to paint anyone who doesn’t spend every waking minute thinking about making ads as possessing some fatal flaw.
Obviously this is utterly stupid.
Not just because the standard of work out there means anyone spending every waking minute thinking about making ads is not making the work culture wanst to spend every waking minute watching, reading or tapping … but also because in my experience, the very best in the biz all seem to share one particular trait.
A love of seeking, understanding and learning from what’s going on outside the small bubble of adland.
Doesn’t matter what it is.
Doesn’t matter where it is.
Doesn’t matter who it involves.
They understand all of it contributes to their ability to make work that can shape culture rather than just adds to the cultural landfill so many brands are intent on polluting the World with.
Which leads to another trait the best in the biz all seem to have.
Being great people who are also very talented.
I cannot emphasise how important this is.
Because while these people are fierce about the standards of the work being made and hungry to push and provoke boundaries and limitations – rather than just wanting to be ‘liked’ by clients and colleagues alike – they find a way to bring people on the journey with them rather than just make it all about them.
Oh there’s loads of those others types too, but people like Matt help you grow rather than just be used up and for that, we should be celebrating them.
I have seen this first hand throughout my career.
Matt could talk himself up.
Matt should celebrate what he has done for the Mother planning team – because it’s ace.
But he doesn’t and he won’t.
Because Matt is a much better human than me.
God, what a prick, hahaha.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, America, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Communication Strategy, Creativity, Culture, Insight, Management, Marketing, Metallica, New Zealand, Professionalism, Relationships, Relevance, Resonance, Teamwork, Uncorporated
On the 10th September, Metallica launched their Blacklist album – a reissue of their iconic ‘Black album’ from 1991.
It’s a very special album because not only is reissuing a 30 year old classic something to be handled with great care … it also features their songs being sung by a greater assortment of artists than you’d find in a packet of Bertie Basset’s Liquorice Allsorts.
From Elton John and Miley Cyrus through to Depeche Mode and Yo-yo Ma.
Add to it that each track sold goes to a specific charity of the artists choice, and you can imagine it was quite a complex beast to make sure it all ran smoothly.
I had a small part in that.
Specifically the charity management and distribution for the artists.
Getting closer to the launch date, the amount of details that needed to be finalised was pretty intense. What made it even more complicated – at least for me – was that by being based in NZ, I’m a full 16 hours ahead of NYC, so trying to co-ordinate timings with HQ became a bit of a logistical nightmare.
Or should I say, a mathematical one.
The night before, things were particularly tense so to make sure we stayed motivated and focused for literally the final hurdle, the band and record company management sent out some individual emails to various members of the team to inspire them to the finish line.
When JFK was in this situation, he asked America to think about what they could do to help the nation change and progress.
When Al Pacino’s character in the movie ‘Any Given Sunday’ needed to motivate his team to glory, he unleashed his iconic “inches” speech and watched them dig deep to record an unlikely win.
This is what I got.
While it may look like they’re taking the piss, I think there’s a really valuable lesson to learn from their approach.
Motivation isn’t just about what you say – or even how you say it – it’s knowing the people you are trying to motivate so well, that you know exactly what will connect with them.
Not many leaders do that.
Hell, not many leaders even understand that.
But those who do – whether its rock band management or the iconic Brian Clough – achieve loyalty and incredible performance out of all who work with them and for them. Though I appreciate I could be saying all this to ignore the other possibility of why they chose to send this meme to me. Hahaha.
You can buy something very special – that will literally and directly help tens of thousands of people around the World – here and learn more about the project and artists involved below
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, America, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Confidence, Context, Craft, Creativity, Culture, Environment, Perspective, Prejudice, Resonance, Social Divide
Television gets a bad wrap these days.
Out of date.
Out of touch.
No longer good.
But the reality is, we’re kind-of in a golden age of television.
There’s an immense amount of shows out there that are amazing … from documentaries like Netflix’s Schumacher to series like Succession through to mainstream TV channel shows like 24 Hours In Police Custody … even though the first time I watched the show, it was about a drug cartel who had been operating in the village we had just moved to in England.
What made it more amusing is that one of the criminals was called Robert, another was called Campbell and they drove a blue Audi … so when Rob Campbell – ie: me – arrived in Hundson with his family in a Blue Audi, the neighbours looked at me suspiciously.
Or should I say ‘more suspiciously’ than normal.
Now of course there have been a bunch of amazing shows over the years … amazing for their writing, acting and craft. Some went under the radar like Glenn Close’s Damages … some had instant critical acclaim, like The West Wing, The Newsroom and Mad Men.
But some … well, there’s a few that gain instant cult following but over time, get more and more recognised for what they did and how they did it.
The show, The Wire is one of those.
First broadcast in 2002, it’s a show that started small and then just grew in terms of the stories, context and issues it swallowed into its storylines.
It never felt fake, even if you came from a place that was a million lifetimes away from Baltimore, where the stories were based. There’s many reasons for it.
The writing is amazing.
The casting is perfect.
The acting is simply superb.
The craft and attention to detail is insane.
And they wholeheartedly embrace the ugly, inconvenient truths about racism, wealth and systemic racism that most shows – even today – do all they can to ignore or dilute.
And then there’s one more thing.
It has no musical score.
None.
That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have music. It does. But it is an integral part of what is going on at that moment in that scene rather than some incidental, indirect orchestration designed to inform the viewer how they should feel.
Similar to the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan – all you hear is what you would hear if you were actually in the place they are.
Nothing fake.
Nothing contrived.
All 100% raw and real.
What this does is create a very different experience watching the show.
There’s this conflict between feeling more directly into what you’re seeing while also giving you a sense of uncomfortableness. A nervous edge.
Things are not wrapped up in tidy bows.
Episodes don’t follow classic Hollywood tropes.
Details that can appear to mean nothing suddenly reveal their relevance weeks later.
And it’s for this reason I love the way Charlie Brooker – writer of Black Mirror and ex-TV reviewer for the Guardian – talks about the show in terms of ‘rewarding your attention’. It’s such a perfect articulation.
The Wire demanded you paid attention.
Demanded it.
Not in an academic explanation sort of way, but in terms of committing to it.
Watching everything going on.
Not just in the foreground, but the details all around the environment.
The streets.
The language being used.
The slight nods and movement.
The music being played by others.
The characters in the background..
Details someone from those streets needs to know to survive those streets …which is why viewers who paid real attention, were rewarded with something much bigger than what was just said on the screen.
It was a show that left you feeling you have gone through something.
Not watched, but truly experienced.
Experiences that stick with you. Change you. Question, consider, work-out, hypothosise and – to some degree – feel scared and pressured by.
While there is a lot of shit on the screen these days, TV isn’t dead.
In fact, in some ways, it’s never been more alive.
It’s just the best shows don’t want to give it to you on a plate, it challenges you to see if you’re worthy of watching it … of getting it.
And in our spoon-fed, superficial world, thank fuck for that.
In other news …
It’s a national holiday here on Monday so there’ll be no post on that day. Not because I like you, but because you’re not worth the effort to write one. Hahaha. Have a great weekend.