Some things I've learned after living agency life for the same amount it takes to come of age.
1. It's OK to disagree, in fact, the magic rarely comes without some sort of positive friction. Just don't fight over it.
2. A fun place to work should not be confused with an easy place. Great work is never easy or anyone could do it.
3. So only hire people with the one thing you can't teach them, genuine passion and drive. If they love what they do, work won't feel like work.
4. Everything you do will be watered down so make it better than it has to be.
5. So make sure it's water tight, because you'll have to fight like mad to defend it. Make sure the battle is worth fighting.
6. Surround yourself with people who are able to tell you no. Your ego is your worst enemy.
7. Surround yourself with people who can do what you can't. No one can do it all.
8. Don't be a dick.
9. Be prepared to allow for difficult people but never let it become self indulgence.
10. Creativity really isn't just a department.
11. Look for the briefs no one cares about, this is where you can really try new stuff.
12. Never try to be cool, only try to be great.
13. Nice people win eventually. You have to be patient though.
14. Just because we can make stuff quicker these days, that doesn't mean it will be any good.
15. I'm old enough to know I'm not young enough to know everything (thanks Oscar Wilde) but if your young, crack on, old folks try to keep things as they are, not as they might be.
16. If you don't do the basics well, nothing else really matters.
17. People buy things, data points don't buy things. Don't confuse tools with the thing you're building.
18. The more you build an instinct for how people really feel about things, the better you'll do. Few are capable or, or caring about the emotional truth around a thing.
19. Strong teams always do better than teams of strong individuals.
20. Don't slow down, go faster, don't compromise - challenge others to keep up.
21. It's only a job, love it but don't let it consume you
Two good posts deserve one good comment.
Posted by: John Dodds | September 23, 2020 at 07:33 PM