One of the first things I was taught in this job was a simple, effective truth - no one really wants you in the room. An iron law that I drum into my teams to this day.
Humility is probably the most valuable character trait for a strategy person, even more important than intelligence and curiosity. When it comes to the people you work with, it's still good practise to be generous with your thinking, let others take credit and see yourself as the liberator of other people's skills.
As with any job, taking people with you is always the best approach, but then again, you have to ask what the do the people running agencies think they're doing? Why do they pay the wages of strategy departments, only to feel threatened and try and undermine everything they do? Why are strategists not supported more?
Why is this the only department who is made to feel like they have to fight for their existence every day?
Of course, some of this is down to the practitioners themselves. The job requires you to be intelligent, but no one likes a smart arse and trying to make everyone else feel stupid is actually really dumb. This is perhaps far too common and maybe one or two strategists have not only made their own bed, they've made it tougher for everyone else.
Collaboration between teams always works best, it simply does.
And yet...
No other department has to 'take everyone with them' in the same way as strategy does.
We all have to do workshops primarily to get everyone to feel like they've had a hand in the thinking (don't be coy, you know you do).
We've all had the dread of the agency leaders who have read a couple of books and want to 'collaborate'. You know, the kind who reject any proposition or core thought on the basis they haven't thought of it themselves, but can't articulate anything of use on their own. Then they get cross when you reject their thinking, or you get a little frustrated because you just want to be able to do your job.
There is a difference between surrendering your ego and surrendering your role.
I think the core of the problem is that strategy looks easy. In fact, it kind of is, the first page obvious stuff I mean.
However, the kind that cuts through the clutter to get to something simple, generous to various channels and yet have that leap of imagination to spark great work - it's hard.
It's tough to do it by yourself, which is why I always advise people in our job to find a sounding board, someone they trust to knock stuff around with.
Just as you should shut your mouth in meetings and listen hard, ready to spot a flash of genius someone else shares. Always be ready for someone else to spot the solution.
However, even then it needs honing and finding the clarity you need isn't helped by a cacophony of people trying to do your job.
You don't find strategy people trying to do the end of year accounts or negotiate with the landlord, so I don't totally buy the acceptability of everyone trying trying to write the comms strategy.
This isn't the experience in any agency by any means, but I think it's time to give strategists a break.
Or at at least, if you want to do their job, don't hire them.
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