Maintain social distancing. Start emotional un-distancing.
Rahul Mathew – Chief Creative Officer – DDB Mudra Group
The pandemic has taught us some new and rather important behaviours, but there are some pre-pandemic behaviours that we need to relearn. About emotionally reconnecting with each other and our people. For the most part, offices and the relationships within them are still a series of screens connected through briefs, job lists and deadlines. In fact, the ones who would have joined us in the last year or so, have actually joined a screen and not really an organization, which would also make it easier for them to leave.
It’s important, not just for the organization, but also for the industry to rebuild those emotional connections. Because while culture and creativity can be channelled through processes, they can only be built through connections of minds and hearts.
We’re a business ‘Of the people. By the people. For the people.’
We often forget, that, unlike any other industry, our only real asset is people. An asset that we can only hold on to and never own.
What we get paid for by our clients is the unexpected and the extraordinary that comes out of the minds of these people. And our jobs as leaders are to make sure these minds stay stimulated and interested.
Finally, the work we create isn’t just to move boardrooms and/or juries, it’s to move the people who will pull out their wallets in acknowledgement of our work. And the better connected we are to them, the more they’ll connect to our work.
Chase Value.
When business is hard and unpredictable, as it has often been since early 2020, it’s easy to fall into the trap of top-lines and bottom-lines. But it’s important for us to add another metric to it. The frontlines – the people who are facing every day of our business.
We need to ask ourselves if we’re being able to create value for our frontlines, in how we’re running the business – Are we being able to generously reward our best? Are we being able to cater to their growth, ambition and health? Are we giving them enough reasons to stay with us?
Protect the core.
Recently someone was ranting about how extremely talented people are moving to in-house agencies to perform to half their talent. He went on to make an extremely important point – that creativity is at the core of what we do. But when you’re at an in-house agency, the same creativity is at the periphery of what they do. And one should always remember that when they make the switch. To which my only question was (as much to myself) – Do we as an industry remember that?
Are we building organisations and structures to unleash creativity, or are we building it around stuff like efficiencies, agility, etc.? Don’t get me wrong, the other stuff is important, but is it what we can create value for ourselves around?
Juan Carlos Ortiz is the CEO of DDB Latina, the most celebrated region for DDB. Their financial numbers gleam as bright as the medals they win. But before he became a successful CEO, Juan Carlos was a celebrated CCO. I asked him what made him want to trade that C for an E. He replied, “Because I didn’t want to build a creative department, I wanted to build a creative company. One that everyone wants to pay good money to work with.” It’s a question I ask myself now, “What are we building?”
Walk-in stupid
I shamelessly borrow this from W+K. At the reception of their London office stands (or at least stood) a suited mannequin with a blender for a head and a briefcase with the words “Walk in stupid” emblazoned across it.
And I can’t think of a better piece of advice for us all. Walking in stupid means we’ll ask more questions, be more curious, listen more than we talk, steer clear of the tried and tested and be brave enough to embrace the unexpected. Because the one thing the pandemic ought to have taught us is –You know nothing, Jon Snow. But can you be stupid enough to keep learning?
