“We only debrief on a project if something went wrong on the project or with a client.” Wouldn’t it be better to prevent this? Here’s how.

“We’re afraid our creatives will get bored and leave us.” This is one comment I hear from agencies when I talk about focusing their business on just a few service areas or a market segment. I also hear…

“It’s just faster to do it myself.” A pair of Exec Creative Directors said this when I asked why they were finishing their team’s work rather than teaching them. It’s also why they were nearing burnout working weekends.

“I’ve told my employees they’re empowered, but I’m not seeing it.” I’ve heard this sentiment from a few CEOs, but to foster an empowering environment in your agency, make sure to add 3 other key ingredients.

Some agencies tell me they have an accountability problem– that creatives don’t complete their work by the deadline a PM assigned. What these agencies are really describing is a management-style problem.

“Too many meetings! No time to get any actual work done.” I hear this from agency staff quite often. This typically points back to 4 causes…