“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. Sure, it is faster for an expert ECD to do the work. But, it’s also a missed […]
Why Your Employees Aren’t Actually Empowered
“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. 1. Trust As an agency leader, you have positional authority. But what’s it like to be on the other […]
Why Your Agency Creatives Hate Your Deadlines
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. The example I see most often is when traffic or project managers instruct creatives on what to work on down to the […]
Five Hybrid Work Models and The Challenges and Implications For Agencies
What do we mean when we say a hybrid work model? As a simple definition, hybrid work is where employees of an organization can choose to do their job from different locations: home, the office, or anywhere. However, there are many ways to operationalize a hybrid model. If you were to ask ten agency principals what […]
For Greater Employee Engagement, Stop Providing Annual Performance Reviews
For many agencies, the typical annual performance review process will try to accomplish too much. In a formal review meeting, managers will attempt to review 12 months of an individual’s performance AND their compensation AND to provide guidance on professional development planning. That’s quite a lot to cover in a 30-60 minute discussion. I’d also […]
Your Clients and Employees Need You to Change Your Agency’s Operating Model
In a previous post, I shared that many agency leaders feel that it’s become increasingly tougher to maintain and grow their business. For some, their agency’s financial performance has plateaued as a result of their growth. For others, they feel their quality of work, speed, and culture isn’t what it needs to be. If this […]
