I had scanned a blog post by ex-BBH strategist Ben Malbon about some things he had learned while at BBH. And it was uber-refreshing to hear him articulate one of the same creative philosophies I've had for a long time.
PEOPLE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSETT A CREATIVE AGENCY CAN HAVE
Many times I hear agencies (including my own) talk about the importance of the work, "It's all about the work," "We must do better work,"... And while, yes, ideas and the work that goes around creating them is why we have jobs and why agencies exist, and I get all the importance that goes around that.
But how many of us have worked at a place where the work was the only thing that mattered? Where the quality of life of the individuals was always secondary, always put behind "the work." It's not very inspiring, did it make you want to do better work? Probably not.
I believe "the work" is important. I belive "ideas" are important. But those amazing ideas and award-winning work only happen when the right (and talented) people get together in an environment that fosters great thinking.
What a lot of pro sports teams and creative teams begin to forget is that the people matter most in the equation of coming up with ideas or better performance. Granted, we all need to be cohesive in our approach toward a common goal, but that also can't be overshadowed by the "health" of the group striving to get there.
I had a creative director, who I thought was a brilliant leader, he told me once, "My job is to make the nest so all my creatives can lay golden eggs."
I couldn't agree more. As a creative director, I view myself as an enabler of great thinking... (part guide, of course, too)... and many times I have to put myself between the corporate regime and the people trying to do the work, to protect those just trying to come up with great ideas.
I think if more agencies switched their focus to "from great people come great ideas," they'd have a lot more success. People would want to work harder, they would feel valued (a common human truth), and align more quickly toward the common goal.
What if you worked at an agency that said, "we want to build great people" instead of "we want to do great work"... how would that make you feel? Would you feel more empowered? Would you be more dedicated toward your craft? Would you try harder to push beyond what you think is a good idea? Would you have more trust with your agency?
Think about it. I think it's true. Maybe someday I'll start something with that philosophy in mind. In the meantime, keep laying Golden Eggs.
