Everyone on the team is happy with the design.  The developers have readied the website.  The factory have confirmed they can build it.  The ads have been written. The agency notified.  Everyone is poised, ready to go. Their hard work for the past year is about to come to fruition.  All they need is the … Continue reading Approval and deniability →

Once upon a time there was an agency.  An agency with a reputation for two things: producing brilliant creative and being a great place to work.  All who worked at this agency cherished their time there. It was their dream work culture.  Then came ... the client.  This client was huge, easily the biggest the … Continue reading Firing clients →

Everyone volunteered their opinions as to why this was an awful situation but no one volunteered to do something about it. Why? Because complaining is easy. Changing the status quo is hard. Adapting a process means hard work and rectifying a relationship requires confrontation. Neither are pleasant tasks, it's easy to see why people avoid … Continue reading Complaining v Action →

Dave: “Hey Jeff, you don’t have to do that spreadsheet in the end, the CEO is going to do it” Jeff: “What? Does he not trust me to do it?” Dave: “No, no, no, don’t take it personally this is more about him than you.” Jeff: “But I can do it his way!” Dave: “I … Continue reading Control satisfaction →

The weeks disappear for the 'office fire fighter'. The arrival of summer is shocking to them, 'it felt like only yesterday it was Christmas'.  Unfortunately they don't get a say in what they do, their agenda belongs to someone else. Their plans for safe proofing the office are continuously put on the back burner as … Continue reading Office fire fighter →

I believe passion is developed not inherited. I don’t believe that anyone is willing to dedicate 8 hours a day to a subject straight from birth. I think everyone goes through stages, starting with enjoyment. You have to enjoy the activity in its most basic form first before any passion can flourish and enough enjoyment … Continue reading Passion is developed not inherited →

When I stepped out of my first viewing of 'The Force Awakens' (Star Wars episode 7) I immediately googled the release date of the eighth episode.  "Oh my god, why is it going to take so long?" I was devastated to see it was at least two years away. Devastated because I needed to know who's Rey's parents … Continue reading Empathy -> patience →

Questions of the interchangeable cog v questions of the artist. Cog: How can I get out of this? Artist: How can I make this better? Cog: Do I have to? Artist: Can I start now? Cog: How can I do this with the least amount of effort? Artist: How can I make sure this has … Continue reading Cog v artist →

Gloating - when the buzz from winning was not enough. Gloating - ensuring the losers know they lost. Gloating - a display of one’s competitiveness.

I write a blog post everyday. That means everyday, before the day is out, I have to find something to write about. I believe this concept applies to a lot of meetings. Especially daily meetings. If you have a half an hour meeting everyday, you will find something to talk about. This is not necessarily … Continue reading Daily meetings →