As I reflect, here's what I have learnt after four weeks of Something Different.
- Going out on your own comes with its stresses, but if you offer something that others value and you really care about what you do, opportunities will come to work with good people who value good thinking and who want to do good and effective work, which is just what I'm after.
- Support and advice from people you admire and respect is massively beneficial. I'm very thankful to Louise Bond, Michael Prentice, Carl Davidson, Steve Kane, Simon Bird and Jean-Francois Arlove, who all shared value and were open to giving it.
- Your network is essential; almost every conversation I have had so far has been with someone I know and have worked with in the past.
- Everyone is trying to do the best they can with the resources they have.
- Budgets are tight, and businesses and marketing teams are trying to squeeze every ounce of value from their budgets and agency relationships.
- Agencies are stretched, and whether they have no full-time strategic resources or need more to get everything done, they are looking for support and added firepower, whether that is a day, a week, or something a bit more regular.
- We all know the costs of running a business continue to rise, and maximising margins and profits is a significant challenge right now. This puts greater emphasis on smarter thinking and focusing on the fewer things that will have the biggest positive impact on both the work and the business.
- Many desire to keep learning, improving, and growing to be more valuable to themselves, their teams, and the companies they work for, which is always great to see. Most would not argue with the benefits here. However, as mentioned above, budgets are tight, and teams are stretched, so training and development are challenging to create and deliver, and outside support is often needed to ensure programs can happen.
- In relation to the last point, people don't know what they don't know; it doesn't mean they don't usually want to learn and understand; you just need to give them some time.
- With each conversation, more potential opportunities to add value present themselves, which helps build confidence and belief in oneself and what you're doing.
Here's to the next four weeks.
