A lot of my
compatriots (read: competitors) trying to come up the rungs – or just get on
the ladder – in advertising have a flaw. I know because I also have it. A
belief that you are smarter than everyone else. That you don’t have to work as
hard. That it can all be effortless for you.
That thought is
your single biggest enemy.
It makes you lazy,
it makes you superficial. And it makes you lose.
Contrary to
popular opinion – and as I’ve said before – good ideas are not that rare in the
world of advertising. And smart people are not some rare commodity.
Being smart is not
enough.
Even if you truly are
an exceptional brain, you have to work to get ahead. No one wants to pay for
how gifted you are inside your head if you can’t translate that into results in
the real world.
So what’s the real
answer?
Being thorough. Being
really thorough. Being so thorough it’s boring.
Being thorough is
not sexy. But it’s the only way to do well consistently. I had a great teacher
at a past agency who drilled into me the difference between good work and great
work – not raw cleverness and sneaky ideas, but being thorough.
It might be the single
most important quality to learn for any junior member of an agency.
Why? Because it’s
the ability to anticipate and fix problems before they become problems. It’s
recognition of the need to be humble, to go the extra mile, to support the
team. It means always being prepared; to be an expert in any subject on demand,
not just willing to do extra research but actively pursuing that knowledge.
From my own
experience, I can say how important this is. I used to be nervous about
speaking in front of people.
(I mean I still
am, but I used to be too.)
I found a way to
get past that fear though, and actually present with very little nervousness.
How? The 11 Ways of Being a More Effective Speaker Through Yoga? No. Being
prepared. Why would you be afraid of speaking, of questions, of making
mistakes, when you know the answers? When you’re completely prepared it really
limits your ability to mess up.
You might think
you’re a good speaker – and that you can freewheel enough to get away with any
lapses. You can’t. You will get found out. And there are far fewer second chances
in business.
Here’s a strange –
but fitting – analogy. Thoroughness is like the difference between flowers in a
vase and a flowerpot. Both look good, but only one has lasting power. You need
a strong base of hard work and dependability in order to do the exceptional.
It’s
nice to be brilliant. If you can combine that with consistency you’ll be on to
a winner.
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