Original post:
You’ve completed all your paperwork. You’ve perfectly positioned the framed photos of your sweetie and your cat, Snuggles. You’ve even checked to make sure that you can get to your Facebook account through the agency firewall. Do-ta-do. Now what?
First up, welcome.
Second, you’re doing it wrong already.
Here’s how to deal with your average agency boss:
Don’t sit back and wait. Advertising moves fast. It’s a rare agency that has time for step-by-step training and orientation. You’re more likely coming in two days before a huge pitch, three days after a serious missed deadline and on the day of a major client meeting. There’s an atmosphere of … scurry. Jump in where you can. Raise your hand and ask where to get started.
Be sure of your role. Your boss just downloaded the details of a huge Web project. You’re off to create a site map or write a brief or design an interface. Where does your role end and where does someone else’s pick up? When does your boss want to get back involved? Ask.
Follow-up. Email is not enough. Gah, blasted email. Her inbox gets, what, maybe, 100 messages a day? Most get a cursory glance, a few get replies, many are lost to the good intention of getting back to them later. Don’t assume that adding your work / questions / input to that bloated inbox is enough. Get up. Go talk. Keep following up until you get what you need.
Talk to the people who can actually help you. Look, work isn’t always fun. You picked a career where it’s fun more than it’s … I don't know, wildly stressful, frustrating, disappointing, soul-crushing, etc. But, it’s still those things some of the time. The #1 mistake Newbies make is talking to the wrong people about their challenges.
Say you’re unhappy in your job – you don’t feel challenged, you feel as if you’ve been treated unfairly, whatever the issue might be. What most people do: Talk to their circle of work friends. Complain. Those complaints quickly intensify within the group because bitching is genuinely cathartic. For a while. But, then you’re even more unhappy and everyone is telling you you’re getting taken advantage of and then… then…
Right. Those people can’t help you.
What you should do: Schedule a lunch or meeting with your boss. Be straight-forward and professional about your challenges. Have suggestions about how to solve them. She’s invested in your success. Most of the time she’ll provide perspective and solutions. And, she’s someone who can actually help.
Find out what her goals are, make them yours. Chances are quite good that your boss has a boss. And, her boss has laid out goals for the year. Maybe it’s delivering better work, increasing revenue, adding a new client, etc. Find out what those big goals are and make them your own.
Solve problems.
Ask when you need help. Your boss has been there and done that. When you come up against a challenge that you don’t have a good solution for, ask for help. You represent a lot of smart people when you speak for the agency - make sure you use them.
Give fair warning. You know the project is tanking. The client is frustrated. The deadline is about to be missed. Tell your boss – being surprised by bad news is way worse than just getting a heads up about a potential problem. Especially when she may be able to help solve it.
Embrace details. All of them.
Share ideas.
Respect your elders. Although you’re far from having your fingers rapped in the church pew, some of the old adages still hold true – show some respect for the people with experience. Most of the time they really do know what they’re talking about. Innovate, push back, keep trying new things, but know when to stop fighting and follow the advice of your boss.
Hey nice and well articulated article. Check out http://www.Officegupshup.com/articles1 for interesting boss bitching stories. There is a huge chunk of people who love to bitch about their boss, just to get the weight off their chest. I like the interface http://www.Officegupshup.com has given to appraise bosses and pass verdicts on bad and good managers.
I am sure the site owner would love to hear from an agency standpoint, what kind of bosses we have!
Posted by: Mike | October 01, 2007 at 05:58 AM
Excellent advice, finding a mentor in particular. Thanks.
Posted by: Ann | September 15, 2007 at 10:09 PM
Nice list.
I would add one thing-You will get screwed over horribly, painfully, and without even an apology at least once a year, by your boss. It happens to everyone, and just consider yourself lucky if it only happens once a year. What that means is that it's especially important to get good bosses who give you opportunities and leadership, because then your rectum may heal faster after your obligatory screwing.
Posted by: Male Call | September 10, 2007 at 02:57 PM
This is wonderful -- I'm 3 weeks into my first job at an agency and already the advice clicks.
Posted by: Heather | August 28, 2007 at 07:59 PM
I'm a marketing manager from Manila and I found your advise for newbies quite helpful. I especially liked the part on "Talk to the People Who Can Help You".
When I was still in a junior position, the daily gripe sessions were happening in my department and it wasn't helping any of the staff advance to where they wanted to go. Good thing our boss got wind of it and then decided to hold dialogues with each of the team members to find out what the needs were.
Great post!
Posted by: christie | August 26, 2007 at 05:44 AM
I really loved this post, but I think the advice can stretch way beyond the agency world. Having spent time working in numerous "in-house" shops as well as on the client side, I can say first-hand that the tips you've provided here definitely come in hand in almost any marketing position....and probably even in other industries. I also think it's good advice whether you're new to the industry or just starting a new job. Great public service announcement!
Posted by: Laura | August 20, 2007 at 03:58 PM
Wow. When I saw this spotlighted on AdRants, I was expecting to find a snarky rant with plenty of warnings regarding sexual harassment. Instead, I discover an extraordinarily thoughtful and insightful perspective. Nicely done.
As a creative director, I might add a few thoughts.
Before you even become a newbie, make sure you’ve done your homework regarding the job. The industry has too many employers who don’t fully disclose the challenges of the position (i.e., they hide or lie about the real headaches you’ll be expected to deal with). During the interview, ask to see examples of the work you’ll be expected to do. Then be honest with yourself. If you really know you won’t be able to handle the responsibilities, don’t take the job. Because I will not hesitate to fire you quickly if you turn out to be a fraud (and it doesn’t take long to figure it out). Unfortunately, if your employer turns out to be a fraud, your primary recourse is to quit—sorry, it’s unlikely you will be able to fire them. If the employer is not open in the interview, you probably don’t want to work for him anyways.
Find a mentor and/or partner-in-crime fast. Avoid the burned-out cynics—hook up with the people who are well-liked, respected performers. If your boss is busy, she will definitely prefer to see you receive guidance from the performers they trust versus having you try to get instructions directly from them. Don’t be afraid to ask your boss to connect you with the right mentors and partners.
Become an expert of the brands you’re assigned to. The Internet makes it easy to view current work, competition, consumer insights and more. You’ll be amazed at the cluelessness of most account planners. Don’t let their ignorance fuel yours. There’s nothing more irritating than account people or creatives working on and critiquing projects when they are totally unfamiliar with the fucking brand.
Posted by: HighJive | August 19, 2007 at 03:28 PM
You are getting famous, being spotlighted like this on a very "serious" newsletter like Adrants.
You deserve it, clap clap.
Your words are even reaching my French blog.
Posted by: Branislav Peric | August 17, 2007 at 10:39 PM
Good God! Are you spying on me!?!
Oh, where were these advices 11 months ago. And would my ears have been blocked by my newly energized ego? Probably. Still, better late than never.
Posted by: Someone Foreign | August 17, 2007 at 04:21 PM
Good God! Are you spying on me!?!
Oh, where were these advices 11 months ago. And would my ears have been blocked by my newly energized ego? Probably. Still, better late than never.
Posted by: Someone Foreign | August 17, 2007 at 04:21 PM
Hi, I would like to translate this post into Spanish because I think it would be really helpful.
I read it with a lot of interest and I think that this are great advice for any newbies.
Thanks for this kind of advice.
regards,
Nicolas
Posted by: Nicolás | August 17, 2007 at 01:06 AM