September 20, 2004
some things get harder, some things get easier
A few years ago, the ad agency I worked for in New York was sold to Euro RSCG, the international advertising conglomerate.
The week of the paper being signed, the entire agency was crowded into this big room, and the then CEO of Euro RSCG, Bob Schmetterer, our new boss, gave us this big pep talk. We were part of this big global future that was happening or whatever.
Fair enough. I kinda saw the vision. It made sense, sorta, at least from a senior management position. We grunts were less sure, but since when are grunts sure about anything senior management gets up to?
So Bob opened the floor to questions. Nobody really had any, which I thought was odd. So to break the awkward silence I raised my hand.
“In time of great change,” I asked, “some things get harder, some things get easier, and the harder bit is usually where the money is. What's the hardest part of your job now?”
“Getting people on board,” said Bob. “Not everybody gets it.”
In times of great change, some things get harder, some things get easier. Concentrate on the former, because that’s where the money is. I still use that thought with my clients today.
I guess what interests me about any business is the hard parts. The easy parts are always overcrowded, underpaid and quietly dying.
Posted by hugh macleod at September 20, 2004 1:18 AM | TrackBack