Winston Churchill had a talent for delivering bad news in a way that boosted morale, leaving people feeling inspired in the face of difficult odds. Indeed, inspirational leadership is a theme throughout Erik Larson’s excellent biography: The Splendid and the...
I vowed to avoid “heroic efforts” as I became President of a high-performing marketing association in early 2016. How high-performing? The prior years, we’d ranked #3, #2, #1, and #1 internationally… but the wins had come at a high cost. After...
While everyone’s distracted and scared during the pandemic, economic uncertainty, or a crisis—should you stop selling at your agency? No, don’t stop selling—because an empty pipeline will eventually put you out of business. But the way you sell needs to...
Imagine what you’d do if you could cut your workload to 20-25 hours a week or less. I’ve helped several agency owners do this; it requires some tradeoffs and a lot of hard work, but the owners are typically happy with the result. Why are they happier as a...
Wondering how to prepare for coronavirus at your agency? No one knows for sure—but as an agency consultant, here’s what I’m thinking about in this time of uncertainty. (For the latest advice, see my in-depth COVID-19 Agency Resource Center.) Early into my dating an...
