NORTHERN PLANNER

It's common for people turning 50 to share the fruits of their experience.

I've just reached that milestone but I won't.

Because I know I'm nothing special.

Because most of these kind of posts are edited versions of the truth.

(Like the case studies that help no one)

Because failure is the greatest teacher.

Because it's useful to know that no matter how old or experienced you get, we all make it up as we go along. 

So I'm going to share 50 hard lessons, forged in the furnace of failure and fuck up.

 

Never crash into a the client CEO's car

Never be more than two drinks behind a client in any situation

Never click reply instead of forward to a client email

Never ignore someone who says you'll never make it to account director  because your grasp of detail is shocking

Never agree to lead the agency rebrand or positioning

Never work in an agency where you are judged by how many hours you put in

Never do an all nighter in a converted Church unless you have nerves of steel 

Never join an agency with a bad reputation that tells you it's changing

Never criticise someone else's work in an all agency

Never use pretentious words to look clever, it makes you look dumb 

Never write propositions like headlines, unless you want your brief to be ignored

Never get cross in creative reviews

Never get cross with people in LinkedIn

In fact never get cross, store the energy to do something about it – change what what you can, endure what you can't

Never speak first in a creative review – let others talk crap while you work our what you think

Never speak first in any meeting if you can help it

Never talk about a client on train, you never know who's listening (it lost someone I know a pitch)

In fact don't talk about work on a train full stop

Never stay in a job the moment you think you don't trust your boss

Never write a strategy with an ad in mind

Never write a great proposition, creative will automatically do the opposite – frame a problem instead

Never fail to serve good tea or coffee to visitors – little things say it the loudest

Never turn up to the wrong venue for a key client meeting

Never work with your client's offspring

Never question the research in the research presentation (kill it later)

Never assume a few people liking your blog or LinkedIn content makes you any good at the actual job

Never sell work with 'according to how brands grow'

Never believe case studies, they are the Instagram version of what happens

Never fail to actually try whatever you're being asked to sell

Never fail to actually shop for what you're selling

Never fail to meet your audience in real life (don't go to the zoo, go the jungle)

Never defend a strategy because it's cool

But never fail to persuade if you know when you believe in your work

But then again, never fight a losing battle

Never forget an idea that never made it, ideas are connections make it fit something else

Never refuse to post rationalise creative if you like it, good work is hard to come by

Never forget to be kind to junior suits,  they could end up as you boss, or a client

Never allow people in your team who clearly don't care about the work

Never do a job interview in lycra

Never tolerate a bully (they are still around)

Never fail to defend someone against a bully – one day it could be you

Never criticise another agency's work on LinkedIn

Never tell the client their pitch brief is wrong (let them discover how it inspired you)

Never bother stressing over a pitch until you have wasted half the time (some things never change)

Never write powerpoint without knowing what you want to say

Never lend books to colleagues, yoy never get them back

Never try and look smart – everyone hates smart arses

Never reject the obvious, everyone else does too

Never play contact sport with a client

Never take anything we do seriously, it really isn't life or death