Do you want to show up more creatively for your clients and your colleagues, your family, and your friends?
Do you want to default to thinking about opportunity versus focusing just on problems?
Discovering Hope is full of proactive steps you can take right now, to achieve a more positive mindset or to help maintain the positivity you already have
Getting Positive reveals that more optimism is close at hand
Building Bridges – Proactivity the Safest Way to Build and Protect Business
Many of you that I’m speaking with whether freelancing or working full-time, are talking to me about current client uncertainties caused in large part by U.S. led tariffs.
Until anyone knows the impact of these tariffs, whether you import parts or export finished products, it’s hard to invest in anything with confidence, least of all people!
The result is inconsistency of work or budgets being delayed or reduced; This means it’s not the best of jobs markets or times of job security.
If you’re in full-time work, what can you do, (particularly if you have a great relationship with your clients) is support them in their scenario planning. Help them if you can, find ways to protect revenue/and or enhance it! OK, not rocket science advice, but really important to be proactive, particularly when the pressure is on.
Is this a time of economic crisis? No, but it is most certainly (as witnessed by the financial markets) an uncertain moment. True to the dual Mandarin meaning of the word ‘crisis.’ It’s a time both of threat and an opportunity.
Threats often act as a catalyst forcing us to contemplate new approaches.
What might you be able to identify for your clients? A short-term win or bigger potential strategic pivot?
If your freelancing short or long term, think along the same lines. Don’t wait to be asked to help, look at those businesses most exposed and anticipate what a smart next step might nbe.
Now is a golden time to build bridges.
The Beyond Employee
Based on my understanding of career happiness (I’ll leave others to define success) there are some obvious things to get on top of, noteworthy:
Keep learning, (Tech’ yes, but soft skills are more critical than ever, none more so than empathetic ability) learn to be adaptable, focus on relationships, but also key, find time to get perspective, both to understand trends but also to keep in a good mental space!
One other factor to focus on here, personal agency. This is you needing to strategise for you! What are your goals? If you know the answer, you’ll know what your dream working scenario is. Know this and then you’ll know what experience, expertise and connections deficits you have and what you need to work on. Why is this important?
The reality in 2025, we’re all one relationship away from a good or bad year. From making money or not. From working for someone else or not.
If you are currently an employee, what I want to communicate, you should start thinking of youself right now, as self employed. Yes deliver as employee, but also make your employer, ‘work for you.’ Consciously make connections and get experience with a mind to working for yourself. This way, it will be a softer landing when change comes for you.
Agency consolidation is not a new thing neither is job insecuity, but as one accelerates, so does the other. Start to adjust your mindset to it and in so doing you’ll be better prepared to build as a ‘beyond employee.’
All happiness,
Job Searching Woes – Who is technology working for?
(five minute read)
Technology is amazing and can enable but used primarily for the purposes of efficiency/short-term profit with disregard for human impact, it will have the opposite effect – It will disenable and in so doing, lose the benefits automation bring whilst creating many frustrated people.
Your experience when looking for either freelance or full-time work has to be better than it is.
We have to move away from the feeling that the odds are stacked against us. Whether it’s the algorithms that exclude or tied agents who will only recommend one company/agency, the one they work for.
The application of technology in advertising and marketing today makes having someone on your side in the job search, more important than ever.
And the whole process of getting work needs to be less transactional.
The experience of getting a job/work, should not feel like a job!
There is a way forward. A number of you I have already discussed it with.
For those frustrated with the way things are currently ‘working’ when looking for work either as a freelancer or full-time job seeker, let’s talk.
Stuart
Short Termism and Job Security – What You Should Do
(five minute read)
Short termism. What are we talking about? A focus on short term results and driving that, short term thinking, systems, practices, environments, all focused on the end of year bonus. What does this mean for you?
Transactional Relationships – All of you that have consulted for any time understand a more transactional approach to making money. Anyone that knows anyone understands that the agency world on the whole, regards all employees as expendable very often even when they have performed, short terms results are preeminent.
What should you do in the midst of short termism?
1. Mindset change – If you haven’t already done it, don’t assume constancy, security (however professionally effective you are or your connections might be). Seriously!
2. Have options – Always keep your options lined up, as chances are, you will need them and if not, you’re prepared.
3. Niche – Yes, be a generalist, but devlelop a niche, core expertise that limits your competition and ability to be replaced by it.
4. Relationships = Internal ones are important but being the client’s ‘go to person’ is crucial, if you want to be the ‘last person standing.’
5. Money deliverer – Everything is very short term, so if you’re more a big picture thinker, you have to translate that/communicate it’s pathway in to short terms results (as well as longer term payback).
Finally, you need someone that’s independent that’s on your side, in and out of full-time work. I have a new ‘agent’ led approach, which you might want to hear about.
My best,
Stuart
Strategy Jobs Market Update – May 2024
Fulltime Roles – In the last several weeks there has been a mild uptick in hiring of creative and brand planners/strategists, but this has to be seen in context. This market is still very tight. I’m talking with a number of you still being given news that your job has been cut.
Freelance Roles – For many of the freelancers/consultants, 2022/2023 were good years but 2024 is a different story. This year many of you have experienced a clear reduction in opportunities. This is a factor of less work generally, of brands and through them agencies, reluctant to spend on freelance, which is more expensive than hiring someone full-time.
Across Markets – In the last three months, I’ve met with
strategists in a number of markets including Sao Paolo, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and London. The picture I am seeing is consistent across markets. There are always nuances that effect each market differently but one that is a key driver (as well as AI) is the cost of money.
Where is the strategy jobs market heading?
There’s plenty in the way of holding company ‘recalibration’ which will drive
uncertainty for some time yet that said the simplistic, optimists’ view…
The reason this jobs market feels ‘incremental/replacement/defensive’
versus one of ‘investment’ hiring is because of a CFO fear that until
central banks communicate a confidence that interest rates are on a downward trajectory, they might actually go up! Yes, once we see a reduction in interest rates it’s my belief that CFO’s will then have the confidence to allow greater investment in jobs. We’re getting closer to this point. Stay positive.
Roll on interest rate cuts which if nothing else will cut brands and agencies some slack.
Onwards,
Career Planning for Strategists – The Long Game
I was asked to write about long term career goals and to discuss the options. Truth is there are so many possibilities, there really are! Based on which direction you go, there are certain experiences you need to be getting to make specific options easier to smoothly navigate. We can discuss this.
For instance, if you see yourself eventually moving into general management, getting exposure to operations, finance and team/people management would be key experiences you need to have.
Know Thyself – A big clue to where you ought to end up comes down to understanding what you have enjoyed. Using which skills make you happy? What environments do you thrive in? Ask yourself what outputs have meaning for you.
Where do I want to be in the long term? If you know where you want to be, then you and I can talk about how to get there.
If you have a good sense of self but are unsure about the long term, we can discuss one-to-one; But to maximise the options you can pursue, be it a start-up, platform, publisher, brand, strategic consultancy, strategically focused or otherwise, note key considerations below. But first,
Avoiding Burnout – As much as anything else, the purpose of setting exciting goals is as much to keep you energized in the short and medium term as it is to reaching your nirvana. We all know that a career is a marathon so the question becomes one of ‘pacing.’ You have to sustain your energy, mental/physical/emotional. If you are learning new things and so feel a sense of progression, the hard work is less draining!
Key considerations: (For keeping all options open)
What do I want to experience? If you’re unclear about specific goals, focus at the very least on how you want to feel as a result of your work – The goals often emerge from this understanding.
Differentiate – What do we tell brands to do? To thrive now and in the future, think/reinforce/promote what distinguishable skills you have.
Prioritise Value Creation – Develop expertise that presents a clear path to value creation. (This is ‘not’ simply about ST profit)
Career Variety – Where possible, work in different settings: Agency, client, consultancy, own business/freelance – This enhances your ability to understand and help others.
Business Growth/Consultative Skillset – Develop a prowess with new business and/or organic growth.
Mind of a specialist/heart of a generalist – Our business is reintegrating – Be a polymath of sorts. Think big and detailed.
People – Ours is a business all about people. Help build those around you.
Reputation – Know that it’s all you’ve got.
Profile – Being brilliant but invisible won’t help you.
Results – Applied creativity is key. Be a brilliant strategist but understand a client’s nightmares. Be known for solving problems.
What else might you add?
All the best,
Stuart