I set a goal of writing a five step process to building a campfire agency. Five steps that would fundamentally change the way to build a creative agency. So I started with Step One. Now that I’m on Step Two, I realize that relying on steps to create a campfire agency is pointless. And part of being in a campfire agency is to realize when you’re wrong.
But some good did come out of all of this… I realized why it was so challenging (and wrong) to write a point-by-point checklist on making a campfire agency. It’s because there are no “points;” there are essentially two questions: what and why.
What agencies are focused on everything what: what they do, what your role is, what their philosophy is, what their culture is, what what what. This is a great way to create a company of people that do specific things, follow the rules, undervalue the opportunity of risk, and are afraid of failure. What is a good question to ask, but it shouldn’t be the first question.
Go past what to why. Why your company exists. Why believe in a philosophy and direction. Why be passionate, and why care about all of this. It’s about asking deeper questions and making meaning. I completely agree with Guy Kawasaki in the video below. Apparently we’re as naive and romantic as Guy is…
RSS readers can view it here.
Way back on April 1st, J. left a comment about the campfire. He asked about hierarchy vs. flat structure, how a “workforce who has generally very specialized skills and expertise, generate such thought cross pollenation” and “what happens when things go south and what are the ramifications when they do?”
Hierarchy or flat structure, specialized skills, and ramifications don’t define whether your agency is a campfire or not. We have both hierarchy and flat structure, specialized skills, and ramifications for when things go wrong. The difference is we have asked why about each of these things instead of what they are. Why is hierarchy and flat structure necessary for our business and our brand, and how will it make us succeed? Why should we have specialized skills within our culture of creative generalists, and how can they strengthen cross pollination and collaborative thinking? Why did things go south and what can we learn in order to fail forward?
Why should we punish (ramifications) for mistakes instead of asking why we should embrace failure? We have the belief that everyone here is accountable for everything we do. We’re constantly asking ourselves, “why is this important, and why will this help us reach our goal to create great digital brand experiences, and do it better than anyone else?” If it doesn’t answer that goal, we don’t do it. But if it does, we do it all the way.
Are we going to get it right every time? Probably not. But if we don’t ask, we’ll never try. A why agency is a culture that fosters this belief. Everyone is responsible, no matter how much or how little they’re involved. Because everyone is involved in everything. Which I guess is a much shorter way of answering the comment… it’s combining passion and trust to make people care, to feel involved at every level.
You can’t create a step-by-step process for why. Why is emotion+thinking; it’s a combination of beliefs, logic and spirit, and those aren’t steps. Why is the reason you start, build and guide a company. Why is easy to ask; what’s the harm in asking? The hard part is having the guts to back up your answer, your why. Why companies aren’t built on what, they’re built on beliefs. And beliefs take guts. If it was easy, everyone would do it.
Passion and beliefs. Courage, adventure and integrity. “Make meaning” isn’t a business plan, it’s a raison d’être.
Hey, look. I have been going over exactly what you have been going over for a while. Passion is the key to everything. Perhaps some in the ad business don’t talk to the passionate people. When someone is high on what they do the thought just pour out. During those times, if you listen, read the body language, and listen even more closely, you will finally get it. What is most difficult for agencies to translate is the passion of the individual to the passion of the end result.
It’s not a business plan–much too dry; it’s a vision statement.
Stephen, what is your vision statement?
9:26 pm / 29 August 2007
Our vision statement? Well, it’s more of a declaration: http://findsubstance.com/about/declaration/
8:30 am / 30 August 2007
Stephen, sounds like you have been taking Landmark classes, because what your declaration–that courage, adventure and integrity will triumph over complacency, risk-aversion and lack of meaning, is exactly what Landmark is about. And, by the way, with Landmark, we will change the world. I like your declaration, however in your current post, I get the feeling that you are questioning your fellow creatives. Sometimes you just have to lead the pack through example. With integrity, you will always feel good about what happens, because you put it out there with the best of intentions, and everyone involved knows that. One last thought–don’t think too much. JUST DO IT!
9:20 pm / 30 August 2007
Um, no, we haven’t been taking Landmark classes. I’m not a big fan of classes or programs that claim to teach courage, adventure, culture, passion and/or integrity. Or maybe that’s not what Landmark is about… I honestly didn’t look into it too much. But I don’t think you can teach these attributes. I do think you can inspire people to find these qualities within themselves, but they have to be there in the first place to be inspired.
And I wouldn’t say we’re questioning our fellow creatives so much as challenging them. Our objective is to change the world. But we can only do so much, which is why we invite others to join us. The more we share, the more we challenge, the more we can influence change.
9:27 am / 31 August 2007
Failure is a word that I hate because it is so negative. However, because of FEAR of failure businesses today tread more cautiously, and as a result, their efforts are failures. For example, the movie industry is infamous for fear of failure because of the money involved. This is why we see so many remakes of the same old movies. However, once in a while, a dark horse sneaks in and steals the box office. The budget is small, cast is unknown, and there is no advertising. These are the infamous “indie” films, in which the “Blair Witch Project” made millions and caused Hollywood to rethink indie films. But most in the movie industry are afraid of failure, so we see the same old, same old.
Another example is JK Rowling, who has umteen rejection slips for Harry Potter. The word out there was that no kid would read a 500 page book. Kids don’t read anymore. Huh! Now she is one of the riches people in the world. Scolastic took the chance, and won, big.
Is this what you are talking about, Stephen?
7:06 pm / 31 August 2007
I think it means something different for everyone. It means whatever you want it to mean. Failure is defined by how you answer the challenge.
p.s. Someone told me Landmark is a cult, and we’re absolutely against cults. Mindless following and egotistical leaders? No thanks.
8:07 pm / 3 September 2007
I have been searching for an article I recently came across (which I haven’t found) in which a very successful man was attributing the success of his company to the open dialogue he encouraged with all his employees–from the top down–everyone in the company. The fact that you want to have such an open dialogue is important because someone who might be just the cleaning person could suggest something that would change the direction of a program.
Steven, I am excited for you and your team and look forward to seeing your success.
6:42 am / 5 September 2007