What's Next?
If you’re feeling like most of the agency owners I’ve talked to this week, you’re wondering what the heck is next. I swear — the only thing 2020 is missing at this point is locusts.
The pandemic has been kicking us in the shins (and other body parts) and we’ve been valiant in beating it back. And now — here in the US and in many other cities across the world, we’re suddenly dealing with a horrific murder, peaceful protests, violence and looting in our streets, and tension and fear so thick it’s palpable.
If I’d have told you a couple of weeks ago that some other event/s would make the pandemic seem like old news, would you have ever believed it?
Most of you found your footing over the past couple of months. 2020 may not be the year you wanted it to be, but you’ve made the hard but smart decisions. You figured out how to sell in this environment, and you were finding your way.
And then the last two weeks happened. And suddenly, once again, you’re finding yourself and your team living with curfews, fear, and more unknowns.
No wonder you sound so worn down and discouraged when I’ve talked to you this week. Many of you feel like you can’t go another round. There’s just not enough left. If you are feeling that way, please know you’re not alone. There are a lot of agency owners and leaders who aren’t sure they want to keep showing up.
You have every right to wave the white flag and just surrender to all that is happening. No one would fault you for it. But most of you won’t make that choice. You’re going to find a way to get back on your feet and fight the next fight. It’s simply who you are, even when you’d rather not.
There are many things I love about agency owners but two of them are your sheer stubbornness (we call it tenacity when we recognize it in ourselves) and your unfailing optimism that there’s another way to get up the mountain every time you hit a roadblock. That combination makes you unstoppable.
I don’t know how we heal our world. But I do believe it will be an accumulation of a million small acts and choices. As business owners and leaders, we have the privilege to lead the way and set the example.
Listen intently. Love unabashedly. And lead with conviction. Just because we’ve never done this before doesn’t mean you don’t know how to do it. Trust your instincts. And accept that you can’t and won’t make everyone happy all of the time.
If there was ever a time for us to study and practice the lessons in Steve Farber’s book Love is Damn Good Business – it’s now.
One of my hopes for all of you (even before the last two weeks) was that coming out of this pandemic – you’d have and take the opportunity to build a team of people you love and trust and together you would serve clients that you love and trust. Maybe a bit idealistic but I believe you’ve seen people’s true colors in the past few months and I am hoping you take them at their word and act accordingly.
And now – I think we also have a unique opportunity to help infuse more love and trust into our little slice of the world. We educate, persuade, and encourage people to make the right choices every day. I believe we can and should use those talents inside our agencies and our communities to bring about change.
In the meantime – please stay safe and be bold with your love. Everyone can use an extra helping right now.
Drew McLellan, with Agency Management Institute, produces a weekly newsletter with updates, tips, and market information of value to marketing agencies, owners, and employees. If you'd like to receive the weekly newsletter, follow this link to subscribe.
This piece was originally published in the AMI Newsletter.