Growing a successful 21st century creative agency
Set against the context of tighter budgets, ever increasing competition and a raging war for talent, creatives need a new way of working that works for them and the business. So it felt important for Within People to hold the space for leaders of creative agencies to explore what could be different in the future and how can they create the change they want to see.
We love partnering with creative agencies. Many of us led agency teams before joining Within and we’ve enjoyed working with over 40 different creative agencies around the world in the last five years. We know the value of great creative thinking and we know the role culture plays in creating the conditions for that great creativity to be unleashed.
We invited the brave and bold leading today’s agencies to come together in London and play with the big questions that explore the tension between unleashing exceptional creativity and growing a successful agency in the 21st century.
What we heard from agency leaders
Leading a creative team today can feel stressful and overwhelming, and here’s why:
It’s increasingly competitive and tough to win the work they love to do
Agencies are getting squeezed on budgets and it’s harder to demonstrate return on investment
How they’re pitching is resulting in a race to the bottom
Client relationships feel more transactional, shorter term and less mutual
Attracting great people to come and work with them is a challenge and there’s a real lack of diversity in creative teams
Agencies are surprisingly hierarchical and traditional in the way they organise the business
It often feels way too chaotic trying to meet deadlines and manage expectations
Yet there is still a lot of fun to be had! There’s excitement and lots of opportunities to do the great work that fires creatives’ passion.
What does the future look like for creative agencies?
We invited the group to begin by creating a vision together for what agency life could look and feel like in three years time - what do we want to be different?
There were four clear themes in the inspiring picture of the future that the leaders in the room want to move towards:
1. Teams playing at their best
Our people are connected to a shared vision of what we’re building together and what really matters to us
We have the tools and technology to enable great collaboration so we have the right balance between flexible working and quality in-person time
We’re creating space for learning and sharing the knowledge which helps us do our best work
Meaningful feedback is fuelling our growth
Adult communication is reducing drama, creating safety and helping us work well together
2. Our leaders feel confident to get out of the way
We’re intentionally building capacity in others so leadership can flourish through the agency and not just sit at the top
Our structures are more fluid, less hierarchical so people feel more empowered and accountable
Leaders are modelling the behaviours they want to see in their teams and setting the tone for the culture
Leaders embrace vulnerability and ask for help on their leadership journey when they feel stuck
3. We’re valued for what we stand for
We’re proud to be distinct and clear about what it means for how we work with clients
Our clients are sharing their vision for success and we’re deeply invested in helping them achieve it
We have open, productive relationships with clear expectations on both sides
The quality of our thinking is allowing us to tell a powerful value story that resonates with clients
Our deep connection to our clients and their customers ensures we create exceptional value
4. We’re attracting the next generation of diverse and exceptional talent
Our clarity of purpose and our empowering culture attracts people who want to help us grow
We’re confident and clear about what we expect from our team and what we offer them in return
Our flatter structure enables everyone to have a voice in decision making and shape the culture they’re proud to be part of
We help our people grow and support them to achieve their life goals
Our people are designing their way of working, feeling balanced and able to do their best work
We promote diversity, equity and inclusion
What can agency leaders do to bring this vision closer to them in 2020?
Flip from fear to love
Recognising that the source of fear in teams is often the ‘I’m not enough’ or ‘we’re not enough’ story which traps people in a scarcity mindset and makes victims of the best creative souls.
Within work with the simple, powerful Drama Triangle framework to help creative teams shift from a story of ‘not enough’ - time, budget, resource, information etc. to ‘I/we have everything we need to create a culture where everyone loves who they are and what they do’.
Agency leaders can increase their capacity to manage the creative energy in their business by learning how to shift people from victims to creators, from scarcity to abundance and from fear to love.
Stand strong in your value
Being able to tell an authentic, powerful story of the value your agency creates for clients can shift the conversation from time and materials to shared outcomes that drive success. Getting clear on who you really serve, what it is they buy from you and what value that creates for clients is the start of that journey.
Within supports leaders to focus on the value they create and communicate that story to the people they want to attract towards them. To move away from time and materials pricing and step confidently into pricing the outcomes that deliver real value for clients.
It’s an exercise in developing clarity and being proud about what makes your agency different so the right people can choose you because of what you stand for and the difference you make in the world.
Inspire the next generation with purpose
Instead of trying to attract great people with your list of clients, case studies and awards, it’s time to clearly articulate your ‘why’. What is it you’re in service of beyond wining the next pitch and billing the next client?
Helping creative agencies articulate their purpose and values is the foundation of Within’s work and we see it transform the way people work together, create shared meaning and connection that drives growth and enables cultures where creative people flourish and do their best work. Translating purpose and values into a compelling Employee Value Proposition inspires the next generation of brilliant creatives to come and join you.
Leaders need to get out of the day-to-day and get clear on why your agency exists, what you stand for and what you offer the world - weave that powerfully though your EVP and the right people will come and help you grow the business you love.
Unlearn what you know about leadership
Command and control style leadership is no longer fit for purpose. Agencies need leaders equipped to grow successful 21st century businesses and that means leaders who can show up to essential qualities like vulnerability, courage, conviction, empathy, curiosity and patience.
Within’s Unlearning Leadership programme invites leadership teams to explore the 21st Century leadership qualities that best serve them and understand what gets in the way of them showing up to ones they find more challenging. We all need to let go of the narratives and beliefs that hold us back from leading with love and creating the conditions in our agencies for our people to feel safe, valued and heard.
Agencies need a new way of leading that unleashes creativity and connects to the very best human qualities innate in all of us. And together let's support more people to identify as leaders more of the time, especially those that might struggle to step forward but have the qualities needed to grow the successful agencies for the future.
Thank you to all the brilliant leaders that joined us for this event in London - your energy and creativity enabled us all to connect to what’s possible and come away feeling inspired to drive the change we all want to see.
If you’d like to hear more about our events, share your learnings from growing a 21st century agency or talk to us about we support agencies to grow, then please do get in touch, we’d love to continue the conversation.