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Stimulating Creativity
July 06, 2015
I was approached to write this blog on stimulating creativity from the point of view of an external agency creative director “out in the field.” Like anyone else confronted with this sort of challenge, I immediately Googled “stimulating creativity.” That brought up a treasure-trove of writing on …
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Building a Creative Environment
June 08, 2015
When I was in third grade, my mom and I ran into my teacher (a grim, severe drill sergeant) in the cereal aisle of the grocery store. I still remember how long it took my brain to recognize Mrs. Strictman. Her face was familiar, but foreign in that environment.
The grocery store was all joy and …
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On the Road Again
April 27, 2015
Every spring the IHAF team hits the road to host one of our most popular annual events—the IHAF Huddle traveling discussion group series. This year, we’re adding another stop to our upcoming travel calendar, the ANA Financial Management Conference in Phoenix, AZ on April 26-29th.
This four-day …
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Let Them Lead
April 21, 2015
One of the keys to leading a successful organization is recruiting and nurturing new leaders within your agency. Finding and cultivating people who could give us “more legs on the stool” became one of the most gratifying achievements for my core group of senior leaders and for me personally.
In …
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Leading Teams by Leading Culture
April 13, 2015
Every organization has a culture built on its behaviors, habits, values and, most importantly, the collective energy of the people that comprise it. In my experience, strong culture is foundationally rooted in the ability to attract and retain the right people with the right energy, the right sense …
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Three Keys to Leading Strong Teams
April 06, 2015
On paper, leading a strong in-house team is easy. All you have to do is: 1) hire the right people, 2) establish processes that enable them to work efficiently and productively, and 3) keep everyone (your team and your clients) happy. Unfortunately, doing all three is difficult.
What’s more, even …
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Get Ready to Huddle!
March 30, 2015
The IHAF Huddle is right around the corner with this year’s focus on internal/external agency collaboration. Agencies inside and out are invited to attend one (or all) of our six spring sessions in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, NYC, Richmond and San Francisco, where internal/external agency duos will …
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Professional Development—Let’s Talk About It
March 23, 2015
Not long ago, I joined other members of our agency’s leadership team to celebrate the 30th work anniversary of one of our tenured art directors. We talked over lunch about how her career had evolved—from a call center position straight out of school to the agency’s secretarial staff and ultimately …
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Hiring the Right Person(ality)
March 16, 2015
I was once interviewed by a Japanese magazine on the topic of managing creative personalities. Apparently the personal, emotional side of assessing unique personality traits, beyond the basics like trust and tangible skills, was a foreign concept in their business culture.
For me, it’s the first …
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Looking to Hire? Know Your Audience.
March 06, 2015
Know your audience. Every good marketer understands this. And it’s a principle that directly applies to hiring and retaining talent, as well. Every day, I speak with candidates looking for jobs and considering job offers. And I can attest that if you want to attract the best and brightest at all …
