Bossing it: Learning from crime

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Bossing it: Learning from crime

Instead of trying to motivate people into being happy, ensure they have a good motive.

Bossing it: Training is the boss's job

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Bossing it: Training is the boss's job

Each agency needs its own 'Agency University' programme and, as the boss, you should lead the way on creating and delivering courses and modules.

Bossing it: What you get done today doesn't really matter

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Bossing it: What you get done today doesn't really matter

What you personally get ticked off a list each day doesn't matter anymore — all that matters is what your agency as a whole achieves.

Bossing it: acceptance & action

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Bossing it: acceptance & action

As the boss, your role is to lead and facilitate open, frank and safe conversations about issues. To challenge excuses. To steer the team towards accepting reality.

Bossing it: Avoiding avoidance

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Bossing it: Avoiding avoidance

Part of being a boss is keeping the business, and yourself, pointed towards the difficult things that need fixing, and actually doing something about them

Bossing it

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Bossing it

Groups of people do need to be led. They want to be.

Burning the dough

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Burning the dough

I watched an episode of Shaun The Sheep in which he starts a pizza business by accident.

Finding your agency

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Finding your agency

Have a regular rhythm of thinking as the owner designed into the way you run your business.

Having agency

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Having agency

In social science, agency is defined as "the capacity of individuals to have the power and resources to fulfil their potential."

Growing mindfully

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Growing mindfully

How much pruning of potential opportunities is needed in your agency? This year it's more important than ever to cut back on distractions and focus on what matters most.

New Year's Revolutions

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New Year's Revolutions

Your agency will be fundamentally changed this year. Either by outside forces, or by you.

Design thank-yous into your work

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Design thank-yous into your work

Design an approach that will work for you, to make it easier to say thanks to people in a way they'll remember.

Growing confidence

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Growing confidence

Great leaders grow confidence in the people around them, like a gardener grows plants — through careful nurture and attention to all the conditions it needs to thrive.

Things are looking up

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Things are looking up

Spotting risks is not just about hunkering down. The risks can and will create opportunities.

Stop doing things right

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Stop doing things right

You, as the founder/CEO, need to move from ensuring things in the agency are done right, to ensuring the agency is doing the right things.

Hang up your tools

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Hang up your tools

A key part of growing as a leader as you grow your agency, is to learn to leave behind what you did before.

It's not all on you

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It's not all on you

Too many leaders think they need to keep the stressful stuff to themselves, and put a rose-tinted spin on everything to the team.

Does your most important team member secretly want to quit?

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Does your most important team member secretly want to quit?

I heard from someone senior at an agency recently, with a story that should be a wake up call for all of us.