strategy advice

“My advice is to get as much exposure to client service, presenting, and learning what wins in rooms. So many strategists are brilliant, read all the right books, and know all the right theory, and sound academic, which becomes redundant if they can’t make people believe. It’s not enough to have the right answer...you need the ability to make... See more

“Seek out people and talent over brands or companies.” — Joel Linkewer

“Imposter syndrome is a made-up concept. Confidence (even when you’re figuring it out) will take you much further. It’s OK (and sometimes necessary) to pause, pivot, and start all over. Do not marry a job, a company, a brand. Nothing is forever, and that’s a good thing! Staying open-minded has been the real game-changer for me. It’s taken me places... See more

“Go where your natural superpowers already are, so you can lean into all the stuff you already do and are already a natural at. If you read the internet from cover to cover every day, that’s a superpower. If you know more about politics than 99.9% of people, start there.”

And yes, your skills might need to evolve. The strategist of the future isn’t going to be a deck-maker who hands off to creative. They’re going to be embedded, fluid, multi-faceted – part strategist, part creative, part cultural translator, part systems thinker. The old silos are breaking down because the work demands it. But that’s not a threat.... See more

I try to work on projects shoulder to shoulder with people rather than treat clients like an audience member. Together, we deliver something to the audience.

Here's the part that separates good strategy directors from great ones: you're not just managing the current project, you're improving how projects get managed.

Maybe that means suggesting a different review structure. Maybe it's introducing new ways to test ideas early. Maybe it's changing how feedback gets collected and processed.

Strategy... See more

Most Briefs are wrong about something.

The truth is, most briefs are wrong about something. Not completely wrong, but wrong enough that good creative work requires course corrections along the way.

If you can’t admit this, and deliver a brief anyway, you are doomed to become the hurdle rather than the bridge.

The best strategists understand that... See more