Newcomers to the agency world may feel overwhelmed by the ever-growing number of tactics and practices they need to master when first starting out in their careers. Sometimes, the only way to learn how to do optimal work is to first fail at a task, then recalibrate and improve your approach.
Some of these experiences may be game-changing, career-making learning opportunities that are critical to your development as an agency professional. Here, 14 members of Forbes Agency Council share the most important learning experiences of their careers and explain why they were so significant.
Forbes Agency Council members share their most important career lessons.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Scalable Growth Demands Constant Evaluation And Adjustment
Recognizing the need to constantly evaluate and adjust systems and processes to allow for scalable growth has been one of the critical learning experiences in business for me. What works for one client won’t necessarily work for three clients, and what works for 10 won’t work for 30. The willingness to pivot and develop agile teams in a no-blame environment continues to foster successful growth. – Jason Hennessey, Hennessey Digital
2. Change Almost Always Has A Grand Surprise In Store
Because I was doing my own PR as a top-of-the-charts European opera singer, I was able to easily pivot to founder and CEO of my own PR firm. But my world did come crashing down when my work visa was denied to travel back to Europe in 2019. I learned that change, while sometimes devastating, almost always has a grand surprise in store. It is our job to find that surprise and use it to reinvent ourselves. – Victoria Kennedy, Victorious PR
3. Resilient Leaders Understand How To Niche Down
When the pandemic happened, Copy House lost 50% of our clients overnight. I needed to find a way for us to survive. I narrowed down our focus to technology and fintech and then invested heavily in these spaces with increased spend in marketing and business development. The experience taught me the value of niching down and hyperfocused messaging, as well as resilience and leadership. – Kathryn Strachan, Copy House
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4. Readers Should See Themselves In Any Narrative
A journalist told me that every time she looks at a story, she considers whether her readers will think “that’s me” or “that could/should be me.” Now, whenever I am developing a narrative for a client, I use that same criteria to evaluate it. It’s so simple, and yet it has saved the world from hundreds of “who cares”/“so what” articles I might have pumped out. – Richard Cook, Champion Communications Ltd
5. It’s Easier To Do Business Above Board
My dad always instilled the value of integrity. So I went into business thinking that everyone operated the same way, which was a costly lesson several times. But overall, it’s just easier to do business above board. Anyone who doesn’t meet that standard needs to be shed from the project quickly. You need to trust your instincts—if it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t. – John Oates, JPO Digital
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6. Success Doesn’t Equal Perfection
Success isn’t perfection; it’s connection. Having a mindset of connection shifts every aspect of our lives and breathes new life into entrepreneurship. Shifting the mindset of emotionally disconnected entrepreneurs into one of connection—both personally and professionally—could start a domino effect that changes every aspect of their lives, and thus, the face of business culture worldwide. – Rodolfo Salazar, QUDOX The agency of the new era
7. Taking Risks Attracts New Energy Into Your Life
Quitting a large organization such as PwC Advisory to start a digital marketing startup from scratch was scary. I remember when I read The Alchemist, a novel by Paulo Coelho, I wanted to try going on my own journey in life. Since being on this entrepreneurial venture for over three years, we have built a 20-person agency, and I have learned that taking risks is a key enabler that attracts new energy into your life. – Tucker Matheson, Markacy
8. Being Seen As A Coach Helps Teams Follow Your Leadership
I learned that being involved and being seen as a coach helps the team follow your leadership and feel a deeper connection to company goals. This led me to establish a great system of setting achievable annual goals for the company and breaking them down into quarterly objectives and key results across each department. – Ally Spinu, USA Link System
9. It Is Always About The People On The Team
Are the people on your team smart? Can they understand complex issues and audiences? Do they have a work ethic, including learning how to take real downtime? And do they play well with others? Finding smart people with balanced lives who are easy to play with is a game changer. – John Davies, Davies Public Affairs
10. You Can’t Be Everything To Your Customers
I am a second-time entrepreneur. My first marketing agency venture 15 years back didn’t succeed, as we tried to be everything to our customers. That didn’t help position us as a value-based partner. Six years ago, when I started out again, I ensured that we focused on a domain and went “inch-wide and mile-deep” in our delivery approach by being a specialist marketing firm for a focused domain. – Nishant Mishra, The Higher Pitch
11. There Is Great Value In Learning To Manage Stress
Stress is electricity, and it pushes a real entrepreneur to do more. When stressed, consider it a positive motivator that will drive you to accomplish more and to work as if your life depends on it. In my experience, stress only made me a better entrepreneur, more prepared for what’s to come. As a result, I became the best version of my entrepreneurial self. – Anto Dotcom, MPT Agency
12. Failure Is The Best Way To Learn And Find Success
Having failed abundantly, the most important thing I’ve learned is to be resilient, bounce back quickly and understand that failure is the best way to learn. Success means treading on unfamiliar ground and taking risks; by failing, you make your next try quicker, easier and more likely to succeed. The key is to remember to learn from your mistakes and not repeat the same ones. – Robert Simpson, PR Associates
13. EQ Is As Important As IQ
Emotional quotient essentially determines self-awareness. It doesn’t matter how intelligent someone is—if they aren’t able to digest emotions (their own and others’), their leadership will be lacking. The EQ of those on your management team will greatly impact their influence in the group. You want a team of people who are able to adapt to turbulence, grow and be authentic together. – Logan Rae, Argon Agency
14. Culture Will Help You Navigate Transitions Better Than Strategy
The right culture–and the right people–will help you navigate the transitions and storms better than any strategy will. There will always be change, growing pains and challenges, but it is less painful if you have a culture that is aligned with your brand’s values and principles. That was a big learning experience for us. Going through it enabled us to pivot and grow in ways we never imagined. – Ted Vaughn, Historic
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
