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$\"Gravatar\"$ You must really hate those anthropology people,do you Bob?
Grant McCracken should be worried!
garp | 07.13.09 - 5:25 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ TAC, your post made me think of Jim Collins' classic book, Good to Great. Isn't it also possible that these founders were truly talented Level 4 leaders, that never moved into Level 5 leadership and never put the right people in place to succeed them?

Global agencies offer lots of other issues. There's only one institution with more bureaucracy than a BDA and that's government.
Wade | 07.13.09 - 10:07 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ When I first started working, my mother gave me the sage advice to look at a company leader to see what kind of company I'd be working for.

I agree that a leader should have a specific talent, but--from my meagre experience--what really screws things up is having a leader leave, then expecting employees to do a 180 and follow the new leader. The head butting and exasperation and frustration that follow create total havok--and then things start to unravel.
Teenie | Homepage | 07.13.09 - 12:10 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Maybe, as the book 'the starfish and the spider\" suggests, it's about norms rather than rules and principles. If an organization can develop norms it may live longer than it's superbly talented initiator/creator/leader and the closest followers.
tore | Homepage | 07.13.09 - 1:07 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ I've always felt that an ad agency should be run by an advertising guy -- and a really, really good one. Not an MBA or an accountant.

I know, I know. Silly of me.
Christopher Simpson | Homepage | 07.13.09 - 2:25 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Being extremely good at something specific applies to more than the lines of succession in ad agencies. It applies to most every aspect of business and perhaps life.

As a director, when I want to shoot underwater, I hire the best underwater DP I can find, not the best DP who happens to have a dive card. When I want steak, I go to a steak house, not a good restaurant that happens to serve steak. And when I want a perspective on the advertising business, I read the Ad Contrarian's blog, not the blog of some other smart person who might occasionally have an opinion about the ad business.

There's only room for one or two General Motorses, but gazillions of opportunities to exploit a niche. I wish airlines, car companies, banks, and ad agencies understood this.

--Brian
http://60secdirector.blogspot.com
Brian Belefant | Homepage | 07.13.09 - 3:14 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Why did my RSS feed pick today to act up? I could have used this article during a TWO HOUR call I had to endure today on Values, one of which is Excellence. To me, Excellence is not having two hour calls on values.

@ TAC, please pardon the anonymity, in this case to protect the innocent $\"\"$
Anonymous | 07.13.09 - 3:28 pm | #

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