Agency Owners — No Rest For The Weary?
| Owning, leading or even just working in an agency is a fantastic gig. You get to be surrounded by wicked smart, witty, committed teammates, you get to save the day for clients on a regular basis and let’s face it, the work is fun most days.
We are lucky. Damn lucky. But we are also tired. Along with all of those privileges comes the worry of keeping the sales pipeline full, dealing with the human side of your team and clients (which can be both joyful and tragic as we all walk out our lives together) and long, arduous days (and nights, and weekends….).
We work at a pace that is fast and furious, shifting from one client to the next and often working weird and long hours. That is unsustainable without giving yourself some respite. But we’re not so good about giving ourselves that break. It’s not about taking a vacation or a long weekend or just not checking email for 24 hours — it’s about survival. Back when I was a kid in the business (call me 30 or so) I remember one of my mentors saying “This is a young man’s game, Drew.” And that was before the 24/7 connectivity we have now. I think he was both right and wrong. Our chosen profession does require an incredible amount of energy and passion but that’s not about being young. It’s about recognizing that it’s an endurance sport and we have to train and plan for that. Here’s my challenge to you — when was the last time you didn’t check email for 24 hours? When was the last time you took 5 workdays off (in a row!) and played as hard as you work? Who (family, friends) are you not getting enough of in your life? If you don’t like the answer to those questions — fix it. And then go to your 2018 calendar and schedule some breaks for yourself. Re-fill your bucket so you don’t come up empty. This post courtesy of Drew McLellen, Chairman & CEO at AMI, Agency Management Institute and President of his agency McLellan Marketing Group
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