December 01, 2014
At a time of year when pressure is mounting for our teams and our clients are pushing to get projects done by year-end, it’s important to encourage employees to maintain work/life balance and to let them know that they are valued. How many of us have said to ourselves, “we aren’t solving world …
November 24, 2014
In the sports world, there are injuries in almost every game. When those injuries are substantial enough for a player to miss time from the game, the best teams have another player who is prepared to step in and fill the role. Every Sunday, NFL coaches talk about the next man up being ready and how …
November 19, 2014
An effective leader is often defined by his or her professional accomplishments, corporate values and management style. However, the most effective leaders I’ve worked with recognize that they are only as good as the teams they are leading. In a world of globalization, innovation, technology and …
November 17, 2014
Did you know that these six LEGO bricks can be configured into 950,000 different combinations? Neither did we—until last week’s IHAF Conference, that is. In fact, we learned a lot over the course of the two-day event from leadership challenges to organizational strategies to techniques for rapid- …
November 11, 2014
You wouldn’t think of embarking on a new ad campaign or product launch without the benefit of a well-crafted strategy. Yet many internal agencies think nothing of continuing to grow without the benefit of a purpose-driven organizational strategy. The reality is that a lot of in-house teams have …
October 28, 2014
One of, if not the hottest topic within in-house agency management circles today is the question: to charge or not to charge?
This month at IHAF, we’ve been focusing on in-house agency performance. And while the measures of performance are many, for in-house agencies in particular, cost savings is …
October 22, 2014
Measuring your in-house agency’s performance is critical. To deliver ongoing value to the businesses you support, you must understand and be able to quantify your team’s effectiveness and your clients’ satisfaction. It’s also essential to know how your team is progressing over time and how they …
October 15, 2014
You’ve probably heard the expression “change or die.” One of the reasons change can be scary is because performance can suffer during the transition. So how can you maintain high standards of performance during times of corporate uncertainty?
At American Bible Society, we have been engaged in a …
July 02, 2014
When we think of the stereotypical agency environment, images of Ping-Pong tables, lava lamps and overstuffed fluorescent chairs come to mind. Sure, outside agencies may have more freedom when it comes to furniture choices and paint colors, but that shouldn’t condemn in-house interiors to be …
May 19, 2014
A number of years ago, when I was at Bose, we embarked on a transformative journey—a journey to eradicate 51/49 thinking. What is 51/49? It’s a term we used to characterize the balance of power between the in-house agency and its clients. On one hand when you’re in house, you all work for the same …