Culture, people, organisational structure, meerkats & agency growth
Issue #63
I’ve been fascinated this week by a couple of posts looking at agency culture and people management – arguably the bed rock of success for any firm. If you have the right team and the right culture, success will follow. Linked to this is the ongoing revolution that is AI and so a post looking at the organisational transformation agencies must go through seems well timed. Survival, growth and common sense also feature in this issue with great insights comparing nature with agency outlook, maintaining client relationships through smart questions, and ensuring the right decisions on when to pitch are made. Wrapping everything up is a link to a comprehensive growth guide that includes a contribution from yours truly.
Intrigued? Then read on and please do follow all the original post authors as they routinely share compelling insights and opinions which combine to make our lives richer! Thank you to everyone for their intellectual generosity.
And I should say that as you are reading this on a Tuesday, it’s not because of yesterday’s UK public holiday. I have opted to change the publication date and also the frequency of The Agency Advisory having listened to advice which suggests that Tuesday is an optimum day to publish, and fortnightly is the right frequency of post. Let me know what you think about this and if the readership demand something different, I will of course revert!
Sorting the stars from the bad apples
Great agencies are built by highly functioning teams bound together by a shared vision and a strong culture. Equally, great agencies can unravel when a few poorly made recruitment choices unintentionally undermine the fabric through toxic energy, low commitment, and perhaps low capability. This is the message Adam Greenwood shares in his post that reveals how he spotted the A-players and the bad apples in his agency of 50+ people. Using a simple 2x2 matrix, Adam plotted each person according to competence and commitment and used the results to assess his team as the agency grew.
Check out the details of the simple framework used by Adam in his post here:
Why you should put culture ahead of your business strategy
Here’s an interesting view from Richard Goold who states that culture matters more than business strategy in consulting firms. His argument is based on the simple fact that people are the primary asset in any consulting business and so it is culture that makes the business strategy become a reality. His list of reasons why culture is so important is accurate and compelling. “Culture holds teams together when projects go off course and it’s the reason why people go the extra mile.” Richard adds that culture is the “reason great people choose you – and stay.” His post goes on to details what sets strong culture apart and how culture drives growth. He ends with what I feel is a great guiding principle: “Strategy sets the direction. Culture shapes the journey and determines who stays with you along the way.”
Check out Richard’s post here:
AI is more than a technological revolution – it’s organisational
Just last week I wrote about how agencies need to rebuild around AI, citing opinion from Gareth Healey . This week I’m drawn to a post that explores an aspect that’s often overlooked – and that is the effect AI is having on leadership and organisational structure. This was the central thesis of a recent webinar featuring Nigel Russell and Lorna McDowell of Xenergie and AI trainer and consultant, Rob van Alphen in partnership with Folgate Advisors that focused on the issues Communications and PR agencies are facing.
The top line summary is that as leaders grapple with the implications of AI adoption, the conversation has shifted dramatically from whether to implement AI to how to harness its potential for competitive advantage. This shift recognises that transformation is no longer optional, but it is essential for survival and differentiation. In his blog, Nigel Russell summarises the leadership competencies along with the organisational transformation requirements, agencies must embrace and provides practical next steps to help agencies move forward.
Check out Nigel’s advice here:
How to avoid the wind-down conversation with project clients
From working with many agencies, I am seeing an increasing trend toward project activity as clients exert tighter control on budgets. In this environment, upselling is key to extend the length of the client relationship. Agency churn physician Max Traylor wrote on this topic last week, stating that great client relationships have never been more important. His view is that it's not just about the revenue but about the depth of the relationship.
Asking the right questions at the outset and demonstrating awareness of the business challenges you are being brought into address will change the nature of the engagement, positioning you as a strategic partner and not just a transactional supplier. His advice is that you must create a strategic roadmap of initiatives from the outset to avoid the “wind-down” conversation once the project comes towards the end.
Check out how to have that conversation via Max’s post here:
Be a meerkat not a spider to survive
This analogy was given by fellow agency advisor, Simon Quarendon during a round table event in Liverpool for agency owners. Quite simply, Simon explained that Meerkats, face outwards scanning the environment looking for opportunities and threats, whereas spiders sit at the centre of their web rarely moving and reacting to the slightest movement. This is such a simple yet appropriate piece of advice that I will now shamelessly pass on (attributing it of course to my good friend Q). It is of course not all the wisdom that Simon passed on during that event but to find out more, visit his LinkedIn post – link below:
Here's Simon’s report from the event:
The unofficial guide to the LinkedIn algorithm
I’m as guilty as the next person for falling for the "Comment GUIDE for the ultimate LinkedIn algorithm hack"... that appears with increasing regularity in my feed. And that’s why this week, I’m highlighting this Guide by Christopher Penn from @Trustinsights simply because it was flagged and by AU guru Andrew Bruce Smith and I notice has been liked by Jesper Andersen – another AI expert I follow and respect.
Find Chris’ post here with the download link:
When to walk away from that hot lead
Yes, I know this has been covered many times before, but I will keep on reiterating the importance of applying robust qualification processes to help you win the right clients and to avoid the time suck of pitching for the wrong ones. This checklist from growth expert Ben Potter gives you eight signs you need to be looking for when qualifying that hot lead. Check them out, take Ben’s advice, slow down, don’t be afraid of asking the tough questions, and only pitch when you feel confident and comfortable that you’re making the right decision.
Ben’s post and that checklist is here:
The Agency Growth Book
For the past two years, I've been asked to contribute a chapter to The Agency Growth Book, collated by Agency Growth Events and edited by Dr. Baris Onay and Jonathan Leafe. The 200 page guide is free to download and can be found here: https://bit.ly/3FjdioY
If you've not come across this before, it's a comprehensive collection of chapters provided by more than 30 experts covering topics that include:
➡️ Leadership & Personal Growth — from becoming an Agency CEO to catalytic leadership and resilience.
➡️ Agency Positioning, Marketing & Sales — how to sharpen your USP, stand out in the market, and master sales pipelines.
➡️ Operations, Culture & Teams — building solid foundations, managing teams effectively, and driving performance.
➡️ Innovation & Technology — harnessing AI, digital transformation, and the latest tools to scale faster.
➡️ Strategy, Scaling & Exit Planning — setting the right strategy, avoiding common growth pitfalls, and preparing for a successful exit.
➡️ Specialised Models & Sectors — insights from non-profit agencies to rocket-ship growth stories.
My own contribution is looking at Sales, using my 5Ps metholdogy and pointing toward the Sales Scorecard that provides a snapshot of an agency's level of sales fitness. You can find the Scorecard here: https://bit.ly/49J6x92
The ful list of contributors is: Brent Weaver, Chris Bantock, Chris Rudolph, Claire Hutchings, Clair Heaviside, Denise Beaupre, Felix Velarde, Freia Muehlenbein, Haley Despard, Henry Regan, Jhana Li, Janusz Stabik, Jason Swenk, Jonathan Leafe, Karl Sakas, Kobi Gamliel, Laura West, Louise Turner, Chartered PR, Marcel Petitpas, Martin Barnes, Nikki Gatenby, Oded Ouaknine, Rachel Nulman-Schapiro, Robert Da Costa 🟣, Robert Craven, Robin Bonn, Roland Gurney, Rory Spence, Simon Bollon, Stephen Kenwright, Tom Mcloughlin, Trenton Moss 👋, Vlad Caluș, 🎙️William C. Attaway
