Any notion of exiting a global pandemic (hello Hong Kong) and entering a gentler, recovery 2022 should by now be clear.
Hard and Fast.
Welcome.
I sat in a meeting earlier this week with a well-known economist who said he has never seen countries react so hard and fast to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Just one twitter feed screenshot of a timelines shows just how hard and fast things are moving. And as we learned from Covid, what happens in one place affects us all.
So right now, your clients will be looking at political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental and financial impacts.
Or. If you want to be extra. You will be looking at those for clients.
The pandemic made us more insular (where possible) and less reliant on eg global supply chains. But what is happening in Ukraine adds more layers of complexity.
So if I were you I would look immediately at your client base to see:
· What campaigns need to be pulled / amplified and why?
· What client strategies need to be amended /tweaked / discussed and why?
· Should your client be adding their voice and opinion, to whom and why?
· Should there be some closed door meetings happening?
· Should there be some movements activated?
In time of trouble, as we saw in 2020, the most common reaction is to stop / cancel / pause on projects. So we / clients can ascertain where we are at. If that happens or is happening to you: take a deep breath and go with it.
If you have been smart with the clients and projects you have taken on in the past two years, you will be busier than ever. Take a deep breath and go with it. And as always, my mantra, if you can simply deliver, on time, on strategy, and within budget - you will be light years ahead of the rest.
What am I doing at KAMuses?
I am saying no.
No to clients with no appetite for change. No to clients who operate in chaos and who can’t be bothered to even answer an email. No to four projects that will mean I will spend more time explaining, defending, motivating, meeting, meeting and meeting. No to suppliers or service providers that don’t understand or respect my mantra.
So that I create space for the yes. Because it’s coming.
Let’s talk boundaries.
In 2020, when it became clear that we were dealing with a global pandemic and the world was forever changed, and that people were going to panic, I made myself available.
So yes, there were many bizarre moments: from a client needing a quote at 9pm on a Friday, to a client needing to brief me at 4pm on a Sunday, to my personal best: a client whatsapping me at midnight on a Saturday. I think she thought she was sending me an email.
In 2021 I started carving those boundaries back and even ring fenced Friday afternoons. Which took many, many, many failed attempts before it got through. I still hold, that anyone who needs anything on a Friday afternoon is indicative of:
1. How low you are on their priority list and
2. Their bad planning
But now, here we are, in yet another unprecedented time (yes I said it) that will have repercussions. And so here are some of my boundary examples from the past few weeks:
· “At 5pm on a Friday? When we discussed this at 11am? No.”
· “We have a weekly status meeting on a Tuesday. Not sure why you need clarity on Friday at 3pm. Let’s chat Tuesday.”
· “As per tracker, I am unavailable.”
· “As discussed, I am in meetings until 1pm every day this week. I will call you after 2pm.”
· And if you respond to a three week old email wanting a quick response? Well …
· And if you send me an email asking me to same day check something that has been with you for 3 weeks (I can see the email trail) – well …
My rules of response: 24hrs.
And I apply that across all platforms: emails, calls, whatsapps, DM’s etc
Immediate responses on things I need time to think on are no longer acceptable.
In the same vein: if you take 3 weeks to respond to me, it invariably means I will need to start from scratch and remind you of the context, thinking, rationale. I am not about that life. Or those projects. I am high impact, not paper pushing.
Last but not least.
As I watch history unfold (again), I think often of my wonderful history teacher at Germiston High, Mrs Wrigley. I can’t remember ever opening a textbook in her class. She would perch on a desk, her hands clasped in front of her, and for an hour, she would tell us a story. She would weave in the characters, the complexities, the intrigue. It was the most brilliant way to learn.
And that is what we remember. Not an isolated song. Or an outrageous tweet. It is the story about Riky Rick. The story about the grandmother with sunflower seeds. The story of a new leader.
Relook your campaigns now. What is the story? Does it have a visual component? An anecdote? Good context? Can you perch on a desk and take us along for 2-3mins?
The less sanitised version of this newsletter will be discussed on Instagram stories today.
Do join me there.
KA