I’m new at a small shop and we just made a piece of work that ticks a lot of boxes- the client is happy, everyone worked hard despite a lot of curveballs out of our control.

Unfortunately it’s not good. It could have been but it’s not. It’s not really our agency teams fault, but how do I let them know we need to raise the bar in the future while still being appreciative of the outsized effort from every department?

Just like that.

Is there anything within this work that can be used as a stepping stone? Like let’s say the concept is solid but execution made it “not good.” Praise that concept but “now all we need to do is follow through on execution.” (Or whatever it is if not concept. There had to be SOMETHING working creatively beyond hard work.)

What I’d do is praise the behaviors and efforts you witnessed that you liked, while at the same time being clear that the work itself isn’t where it should be.

This isn’t the time to tell everyone their work sucks. This is the time to be a leader/mentor/teacher.

It’s going to be a journey, and it sounds like the team just doesn’t understand where the bar is yet. Maybe they’ve never been there before.

So it’s the job of anyone inside that agency who knows good from bad to teach that. Set the ambition for the work, make clear the behaviors and attitudes that will get you there, praise the right behaviors, try to correct the bad behaviors, and be very clear on what good looks like.

And be realistic with people. Not everything is going to be great, and you’re going to make some stuff you’re not proud of. That’s life.

But everyone has to know what good is, and how to get there. That’s non-negotiable.

Once people know that, it’s easy to have really constructive conversations around the work.

As a CD and leader, you should look to inspire your teams and agency. Telling them that the work isn’t up to your standards is not the way. Instead, I would capitalize on the good vibes and momentum this project has created and challenge everyone to do even better next time. And know that it won’t happen overnight. Developing criteria in a team takes time and is very subjective, but that's why you are a CD.

We should never finish a project and feel it is good. That keeps us hungry and motivated to always create something better than what we have already done. The day we say, “damn, we nailed that shit, we are the greatest” is the day we should look for a new profession.

Your question contains its own answer. Tell the team the client was pleased with their hard work but you believe they can do better and share a few examples of what could have been done better. If the client was happy, don't browbeat the team. Let them know that it is always good to strive for improvement and professional growth. You don't want to coddle them either. As their director their success determines yours.

Huge believer in honesty and transparency. I just ran into a situation just like this. Commended the team for the ability to meet the ask and get the work to where it needed to make the client happy in a painless/seamless way, but also let them know the bar was set really low. These were the type of clients that were not going to go for brave work but rather safe work (we showed brave work the first round and heard the feedback that it was, despite being on strategy, "too creative"). We got through the process and just had a creative meeting about it. You can be transparent and give honest feedback without being a jerk about it. You can't fix what you don't know is broken and this was a case of learning you go in with brave work and it takes an entire team to keep it from getting watered down and even then when clients are paying the bill you either hold true to your principles and say "no we are not doing that" or you make the client happy and write that as a missed opportunity that was beyond your control.

Here’s the truth as I see it, you work at McDonalds. Your dream is to one day work at a Michelin star restaurant. Don’t try to turn McDonald’s into Le Bernardin. You will piss off your customers and your fellow employees- and burn yourself out in the process. Do what you gotta do to get that job with Daniel Boulud, but don’t try serving Coc Au Vin to someone who ordered a Quarter pounder with cheese. Capisce?

I also think you can take some of this on your shoulder when speaking to your team— it’s your job too. And I don’t mean that you should all feel terrible, but — it’s something every single person should be working on. It’s ok for one mediocre piece to come out, let the next one blow everyone away so they can see what you are all capable of.

Lots of great advice here. Thank you all. Love when this app is actually helpful.

We all kill our darlings in this business. Try to focus on the aspects of it that still shine, and be proud of them. Also, just because amazing aspects of the work did not end up seeing the light of day, it does not mean it did not exist. Be sure to keep an eye on the success metrics as the campaign rolls out. You might think it is not on par with what you wanted, but that does not always mean it won’t accomplish what was intended. Consumers will be the true judge of what works and what does not.

Unfortunately someone's gotta be a pain. I tend to annoy teammates, because I push for quality and push the work and am a bit relentless about it. If you're not, the group will always steer to mediocrity. You really need at least one person that's willing to be bold and fight. It should clearly be you!

You don't.