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Hi, I'm leaving Citi in 2 months.It's hard to make this decision. I have an offer from a small startup.In citi, my previous experience was not considered and was reskilled to different tech which is the reason for change.I don't like to exit citi. As I like the company so much.But considering my current knowledge,I am in the middle of the sea.I am afraid now that the new company's offer would be revoked due to this recession?Or can I take back my resignation in citi before the last working day.Is this wise decision?
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I delegate, drink, smoke and understand it’s just a job. We ain’t curing cancer. The world won’t end.
How do you eat an elephant?
Take the pressure off yourself. Accept that every challenge/problem and complaint does not have to be answered or solved immediately. Force yourself not to attempt to tackle everything as it occurs. Start to manage the flow and build time in between each for yourself. Go to the gym.
Get your team to understand the flow. That you are managing a multitude of issues and tasks. Acknowledge that their issue will be addressed, but they’re in the queue, they’ve got a number.
Give them a rough idea on when you will be able to dedicate time to their issue. Build your flow. Manage your time. But always get back to them. Follow through.
Anyone who relies on idgaf, weed or drink as tools or management style will eventually be regarded as the incompetent hack manager they are.
Save the weed for after hours, your time.
this. simple prioritization goes a long way in reducing overwhelm with the day-to-day.
(try the eisenhower matrix)
Weed
Once you realize none of it matters it gets a whole lot easier.
I set boundaries. With clients first, then my management, and finally for my team. It is easy to get lost in endless stress if there is no hard stop. By saying 7PM is hard stop, I set the expectations everywhere effectively and then just log off. There are days where this won’t work, but that’s the exception, not the norm.
The art of idgaf
Get a new job at an agency that will pay u more to do less.
Get out of advertising. Commiserating with peers who are still in the pit should tell you there’s an unhealthy dynamic in the industry. You are more than a role in an agency. Your skillset an talents are desirable in higher paying roles, especially client side. Abusing your mental health each day for a paycheck is not a job, it’s a health crisis.
Sorry to sound so 5 years ago (and optimistic!) but the problem with advertising is that the business model really is fundamentally broken. Unless we find a way to re-ascribe fair value to creative work instead of just overpromising ever-faster execution and an ever-greater volume of output for lower and lower fees (a downward spiral that will only get worse as digital channels continue to multiply like Gremlins), it will only get worse year over year. Agencies will need younger and younger and cheaper and cheaper labour in order to stay afloat. Managers can pay lip service to having empathy and being fair and whatnot, but in reality the sheer weight of this thoroughly busted business model crushes everyone. And that’s not even getting into consultancies and tech and in-house capabilities eating our lunch.
Above all, unless you own an agency, your ROI in this career is incredibly low. Most agencies do nothing to invest in people — there’s barely even any RRSP matching out there. And agencies wonder why turnover is so high and loyalty is so low, why people jump from shop to shop, treating agencies as just type of commodity companies that they mostly are. There’s little to keep anyone at any one agency. People just keep jumping in hopes of finding better working conditions. Usually, they just find a slightly better beer cart. There is nothing sticky from a retention standpoint for anyone below ownership.
In other words, just get out. 🙂 Especially if you’re young and have the benefit of investible time, course correct now and get into another business. Making advertising is not the noble, higher calling that the narrative we create inside of the industry purports it to be (this BS devotional text — as well as awards — largely serves to keep creative egos motivated you amenable to the giant pitfalls inherent in the business). It’s not worth everything you wind up sacrificing. The best favour your can do for yourself now is to not set yourself up in a position where you only see all this in retrospect, when you’re at the age of 50 and contending with advertising’s ageism problem.
Preach.
Feels like I could've written this. I have no advice but hope we'll both make it out alive.
There no avoiding it at agencies unfortunately. Wish the model could be changed.
I’m a CD,granted it was 50 years ago but I can relate . Grab some YOU time every day Make sure to take a 30 minute linch awY from your desk. You may not get it every dsay.
Sorry for any typos. Too sick to care
And always take a pen and notebook with you do it ‘s billsble but font bring any folders.
D o you know where the best ideas come from. From NOT thinking about things. You will do your best work Good luck.
I’m suffering from the exact same issues. Pressure from below and on top. It’s been much harder the 2nd half of this year. I came to this thread for support and advice. Love what ECD 1 wrote.
First off, I feel you. Secondly, I have friends in other industries and the stress is similar. This isn’t just agency life. The higher you go, the bigger the problems are. For self preservation, set your boundaries. No one else will do that for you. That’s important bc it protects you and also sets the tone for the team that it’s okay to say no. This is important. Listen and learn which battles to pick. Sometimes the noisiest fights are the most frivolous. Don’t react. Start your day with control. Carve out an hour for you. It will slowly go out of control throughout your day but at least you started it with purpose. Set an end time. Maybe not everyday but more days than not. Or it becomes too much, look for another role but don’t quiet quit. You’ll only let your team down and degrade your reputation. People will remember you for being true and fierce. Good luck.
What’s the agency? Feel free to DM me.
For those who left advertising, is it actually any better or is that a “grass is greener” sort of thing? What have you given up or what unexpected things/bargains have you experienced in that transition?
The pace, grind, and how high expectations are more unique to advertising (and perhaps slavery). There are no bargains. If you thrive in a pressurized environment that demands validation, client-side may not get you there. There generally isn’t a production mindset that threatens your livelihood if a client, per say, leaves/doesn’t choose you, outside of advertising. But vulnerability to layoffs exists everywhere. If the idea of farming out big ideas to agencies is repulsive to you, you may want that stay agency side.
Suggest you have some reset conversations with the other senior leaders you mention and your team. Could be to address big things like your responsibility in those types of situations, or smaller things like setting expectations about responsiveness to give yourself some relief. Decide on a few things to change, share those with ppl you work with and see how those work for you for the next month.
CBD.
Big believer in the ‘delegation epiphany’ - no rhyme of reason when it happens for someone but it at some point, the idea of spending 30 minutes briefing someone (or feeding back) will suddenly make more sense than spending more time doing it yourself (or resenting the 30mins)… the one thing I’ve seen as a commonality in when it happens is getting to where you are now - taking on less so you can manage, mentor and support more.