What are agency politics? Like favoritism on who gets the best briefs?

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Politics in an organization is a broad term that refers to how the way everyone feels about each other influences their interactions and their approach to their responsibilities.

It's human nature to want to support, defend, and champion people we like, and take down and root against people we don't. Being well-liked or broadly disliked will influence how you move through your career, not necessarily in concrete ways, but in the little conversations people have in their heads with themselves when working with you.

Boss doesn't like you? He'll have less patience with your ideas. He'll put in slightly less time trying to help you. He won't go out of his way to make sure you're supported the way he would for someone he really connects with.

Layoffs come and CEO has to choose between you and the other, less good CW he loves to play golf with. He might not make the hard decision he really has to make and let go of his friend.

CD and Producer don't see eye-to-eye, but you need them both to engage in a project? You're now the middle child of this family, and you need them both to want support you even if they don't support each other. You have to manage your relationship with both of them so that they still see you as on their side. If you're not good at doing that, you might have a real shit show on your hands.

In an organization full of human beings, decisions are driven by business logic much less, and emotional and personal reasons much more than anyone cares to admit. Put 40 people in a place, and you get 1600 individual relationships, all developing day-in and day-out, potentially for years, and they play a tremendous role in how people perform, feel about your company, and what you can ultimately accomplish.

We all like to think it's all about hard work and talent. But we work in an industry where we often need each other's help. And you need people to WANT to help you. That's politics.

Damn, I should be a founder.

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.... layer in unconscious bias and bigotry, and it is completely understandable why diversity is such an issue in our industry. Some folks come in at such a deficit that they never really had a chance .....

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Uhhh you’re gonna need to tell us why you’re a founder asking that question before any of us do a bunch of professional-emotional labor for you

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Gotcha thanks!

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Why did they get this brief? Why did their idea get picked? Why did they get to go on the shoot? Why is account just rolling over for the client? Why does creative not stay on brief? Why did this guy get hired? Why are there no black people? Why is my partner leaving while I still have to do all the work? Why is my CD asking me to work the weekend? Why did this person say that to the client? Why is this client such an asshole to everyone? Why is this client not an asshole to me? Does my manager hate me? Does my manager talk this way about me when I’m not around? This CMO is a hack. I hate our parent company. Why does the recruiter keep giving me bad books to look at? Do we have the budget for this? Why did we approve this? Did you do your timesheet? Why did someone bring peanut butter cookies?

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I think a lot of people nailed it with their replies. My only build is that politics differs agency to agency. It’s not a one size fits all

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