Yo, creatives. Serious question. What do you do when you're paired with someone you don't really get along with? Tactics to make it better? Any anecdotes?

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Well unfortunately sometimes it's not that easy. Which is why I asked if anyone had experience dealing with this. If you haven't then congratulations. 🙃

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Just to provide a counter-perspective, sometimes you do end up with assholes who wouldn’t be a good partner for anyone. Of course you need to talk it out, but your agency doesn’t want you to be unhappy. And you can be sure you’re not the only one to notice their bad behavior. So of course have a conversation about how you feel (no one can argue with how you feel) and if it doesn’t work, talk to your CD or other manager. You don’t deserve this. And anyone who tells you you need to work with “all kinds of people so figure it out” is not doing their job. That’s total bullshit

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Maybe confront it with a question first to try to get their perspective: how do you feel this partnership is working? Once the discussion is opened, you can use this method to address the more acute concerns as well: how can we work to get things in front of the CDs sooner so that they can help us fight for our work?

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Get a drink together and shoot the shit

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As in: won't answer emails or texts, only works on their own schedule though we have a meeting Monday morning, writes their own copy in situations, foregoes showing work to creative director before going to accounts, dismisses everything I say... Ect.... 😒 I just don't know what to do or how to address it.

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Hey OP. The chances are that he also have a lot of things to complain about you. I've been into this position before. My copywriter would settle for terrible ideas and think that the job was done, he refused to either come up earlier or stay later, and I get that but once you work on a team and your actions impact other people you have to think about that. I was staying late to pick up his slack a lot. And at one point I had only my ideas on a deck writen by me. He got really mad that I wrote the ideas and I had to tell him that he didn't helped come up with the ideas so he didn't need to write them as well. He started to throw all of my own defects on my face. I was really of aware that I was not perfect so I was avoiding this discussion exactly because of that. because I knew that I did stuff that could piss him off as well so I tried to roll over with it but I failed. So talk to him but you might wanna do a self evaluation first so you don't get caught on it by surprise.

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I had this situation at work once. Didn’t get along with my partner. We butted heads. Had different sensibilities. tension built up. I asked my GCD for a new partner.

His response: in advertising we often have to work with people we don’t like or get along with. But it’s up to us to figure out a way to make it work, make good work, and overdeliver on the brief.

Look at it as just another challenge to overcome. Prove you can make it work and add that to your skill set.

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One last thing. When you talk with your partner or, especially, the CD, always make it about the work. “I feel we’re not creating our best work because...” That’s what matters most to the agency, what’s hardest to argue with, and what makes you look the most professional: caring about the client’s and agency’s best interests, not about your own hurt feelings.

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One more thing, OP. You’ll probably have a lot of partners during your career and things will get better. The situation I had happened several years ago when I was just getting started, and I didn’t know how to advocate for myself. It sometimes takes a few terrible partners before you find an amazing one. Another thing you might want to consider if it does get it to the point where you need a new partner: it’s better to be prepared with solutions rather than asking for answers. When I did get a new partner it was because I had brought a buddy’s book to my ECD and got my new partner hired on. It’s always smart to have answers to your problem. “This isn’t working, but can we try out X to see if it’s a better fit?"

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^exactly

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Oof. I would just be straight up with them. If that doesn’t work, get a CD to handle it.

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@acd1 yeah multiple people in the office have pulled me aside asking how its working out, because apparently they haven't worked well with other people in the past, and they've been put on probation (didn't even know that was a thing) due to not paying attention and having terrible time management skills, so I'm just trying to figure out the best way to navigate it. If I can't talk it out with them, I'll go to the CD about it

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Yeah, the work definitely suffers. Thanks so much.

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Ugh OP, I think we might be the same person? I got paired once with someone who was really just a nightmare and everyone knew it. For some reason he was just being shuffled from person to person and after my previous partner left for a new agency I got the bad shift and ended up with this person. It was supposed to be a trial run but it ended up being close to a year. All the same issues you describe and then some more. He was brash and rude to every single person we had to come into contact with. And if I dared try to counter him he would find ways to rip me to shreds. My CDs apologized to me for putting us together, yet never really tried to better the situation. It got to the point that I had severe anxiety thinking about going to work and having to sit at my desk. Multiple meeting with HR. Multiple “we’re working on it” but then they would hire more people in and never look for a new partner for me. It was so bad I ended up getting an ulcer and had to go on multiple prescriptions $$$.

Regarding the oh so simple advice you’re getting on here to just talk to your partner: Yes, I tried talking to him multiple times about our issues. No, it didn’t work because he was insufferable.

Definitely try it. See how it goes. Give it some time. But if it’s anything like what I went through - please don’t give up on YOURSELF. Don’t consent to feeling inferior.

I really hope you can resolve this! Best wishes.

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I had a very nice AD once but who was making us look bad professionally in an amazing career opportunity setting (lazy, sloppy, terrible at all an AD must do except concepting). A creative director from a previous job recommended to me that instead of complaining about him to my bosses I “let him hang himself by his own rope.” The argument being complaining would reflect poorly on me and people would notice his inadequacies. This worked very well actually!

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I really love this thread you guys!! So supportive 🐠 ♄

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I mean. You’re going to be upset about it either way. I suppose it could get worse, but what do you have to lose?

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Very true. I've only worked with them for a little while so maybe it'll be okay

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It's not that we can't get things in front of the CDs, this person just doesnt see the point, and had a heightened sense of authority for some reason. And I'm fighting for my writing to them word for word. Which obviously gets frustrating.

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Just fucking talk to them. If you have concerns just talk about them. Ugh. Gee. Huh. Omg

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