How I Work, Part 1: The Culture of Inclusion

Good ideas come from anywhere. I used to work for a fairly large ad agency that had an Executive Creative Director that started out at the agency 20 years earlier as a mailroom clerk. Back in his day, agencies were siloed. If you weren't a "creative", you were a nobody. They didn't care about whatever ideas you had and they certainly didn't want you sticking your nose into their creative process.

This guy would come in everyday at 6am, 3 hours early, to go through the creative briefs and look at all the creative concepts. During regular business hours, he would always ask the creative director if he could pitch him a concept. After a several rejections, he finally got his wish. "We'll include your idea in our account pitch, and if the client likes yours, then we'll bring you on the team."

Well, you know how this story ends. The guy is now an Executive Creative Director now at the same agency. He is a shining example that a good idea can come from anywhere, and that's why I'm all about building a culture of inclusion.

---How I Work---

Whenever I have a creative brainstorming meeting, the meeting has an open door policy. If you walk by the conference room and see we're talking about something that you think is cool or interesting, you're always allowed to sit in. My only ask is that you contribute. 

The idea is that it's always good to have an outside perspective on things...and you never know where a good idea is going to come from. Even if a particular idea isn't right for the project we're working on, you never know where that particular thought journey and discussion will lead. 

When you limit the people that can contribute creatively to a project, you truly limit the potential a project has to shine.

I should note that meetings where confidential IP or sensitive materials are discussed are very closed door. Outside of this, a culture of inclusion and collaboration is one of the key fundamentals that are present at any industry leading and innovative company.