Everyone is stretched. But that’s when good leaders and curious teams come to the fore. Keep questioning everything, combine with people who are good at what you are not, and push beyond business as usual, says Atomic 212°’s Sylvia Pickering.

I think we can agree that we’re all working hard. People in media agencies are always hustling, whether it’s for clients, or to meet internal goals. Clients are in a tougher place than ever; “do more with less” is a mantra we have all become way too familiar with. It’s not by choice though – clearly everyone would like more money to spend on hitting ever-increasing targets. Likewise internally, while we continue to focus on improving and streamlining processes, we still need to remain ever-present for clients. Striking the right balance can be… tricky.

Amongst all this, it is imperative that we are still producing quality work. Pushing boundaries, exploring the as yet unexplored. Even when everything is going well for clients – sales are good and all is well – we cannot rest on our laurels. Because the tables can turn quickly, and then it will be too late to pull out all those fancy ideas you’ve been sitting on (or hadn’t bothered coming up with).

So, what am I getting at here? Glad you asked.

Fostering an attitude of curiosity will benefit us all as an industry. But for it to work, everyone needs to be on board. And there are different roles to play as a leader of others, or as a team member playing a key role in the delivery of work.

Question everything

Firstly, let’s unpack the notion of “being curious”. It essentially means, ‘pay attention to what you’re doing, and say or do something (preferably do) if you think it could be done better’. I wish I had a buck for every time I heard someone say over the course of my 20-year career, “Ugh, this process is so DUMB”, or “This brief is so BORING”, and then continue to do the same process or response day after day. I’d be richer but still annoyed by it.

I implore everyone to keep asking questions. Ask them of your team, the media, of your clients and of yourself. If you don’t like the way something is being done internally, if it’s too slow or laborious, see if you can come up with a better way. If you’re not a wizard at spreadsheets, find someone on the team who is and ask if they will help. I guarantee you that if you come up with a better way of doing something and share it across the office, it will be well received by EVERYONE.

When working with clients, keep asking questions. As long as the questions are progressing the work and adding value, I am yet to meet a client who is not receptive to this. Just because what you did worked last time, does not mean it will work this time. Just because what you put forward didn’t go ahead once two years ago, doesn’t mean the time isn’t right to try again. Ask what the barriers are and ask if you can help break them.

Doing a report for clients that takes forever and you’re not sure they’re reading it? What do they need it for anyway? Is there something more streamlined you could produce that would be more valuable? Ask which part of the report is most useful for them. Ask who the audience is, and how they like to see numbers. Ask, ask, ask.

And what role can you play as a leader? Engage, encourage and enable.

Try something different

People on your team need to feel comfortable putting ideas forward. Sure, they may not all get up, but if they don’t, give them context as to why, support them for having a go, and encourage them to keep coming up with new ways of doing things.

Help connect team members to make sure the skills are there to make the ideas tangible. When it comes to the client work, take advantage of the fact that you are a step removed from the day-to-day and ask those questions that people may wave off with a “No, they never do that stuff”, or “We tried that once before, but they didn’t go for it”. If we think it’s right to do it now, put it forward with data, skill and confidence, and see what happens. You may be surprised.

“It is what it is” just doesn’t cut it anymore as an answer to, “This feels like a waste of time”. I can 100 per cent guarantee you that your bosses will not be offended if you think the old way of doing something can be improved and you have some ideas as to how.

I can also guarantee that clients would gladly have you spending your time coming up with innovative ways to engage with their audience, rather than spending countless hours on reports that they only read for the one number they have to provide at a meeting with their boss.

So, I implore you, ask questions, take initiative, and be confident. As a leader, engage, encourage and enable. I promise you, everyone will be happier for it.

Article originally published on Mi3.