Working in agencies has both ups and downs, and Todd Hansen, Principal at O'Malley Hansen Communications, believes we need to reflect more on what we love about agency life. Building a successful, long-term agency career requires a specific skillset — some constant and some constantly evolving — and a particular mindset. Todd discusses the exciting challenges and changes our talent has seen in the last five years, some that are likely to come in the next five, and the responsibilities of leaders to guide talent through them.

Andy Last, co-founder of MullenLowe salt, can easily be called a purpose specialist. Since 2000, he has advised some of the world's biggest companies and most iconic brands on integrating purpose and sustainability into their business models. The geopolitical landscape, abundant climate change crises, citizen journalism, and employee activism are forcing corporations to take a stance on sustainability and transparency. “Businesses that understand their relationship with society and manage their external impact…will grow better as businesses,” Andy says. Hear his advice for avoiding the traps of “purpose and green-washing,” thoughts on attracting and keeping young talent, and conviction that purpose work is here to stay.

After successful careers in print and broadcast news and politics, Ron Sachs decided to open an agency – this despite his mother’s concerns that he “didn’t know anything about business.”  Twenty-three years later, Ron has proven himself a masterful businessman who often flouts conventional agency wisdom. Sachs Media Group manages to serve both Democratic and Republican interests, a balancing act that’s not achieved by many. For his team, the focus is on supporting good policies, brands and services. Lately, he has been putting capable young talent in leadership positions and backing them up with seasoned pros who are happy to play supporting, collaborative roles.  “If we don’t advance young stars quickly into meaningful leadership positions, we risk losing them to other opportunities.” Learn more about how Ron zigs while others zag in this week’s podcast…

Nineteen deals in, Peter Finn, founding managing partner of Finn Partners, has learned to quickly spot M&A opportunities that are going to work. Finn says, “Having the right culture – or ability to fit in -- is key to a deal’s success.” That’s critical for this fast-growing, nine-year-old agency that is committed to having a heart and a conscience. Evidence that he’s making the right decisions is the feedback from the agencies he’s acquired, which is typically, “Best decision I ever made.”

Heather Kernahan, President of Hotwire, North America and Australia, took a break from hands-on brand-building for Hotwire from her San Francisco base to take an epic trip over the summer.  From her first stop, first-time visit to Cannes, to office visits in the UK and Australia, an all employee meeting in Dublin and a final stop in New York, Heather shares the energy and learnings that come from stepping out of your norm.  According to Heather, the way those factors contribute to world-class work -- and intensive community building -- are why Hotwire continues to invest in bringing its worldwide employee base together once a year.

What’s the protocol for vetting whether or not a prospect is right for the firm?  According to Jon Silvan, founder and CEO of Global Strategy Group, the considerations should be whether the firm’s talent will be proud to say they work on that client, the relationship can be profitable, the agency can win the pitch, and the work will have a successful outcome. “We look for clients that our talent wants to work on because recruiting and retaining great people is too difficult to risk losing them.”

Agencies of the Future need to own earned media and earn owned media, according to James Wright, CEO of Red Havas. Hear more about how he is transforming the agency through a model he calls Merged Media, which starts with the story, not the channel.  This focus on what he calls "borderless stories" reflects how people consume media today and creates a great opportunity for PR.

According to Cheryl Overton, President of Egami Group, the firm has been undergoing an evolution and a revolution over the past year. Fueling Egami’s growth are new services, capabilities and client business. Overton explains that passion for the work and a strong sense of gratitude are what sets this multicultural agency apart, and she says it flows from the top: the founder and CEO brings these qualities every single day. Listen in as she shares more about what it means to believe in your passions and make work work for you. A veteran of general market and multicultural agencies, she also offers practical advice for every professional to contribute to making our industry more diverse and inclusive.

In this episode, Michelle Strier, Chief Strategy Officer of Spectrum, shares her fascination with the science of happiness. As a mother with a big job in a demanding area of business, she has unlocked the key to making it work and work well. She likes to help colleagues think about what would make them happier at work. Flexibility is one of the answers, and Michelle shares lots of different ways to apply it. 

In the category of agency leaders who do it all and manage to make it look easy Sandra Fathi, President & Founder of Affect, reveals her tricks for balancing a successful agency life alongside a fulfilling family life. She also shares some of her favorite mantras and bets on where the PR business is headed.