Hiring people better than yourself

Among the many important things that the legendary adman David Ogilvy wrote, this is one of the best:

“Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine.”*

I’ve always endeavoured to do this, not always successfully, of course. (Indeed one or two of you may even read this.)

It does seem important enough to take on board at a personal level. Of course, this takes a certain amount of courage and self-belief. But then if we lack those qualities, we’re in trouble anyway, sooner or later.

And then it’s good to talk to HR about it. We know from research that they are usually on a quite different page. It’s of particular importance if you need innovation and creativity living within your organization.

Now I notice that it’s also the mantra within Google. They are currently worth tons more than the business that Ogilvy started. It’s the centenary of David Ogilvy’s birth this year. Let’s see if Google lasts as long.

*From his Confessions of an Advertising Man of 1963. Aside from its now unacceptable (though unconscious) sexism, it’s still worth reading, carefully.

Pitching Schweppes

We were pitching the Schweppes business against JWT and Ogilvy. The bluest of blue-chip accounts at the time. (Where are they now?)

It was the first really important new business opportunity after the merger of Saatchi & Saatchi with Garland-Compton. I was leading a mixed team from both agencies - another first.

We had some terrific creative work – and an excellent presentation. So now to get down to rehearsal.

“No,” said managing director, Tim Bell (above, now Lord Bell), he wouldn’t be able to rehearse with us. Just too busy. And he didn’t.

So on the morning of the pitch, the clients settled in the meeting room (led by the redoubtable Keith Holloway), I went to pick up Tim from his office.

“Tell me about it,” he said. I briefed him in about forty-five seconds, the time it took to walk to the meeting room. And we walked in.

The presentation went like clockwork – and Tim blew them away with his deep grasp of the strategy, his understanding of the power of the creative concepts, his empathy and his insights. We won by a country mile.

Rehearsals? Not for Tim.