Notes from Nick

A quick recap of the key topics on digital agency owner's minds.

There was another great thread in the Bureau of Digital slack recently on vision statements. They came up again while I was chatting with the owner of a small dev shop. It wasn’t that he had trouble communicating his vision; he was having trouble coming up with one in the first place.

These questions seem to be on everyone’s minds lately, and I’d guess they’re related to the same questions driving The Great Resignation. The need for a “why” has become more significant, and that’s flowing down into the very core of our businesses.

Mission and vision statements help clarify and communicate that why, but solidifying it in the first place can be incredibly difficult.

Mission statements (what your company exists to do) and vision statements (what your future company looks like) began as a way to focus employees and give them an idea of what they’re building.

Mission statements really started being used in business in the 70s with Drucker writing: “A business is not defined by its name, statutes, or articles of incorporation. It is defined by the business mission. Only a clear definition of the mission and purpose of the organization makes possible clear and realistic business objectives.” These were followed shortly after by vision statements in the 80s.

Now 40yrs later they’re seen as essential.

But there’s a problem. The concept of these statements has been diluted so much that they’re seen as boilerplate items you need to check off in some throwaway community center class on branding.

Like clockwork, they’ll show some inspirational examples from some of the worlds largest companies like: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit” (that’s real…) and then expect you and the bakery owner next to you to come up with your own plans to fix the world.

If this exercise seems pointless, that’s because it is.

Setting some boil-the-ocean mission when that’s not really what you want to do will create a ton of friction. There will be friction between the ambition levels of employees you hire, the strategy you develop, the goals you set, and the vehicles you use to try to obtain them (an unscalable business like a dev shop is a bad choice for taking over the world).

Most owners of digital shops I’ve met don’t set out to take over the world. They aren’t “nurturing the human spirit” with web apps, good design, and effective marketing campaigns. I’d argue that Starbucks sure as heck isn’t nurturing the human spirit either, but that’s for another time.

Many owners DO set out to perform their craft correctly while providing a pretty good lifestyle for themselves and their employees.

That right there can be your mission.

And if that’s your mission, your vision could easily be something like “An enjoyable place to work on interesting projects with a capable team.”

Those statements align perfectly with what a digital shop is actually able to do. They will attract exactly the kind of people who want to build that type of environment, and it’ll be much easier to set goals and develop strategies to reach them.

So while most of the mission and vision-setting activities fall squarely in the “business fluff” category, it actually is important to decide what you want to build and communicate it.

Researched Resources

A curated list of recent articles from around the web and some thoughts on their topic's impact for your industry.

• James Somers article, Speed Matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems, is a critical reminder to master the deliverables your agency offers while maintaining quality. Faster does generate more. Slow leads to starvation.
• For every agency owner, now is a great time to take a look in the mirror and evaluate the culture you have created. Toxic Culture is Driving the Great Resignation tells the story again that employees will be loyal when values align.
• ​"It's All Just Wild": Tech Start-Ups Reach a New Peak of Froth. We pay attention to the startup space since digital shops compete with startups for talent and the amount of cash flowing into that space over the last two years has driven talent acquisition NUTS. "U.S. start-ups raised $330 billion, nearly double 2020’s record haul of $167 billion." There have been a few signs of slowing but it's still beyond elevated.
• We've likely all experienced people who have been given power in an organization, but no training on how to wield that power. Most agencies skip over training as they grow, promote and hire-in management. While you might not be alone, discover some key ways to improve so your agency doesn't experience the pain of misused power. Your Start-Up's Management Training Probably Sucks-Here's How to Make It Better​
• Understanding the drivers behind The Great Resignation is essential for agencies to hire and retain team members. WSJ highlights some interesting research around what employees really want: Workers Care More About Flexible Hours Than Remote Work​

Pro(methean) Tip

Some of our most commonly given advice to make managing a digital shop just a bit easier.