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I was recently asked to speak at an event hosted by Brand Leadership, which is part of the internationally renowned Norwich Business School at the University of East Anglia and where my former colleague (and present unofficial strategy guru) Robert Jones now teaches. Students on the course train to create and lead the brands of the future, and are offered an inside track through visits, live briefs and talks from industry leaders.
Robert recently shared the findings of his conversations with MSc Brand Leadership alumni on his LinkedIn:
There are now 220 brand leaders out in the world… 85% are successfully building careers in branding and marketing. Just over half are working in-house - and in the last year they've joined Yahoo, Farfetch, Twitter, Red Bull and more. A third are working in creative agencies, including recent moves to Landor & Fitch, Edelman and Interbrand. Three are pursuing academic careers: one has just started a PhD at UEA, and another has begun a teaching job at Greenwich. And the rest are building their own businesses.
If I was starting out now, I would be finding a way to get onto this course.
Anyway… I was asked to share advice on developing a career in strategy but – feeling like the students would be getting the very best practical advice from Robert already – took a slightly different angle by talking about the practice of curiosity.
Michael Wolff (acclaimed designer and co-founder of Wolff Olins) spoke often about noticing details obsessively, and it’s a philosophy I subscribe to wholeheartedly. Here’s how I broke it down.
1. Curiosity about yourself.
Being curious about why you are the way you are and do the things you do is just good personal hygiene, but it is especially important as a strategist because you will bring something of yourself to every problem you solve, and fail to solve. From being in tune with your passions and skills, to knowing your prejudices, biases and blinds, knowing what you are about is the cornerstone to being a great team player and a highly attuned strategic voice.
Q: What do I bring to strategy?
2. Curiosity about other people.
It’s surprising how much time you spend as a strategist simply listening. So much so, that I’ve often heard the early stages of a strategy project described by clients as being like therapy sessions. If you aren’t interested in other people - the stories they tell, the beliefs they live by, and the decisions they make - then strategy is going to be pretty unenjoyable for you. Extending this curiosity to your colleagues, leaders and even the randomer sitting opposite you on the tube can only expand your understanding of humanity and deepen your strategic insight.
Q: What makes them tick?
3. Curiosity about the industry.
When it comes to developing a career in strategy it helps to fully understand how The Industry works. In my day - let’s say a Friday on a rainy night outside the Owl and Pussycat in 2010 - The Industry had a visceral, physical presence in Shoreditch and was frequently the main topic of conversation, which made it easy to know what was what and who was who and where all the great work could be found. Now, post-Covid and with rising rents and shifting working styles, it’s changed and the machinery behind The Industry feels more opaque. Nevertheless, it remains invaluable to develop a mental map of the agency world and all the various nuances and players within it, as well as the incredible creative being produced by in-house and independent teams.
Q: What’s hot in the world of brand building right now?
4. Curious about the world.
Shit, this is a big one. But, come on… as a strategist you essentially need to be aware of as much as possible at all times, because you never know what project is going to come in next, or what curve ball a potential client is going to chuck you in a pitch meeting. The other day I wondered if I was the only person in the world who had spent their free time that day watching The Kardashians, catching up on a newsletter about art crime research opportunities, screenshotting a pre-roll ad from Hilton Hotels and listening to a podcast about performance anxiety in athletes. Strategists aren’t like the Obamas, we go high(brow) and low(brow) and everything in between. And don’t let all that curiosity go to waste - save it, share it and form an opinion on it.
Q: What’s happening? Where did it come from and where it is going?
5. Curious about the little things.
To finish… notice the little things. The little joys, the little quirks, the tiny signals and signs that are all around us. That’s where the gold lies. It’s the things no one else is noticing and being curious about that empower us to be great storytellers and, with luck and hard work, brilliant strategists too.
Q: Why is that like that?
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