A pharmacist, an actress and a midwife walked into a bar… Have you heard that one before?
I’ve been reflecting recently on the merits and pitfalls of what I’m going to call the Mini-Me model. I have seen it in our own team in pockets and I recall it well from previous agencies and ex-colleagues. People who have trained together and worked on the same accounts together, with similar educational and cultural backgrounds. They are working efficiently, hitting deadlines like a well-oiled machine, but are they producing really stand-out work? Are their methods and approaches too ingrained? Are they really challenging themselves to think differently or imaginatively about the client’s problems?
In my opinion, escaping the Mini-Me effect is critically important in our industry as it opens the door to greater creativity – by pitching different ideas against one another, new ones may arise. If managed well, the strengths, qualities, quirks and input of every individual can be harnessed to deliver better results for clients, and employees themselves stand to experience more personal growth as a result of the interaction with their colleagues.
So when it comes to fostering a diverse team, it’s all about finding your MOJO:
- More varied experiences bring more varied perspectives, ideas and solutions – having a team of Mini-Mes could lead to a team of people unable to contribute different points of view or approaches due to their limited and similar background, exposure and experience
- One size does not fit all – communications is multiplatform/-lingual/ -channel/-stakeholder; it takes a team with diverse experience and skill sets to create compelling comms
- Job satisfaction is key – motivation and enjoyment comes from learning new things every day from different people
- Open minds unleash creativity – being open to different views, opinions and approaches is a crucial element in the creative thought process.
At Publicis Resolute we embrace individuality, and it’s a value that is championed by all our leaders and recruitment team. Alongside our pharmacist, actress and midwife, the team has a whole host of interests outside of work that can help with creative development and strategic and tactical planning.
Our clients in the healthcare industry seek out agency partnership and support because they want a different perspective. Not the same. Let’s give them not just different perspectives but different people.
Glen Halliwell is business unit director of medical education at Publicis Resolute
