Insights from the Digital Guru – Iain McDonald
Iain McDonald is well known in the Australian digital media industry for being the founder of Amnesia Razorfish and most recently the chair of AdTech Australia.
During my time at Amnesia Razorfish I had the pleasure of working with Iain on a number of projects and every time we met I’d learn something new. I thought that the best Amneisa Razorfish leaving present would be to go out for lunch with Iain to talk career, media and life. Here are some gold nuggets from our lunch:
Don’t stress, just do your very best.
Focus on just doing your best. No point worrying. It doesn’t fix anything. Focus instead on what you can do.
Take responsibility
Nothing gets done unless people take responsibility. Those who stand up tall at Amnesia Razorfish are the ones who take responsibility. A good quote to remember is ‘Lead, follow or get out of the way’.
Work to your strengths, but work on your weaknesses
A lot about success is about letting go and working to your strengths. Know what you are good at and what you are not. Figure out if you are best suited for the task. If not, delegate and help others if you can. At the very least know your weaknesses.
The worst thing ever
People not living up to their full potential! Laziness and complacency get in the way of potential. It is so frustrating to see amazing talent go unused… I guess it goes back to taking responsibility.
Promoting employees
Problem in agencies is that we promote people above their level of incompetence, but promotions ought to be given to those already doing the job. The senior designer who wants an Art Director title should already be doing the job of an Art Director.
Good managers are valuable here in that they can guide talent through the transition of what they can do to what they want. It is hard to tell people to stop doing this and start doing that – it takes time. People take time to change.
We are all in the game of rejection
For every idea approved by the client, 30 have gone in the bin. The creative game is more about rejection than about success.
I’ve had clients fall in love with bad ideas and clients reject really good ideas. You can take the really good idea to another client and they could fall in love with it, so in the end there is a real difference between the objectiveness and subjectiveness of what we do.
On valuable clients
I have a lot of respect for clients that are able to articulate why they are rejecting or accepting an idea.
A great idea is a great idea
Great ideas can come out of anywhere – not necessarily out of a strategy. In the case that a great idea comes to you out of the blue you can post rationalise it.
Why I’m grateful to Advertising and Marketing
It funds my creativity and ideas. There is some flexibility required as not every idea is accepted. If you want to only execute your own ideas, it’s better to become an artist.
The difference between being a Creative and being a Designer
Design solves a fundamental problem. Creative Direction doesn’t necessarily.
On overnight success
I don’t believe in overnight success, it takes time to build. Work hard and wait for awkward things to happen to you. Here are some valuable habits that may help:
· Be humble
· Be polite
· Be responsible for yourself
· Play to your strengths
· Make the most of the cards dealt
· Do it, and do it now! (Tomorrow never comes.)
