5 Mistakes I Made as a Leader of a Marketing Agency


Culture, Strategy

I’m not afraid to fail. That’s what I tell myself anyway, and I believe myself….most of the time.  I know this for sure though: I’ve made a lot of mistakes as a leader and a manager.

Instead of becoming paralyzed when you make a mistake, think of each one as a big shiny star on the shoulder of a decorated war veteran. Seth Godin, best-selling author, said, “If you said failure is not an option, you have also said neither is success.” Being able to learn from mistakes is a skill that will make you a better leader – of a marketing agency, an internal department, your peers, your family and in any facet of life. So, I’m sharing 5 of my mistakes, hoping you can learn from them and become a better leader.

1: Confuse Management and Leadership

leader of marketing agencyAm I going to need to manage or lead in this meeting? Management requires data, decisions, and process. To effectively manage, you’ll need to develop the process, communicate and execute. Leadership on the other hand requires vision, coaching, inspiration, and trust. The truth is management and leadership go together like mornings and coffee, and humans can’t actually be managed; you lead people and manage systems.

2: Low Communication

You hired who? You sold what? You’re on vacation this week? As Simone knows, it’s tough to keep up, especially in a new business.

Communication in any organization is essential and challenging. From my experience in a marketing agency, everyone is moving at warp-speed, all of the time. Communication often gets left in the dust; slowing down and taking the time to communicate can be painful – but it is essential for our client’s success, as well as our success as an agency. 

3: Manage By Consensus

From one of my favorite books, The Wizard of Ads, by Roy H. Williams: “Employee empowerment means you give your employees the authority to do their jobs; management by consensus means you give your employees the authority to do your job.”

We all know input is incredibly important, should be considered and highly valued, and that a camel is a racehorse designed by committee. Have the courage to make the decision, and face the possibility that you may have to look in the mirror and say, “I, alone, was wrong.”

4: Not Enough Positivity

It sucks when you’ve been busting your butt conquering the world all day, and no one notices. Take the time to notice the extra effort your passionate and driven employees are putting in, and recognize it in a sincere way. This simple acknowledgement has the power to give that extra boost of inspiration, change an attitude, lift a spirit and offer encouragement and support. Words have immense power – use them wisely and often.

5: Failure To Set Clear Expectations

How could someone not know what you’ve been thinking? It’s so obvious! You’ve been thinking about it for weeks after all!

Tell the people around you what the plan is, and more importantly, exactly who to go to for help, what’s in it for them, how it helps the company reach its initiatives and how they will be graded. This brings me back to the importance of communication. As a leader and a manager there is a fine line between saying too much or not enough; but, practice makes perfect (or at least better than before).

Every day is a new opportunity to become a better leader. I hope my 5 mistakes help you. If you have any leadership lessons you’ve learned through experience, share them below to give others the opportunity to learn, too.

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