I was sitting at my desk this morning sipping on a robust cup of Joe – my daily quiet time at 6:30am – thinking it’s already been 8 years since I bought the 30-year-old Orlando-based advertising agency that I had been running for 10 years as President and changed the name to 78Madison.
While I believe it’s been a good 8+ years so far, even despite the pandemic, I constantly think about how things can be even better – not just for me, but for my staff, my clients, and my family. When I made the decision to become a business owner again, my vision was to shift the focus from trying to get more out of people, to investing more in their needs as individuals, dads, moms, sons and daughters. And hopefully, such an approach would fuel and inspire them to bring their best to work every day – and the 78Madison staff has, consistently.
All this to say that VISION is the lifeblood of any organization; it’s what keeps it moving forward. It provides meaning to the day-to-day challenges and setbacks that make up the rumble and tumble of real life. In the highly competitive business that the advertising industry is, things can quickly slip into “tactical” vs. “strategic”; everyone just trying to stay ahead of the game… managing expectations.
If your organization lacks consistent vision and leadership, the daily grind can wear on people.
Suddenly you forget that what worked yesterday will not necessarily work today, or that what works today may not necessarily work tomorrow. You even begin to wonder if your efforts even matter.
This is where great leadership makes all the difference. Leadership is more than influence. It is about reminding people of what it is we are trying to build, and why it matters. It is about painting a picture that people can relate to, rally around, and be passionate about. It comes down to pointing the way and saying, “C’mon. We can do this!”
When things get tired and muddied, vision is the first casualty. Before conditions can improve, it is the first thing we must recover.
How healthy is your vision?
Joe Bouch
CEO, 78Madison
78Madison invites you to Get Inspired, Get Connected, and Get Mad. Our role, on behalf of our clients, is to create “obsession-worthy” content that consumers will choose to connect with on a deeper, emotional level. Although based in Orlando/Winter Springs, Florida, we are doing work for amazing clients all over the U.S. We’re here to assist with strategy, branding, creative, media, PR, digital, web, social and more. We invite you to a conversation.