Choppy air
This afternoon I was driving down the coast with my best friend. We’d just gotten some really fun waves at one of California’s extra special surf zones with just each other and one other friend we’ve known for close to 20 years. While crawling through traffic I asked him if he ever gets stressed at work.
He’s a guy who’s lived a full-flavor life and he has plenty of potential stressors. He’s had a full-ride soccer scholarship, time in the Army, a short stay in a New Mexico jail, a dozen stints in rehab, and now, fatherhood (and sobriety!). Few people I’ve ever met approach his perspective, even without his Forest Gump-grade wild ride.
But work, manufacturing custom windows for fancy houses around LA? Not stressful. “I just do my job and don’t pretend I want to or know how to do anything else.”
A while back I had a conversation with the Thas Naseemuddeen, who said something to the effect of, “The air gets thinner as you rise.” i.e., as you move up in your career you have fewer friends, less structure, more ambiguity.
I’ve thought a lot about what I think would be the best role in advertising and it’s clear to me: senior strategist/ CW/ AD/ producer/ etc. You’re finally getting paid and your job isn’t much more than coming up with the dopest ideas for whatever project you’re on at the time. You’re responsible for your effort and your output, now GO.
There’s a type 1 fun to that kind of work — the rewards are proximate and tangible.
Over the past few years, my work has had less of each of those. Rewards are longer term and require some squinting to recognize. But even more, I’ve been working with leaders who are much farther up in the atmosphere (to use Thas’ analogy) than I am. It’s made me appreciate good leaders a hell of a lot more than I did before.
Selfish leading is seldom effective. But because their work isn’t always visible, great leaders are often operating selflessly in isolation. They’re giving without expectation of thanks (cue the “That’s what the money is for!” scene from Mad Men. Of course, many make good money. It’s still a hard skill to execute consistently). Their work is more operational and organizational. Less fun and more clearing bottlenecks. The air is thinner and choppier, at times.
Hopefully we’re all enjoying a long, relaxing weekend, free from emails and slack messages and Google Slides comments from our clients and colleagues. I know I have. (Ok, my notifications are off, but still).
As I re-enter the matrix, shake the rust off my jargon, start new projects and meet new people, I’m going to try to appreciate the different challenges and motivations that each person is navigating — from interns and early career workers to lane changers (like my best friend) to execs. And of course, this includes the seniors, blissfully unaware of the choppier air that’s coming if they decide to rise :)
