‘As much as we work collaboratively and reduce the gap between staff and their superiors by hanging out together, having fun to ease the tension, teasing, and bantering, my belief is that a leader should understand the difference between respect and fear and must strive to get the former from their colleagues and subordinates’
WHILE I was at Ogilvy Nigeria as an Account Director managing fifteen brands many of which were big brands, I had moments when I want to smash the glass on the wall and scream or pick up my bag and just leave, but 99% of the time I am glued to my sit dealing with one issue or the other usually till 10:00 pm.
Yes, my earliest closing hour was 8:00 pm because I couldn’t leave without ensuring that the client got all the deliverables that I promised them or at least a considerable part of it.
Many of my colleagues used to say I love work more than my life while some felt I was too difficult to please. But the truth is that I value my integrity and reputation so much that I would rather work myself out than lose those two qualities. Plus, no apologies that I was trained with a standard that I wasn’t ready to reduce to make anyone happy. So, if you promise five days delivery, you had better be ready to deliver as promised.
But in the midst of it all, my voice was the loudest in the room, cracking jokes to help people ease their tension, and on a few occasions, to vent. On my table was a glass bowl always filled with different types of candies most especially Tom Tom and Buttermint, long before we won the Mondelez account and I had to work on the brand; and in my drawer were different items from a toothpick to biscuit, chewing gum, wipes, chocolate, Cadbury Hot Chocolate, etc. It was a supermarket for all.
The strategy was to help people get at least 5 minutes away from their seats. The walk to my shared cubicle to pick a candy from the bowl or request a biscuit from my mini supermarket gives people the opportunity of a much-needed break from their computers and a little gist time.
One important thing I discovered from working at the agency was that there is always a tension build up because of the never-ending deadlines and revisions and this gets many people on the edge of snapping out; so, I created an avenue to have conversations over things as little as a candy.
A leader is responsible for the actions of all the others in his/her team and the earlier s/he wakes up to that understanding and ensures collaborative and respective teamwork, the better. Bill Owens, the former governor of Colorado put it in a clear perspective when he said, ‘true leadership lies in guiding others to success, in ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do, and doing it well.”
However, it is good to be aware that not everyone has the capacity to deliver tasks as expected so learning the character of each staff and their capabilities make working with them efficient. As the Account Director, I had some staffs submit a list of their daily task with me with timings so I can monitor them as the day goes by. Some people will call it micromanaging but after working with these people for a while, I realized they get engrossed with one thing and miss delivery of the most important things. After three months of this management strategy, they got to understand how to prioritize their work and get most things done before the close of business. Those who didn’t change their ways and still missed deadlines were made to stay back until they are done. This is to reiterate that there is a consequence for our action or inaction.
As much as we work collaboratively and reduce the gap between staff and their superiors by hanging out together, having fun to ease the tension, teasing, and bantering, my belief is that a leader should understand the difference between respect and fear and must strive to get the former from their colleagues and subordinates.
When people respect you, they understand the limits and try as much as possible not to cross the boundary because they know you can always put them in their place, even though you joke and play with them.
*Olateju Ogunyomi is a Marcoms professional and behavioral analyst. She left Ogilvy Nigeria in 2020 to start her own agency. She is an APCON member and was a member of the AAAN women in Advertising committee, and the AAAN Event committee. She is currently the CEO of Aspora Nigeria Limited, a Digital Marketing, Strategy, and Consultancy agency.
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