DesuckifyWork®

Having difficult conversations is different than making every conversation difficult.  This may come as news for those of us in the ad biz. Where taking even the simplest discussion and turning it into a series of 10 person meetings is the norm.  What if, instead of taking simple conversations and making them painful, we took hard conversations and made them easier? How the hell can we do that? Ma...

Can marketing be a force for good in the world? This is the question at the heart of my discussion with Jay Mandel , this week’s guest on the DesuckifyWork™ podcast.  On the surface, the question sounds ridiculous. Marketing, a force for good? That’s crazy. It’s built on deception, manipulation and is single-handedly responsible for the proliferation of influencers in our lives.  Screw you, market...

Do you have a little sparkle on your shoulders at work? Well, you’re about to get some after listening to Gina Balarin, today’s guest on the DesuckifyWork™ Podcast.  Gina brings the sparkle through her work as “The CEO’s Voice,” helping leaders craft and amplify their message to those who need to hear it. This work is all part of her mission to end human suffering at work—just the kind of bold sta...

The late, great, Tina Turner once asked, “what’s love got to do with it?” Today’s guest on the DesuckifyWork™ Podcast, Meredith Bell , has the answer. And it’s everything.  Meredith is a leadership and communications expert and co-founder of Grow Strong Leaders. And she firmly believes that love is at the center of all we do, when we’re doing work that matters.  Love at work? Um, that makes me kin...

If you could totally rethink work, what would it look like?  You would start by paying attention to Wes Adams, today’s guest on the DesuckifyWork™ podcast.  Wes has quite a few thoughts on this subject. As founder and CEO of SV Consulting Group, his mission is to transform organizations into hubs of human thriving.  Bold? Absolutely. And he’s got the chops to back it up, with more than two decades...

What does it mean to be authentic at work?  And more importantly, what difference does it make?  Turns out, it makes a huge difference. It reduces turnover. People at companies where authenticity is always practiced are over 2x more likely to stay at their company vs. those where it's never practiced. It builds trust. People at authentic companies are 4x more likely to say there's a high level of...

Dear agency leaders, AI is not the holy grail you think it is. It won’t fix your current problems. It won’t create massive new opportunities. It won’t save your agency. Unless. Unless you change your relationship with the people who do the work, day to day. They’re the holy grail. And they’re the ones who can help you take advantage of AI or any other tool that comes along promising advertising ni...

It’s a no for me, dog.  Sadly, that’s about the extent of feedback many of us have received (or delivered) in the ad industry.  It’s okay. Most humans suck at giving feedback. The good news? We can get better. And today’s guest on The DesuckifyWork™ Podcast has some great ideas on how to do it.  Cecilia Gorman is a coach and trainer, who runs a Manager Boot Camp that helps managers go from good to...

Why is it so hard to be a leader?  Besides constant technological change, economic uncertainty, post-pandemic turmoil, dramatic shifts in generational expectations, global unrest, distributed workforces and 27 other unexpected things that will show up in your inbox by the morning, it’s a piece of cake, really.  The good news? One thing remains constant throughout all of that. Our need for human co...

There’s no text book for working in advertising. At least not officially. Unofficially, as far as I’m concerned, there are two. Soon to be three. All written by today’s guest on the DesuckifyWork™ podcast, Cameron Day . Spend a few days digesting Chew With Your Mind Open and Spittin’ Chiclets and you’ll be armed and ready for just about anything this nutty business hurls at you. We spend a good ch...

You’re not supposed to fit in everywhere.  If you did, the world would be flat, boring and sad. A monotonous bubble with no escape. Like cable news. Or LinkedIn. Kidding. Am I? So why do we expect every job to be a perfect fit?  Let’s face it. You’re not everyone’s cup of tea. And most companies aren’t yours either. They don’t value what you value. They don’t work how you like to work. And they do...

What happens if a company doesn’t pay attention to its culture? Chances are you’ve found out, the hard way.  Companies who ignore culture create the worst kind of culture. One filled with chaos, politics and a general sense that no one knows what the hell is going on.  Nicole Mahoney knows exactly what’s going on. Because she has carefully curated a culture based on shared values and purpose. One...

I hate sales.  I hate selling. I hate being sold to. I even hated Soupy Sales back in the day. (Yes, I’m old). So why would I choose to bring a person who’s spent his entire career in sales on my show? Because, like it or not, selling is a part of almost any job.  And because Larry Levine has a different take on sales. One that shows up loud and clear in his book Selling from the Heart. And one th...

What can a Mad Man teach us about advertising? Quite a bit, if that Mad Man is Jerry Fletcher.  Jerry helps consultants, coaches and independent professionals build their brand. He earned his spurs, to use his phrase, on Madison Avenue back in the day, working for some of the largest agencies in the world, like J. Walter Thompson and Campbell Mithun.  Some of those agencies may have been gobbled u...

Who holds the keys to advertising’s future? No, it’s not AI. It’s the people who actually do the work. And leaders need to recognize that, if we want the business to have a future worth a damn. Today’s guest on the DesuckifyWork™ Podcast has been fighting this fight for a while. Jack Skeels is the CEO and Founder of Agency Agile, a group that helps agencies (and other companies) create cultures th...

Ever wonder what the leaders of your company are thinking? What they truly care about? What terrifies them? Our guest today on the DesuckifyWork™ Podcast has a pretty good idea. Amii Barnard Bahn has worked with hundreds of C-suite executives, helping them become more self-aware, more inspiring and more in tune with the values that really matter to them and their organization.  There’s a lot of te...

If you’re on LinkedIn and you’re not following Sara Richmond, you are depriving yourself of joy. Plain and simple. I like joy, so I follow Sara and was fortunate enough to speak with her on this latest episode of The DesuckifyWork™ Podcast.  The conversation was delightful. Not in a sunshine and butterflies kind of way, although we had our moments. It was delightfully human. Complex. Nuanced. Dark...

I launched the DesuckifyWork™ Podcast late last summer. And I realize, 22 episodes later, I never really stated why. So, this is me, stating why.  Episode 23. The Manifesto. Just me, 7 minutes. I hope you listen. If you prefer to read the manifesto, check out the transcript above. ☝️ #desuckifyworkpodcast #desuckifywork #coaching #humanity #advertising #coachingforcreatives Get full access to Desu...

What does it mean for work to have meaning?  It can mean a lot of things actually.  And it can show up differently for everyone.  But when it shows up? The effect is undeniable. With meaningful work, employees are seven times more engaged, 64% more fulfilled on the job and 69% less likely to leave the company.  Those numbers come from today’s guest on the DesuckifyWork™ Podcast, Tamara Myles. Tama...

Quick. Your company is about to be bought. Or merged. Or otherwise smashed together with a group of strangers.  What’s your first thought?  Chances are you’re not jumping up and down with glee. There may be stomping and kicking, however.  Our guest today on the DesuckifyWork™ Podcast helps companies avoid the common pitfalls of mergers, acquisitions and large-scale transitions. Jennifer Fondrevay...

Can smaller agencies save the ad business? I think so. And our guest today on the DesuckifyWork™ Podcast gives us plenty of reasons to believe. Drew McClellan runs the Agency Management Institute with his wife, Danyel.  They help small to mid-sized agencies make the hard work of running the business easier, less lonely and more profitable.  Drew helps us understand just how that can happen during...

What kind of relationship should you have with the person who is trying to kill you? Quick, you don’t have much time to think. Today’s guest on the DesuckifyWork™ Podcast has an answer that may surprise you.  He chose to treat his would be killer with kindness and generosity. A disturbed young man, feeling lost and hopeless, opened fire on police officers outside a home in Las Vegas. Allyn Goodric...

Have you ever talked to a crocodile wrestler? I have. And it was fun as hell. Our guest today on the DescukifyWork™ Podcast is Martin Barnes, self-described crocodile wrestler and founder of Eight Seconds to Connect, where he coaches folks on pitching and presenting.  As you can imagine, telling people you wrestle 2,000-pound reptiles is a pretty good way to get someone’s attention in less than 8...

How often are you, you?  Are you, you when you show up at the office? Or log in to Zoom? Are you, you when you have a job interview or post something here on LinkedIn? If not, why? We need you. And we need everyone to bring the best of their humanity forward, if we have any shot at this whole Desuckifying thing.  Bringing the best of humanity forward is the mission of today’s guest on the Descukif...

We are human beings. Not political abstractions.  Sounds obvious, no?  And yet.  I think we all know how often we live up to that ideal.  An ideal that is at the heart of today’s guest’s message. Chloé Valdary is a writer, thinker and entrepreneur—founder of Theory of Enchantment, a diversity and inclusion program that aims to remind us of our shared humanity. To help us create workplaces where we...