With Spotify Wrapped and Google Year in Search dropping, I'm rewinding to my early years as a planner and picking out the things I'm embarrassed about—the mistakes I made. I'm a bit older now; not sure I'm better, but I'm definitely less worried about what people think of me, so let's dive in.
#1 Silently cursing clients
Every time a client gave feedback on something I poured my heart into, my blood felt like it was boiling in a kettle. Body flushed, face burning, sweaty palms, and the only thought in my head: "Clients have no idea what they're talking about." That feeling got amplified when the whole team vented in the taxi back to the office after a presentation. Later, when I left agency life and worked directly with clients, I realized how narrow-minded and foolish that was. Since then, I never curse clients (even in my head) again—as long as they're decent people, that's enough.
#2 Thinking I'm the smartest
Planners are "supposed" to set the direction, and I wasn't clear-headed enough to keep my toxic ego in check. My internal script was "I have to be the Steve Jobs of this job." Just like with clients, whenever Creative or Account gave feedback, my first reaction was to bristle. If I could argue, I'd argue to death; if I couldn't, I'd sulk and start forming biases about those people. Eventually I learned that people only remember whether the planner helps land the right, good idea to solve the client's brief. No one cares if there's a "smart" planner who ends up forcing Creative and Account to write the plan themselves.
I dedicate a full session in my Strategic & IMC Planning course to talking about cursing clients and thinking you're the smartest—hoping you build a healthier mindset for the job.
#3 Over-relying on case studies
My company had a WARC account (industry folks will know), so the first thing I'd do after getting a brief was search for similar case studies from the brand or competitors overseas. On average I'd read 5–10 cases per brief, only to realize I had never applied any of them to actually solve a brief. Why? Because my purpose for reading was wrong from the start: I read to copy the playbook. If you want to copy someone else's approach, you have to copy it 100% to have any chance of success; cherry-picking bits and pieces will never work. For me, reading case studies is simply to know what's being done out there—nothing more.
#4 Obsessing over the industry's problems
This is a bit sensitive. Worrying about the industry's big issues isn't bad—like clients demanding endless pitches on tight timelines or not paying pitch fees. For those in positions of power (and desire) to change things, that concern can lead to action and results. But for a junior or even a manager, spending too much time fretting, gossiping about the negatives, or "doom-cooking" the industry only feeds your negativity and slows you down without changing anything. Instead, focus on honing your craft.
#5 Hunting for super-deep insights
Whenever I was tasked with finding an insight, I often got feedback that "this insight isn't deep," because in this industry, insight is defined as a "hidden truth." It has to be hidden, hard to spot, profound, spark an "aha," or be the combination of truth + motivation + tension. One day I realized that whether an insight is profound or obvious matters less than whether it's actionable. I'll write more on this when I find time.
A quick year-end reflection in a busy, stressful season full of negative news. Hope you chuckle at my foolishness (and maybe your own), and if you make the same mistakes, I hope you catch yourself in time.
