Brian Kessman
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
9K followers
500+ connections
About
If you're like most agency leaders, you're at a crossroads: evolve your agency model to…
Articles by Brian
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The New Paradigm for Retaining Creative Agency Talent
The New Paradigm for Retaining Creative Agency Talent
By Brian Kessman
Contributions
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You're building a collaborative team in Change Management. What are the key factors to consider?
This is critical for any team, especially newly formed cross-functional teams, where it can be unclear who is responsible for specific actions and decisions. A lightweight tool to help teams define and align on norms and expectations is a Team Charter. This article suggests defining several important types of norms, but it can be time-consuming and unnecessary to address them all. To draft a charter, start small, defining only a few norms that the team feels are most important to help them work most effectively. The team should reflect on their performance often and then add to the charter based on their retrospective discussions. Oh, and missing from the article's list of norms is defining "how the team will make decisions."
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You're building a collaborative team in Change Management. What are the key factors to consider?
There are many moving parts to successfully leading change. For best results, you'll need: 1. A clear, compelling vision backed by leadership 2. Ways of working that foster inclusiveness 3. A well-managed timeline 4. Training for those leading and experiencing change 5. Easily-accessible supportive resources 6. Company-wide commitment 7. Ongoing communication When sharing your vision, refrain from saying you'll be "making changes." That language implies you'll be forcing change on people which can be scary. Instead, create an environment where change can occur often and naturally. Invite those who will be impacted by the changes to help design them. Prepare to answer staff Qs - Why change? - How will it impact me? - What do I need to do?
Activity
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I had a super fun conversation with Paul Ford and Rich Ziade on their Aboard podcast Reqless. I wrote up a few thoughts from the conversation in my…
I had a super fun conversation with Paul Ford and Rich Ziade on their Aboard podcast Reqless. I wrote up a few thoughts from the conversation in my…
Liked by Brian Kessman
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I'd like to see agencies focus less on utilization as a measure of productivity and more on outcomes and accountability. Just because a timesheet…
I'd like to see agencies focus less on utilization as a measure of productivity and more on outcomes and accountability. Just because a timesheet…
Posted by Brian Kessman
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When can we finally expect the death of the billable hour? Chris Do and I explore this and other timely questions about the financial future of…
When can we finally expect the death of the billable hour? Chris Do and I explore this and other timely questions about the financial future of…
Liked by Brian Kessman
Experience
Education
Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
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Mentor
CED (Council for Entrepreneurial Development)
- 4 months
The CED Venture Mentoring Service provides support to Triangle Entrepreneurs by connecting them with a diverse network of proven business leaders who serve as mentors. Mentors work closely with entrepreneurs and their growing companies to help them build successful businesses and to address issues such as: scaling their organization, making key hires, finding new customers, developing channel partners, seeking licensing deals, perfecting pricing models and deciding when and how to seek outside…
The CED Venture Mentoring Service provides support to Triangle Entrepreneurs by connecting them with a diverse network of proven business leaders who serve as mentors. Mentors work closely with entrepreneurs and their growing companies to help them build successful businesses and to address issues such as: scaling their organization, making key hires, finding new customers, developing channel partners, seeking licensing deals, perfecting pricing models and deciding when and how to seek outside funding.
Honors & Awards
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EFFIE, Bronze
EFFIE Worldwide
rapidboot.com for Lenovo
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IAB MIXX Award, Bronze
Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
rapidboot.com for Lenovo
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FWA Mobile of the Day
The FWA
rapidboot.com for Lenovo
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Addy, Gold
American Advertising Federation Addy Awards
polarbearplunge.sandiegozoo.org for the San Diego Zoo
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Addy, Silver
American Advertising Federation Addy Awards
polarbearplunge.sandiegozoo.org for the San Diego Zoo
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Communication Arts Web Pick of the Week
Communication Arts
polarbearplunge.sandiegozoo.org for the San Diego Zoo
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FWA Site of the Day
The FWA
polarbearplunge.sandiegozoo.org for the San Diego Zoo
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FWA Site of the Day
The FWA
cars.com/waitingroom for Cars.com / DDB Chicago
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CLIO, Silver, Interactive, Fresh Approach
CLIO Awards
whopperfreakout.com for Burger King / Crispin Porter + Bogusky
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Cyber Lion, Gold
Cannes Lions
whopperfreakout.com for Burger King / Crispin Porter + Bogusky
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Flash Forward Award, Game Category
Adobe
ethanhaaswasright.com for Mindstorm Labs
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One Show Interactive Silver Pencil
The One Club
whopperfreakout.com for Burger King / Crispin Porter + Bogusky
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FWA Site of the Day
The FWA
alphaomegathegame.com for Mind Storm Labs
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FWA Site of the Day
The FWA
ethanhaaswasright.com for Mind Storm Labs
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Creating a menu of your agency's services is NOT productizing your agency's value. This has come up on a few calls with different agencies. They…
Creating a menu of your agency's services is NOT productizing your agency's value. This has come up on a few calls with different agencies. They…
Posted by Brian Kessman
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Billable hours are great for price-driven buyers, but marketers who want great work will look for value-led agencies. Here's why... •…
Billable hours are great for price-driven buyers, but marketers who want great work will look for value-led agencies. Here's why... •…
Posted by Brian Kessman
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If your agency is shifting from billable time to a value-led commercial model, here are a few options, examples, adoption rates, and drawbacks to…
If your agency is shifting from billable time to a value-led commercial model, here are a few options, examples, adoption rates, and drawbacks to…
Shared by Brian Kessman
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Show me the money! It's time for agencies to change how they charge, monetize their IP, and get insurance for pitches that go sideways. Some thoughts…
Show me the money! It's time for agencies to change how they charge, monetize their IP, and get insurance for pitches that go sideways. Some thoughts…
Liked by Brian Kessman
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