7 years as Account Director – what Amy has learned

In this next part of our “sharing the wisdom” series of articles, we are catching up with another very experienced sector professional.

Next up, Amy Chadwick, Account Director at McCANN. Amy has been with the agency for over 10 years working on through-the-line campaigns across sectors from financial services, central government departments and automotive through to FMCG (food and drink brands) – and lots of other clients in between!

Now, Amy, in an attempt to capture some of the wisdom you’ve gained as a professional so far, what are “5 stand-out things” you’ve learned within the past 10 years, while working within Client Services?

Amy Chadwick

1. Achieve more working together. I’m a great believer in understanding the skill sets of the team and getting different perspectives on a brief to bring a project together. Delegating work properly lightens the load for everyone. It’s important to let go of projects so that Execs feel the full responsibility of delivering work to clients, and more often than not, they shine.
2. Trust your gut instinct. You should know your clients well enough to instinctively know how they’ll react. Don’t let anything out the door that doesn’t meet your exacting standards. Clients need to trust your judgement. If it doesn’t feel right for the brand; don’t let it go.
3. Look after your Creative and Development teams. Considered briefs, workflow management and messaging over Slack are all very important; but so is having a chat and checking in with them. We often forget to share what’s happening with our client’s business and the wider context over and above the brief at hand. When they’re busy, don’t underestimate the importance of tea, snacks and moral support from client service.
4. Embrace change. Change is a feature of agency life – it’s so important to adapt and evolve the way you work. Take on new ideas from new starters. Read widely. Use new technology. Put the effort in to learn one new thing each week.
5. Know your numbers. Your financial management and forecasting should be watertight. You’ll be successful if the business trusts you’re in control. And the best way to grow is organically; only by doing great work that you’re proud of, that grows your clients’ business, can you be sure of working with them for the following year.

Thank you Amy for sharing!