The hours are long and the timelines are tight.  It’s a grind.  So what is it about the approach to talent in the ad industry that the rest of us could learn from?  And why?

First, I’ll start with the “why?”  I’d suggest it starts with digital.  It’s tearing down walls in the business world.  Technology and creativity are blending.  Today more than ever, true innovation is driven from combining a healthy dose of creativity and technology ‘know how. ‘

And it’s all happening so quickly.  Deadlines and time to market in the tech industry have never been more aggressive.  In order to prosper, firms must grasp new ways of working.  The status quo just doesn’t cut it any more.

I’d suggest there a few key attributes of talent in the advertising industry would serve us all well.

Passion.  It all starts here.  Look for talent who has your business in their blood.    And beyond – talent should be well-read, understand what going on in the world (outside of their key discipline) and be curious about why things work and how.  In short, talent should be able to articulate, and not just talk about, your industry.

Flexibility.  Great ad agencies recruit talent that can see beyond and prosper outside a certain division or even discipline.   Lines everywhere are being blurred.  Companies need people who can observe how people behave, extract from that and create products and solutions that people need and want.  Ultimately, that is what creates opportunity and drives business.

Digital to the Core.   Ad agencies may have drug their feet in the beginning, but the industry has clearly embraced the digital revolution and their business models and talent composition is notably different today.   Digital is not longer a specialty – find talent in all disciplines that understand and can harness opportunity in the digital landscape.

While certainly not exclusive to the ad biz, these attributes have always been critical to driving success in a continually changing landscape.