Yesterday evening I had the treat of having a long conversation with a client of mine. We have a wonderful relationship of give and give, and mutual support and respect. Our conversation yesterday was different. I attributed it to the fact that he had some down time in an airport lounge. When I commented on how nice it was to be able to have a lovely drawn out conversation, he confessed. "This is work for me." "You mean we're having a work conversation?" "No" he said, "To be fully...

"What is talent but originality robed in resourcefulness; what is success but effort draped in determination; what is achievement but a dream dressed in work clothes; what is accomplishment but ability stripped of its doubts; what is life but a series of opportunities disguised as difficulties." ~ Dr William Arthur Ward...

Why wait for someone else to hire that person you want to hire? The one you've had your eye on, or the one you've met and you're trying to decide, but can't seem to? Remember, someone else may be able to decide quicker than you, in which case you'll kick yourself for having taken too long. We've all been there. Doh! Instead, why not make a list now. Why not make a list of the attributes you are looking for in that next important hire, and every, single time you meet someone...

At a time when everyone seems afraid to 'tell the microscopic truth" (despite the fact that 73% of the people surveyed in our June survey, say they want the truth even if it hurts) it's incredible that people remember Paul Arden for teaching them so much, by ripping up their work and telling them to start over. Also interesting is that years later his proteges still thank him for it, and remember him for it. That and a million other things. Truly sad to lose someone who has inspired so many of...

Yesterday evening, Marcello Serpa was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Clio Awards Festival in Miami. Another 'youngest' distinction for Marcello, considering that he is presently only 45. As Andrew Robertson remarked, "At this rate, he'll be the only person to receive two!" Here's a guy, that proves that you're never too young to....anything, really. Youngest Cannes jury president. He was 30 at the time. And a guy that proves that no matter where you come from...

What are award shows for? Besides awards. In my opinion, they're a celebration of our work, a celebration of the community, a chance to re-connect with colleagues and friends, and oh ya, they give some people awards while we're there too. I'm writing this blog because I've never understood the comment I frequently hear, which is, "I'm not going, because I don't think we're going to win anything." Why not? What about going to applaud the efforts of your colleagues, so that when you...

This past Friday I was invited to speak to the graduating class at VCU about Camp BLACK BAG: The Boot Camp for your Career. We had an hour together, the class held about 200 students, and what I presented was an abbreviated version of the Camp BLACK BAG construct. What is your career goal, and how to understand what a goal that will catapult you forward looks like; what is your plan to achieve that goal; how to put together the story to articulate what you plan to accomplish in your career...

Which one would it be? The ability to sell, or the ability to come up with great ideas? Either you were not so great at coming up with great ideas, but you could sell anything, OR....you could come up with the world's best ideas, but couldn't sell them through, which would you choose if you had a fairy godmother and she popped into your bedroom one night to grant you one wish. Which of these two skills do you believe will take you farther in your career? Remember, you can only pick...

Okay I've had jumbo shrimp and I've experienced a deafening silence so I believe those exist, but does anyone really believe it's possible to have a flat hierarchy? Even if the people around you actually believe the flat hierarchy to be alive and well, doesn't someone in your company drive a bigger flashier car, have a more expensive watch, nicer shoes, and the office with the view? What is a flat hierarchy anyway? Does it mean that everyone gets a say? Or conversely, does it mean...

Two day is a good day. Two day is the day that sum won finally said out loud what eye half bean thinking four years. Is it know longer necessary two communicate professionally in the communications business? Does the weigh ewe right, does the fact that ewe half spelling mistakes in have off the emails ewe send know longer matter? Does it bother ewe that your assistant has never sent me an email without a spelling mistake in it? Dew ewe care? Is this how the office off the President...

Last year, Goldman Sachs agreed to cover the costs related to sex change operations as part of an effort to attract top talent and recruit and retain a more diverse work force. Not really sure how that gets worded in the offer, or how it gets communicated in the employee handbook, but if there was ever a doubt that a market shortage is dictating that even the most conservative companies MUST apply creativity to evolve beyond what they've done in the past, perhaps this is the article that will...

Unfortunately, I found this unattributed, but thought it a great quote to pass along anyway. ~ heidi "To succeed, you must first improve. To improve, you must first practice. To practice, you must first learn. To learn, you must first fail."...

When you call, that dulcet tone which replies, "Good morning BLACK BAG" - is Claire. Claire found her way to BLACK BAG last spring, after she realized that the same service orientation that filled her tip jar to the brim when slinging suds could serve her well in the business world. She was also seeking something that would employ a little more cognitive function. And she found it in spades. A business world novice, in her first week she casually inquired as to whether the firewall...

There is only one way to describe the coming together of Mandy and BLACK BAG: Serendipity, the effect by which one accidentally discovers something quite fortunate. With years of experience as a full service Direct Recruiter and Account Manager in various industries and at various levels - Administration to Finance, entry level to CFO - Mandy has acquired the skills and talent to make her highly proficient in finding the right people for the right opportunities. It was quite a surprise...

We're officially into "punt" season. Yes, punt season. The hardest time of the year to hire people. It's that time of the year when people are busy with their heads down trying to get their pre-Christmas to-do list cleaned up, working crazy overtime, and getting ready for the New Year. It's also the time of the year when the mere sound of a phone ringing is enough to make some people cringe. Hangover. Company Christmas party. The point being, if you've found yourself in the middle...

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary rule - the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. Things occur to help that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the choice, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance...

Well for starters, he's completed the Boston Marathon. Twice. He's worked in advertising agencies and design firms for the past 21 years. He switched from creative to the account side to help the creatives sell creative. He studied design at one of our most revered art colleges. He's delighted his clients, whether for his own brand consultancy or for the companies he's worked. So much so that they've always entrusted him with bigger challenges. He has a great eye for detail - it's that R.G.D....

You are being set up on a blind date. Your friends have told you enough about your blind date that you're really excited to meet this person. Seems you have similar interests, this could actually be someone you will really click with. It's time for the date. Nothing too complicated, it is after all, just the first date, so it will be just an hour in a coffee shop. Your date arrives. Not bad. It appears your friends weren't exaggerating after all. Your date is interesting and engaging...

In response to demand from the U.S. market, BLACK BAG talent attraction + acquisition today announces that Creative Director Michael Scher has joined the team. “This couldn’t be better for us at this stage,” says BLACK BAG’s founder Heidi Ehlers. “Michael brings with him the right blend of agency tenure, critical eye, and experience in the US market.” An American, Scher started his career on the west coast of the US, cutting his teeth at boutiques and multinationals alike...

This morning I had breakfast with the President of an Advertising Agency. Somehow the conversation turned to dress code of creative people. He told me about a creative team he used to work with (one of the world's most respected) who had this incredible success rate at selling work through the first time. Let me tell you about this team. Yes, they were talented and they did great work. But they also looked great. They had a very polished sense of style. The kind of style the guys...

BLACK BAG just completed it's first webcast for attendees of Portfolio Night V. A webcast attended by people from all over the world - Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Brazil, Hong Kong, the United States, and Canada. A freebie introduction to the thinking of putting together a career, based on feedback from the webcast, students reported that much of the information was new to them. Yes, they'd learned plenty on portfolio construction and how to discern a great concept from a mediocre one...

What is it? Do you have this sudden thought in the middle of the night? "Oh I'm going to change jobs. I'll call BLACK BAG tomorrow!!!!!!!" Then you phone BLACK BAG. And what's the first thing we ask you? "What do you want to do?" And you say, "I don't know." Then we ask, "Do you have your work ready?" And you say, "Not yet." Then we ask, "Can you send a resume?" And you say, "I can in a week." So here's what we want to ask next. "Then why did you call?" But...

Last night was Portfolio Night V. Started six years ago by an audacious Costa Rican who had come to Canada to work in the business his father had worked in:  advertising.  In addition to having to navigate a maze of immigration hassles which were ultimately resolved (thankfully), he found it exceedingly difficult to find the information he required for a junior art director to break into an industry he had revered and grown up around his entire life. So he had an idea. Why not provide...

I've never understood why people always apologize for using the word 'headhunter' in conversation with me. It usually goes like this. "I just wanted to get some advice from a headhunter about (fill in the blank)." Pause, then, "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to call you a headhunter. I meant, um, what is it?" And then I usually offer, "Recruiter?" "Ya recruiter, I'm really sorry." Then I wonder what they're sorry for. Isn't that what I do? Isn't headhunter just popular jargon for a person...

Or I might call it, "How to Give a More Compelling Presentation, Dazzle Your Clients, Captivate the Boardroom, and Sell Those Ideas that Are Going to Transform your Portfolio and Your Career." Is that legal?  Can anything have a title that long? I found this website last week and thought I should share it with you.  It's called, "How to Give a Better Speech" and on it are several extremely helpful articles to help you become a better presenter and then Dazzle Your Clients, Captivate the...

Huh? Congratulations? Yes, congratulations. It's not a reason to leave, it's a reason to stay. You are one of the lucky people who works for a company that cares enough about you and your success to take the time to give you the feedback that will help you grow in your career. I spoke to a few Creative Directors about this idea. Unanimously they agreed. "Writing a great review is easy." "Writing a moderate review for an underperformer takes far less time." "Writing the tough review...

Couldn't be. So I read the sentence again. Yes, I read it correctly. David Zweig, an organizational behaviour specialist at University of Toronto has data which shows that 'structured interviews' have eight times the predictive power of pinpointing the best candidate compared to unstructured interviews. A 'structured interview' is one where each candidate for a position is interviewed the same way and asked the same set of questions. I can hear you all throwing your hands up in the air. It's...

Do you know? If you know who they are, do they know who YOU are?  Why not?  Is it because you haven't made the call yet?  Is it because your brand is unknown to them?   If they do know who you are, CONGRATULATIONS, you've set the ball in motion.  You're initiated the courtship, you've started the dance.   The person that you need to cause the change that will transform your company isn't sitting around waiting for you to call.  Because they're busy transforming something else...