Spill the Iced Coffee…
I’m back. After a long summer of focusing on things that really matter, returning to pondering on the state of strategy feels like a brutally bumpy landing.
In a week where, despite civilization-level threats from climate crisis, global conflct, AI, continued rising costs of just trying to exist, erosion of press freedoms, [... the list could go on], the trending news headline this week seems to be “Should you take iced coffee into interviews?”.
(pause for eye-rolling).
But, let’s talk about the iced coffee thing for a moment, for I think it speaks massively to focusing on the wrong things, in so many ways - and just the huge disconnect between how people are hiring, the people they’re hiring.
Exhibit A - new research from mediasense and WFA on gaps talent gaps in the industry.
“Humans, Marketing and Machines: How talent, skills and incentives are being redefined is based on responses from 166 industry professionals across brands, agencies, platforms and other organisations, including representatives of 65 brands spending $80 billion on global marketing each year.”
$80billion a year on marketing, and these organisations think there is an “acute shortage of people who can deliver judgement, prioritisation and insight development“.
Having a quick glance at my phone, I can see three whatsapp groups packed full of AMAZING individuals who deliver judgement, prioritisation and insight development. I alt-tab to Slack, and can see over 1000 people in just our little space, plus the 5k+ across our various channels. I turn to look at Rob’s Salmon Crew, Kim’s Ladies Who Strategize, Lucy’s new UN//SCENE INSIDERS, and countless other strategy-forward communities. I switch to LinkedIn and see post after post after post of enormously talented strategic thinkers and doers, desperately searching for work, at risk of losing their homes if they can’t find an income soon.
Let me be clear: THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF TALENT.
They were let go, they were pushed out, they were under-invested in, under-supported, and the first to be cut when reorganisations came along because of ... reasons.
I am confident that if ANY business came to me tomorrow, I could help them find three brilliant people to close any internal gaps they’re seeing. I do, regularly, for agencies who ask to be connected to our members.
But, when the hiring process takes six months, demands a laundry list of experience from only certain types of businesses, proof that you’ve done exactly that same job before, whilst also underpaying or refusing to welcome in someone who might be a little older or seem a little different, or expecting them to play the roles of five people .... that is the gap.
There is no shortage of talent, only a shortage of hiring of that talent.
There is a shortage in willingness to hire and pay people for those skills.
In the hiring of those people, not in the existance of those people.
I am not blind to the parallel reality that younger and emerging talent is also not being hired, not being trained, not being mentored or supported, and the real challenges that are created when a business has a strategy team of one and cannot afford to bring on others to be trained and developed - but the inflow issue cannot be closed until we recognise that there is no shortage of talent, only a shortage of investment in it.
Matthew
(And if any of the 65 brands involved in the WFA work are reading, drop me a note, I’ll connect you to our community).
Share your Outside Perspective
I’ve loved having our guest editors over the summer, and want to keep it going. If you have a thought piece, a new piece of work, or want to provoke the audience, drop me a note - this space is our community’s, so please use it.
OP IRL.
Was lovely to see a bunch of OPers last week in London at UN//SCENE, the fantastic festival of thinking from Lucy Verby et al. If you want to arrange a little OP hangout in your part of the world, shout in the slack! Plus checkout the ‘stuff happening’ feed below for various coworking and learning events.
Curiosity Stream
Every week, our community shares inspiration, ideas and thinking they’ve published or found across the stratosphere. Want something shared? Drop me a note.
FROM THE COMMUNITY
» Married to Chat GPT - thanks Ged.
» Sarah Housley’s new project “Timeline” is a website that charts futures projections, organised by year, to show the projected and probable future. She explains: “It's free, public-access and intended to show the future holistically: not just climate projections, but demographics, technological breakthroughs, important new infrastructure, social and health ramifications, and more. We tend to imagine the future in silos. When we put the different parts of it together, side by side, we see it in all of its messiness, scariness, confusion and possibility. I'm curious to see what it will spark for people.”
» Nick Manning on the strategy ‘crisis’ in media agencies.
» Cereal for dinner isn’t a new idea, but dinner for cereal? Thanks Tom. Plus this talk from Surreal on their approach to social.
» Last call for entries to Curious Felis awards. Established in Istanbul in 2021, the awards are dedicated to celebrating strategic excellence in marketing campaigns globally. Thanks Berivan.
STUFF HAPPENING
» Sep 29, London - IN SITU LIVE VOL 006, the value of human curation and creaton.
» Sep 30, London - DrinkedIn
» October 1, London - Breakfast Club at Foyles on Charing Cross Road, 9.30-11am
» November (various dates) - Semiotics Masterclass from Gemma Jones
» October-December - Semiotics Masterclass from Chris Arning
» APG Canada is hosting a whole host of events over the next few months, worth checking out - thanks Michelle
(Wanna share something you’re hosting? Share in the slack, or send me a note).
Let me help you find work!
I’m doing my best to try and let hirers know about Outside Perspective, so they can share their briefs with us, so you get first dibs. But I need your help!
Introduce me to agencies, brands, clients, anyone who hires strategy people, so I can explain OP and why we’re the place to find the best strategy folk!
Just CC me on an email, and I’ll pick up the conversation.
» CC me in — workwith@outsideperspective.co
Remember, you don’t need to wait until Friday!
All of our gigs are posted in real-time on the website, telegram and slack!
» Check out the gigs page here.
That’s all for this week.
APTLY put - always x