by Margot Lester | Process
A client called with an SOS. His staff was working long hours, feeling stressing and approaching burn out. He's not a tyrant. In fact, he wanted his staff to work more efficiently, not more. What he needed was a way to help them do that. He turned to me because I'm a...
by Margot Lester | Process
When Mercury's in retrograde, communication can go a little haywire. Even if you don't believe in it, a bunch of your clients and colleagues do, so lean in! In the early years of The Word Factory, we collaborated with a client to produce a monthly guest column that...
by Margot Lester | Process, Writing/How to Write
When we ask “let me know what you think about this”, the reviewer tells us what’s important to *them* or makes corrections because they don’t know what we need. Take control of the revision and review processes by asking for the feedback that produces a better piece...
by Margot Lester | Best Practice, Process
The landmark ANA Supplier Diversity report showed that the biggest challenge to working with creative shops led by non-white, non-cishet non-male owners is that It's just too hard. More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents said it was too difficult to find qualified...
by Margot Lester | Process
It's easy to feel like open spaces and blue skies are required to boost creativity. And they certainly can. But the real world offers few opportunities for that, thanks to time, resource and other factors. That's why it's important to learn how to use constraints to...
by Margot Lester | E'ship, Process
Mid-year is a logical time to review, retool and recommit. Mid-Year Review Take a look back at the what you did during the first half of the year. What worked? What didn't? What were the big learnings? What could you change to increase the odds of success in the...
