HOW TO TRANSITION FROM IDEAS TO EXECUTION

When I look at agencies, the reason some sputter or plateau is a performance gap. This is the gap between what we know and what we actually do. If I were to draw it, it would look like two mountains with a valley in the middle. But unlike the valleys found in nature, which take thousands of years to form, the performance gaps I see in agencies develop almost instantaneously.

What causes these gaps? And why do so many agencies and producers fail to execute? Some of the main reasons are:

• Lack of a meaningful, achievable goal. Most agencies really have no end in mind. If you were to ask them, “Where do you want to be in three years?” they wouldn’t have a clear answer, because they haven’t taken the time to think about it. Instead, they just sort of wander.
• Lack of consistent, purposeful behaviors. How often have you started something for a couple of weeks and then moved on to something else because you lost...