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Cannes Master Class: Richard Edelman on why you can’t be a CEO from behind a desk

BBDO Guerrero Chief Executive Tony Harris writes about Richard Edelman’s Master Class held on June 16 at the Cannes Lions International Festival of creativity.

I was intrigued with the subject matter of Richard Edelman’s talk not least because this is a mantra I have always tried to follow and it is always good to hear how others cope.

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Richard was charming, honest and self-effacing as he took us through the perils of looking after an agency with a strong brand, strong output and a strong founder – sound familiar?

He boiled his advice down to four key action points for a successful operating style.

  1. You have to work on clients – it shows that you can lead from the front, otherwise you’re just a number cruncher and glad-hander. Furthermore you should build relationships throughout the client structure if possible.
  2. Give your subordinates plenty of autonomy – avoid micro-management and instead of discussing numbers and details, talk about the bigger picture and particularly the quality of the output.
  3. Trust and verify – by all means, you should listen and trust the opinion of your reports but always be prepared to hear for yourself. Let people know that you are always prepared to listen.
  4. Be a public communicator – let people hear your views and therefore evaluate them to gain a sense of the style of business that you will conduct.

He did however, say that if you have a business with a strong founding culture you must always recognize, acknowledge and thank it – a behavior I have never found difficult to follow but one of which it is always good to be reminded. So once more, thank you, David.

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