Introduction: The Weight of Leadership
Running an agency has never been easy. Margins are thin, clients are demanding, competition is fierce, and the industry is constantly evolving. Amid that chaos, the role of the agency leader is critical.
But what exactly does it take to lead well? David Ogilvy, Stanley Pollitt, and Gary Halbert — three titans of advertising and marketing left us a set of principles that feel just as relevant today as they did decades ago.
From fairness and resilience to enthusiasm and financial discipline, their advice forms a practical blueprint for what an agency leader should be.
1. Fair, Firm, and Fearless
David Ogilvy was clear about the personal qualities he tried to embody:
"I try to be fair and to be firm, to make unpopular decisions without cowardice, to create an atmosphere of stability, and to listen more than I talk." (Confessions, p.37)
Leaders are not there to be liked, they are there to be trusted. That means:
Making tough calls, even when they're unpopular.
Creating stability in a business that thrives on volatility.
Practising restraint in conversation and becoming a better listener than talker.
The best leaders are not loud. They are steady.
2. Always Hunting for Growth
Ogilvy admitted:
"I try to build the agency by landing new accounts." (Confessions, p.38)
An agency without new business is an agency in decline. Leaders must:
Keep prospecting, even when current accounts are strong.
Protect against over-reliance on one or two big clients.
Balance short-term wins with the pursuit of "blue-chip" accounts.
Growth is the oxygen of agencies. Without it, creative ambition suffocates.
3. Vitality and Resilience
Agency life is a rollercoaster. Wins feel euphoric; losses sting deeply. Ogilvy captured the emotional toll:
"Running an agency takes vitality, and sufficient resilience to pick oneself up after defeats." (Confessions, p.38)
Even the best agencies lose clients (p.73). Leadership is about what happens next: the speed of recovery, the energy to rally teams, and the optimism to hunt again.
Resilience is not just personal toughness. It's modelling the bounce-back spirit for the whole agency.
4. Delegation Over Control
Perhaps Ogilvy's most practical piece of advice:
"Above all, the head of an agency must know how to delegate." (Confessions, p.38)
Leaders who cling to every detail choke growth. Delegation allows space to:
Focus on vision and strategy.
Empower senior staff to lead.
Protect mental bandwidth for client relationships.
Micromanagement breeds mediocrity. Delegation breeds scale.
5. Excellence Over Bigness
Ogilvy acknowledged a difficult truth:
"The pursuit of excellence is less profitable than the pursuit of bigness, but it can be more satisfying." (Confessions, p.38)
The scale is seductive. Revenue targets, office expansions, headcount growth. But excellence builds reputation. A leader's job is to balance both:
Growth keeps the lights on.
Excellence attracts the very clients who fuel growth.
The best leaders resist the easy lure of bigness for its own sake.
6. Knowing When to Resign
Stanley Resor, who transformed J. Walter Thompson, resigned 100 unprofitable accounts in his first year (Confessions, p.73). Ogilvy also resigned accounts that were unprofitable or when he lost confidence in the product (p.84).
The lesson:
Walk away from clients who damage morale or margins.
Protect yourself from tyrannical clients (p.83).
Never run campaigns you don't believe in.
Sometimes leadership is about saying no. Resigning a client can be a show of strength, not weakness.
7. Own Mistakes Early
Ogilvy stressed the importance of humility:
"It is important to admit your mistakes, and to do so before you are charged with them. I seize the earliest opportunity to assume the blame." (Confessions, p.83)
Clients respect candour. Employees trust transparency. Owning mistakes early prevents small cracks from becoming reputational crises.
Agency leaders earn loyalty not by pretending to be perfect, but by admitting when they aren't.
8. Protecting the Work at All Costs
Stanley Pollitt, co-founder of BMP, famously argued:
"Getting the advertising right [is] more important than maximising agency profits, more important than keeping clients happy, or building an agency shop window for distinctive looking advertising." (Anatomy of Humbug, p.106)
The leader's ultimate job is to protect the integrity of the work. Effective campaigns build brands, grow revenue, and ultimately justify your agency fees. Profit, politics, and ego must come second.
9. Hiring Enthusiasm, Not Just Credentials
Gary Halbert offered unconventional but practical hiring advice:
"Always look for the most enthusiastic person, not necessarily the most qualified." (The Boron Letters)
Skills can be trained. Enthusiasm cannot. In agencies, where energy drives creativity and resilience, enthusiasm is often the better predictor of success than a polished CV.
Leaders who prioritise enthusiasm build teams that attack challenges with fire, not fatigue.
10. Hard-Headed Confidence
Halbert also believed in firmness with clients:
"Clients, although they would never admit it, most often feel relieved with someone who takes a 'don't you dare mess with my copy' attitude." (The Boron Letters)
Leaders must stand firm. Clients don't want agencies who fold under pressure; they want guidance, backbone, and expertise. Confidence commands respect.
11. Structuring the Money
Finally, Halbert offered a practical survival tip:
"I try to structure my deeds so that I get paid often. When there is big money involved it is very hard for the clients to write those checks." (The Boron Letters)
Cashflow kills more agencies than creativity ever will. Leaders must:
Break retainers into smaller, regular payments.
Match billing cadence to delivery cadence.
Ensure financial discipline protects stability.
Creative brilliance means nothing if payroll can't be met.
12. Human First, Always
Beyond profits and pitches, Ogilvy understood leadership was about humanity:
See clients in calm weather, not just in crises (Confessions, p.83).
Move staff before tensions erupt (p.81).
Protect employees from client abuse.
Leadership is not just about accounts won, but about relationships preserved.
Conclusion: The Balancing Act of Leadership
So, what should an agency leader be?
Fair but firm.
Resilient yet enthusiastic.
Creative but commercial.
Confident yet humble.
Protecting excellence while chasing growth.
As Ogilvy put it, agency leaders must create stability in chaos, protect their people, and fight for the work - all while hunting for the next account.
Pollitt reminded us that getting it right matters more than pleasing clients.
Halbert reminded us that enthusiasm and backbone win the day.
Put it all together, and the agency leader's job becomes clear: lead with courage, integrity, and conviction and success will follow.
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About the author
Bryn Foweather
Vice President Marketing
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