Always Be Asking "What Comes Next?"

Yesterday, I accepted a seat on a corporate board of advisors. Earlier today, one of the founders sent me an article published by McKinsey and Company entitled: “Scaling up: How founder CEOs and teams can go beyond aspiration to ascent..” The article pinpoints six factors that contribute to exponential growth, I was asked my views on the topic.

Having owned and invested in other companies I’ve come to the conclusion that every company on Earth would experience exponential growth and unlimited success if not for the people involved. Yes, I say that somewhat facetiously, but there is also a modicum of truth to it. People make up organizations and most challenges in companies are organizational in nature. Identifying and engaging talent is the number one issue within any organization. Some people will tell you that insufficient resources (money) is a bigger problem but I don’t agree. Gather the right people and the money will follow. The biggest barrier to exponential growth can almost always be traced to the failure of people to be working on what comes next. Start-ups are especially vulnerable to this mistake. They are often so busy supporting their most prominent idea, product or service that they fail to invest energy, and resources in what comes next.

An example from my own career occurred some years ago when I joined Grey Advertising in L.A. on the Taco Bell account. The entire account team and creatives were gathered in a massive conference room and we were shown the creative reel being used at the time by the client. It just happened to be a clever and exceptionally popular campaign dubbed “The Crashing Bell” depicting humorous scenarios where folks were suddenly struck by a craving for Taco Bell food following the sudden crashing appearance of a giant bell in the middle of whatever activity they happened to be doing. My favorite was the destruction of a glass greenhouse around two elderly ladies who were tending to their plants. The women were oblivious to the destruction as one nonchalantly suggested to the other she had a taste for Taco Bell.

The entire account team was very proud of the work, and rightly so. Advertising Age Magazine designated it as the Campaign of the Year. The Executive Creative Director was beaming like a proud papa when he turned to see my reaction.

Since the campaign had been running for months, I asked one simple question: “What comes next?” He responded, “We’ve agreed with the client, in an effort to save money, we’ll hold back on any new creative for a while, let the campaign run its course, and then assess next steps.” He could tell by the expression on my face that I was dumbstruck by that answer. Almost immediately, I blurted out, “We’re fucked.”

I couldn’t believe the client and the agency let this once in a lifetime opportunity to capitalize on a runaway success slip through their fingers because no one had considered what came next. Within weeks the public’s interest in the ads, and their visits to Taco Bell declined. Without something in the works the agency was caught flat-footed and within months of producing the Campaign of the Year were fired by the client.

Fortunately for me, the client invited me to move to its new agency. I’ve carried the lesson of “What Comes Next?” with me for my entire business career. To ensure I am worth the money they’re paying,and we get off on the right foot, I emphasized this mantra in my response to the co-founder of the organization to which I’ve been recently added.