Dear Agencies: Build Teams, Not Departments

But here’s the key: Don’t make any of them do all of it. 

When I finally wrote that CD a custom contract—no clients, no management, just pure creative work—they took the job. Years later, after I’d left, they were still there. Why wouldn’t they be? It was the perfect role for their talents. 

The future of our industry isn’t about building departments of generalists. It’s about assembling teams of specialists who complement each other’s strengths. Yes, it requires more flexibility. Yes, it means rewriting some HR policies. And yes, it might make your org chart look messy. 

But the payoff? Better work. Happier talent. More efficiency. And a whole lot less super-unique, polygonal pegs being shoved into round holes.

It’s time to stop forcing people up a ladder they never wanted to climb—don’t tell Jalen Brunson he needs to play center to advance his basketball career. Let’s build teams that let experts be experts. 

The future belongs to the specialists. The only question is whether your agency will be smart enough to let them play their position.