FOCUS: 2000 Previews - That old devil called 'talent'

At Leo Burnett, we have a special project team working on the millennium outlook. I have no doubt that these pages will be covered with predictions about the new clicks and mortar economy and the power of the interactive universe. The digital revolution is here and it must be harnessed. But I would like to share my millennium angst with you. It's one issue that must be dealt with this year and every year in the future: the issue is talent. The new knowledge economy has been heralded as the coming of the Creative Age. There is no doubt that the power of connection, the free-flow of information and the viral contagion of ideas have never enjoyed such symmetry. The old world trade-offs between corporation, security and personal freedom no longer seem inevitable for the individual with exceptional ability. The essay question that every agency head must answer is "why in the world would anyone want to work for us?" The answer can be found in enabling people to grow and achieve fulfillment better than any of the alternatives. You will have noticed that this is at the apex of the hierarchy of needs pyramid. Quite simply, the provision of security, tenure and status doesn't play in the weightless economy. Dilbert is the anti-hero for our age: the to-be-pitied corporate citizen. If as an industry we are unable to attract and retain talent we need to prosper, agencies will become irrelevant to the clients they serve. Financial gain will not be the competitive edge to secure the best. The secret will lie with the climate and culture of the organisation. A creative climate is engendered by a willingness to take risks, a belief in excellence and the power of the imagination combined with mutual respect. It is driven by a sense of the possible not the probable. There must be scope for endless reinvention. If you doubt this is possible, visit our new KL environment (office is too mean a word for it). The agency of the future can only expect to attract the talent of the future if it can satisfy needs and create opportunities that the individual would struggle to find elsewhere. Psychological reward, personal growth, lifetime learning are the benefits in kind which will count. Leo Burnett and Starcom are determined to be fertile soil for the talent of the future. We want to deliver a climate which fosters growth - personal and professional. If we fail, both as a company and as an industry, to meet this challenge, then talent has every right to give us the finger. Now that's a digital revolution to really worry about.

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