I approached the interview with an open mind. The president, Steve, was different. Genuine. I wondered what was wrong with him. I soon came to find out nothing was wrong with him. He's a real straight shooter. I like that. Pat, the media director, gave me the once over. Very smart. Very intense. Very good at what she does. Bart, the creative director, was another story. Those creative types…He showed me some of the agency's work that made me go ''Huh?'' He was obviously glad I was not going to be on the creative side. Me, too. But, you can't argue with success — he's won more awards than Carter has pills.
Well, I took the gig, and here it's almost four years later and I'm still their finance director. Four years of increased billings. 32 employees now (twice what it was when I started). A fancy new building. A lot more award-winning work. The classiest group of people you'd ever want to work with. Even some advertising with me in it.
And I've found an even deeper connection to this brave, new world. For as Shakespeare (and Norman Juster) observed: Brevity is the soul of wit. In my years at McKee Wallwork Cleveland, I have concluded it is also the soul of both great advertising and good accounting.
I have often been amazed by the advertising we have created for our clients — images and/or dialogue which can convey the client's message in a most understated way. But, isn't that as it should be? In our over-communicated world, it seems that often the advertising message gets lost in the din of the delivery.
In the same way, I (as the finance director) strive for function over form. I can create visually appealing analyses and reports, but if they don't convey the information clearly, of what use are they? Some people may be impressed by thick tomes crammed with endless charts, graphs, and spreadsheets, but unless you're trying to intentionally hide something (or you think people will be impressed), such showiness is pointless. In accounting, as in advertising, brevity is critical. Accounting at its core is a service function — and I am not serving well if my work confuses and distracts.
So, there you have it. Award-winning advertising, accounting, Albuquerque, and wit. Brevity is the key to all. Who'd have thought it?
