Diary of a Future CEO #2: Shine bright like a diamond
Jung von Matt Future CEO Sven Würgler writes about his experiences in his new column at werbewoche.ch. This time: time management - and what it has to do with diamonds.
My first weeks as Trainee Future CEO at Jung von Matt are over. And OMG, a lot has happened during this time. Because I've been asked that a few times now: Yes, I'm actually on the road with Roman and fully integrated into the CEO's daily routine. And I also attend his external events. So if you see Roman anywhere in the next few weeks, chances are good that I'll be around the next corner.
Over the past few weeks, I've been at dozens of meetings, helping to decide, think, and pitch in on new projects. And I've been bugging Roman on LinkedIn at every opportunity. We're making progress... Hit me up if your request hasn't been accepted yet.
And above all, I learned a hell of a lot. Not only how a creative ecosystem with eight agencies of this size works and what makes a good culture, but also how to steer an entire company in a certain direction as CEO (spoiler: with a lot of small steps).
I know many people think this is a no-brainer - but time management is one of the most important skills a CEO must have. Tasks take as long as the time available for them. This observation even has a name - Parkinson's Law. If you have more time, you need longer for tasks. That's why Roman swears by timeboxing, i.e. setting time slots for just about everything. Which is also the reason why his calendar looks the way it does...
By the way, Mr. Parkinson's law also applies to meetings: We humans seem to have no trouble extending a one-hour meeting, which would be finished after half an hour, to the entire scheduled time. So here's another tip: simply plan as little time as possible for everything. Because, as an old student saying goes, diamonds are created under pressure.
Jung von Matt Switzerland has a new CEO. At least temporarily, because at the end of last year the agency was looking for the "Future CEO" - a young up-and-coming talent who would accompany CEO Roman Hirsbrunner through the daily routine and madness of a creative agency for two months. At the beginning of March, the time had come: Sven Würgler, who enjoys the title of "Future CEO," started the service. What he experiences in his extraordinary role, what learnings he passes on and what his daily agency life is like, the 22-year-old reveals in his new column on werbewoche.ch.
Here it goes to part one of the column.
