Apathy is the enemy of creativity. As the summer season kicks in it is all too easy too easy to find ourselves on autopilot. Whether boiling our brains on the Northern Line, or navigating the mental gymnastics of summer childcare logistics, summer can be a difficult time to maintain momentum. For creativity and curiosity to thrive we need rest and inspiration. Be it recommending a book, a breathing method or developing a craft, this summer BITE is asking leaders to share how they are making the space to nurture their creativity and find their pace.

Paul Matuszczyk, Managing Partner and Head of Account Management at Publicis London, talks through his strategy for side-stepping a summer slump by disconnecting, topping up and re-engaging.

What does the summer slump look like for Account Management? Lol.

Nearly everyone is in delivery mode with pre-production, shoots and post-production front and centre. Many are pitching. New projects appearing on top of original scopes. Meanwhile, holiday season is in full swing, usually meaning the timeline for delivering work just gets tighter.

In short - it never stops.

This continual momentum is a great joy of the job… the energy we, as account folks, can bring to the team to keep everyone motivated and doing their best work has a tangible impact.

However, in that “never stops” the question arises, how does the account team remain topped up themselves? If our energy goes, quite quickly dark clouds might descend over the wider team.

For me, three things are important. A handily alliterative list: Reflection, Recuperation, Re-engaging.

Reflection

In the rush towards the next big thing, it’s wise to look back at what we’ve already achieved. Think about what went well, think about what could have been even better. Most importantly, give ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done. Thank people.

At Publicis London, we took the entire Account Management department for an offsite at the beginning of July for just this purpose. A wonderfully cathartic experience. As well as reflecting on our (pretty great…) performance for the first part of the year we also focused on the importance of literally looking after ourselves and consciously thinking about what’s going on in our personal lives that might be having an impact professionally.

Recuperation

Account management can often feel like a non-stop sprint. It’s a simple physical and mental must that we get some rest and recuperation in. That May Bank Holiday doesn’t quite cut it.

The benefits of rest are proven, and by the smart folks at Harvard no less. I’d go one step further and suggest the benefits are fully felt with at least one two-week block of holiday in the diary. Let’s all recognise there’s never a really great time in the work calendar to take this, but take it you must. Can usually be straight-forwardly managed if agreed well in advance.

Once on holiday, truly switch off - hide the mobile, don’t check emails and be quite deliberate about tuning out. This wonderful thing happens… you get to fill that space with new tunes.  The sparkling sea, the smells of that amazing market, the raucous sounds of a toddler going full (happy) feral.

This stuff is gold. This stuff fills the soul like you’ve just plugged into a Renault Electric Vehicle Mobilize Home Charger. This stuff gets you ready to re-engage.

Re-engaging

There’s nothing quite like momentum, driven by the account management team, to make a team feel like it’s on fire and capable of achieving great things. After recuperation, I find that  gathering the team to refocus on our goals and explore new opportunities works wonders for the second half of the year. I’m feeling pumped just typing this. Bring it on!

So, not so much a summer slump, but a conscious effort to disconnect, top up and re-engage.

In the wise words of Jerry Springer, “Take care of yourselves, and each other”.