Strands of Genius: Rob Estreitinho + World Happiness Report 2024
featuring: an interview with our guest editor and a research report
Welcome to the Bonus edition of Strands of Genius! On Fridays, we’ll be publishing interviews from our guest editors, and sharing a research report. Thanks for being along for the ride. Oh and by the way, you look great today :)
:: STEAL THIS THINKING | RESEARCH REPORT ::
In this issue of the World Happiness Report they focus on the happiness of people at different stages of life. In the seven ages of man in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, the later stages of life are portrayed as deeply depressing. But happiness research shows a more nuanced picture, and one that is changing over time.
In the West, the received wisdom was that the young are the happiest and that happiness thereafter declines until middle age, followed by substantial recovery. But since 2006-10, as we shall see, happiness among the young (aged 15-24) has fallen sharply in North America – to a point where the young are less happy than the old. Youth happiness has also fallen (but less sharply) in Western Europe.
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
ROB ESTREITINHO, FOUNDER, SALMON LABS
>> Rob Estreitinho guest curated Strands on May 23rd 2024. Read it here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what keeps you busy. How did you end up doing what you’re doing today?
I've always had a restless mind, which I now know is due to the fantastic cocktail of anxiety and depression that swirls around most days. These days, though, I see them as a part of me, and a partner in crime that helps me be good at certain things. Namely, strategy. And working fast. And always being obsessed with simplifying things so i don't get overloaded.
These days, I run a strategy studio called Salmon Labs but I owe a lot of where I am now to everyone I've met in the past 15+ years in this industry, most recently at VCCP where I did national and global work for brands like O2, Cadbury and Sage.
What excites you most about what you do?
I get paid to be a dork. Honestly. Stuff that others might find boring, I find interesting. And I love to write. So when you combine the intellectual kicks I get, plus the sense of relief when I can put something to paper (or, er, Google Doc) that is simple and makes sense, it's a blast. However, I also notice that unless the above leads to tangible action, I get deflated. So being a dorky writer who helps people make things faster is probably what excites me right now.
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
I believe most strategy ends up over-seasoned and over-cooked and there more that happens the less tangible action tends to happen off the back of it. There is probably a correlation here. So I prefer to work in strategy sprints, workshops, informal sessions, and generally acting more as a channel to other people's brains, then being ~the brain~ per se.
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
Contrary to my personal, er, cultural preferences, I had a blast working on O2's sponsorship of Love Island for two years in a row. It taught me a lot about how to think about the right level of integration between two brands (and two separate campaigns running a the same time!), but more importantly about the importance of having the right operating model between agency and client if you want to move fast, experiment, and creatively push things. I now know it paid off, as we had strong brand, campaign and commercial results!
We are big believers in diversity -- Not only because we believe in equality, but because we also think it’s better for business. How do you frame these kinds of conversations, both internally and with clients? Is there an emphasis on action, or are the conversations really more about communication?
I always remind people in our industry that our greatest asset isn't creativity, it's perspective. And I really do believe this. We're all creative on some level, but it's very easy to lose perspective especially when you're on a tight deadline and need to operate on mental shortcuts, which produces unconscious bias. So the more you have people who don't think like us, the more perspective we gain, the fewer errors we make, and the more opportunities we find to tap into. I try and avoid making it about how the current team isn't good enough (e.g. if it's just white people), and make it more about what else we could become.
Switching gears a bit, how do you find time to balance personal interests with your career? Do you believe work/life balance is possible? Anything you’ve implemented that you recommend that others try?
The best definition I've read about balance is that it's not a static thing, it's a moving thing. It's like walking on a tightrope, where you balance more to the left, more to the right, so you don't fall. But a 50:50 situation is near impossible. So, I prefer to think in terms of 80:20 ratios for my life. There are instances where i am 80% in personal mode and 20% in work mode, and others where the ratio goes the other way around. I find that, being a dad, you gotta have your mind always ready to get into action mode anyway, so this works for me.
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
An industrial amount of newsletters or podcasts, most of which I will never really consume but my FOMO prohibits me from not having the option there just in case. In specific terms, these days I’m big on newsletters like After School by Casey Lewis, Delightful by Steve Bryant, The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past by Rishad Tobaccowala, Great Point by Grace Gordon, STRAT_SCRAPS by Alex Morris. And I love podcasts like Pivot by Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway, SmartLess with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, and I am in awe of the production magnificence that is The Emerald by Joshua Schrei.
What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
It doesn't matter if you write the strategy as long there is one. I forget who told it to me, but it feels wise and useful even if you remove “strategy'“ from it. It's a great life lesson.
How has being a dad changed how you see the world?
It changed my timescales massively. I either think about the next 10 hours or the next 10 years. Everything else is a bit blurry.
You can keep in touch with Rob on LinkedIn.
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie | your friends over at geniussteals.co
(still want more? @faris is still “tweeting” while @rosieyakob prefers instagram stories)