When to Take My Name off the Door

This speech was delivered by Leo Burnett at a meeting of the entire Chicago Burnett office on December 1, 1967.

You should read the entire thing [here] but, for now, at least pay attention to the closing part - which I truly love:

"... When you start believing that, in the interest of efficiency, a creative spirit and the urge to create can be delegated and administrated, and forget that they can only be nurtured, stimulated, and inspired.

When you start giving lip service to this being a "creative agency" and stop really being one.

Finally, when you lose your respect for the lonely man – the man at his typewriter or his drawing board or behind his camera or just scribbling notes with one of our big pencils – or working all night on a media plan. When you forget that the lonely man – and thank God for him – has made the agency we now have – possible. When you forget he’s the man who, because he is reaching harder, sometimes actually gets hold of for a moment - one of those hot, unreachable stars.

THAT, boys and girls, is when I shall insist you take my name off the door. And by golly, it will be taken off the door. Even if have to materialize long enough some night to rub it out myself - on every one of our floors. And before I DE-materialize again, I will paint out that star-reaching symbol too. And burn all the stationary. Perhaps tear up a few ads in passing.

And throw every god-damned apple down the elevator shafts.

You just won’t know the place, the next morning. You’ll have to find another name."

These words talk to every artist, planner, copywriter, producer, designer, account executive manager... and any one out there who's main job is to create [or help creating] something.

These words remind these people of the commitment they have and the passion that requires to accomplish it.

... but most importantly, these words remind us of the reason why we all got into this business in the first place: because we loved it.

Thanks Leo.