Enter the Worriors
It’s a perverse thought, I know, but for me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of our industry is unpredictability. Now I know that my clients, senior management, finance and, indeed, my editor will choke on their Xanax tablet when reading this but, hey, you guys know it’s true. It’s a bit like football, in fact: even the most galácticos-filled team doesn’t come with a warranty. But it is that very same unpredictability which, having given birth to all kinds of risk-mitigating disciplines and companies, from copytesting research to modern-day analytics, has also opened our doors to that fingernail-chewing, under-a-dark-cloud-walking, complex-ridden character I will call The Worrior.
True, bona fide Worriors are not your usual riskmitigating colleagues, no. These guys are in a different league, a different culture even; one that comes from Yesbutville, in deepest Itsnotgonnaworkistan. Theirs is a world of constant, underlying but calculated angst, which, unlike normal human beings, never erupts but smolders constantly, even after the campaign has run, the invoices have been paid and the lights have been turned off. It’s in their DNA, you see, and no amount of good news or spa treatments can change their state of mind. You may look at them as the enemies of creativity and the friends of comfort zones or, worse, negative influencers of the company’s mood and ambition. And you would be utterly wrong.
Just like even the most radical piece of architecture needs a smoke detector, every business needs to bring in a Worrior and stamp their passport with a permanent residency. These people are priceless, not just for their obvious role, which is to inject a useful dose of realism or simply remind you of the importance of safety nets when doing creative acrobatics. But their big – and underrated – contribution to the well-being of the organisation is that they set you free. When you have a Worrior on your team, you have a warrior in you. You simply let your imagination fly; go to territories unexplored, walk down dangerous avenues and leave it to the Worrior to, well, worry. It is a straightforward but utterly constructive division of labour.
For all their devil-advocacy and worst-case-scenario mapping, Worriors are the back office of true innovation and the protectors of pristine minds. Theirs is the ungrateful task usually assigned to supporting actors and great men’s women. Indeed you could say that, behind the perversely enjoyable unpredictability of a battle, there is a Worrior. When you have a Worrior on your team, you have a warrior in you. You simply let your imagination fly; go to territories unexplored, walk down dangerous avenues and leave it to the Worrior to, well, worry.