5 things i’ve learned from Theophilus Wells IV
When i first spoke to Theo, i was blown away by the depth of his thinking across not just how we market to humans, but how we maintain humanity while we do so. Fast forward a few months, and my mind was blown some more. And hey – now yours can be too!
Here are 5 main things i learned from our chat.
Communication
Being direct and purposeful in your communication is about more than having self-discipline. It’s also about having respect for yourself, and your audience. Theo compared this to musicians, who don’t waste notes. Therefore, a communicator shouldn’t waste words.
Impostor syndrome
Impostor syndrome, ever heard of it? Yeah, Theo says it’s all a bit of a luxury for people who have too much time. This sounds harsh, but he has a valid point, especially when we dwell too much on our own self-doubt. Now, self-doubt is important and it helps us work harder, but once it becomes a core part of your identity, now you got a problem. One way that could help alleviate our ails? Tie your identity to something larger than an individual project.
Danger
“I know enough to be dangerous”. This is one of my favourite expressions, originally heard from Kara Swisher, but Theo echoed this sentiment beautifully. In the world of strategy, danger expresses itself by our ability to be versatile enough to speak different languages to different stakeholders (clients, creatives, all manner of colleagues), while keeping a creative edge. If you can do that, your career will likely go far.
Identity
I did not know this: Theo is the son of a Black Panther. And this was foundational to his identify, as it gave him a strong sense of self-definition, and not letting others dictate who he is. Seriously, go watch his story about when his father asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. It’s outstanding.
Craft
Creative minds consistently gravitate between concept and craft. Or you may say it’s ideas vs execution. But what’s important is you keep a steady head around both. And Theo believes the advertising industry is focusing too much on casting out the old guard, without properly preparing and vetting the new guard. As a result, we may be losing important conceptual and craft skills, and settling for what he describes as (and i love this) “fast fashion insights”.
What next?
Go watch the full video, it’s a genuinely raw and real conversation. Or go follow Theo on LinkedIn. Or better yet, go talk to him about how you can work together. It’s guaranteed to take your mind to places you might have not quite encountered before.
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