How Polymensa helps senior managers
Every agency we’ve ever worked with has had a problem they wanted to solve.
That’s obvious!
Mo money, mo problems - ey?
What’s less obvious is how marketing agencies go about solving those problems - effectively…
Trial & Error alone won't work.
What we often see is senior management teams trying to figure it out on their own using trial and error, intuition or outdated methods to solve their challenges.
Wasting thousands of pounds and countless hours.
Increasing frustration, stress and dissatisfaction among team members and clients.
At worst, lose valuable team members and clients in the process.
The agency ends up stagnating.
You know, kinda doing alright…
until an unexpected event hits you right in the belly.
Suddenly that kinda alright - ain’t good enough and you’re now making a loss.
Or even worse…
The agency ends up growing too fast without the right kind of structure, processes and people to support it, until another unexpected event pulls the wrong block out of the wonky Jenga tower.
Same problem, different angle...
Why?
Because senior managers at marketing agencies between 20 - 50 employees are often promoted from within. It’s one of the best things seeing someone rise to the top right from the bottom.
But how do they know what excellence looks like, if they haven’t seen the top from anywhere else?
In many cases they may start to feel like an imposter, which can have a detrimental effect on their leadership style, ability to confidently and effectively solve problems… causing their colleagues to lose trust in their ability.
And as the spiral continues, the lack of adequate training of a senior manager can ultimately affect the reputation, profitability and sustainability of the agency.
For me, Polymensa is a safe haven away from the deafeningly noisy and self-centred ethos of the digital agency world. Daniel leads by example, his enthusiasm and dedication to lifting up others is infectious - it’s a community of kind, like-minded folks who leave their ego at the door and commit to carving a better path for ‘we’ and not just ‘me’.
Having recently expanded my role and stepping up my responsibilities, it can feel overwhelming and like there’s never enough time for ‘personal development’. Polymensa’s structure helps me narrow down my core focus areas and discuss my progress with others walking a similar path. The speakers are carefully chosen and really understand the challenges of agency leadership which makes it easier to apply practical actions to my day-to-day role.
I feel proud to be a part of Polymensa; it’s an inclusive and non-judgmental space for senior leaders to explore their leadership style. It’s not about fitting into the traditional shoes of a leader, it’s about finding the pair that fit you best.
LUCI WOOD
HEAD OF CUSTOMER SUCCESS
Our 5 circles of support for senior managers at marketing agencies
We help senior managers at marketing agencies discover what excellence looks like in leading people, clients, finances, new business and yourself.
Depending on your specific role and department, you’ll have more responsibilities in one area than the other.
Your agency will have areas of competency that are unique to you. Shhhhhh! That’s your secret sauce. We won’t interfere with that. We’ll just ensure you’re fully competent in the other areas, so that you can fully focus on evolving your secret sauce recipe!
You will learn how to:
- Define your vision, mission, values and goals for your agency
- Identify your target market and your unique value proposition
- Create a marketing plan and a sales funnel that attracts and converts your ideal clients
- Manage your finances, operations and resources efficiently and effectively
- Implement best practices and standards for project management and quality assurance
- Build strong relationships with your clients, partners and stakeholders
- Negotiate contracts and proposals that benefit both parties
- Handle difficult situations and resolve conflicts with confidence
- Lead your teams with clarity, direction and feedback
- Motivate, inspire, and empower your team to perform at their best
- Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement
Check out our resources to give you an idea of some the specific topics we cover.
Access a wide variety of advisors
Including agency experts, experts from other industries & walks of life and agency peers to discover what excellence looks like in our 5 pillars.
Stronger together
Get support and advice from peers who are running similar size agencies - likeminded and humble. People that wouldn’t be afraid to admit they’re struggling too. But may have already solved your problem.
Senior Leadership Team support meetings
Get an advisor to help your whole SLT be aligned, work through specific team dynamic challenges, getting an outside perspective on particular challenges and help the SLT hit their targets.
1 to 1 mentoring
Your own personal Yoda to keep you motivated, help you reach your personal objectives and help you avoid typical costly mistakes as a newly promoted senior manager.
SARAH MCAREAVEY
PEOPLE DIRECTOR
Polymensa has been a valuable tool for me. I joined Reflect Digital with no prior agency experience and I have found the community provided to be super valuable. I am People Director and I was able to speak to other individuals who work in the HR/People space and share ideas, thoughts, best practices and troubleshoot. Polymensa ensured that I had a valuable community of like-minded individuals, who understood my challenges who I could call on at any time, even outside of the Polymensa sessions.
I love the way Daniel completes a gap analysis of what we know and want to know before planning topics for each quarter. This means that the talks and Q&As provided are the most relevant for our industry at the time. The format is always very flexible and informal and no question is off limits or unworthy of the forum. This has made me feel completely included in a world that is still very new to me.
I have learnt so much from Polymensa, both from the in-person alive events and virtual events. I am incredibly grateful for the community that Daniel has created and how they have helped me in my role.
Membership tiers
Learn
- Peer support
- Weekly "Theme Sessions" with advisors and fellow agencies
- Quarterly "Alive" in person events
- Access to all resources
Apply
- Peer support
- Weekly "Theme Sessions" with advisors and fellow agencies
- Quarterly "Alive" in person events
- Access to all resources
- Monthly call with Polymensa founder and all senior managers for alignment, accountability and support
- "Vivid Vision" workshop to define vision
Master
- Peer support
- Weekly "Theme Sessions" with advisors and fellow agencies
- Quarterly "Alive" in person events
- Access to all resources
- Monthly call with Polymensa founder and all senior managers for alignment, accountability and support
- "Vivid Vision" workshop to define vision
- Bi-weekly 1 to 1 mentoring & coaching with senior manager(s) of choice
JAMES BAVINGTON
CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER
Our agency has been a member of Polymensa for a number of years and it has been pivotal to the training and development of our senior leadership team. I’ve made countless invaluable industry contacts who have generously shared their insights and experiences – all making me a better agency leader.
In particular I value my mentoring sessions with Daniel, it’s been refreshing talking to someone consistently outside of my agency to share ideas, solve problems and get an outside perspective from someone with such an extensive industry experience.
JENNY OVENS
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Blue Array and Polymensa have been working in partnership since 2020 and in that time, they have helped us navigate new challenges as we grew the business.
The environment fostered by Polymensa is truly unique, creating a platform where collaboration thrives and where individuals feel empowered to share their experiences and insights openly. As a business, it has provided a vital platform for our senior managers to align, connect and grow, within a space that truly gets the fantastically unique agency world. Whether it’s Dan himself, an Alive event, or a recommendation from within the community; there is always someone willing to help, provide their perspective or even share a framework to get you started. With varying topics, there’s always a strong mix of advisors across the business world, providing constant opportunities to learn and connect with advisors you may not ordinarily get easy access to. All curated by the wonderful Dan, who at every stage champions us and leads with heart. Dan’s perspective is unparalleled, there's very little he hasn't encountered or experienced in the world of agencies. His insights have been invaluable to us, providing a perspective that is both broad and deeply insightful.
For me personally, as my career progressed and I moved into a more senior role, Polymensa has been crucial. Enabling me to understand agency norms more quickly, provided shortcuts to success and a network of peers that were supportive, inspiring and fun! It can be a lonely place at the top, bearing the pressures of business operations whilst remaining consistently positive for the team; this community provides a safe space to vent, explore and solve those challenges with the right balance of reassurance and constructive feedback to help move you forward.
In summary, Polymensa has not only provided us with a space to learn and grow but has also created a community where support and collaboration are at the forefront. We're grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such an exceptional network and look forward to continuing our journey with Polymensa as we continue with our ambitious growth plans.
Polymensa has given me a community to lean on, ask for support, learn from and share my own knowledge with. In the last year, my confidence has skyrocketed and the Alive days allow me to connect with other agencies in a more meaningful way. It's also been a great forum for bouncing ideas and sharing challenges where input is valued and appreciated - everyone shares, and there's no fear of being judged or asking silly questions. I value everything Polymensa is doing!
CHANTEL JORDAN
MARKETING DIRECTOR
IAN JARRETT
DIRECTOR
Polymensa has unlocked in me a thirst for continuous improvement that I had lost and as a regular attendee to the weekly ‘learning’ sessions I find them to be both practical and very informative. Dan brings in ‘experts’ to coach the troop who offer real word advice that can be applied day to day. For me, the leadership upskilling has made a real difference to how I manage my team in terms of style.
Polymensa is a unique organisation that lets growing agencies access the "cheat codes" used by the most successful businesses in our sector. The sessions bring in people who have actually done it: grown their agency to be large, successful and happy, allowing agency owners, MDs and senior leaders to develop their skills to allow their organisations to achieve success more quickly. Polymensa is an invaluable asset to Napier that helps us achieve our ambitions.
MIKE MAYNARD
MANAGING DIRECTOR