We’re proud that four of our Imagineers were named in this year’s Campaign Faces to Watch, spanning Agencies and Digital. It’s a timely reminder of something we’ve always believed: to stay relevant, creative, and successful, agencies must put their faith in emerging talent and give them room to grow.
At Imagination, we know that experience matters. But we also know that you only gain experience by taking ownership, making decisions, and, yes, sometimes getting it wrong. We don’t just tolerate that reality, we embrace it. Because bold ideas come from people willing to take risks, and lasting impact comes from people trusted to lead.
In fast-moving industries like ours, it’s the next generation of thinkers and doers who shape what’s next. And to keep up, we need to stay ‘young’ not in age, but in mindset. That means creating an environment where people at every stage of their career can learn, grow, stumble, recover, and thrive.
Here’s what we’ve learned from conversations with this year’s Faces to Watch, a cross-section of talent from different disciplines and why keeping that spark of curiosity and openness alive is more crucial than ever.
1. Celebrate loudly, correct quietly
In your early years, confidence is everything, and it can be fragile. Publicly calling out mistakes can shake that confidence in a way that lingers. That’s why we believe in praising talent in public and giving constructive feedback in private. It’s a simple but powerful way to build trust, encourage growth, and protect morale. Done right, it creates a culture where people feel safe enough to take risks and to shine.
2. Remember what it was like
When you’re further along in your career, it’s easy to forget how overwhelming those first years can be. Unclear instructions. Fear of getting it wrong. Not knowing what you don’t know. Senior talent has a vital role to play, not to micromanage or rescue, but to listen, guide, and give younger colleagues the space to solve problems while knowing support is there if needed. Think of it as mentoring with empathy.
3. ‘Yes, and’ not ‘yes, but’
For younger talent, few things are more deflating than having an idea dismissed out of hand. We encourage our teams to adopt an improviser’s mindset: say “Yes, and…” instead of “Yes, but…”. This simple shift acknowledges the value of the original idea while opening space for refinement and collaboration. It keeps energy high, curiosity alive, and ideas flowing.
4. Mind the (digital and cultural) gaps
In a global workplace, digital and cultural signals can easily get crossed. A message that reads as blunt to one person might have been meant as playful by another. Jokes don’t always translate. Emojis can mean different things. Generational communication styles differ. That’s why we promote a culture of charitable interpretation: assume positive intent, ask when unsure, and treat every misunderstanding as a chance to learn.
Talent is everyone’s business
There’s no one-size-fits-all path to success. We encourage everyone at Imagination, whether you’re starting out, changing careers, or stepping into leadership, to shape your own journey. Flexibility, ownership, and continual learning are how we stay fresh and future-ready.
In the end, staying ‘young’ isn’t about age, it’s about mindset. It’s about creating a culture where everyone, at every level, has the freedom to grow, to fail, to succeed, and to keep learning.
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