By BR Swarup

Roundedness: Someone who knows what is happening around him and the world in which he lives. Someone who understands people – understandably, at a young age, most of this is acquired through books, music, cinema and a hundred other forms of expression. The more ’rounded’ you are, the more you understand, the more you connect, the better your ability to intuitively arrive at solutions.

Curiosity: The insane need to know why things happen the way they do; why people think what they think and do what they do. Creative

Thinking: The ability to see and explore things from a hundred different perspectives. In advertising, no matter which area you are working in, problem-solving skills are a prerequisite – and this does not happen without the ability to think creatively.

Communication Skills: What you say matters as much as how you say and write it. The ability to talk the hind legs off a donkey might stand you in good stead in times of crisis.

Team Spirit: If you are not a team player, chances are that you won’t make it – unless of course, you are God’s gift to advertising, that too from day one.

BR Swarup is the Founding Director, Stark Group.