acumen, administrative skill, thrust, and the courage to fire non- performers. He must be a good salesman, because he is responsible for bringing in new clients. He must be resilient in adversity. Above all, he must have the physical stamina to work 12 hours a day, dine out several 1 times a week, and spend half his time in airplanes. A recent study reveals that the death rate from stress-related causes is 14 per cent higher among senior advertising executives than their counterparts in other white-collar occupations. Creative Director As a Creative Director myself, I dare to list the attributes needed for this back-breaking job. You must be: 1 A good psychologist. 2 Willing and able to set high standards. 3 An efficient administrator. 4 Capable of strategic thinking – ‘positioning’ and all that. 5 Research-minded. 6 Equally good at television and print. 7 Equally good at package goods and other kinds of accounts. 8 Well versed in graphics and typography. 9 A hard worker – and fast. 10 Slow to quarrel. 11 Prepared to share credit for good work, and accept blame for bad work. 12 A good presenter. 13 A good teacher and a good recruiter. 14 Full of infectious joie de vivre.