Radio 4 - Today

If I was asked to recommend a primer for young wannabe account handlers entering our industry I'd say listen to Today on Radio 4. Forget breakfast TV and Chris Moyles. A quick blast of Today on your way to work or while you're having your breakfast. For those who have it at home before they get to work that is - now that's a whole new blog in it's own right. But to digress a moment when did people stop having breakfast at home and start eating cereal and toast in their offices? At Woodreed we've a whole Sainsbury's fixture of breakfast cereals, bread, muffins, jams, spreads.... When did this trend begin and why? Why do people prefer to eat at work than in the comfort of their own home? My preference is for Chris Evans and cereal at home, John Humphreys and Today in the car on the way to work or client meetings. Perfect.

Back to topic... a quick blast of Today a few times a week will give you the opinions, the general knowledge, the wider awareness of current and past affairs and enough of an insight into such a breadth of topics that you'll be able to hold your own in any client meeting or social situation. You'll absorb it all without even trying and it will give you a whole stack of useful stuff which you can draw on in any number of situations.

One of my favourites a couple of weeks ago was an interview with designer Karl Lagerfeld, creative director for Chanel, talking about how designers usually took more risks during challenging periods.

"Very often in difficult times fashion is more interesting than in times when everything is too cool, too safe, in a bad moment change is the best thing that can happen."

It was a fascinating piece but the bit I really noted was when he said he had no plans to retire, saying he was continuing to come up with new ideas and made this lovely point...

"The brain is a muscle and you have to work out," he said. "The French say you get hungry when you are eating, and you get ideas when you are thinking."

Inspirational.