8271: Twitter Follower 229.

Uh-oh. What could this possibly be about?

8207: StrawberryFrog—Truth In Advertising.

Wanted to add a brief follow-up to the StrawberryFrog fiasco involving the Director of Planning who used her blog to blacklist an ex-employee. Not surprisingly, the damning post has been removed, although the original investigative document can still be viewed at Agency Spy. It’s a safe bet that there will be no additional public announcements on the situation, as behind-the-scenes legal actions and confidential settlements will likely move forward.

The scenario did highlight a few truths in advertising:

Ad agency executives remain remarkably ignorant about basic HR-related procedures, as well as employment laws. This phenomenon is especially evident in big agencies. While StrawberryFrog brags it was founded “to challenge the domination of the legacy agency dinosaurs,” the shop ultimately showed it’s just as stupid and prehistoric as the stereotypical BDAs that George Parker regularly blasts.

Our industry’s hiring practices require serious changes. After all, the alleged “cancer” that LeFevre attempted to eliminate has worked at several prominent agencies. Another blogger admitted to recommending the guy for a different job. Regardless of the truth surrounding the man’s abilities, we continue to operate a buddy system based on cronyism, nepotism and other isms that stifles diversity while rewarding incompetent hacks. And LeFevre might be among the painfully unqualified. Hell, the ex-StrawberryFrogger she condemned will find a fresh gig in the business before an unknown minority lands an account planner role.

What makes the StrawberryFrog fiasco particularly annoying is the blatant hypocrisy and hubris at its core. Here is an agency whining about an employee who apparently did not live up to the persona presented during the interview process. Sure, just about everyone has encountered a coworker whose skills did not match his/her resume or portfolio. But these days, there are far greater instances of employers lying to interviewing candidates. Agencies mislead recruits on everything from assignments to salaries, painting images of corporate Nirvana to conceal their true dysfunctional, disorganized and corrupt enterprises. There’s much more cancer and disease in the corner offices versus the cubicles.

8193: StrawberryFrog Has A New Wart.

Adfreak and Agency Spy spotlighted a moment of insanity perpetrated by the Director of Planning at StrawberryFrog in Amsterdam. Heather LeFevre sought to “remove a cancer from adland” by launching an online campaign to blacklist an ex-employee. MultiCultClassics will forgo rehashing the silly details, opting instead to briefly swing the microscope in LeFevre’s direction—as well as conduct an experiment in Web investigation.

First, LeFevre has only held her position since July 2010, and her previous roles were at a Senior Planner level. In other words, she’s a newbie leader. Actually, it’s clearly premature to label her a leader, especially given her actions in this scenario. So let’s call her a newbie manager.

Second, when LeFevre announced her new StrawberryFrog gig on her blog, she indicated the need to immediately hire four planners. Hence, the newbie manager was faced with having to quickly assemble a team—a daunting task even for a seasoned veteran. It’s safe to say she failed in her opening assignment.

Third, LeFevre once offered her opinion on the characteristics of a successful planner. She said, “From my perspective, I think mastering the art of conversation is one of the most important skills to develop. How to Talk to Anyone is a great book to help. You have to build rapport with surly creatives and clients that you may not see all that often. They will invite you into their inner circle if they trust you, find you interesting and want to talk to you. It doesn’t matter how smart you are if you haven’t got that.” Too bad the surly Director of Planning didn’t tap her masterful conversational skills when confronted with a challenging report. She should consider checking out a few basic books on professional leadership.

Fourth, LeFevre has obviously put StrawberryFrog in a bad spot. Forget the possible legal issues, since MultiCultClassics isn’t familiar with employment law in Amsterdam. Her immature rant has completely shifted the focus away from the agency’s work. Additionally, future candidates might think twice before pursuing a job with the place. Hell, clients might give pause before partnering with StrawberryFrog. Someone holding the title of Director of Planning should be an ambassador for her agency. She should at very least be responsible for briefs involving clients, not coworkers.

Fifth, LeFevre perpetuated a sad reality in our industry: Asshole employees are ultimately outnumbered by asshole bosses. And one has to wonder if LeFevre represents the common occurrence of an asshole employee getting elevated to become an asshole boss.

Sixth, LeFevre’s 17-page document unintentionally displays her poor planning abilities. As always, the planner compiles reams of redundant, fuzzy and irrelevant information, demands that the mess be read in its entirety and expects everyone to decipher its usefulness.

When LeFevre originally told the world that StrawberryFrog had named her Director of Planning, she joked, “They might have been smoking something, that’s still to be confirmed.” Um, looks like she just supplied the confirmation.

UPDATE: Some of the links above may be useless, as LeFevre’s blog—featuring the original condemnation—is suddenly restricting access to visitors. Perhaps the Director of Planning received a call from the Director of Human Resources.

UPDATE TWO: Well, LeFevre’s blog is accepting visitors again—but the infamous post has vanished. Perhaps LeFevre can use her keen investigative skills to unravel the mystery behind its digital disappearance.