I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I’ve learned a few key things in my long career, starting with four words: external and internal relationships.

What I mean by that is the paramount importance of the relationships we develop with clients as well as with each other. At a time when brand loyalty is fleeting, we need to take stock of the way we treat our fellow human beings.

Relationships are what drove our past successes and filled our outstanding talent pool, and yet it’s the very thing that’s being sacrificed. In my long career my client relationships were built on trust and the by-product of that trust was outstanding creative that got our clients results. And a bunch of creative awards.

But you know what? Reversing this slide is relatively easy. It requires a change of attitude and behavior, and change is something we are famously not afraid of.

It was most gratifying as jury president of the 2015 Bill Bernbach Awards to see the amazing talent and passion of the people that comprise DDB — truly a global power.

But as I basked in this talent, it struck me how crucial it is to protect it. Why? Because we’re in real danger of losing it if we stray from DDB’s original values, which contributed enormously to our legacy. It’s all about having the correct or right balance. People, Product and Profit and in that order.

We need to review our core purpose (and yes, return to our core values to front and center stage) and then create the compass for how we operate going forward. This includes basic strategies such as working together rather than at odds; continuously asking ourselves what our customers need; and — pay close attention to the following, senior management — fostering a fear-free workplace where risk-taking is encouraged and making mistakes leads to perfection.

I’ve stated this before, and it’s worth repeating. We have a great legacy. We aren’t broke. Our industry may be in turmoil, but we have a great deal to draw from in order to reverse our slide. With a little effort and intestinal fortitude, we can truly lay claim to being the best in the business.