Marketers should fill in the gaps where colleagues have weaknesses and invest time and energy in developing complementary skills, according to Ogilvy Vice-chair Rory Sutherland.

Asked about his top career advice ahead of next month’s MAD//Masters By Rory Sutherland course, Sutherland said: “Find out what your boss is terrible at and be good at that thing. This is a business of complementary skills. We shouldn't all compete to be equally excellent at the same things. This (marketing) is a game for teams of people who each essentially fill in for each other's weaknesses, and in the process, therefore amplify each other's strengths.”

“Be good at two adjacent things. Being the best tennis player in the world, well, I'm going to be brutal with you, you're going to fail, okay? Being the best tennis player in the world who also understands statistics. Now, you might have a really, really interesting and unique talent, which no one else shares.”

“If you want to differentiate yourself by focusing on something that's already defined and a category with established rules of competition is to some extent a bit of a mug's game. Go and create a new category of your own by combining two or more things, rather than focusing on just the one.”

Launched earlier this year, Sutherland created MAD//Masters By Rory Sutherland - a predominantly online course featuring live seminars, lectures and a MAD//Fest London lunch and masterclass - to help marketers and commercial leaders combine creativity, innovation and behavioural science for competitive advantage. All the content is available on-demand and a full breakdown of modules is available here.

Sutherland previously told MAD//Insight that MAD//Masters “condenses what I’ve learned in my advertising career into a 12 week hybrid course for marketers who want to innovate, push boundaries and dare to go against the grain.”

A handful of places remain for next month’s course - click here to reserve your place for £995 + VAT. You’ll also receive a complimentary MAD//Fest pass (worth £650), where you can attend a MAD//Masters masterclass and meet Rory and fellow students.