I recently celebrated ten years at The Cyphers Agency. It got me thinking about all the amazing people I’ve worked with over the years and all the great things I learned from them. None of these things are life changing, or even new concepts. But when I think about how far I’ve come over the past ten years and the people who’ve helped me along the way, I’m grateful for having learned these things:
Embrace your weaknesses. If you know them well, you’ll collaborate better with the people around you by letting them fill in your weak spots.
Quit complaining about the problem. Just come up with a solution.
Don’t ever get too big for the crap work. Small tasks might not be sexy, but they keep you sharp, involved and humble.
ALWAYS. PROOF. EVERYTHING. Even when you’re done proofing and ready to send it. Just proof it one more time. And not just major stuff, like creative briefs or copy that is going to clients. Make sure emails and even internal documents are perfect. All those little things add up to a higher level performance and they make a clear impression on the people around you.
Always be willing to learn. From everyone around you. If I’m being completely honest, I’ve learned some of the best things I know from people I didn’t necessarily LOVE working with.
Start your day off with the thing on your to do list that you’re dreading the most. You’ll be much more productive after that.
Your work environment is what you make of it. Your attitude is a powerful force. Choose for it to be a positive force, not a negative one.
Know when to let it go. Always be willing to fight the client for what it right, when they don’t want to do it that way, try again. If they STILL don’t want to accept the advice, then let it go and know you did your part.
Love the people you work with. You can’t always choose them, but appreciating your “work family” makes life easier and a lot more fun.
Strive to do something memorable every day. Will people remember the work you’ve done today? No matter what your title is, you can always work toward creating something that makes an impact.
