In a marketer’s world, we lost something core to all of us. The ability to collaborate in-person. I’ve grown up in the agency world. I learned along the way by watching and listening to my managers, peers and leaders. I listened to how they dealt with thousands of different situations. I only learned by sitting side-by-side with them, in the trenches.
Zoom and other online tools have added to our overall levels of connectivity. But, we lost some of that lovin’ feeling.
This is not a post about return to work. This is not me advocating for a certain number of days in an office. This is about making sure that we, as an industry, provide for in-person collaboration. What that looks like will be different for everyone. That might mean a 2-3 day in-office experience. That might be a once-a-quarter regional team outing. That might be a once-a-year larger global gathering.
I see my US colleagues in-person during the week. I see my global colleagues in-person a few times a year. I learn more in those moments. I create stronger bonds in those moments. I build trust during those moments. We laugh, we cry, we eat, we drink. We’re together, in a relationship-based business.
We’re surrounded by change. We’re surrounded by data. We’re surrounded by AI. Nothing will ever take away the power of being with your colleagues, clients or your community in-person.
In-person collaboration benefits us in so many ways. Whatever it looks like for you, make it a priority.
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