Do what you love. Outsource the rest. (Now that’s romantic.)

It’s become the month of love – romantic love according to the chocolate and roses (and chocolate roses) people, and #selflove according to influencers. We took it in a different direction. We’re making this month all about doing what you love.

It can take different forms. And it’s the foundation of our business. We wanted to do what we love, which is to focus on our highest and best work, that hinge point where we’re really good and really effective. And we wanted to do it in an environment that meshes with our big-picture beliefs: politics no, truthfulness, yes, always. Fun whenever possible. We also wanted to help others do the same.

Individual Joy

For some of our freelance team, it’s a side hustle. For some it’s a full-time gig. And then sometimes, while we’re working together, a team member comes to us for a point of view on whether they could quit their day-job and freelance full-time. The question is always this: Are you still learning where you are? Do you have an awesome role model there?  Do you love what you do? 

Like most things in our world, it all can be tied back to Sex & the City. To wit:

Samantha:
Relationships aren't just about being happy. I mean, how often are you happy in your relationship?

Charlotte:
Every day.

Samantha:
Every day?

Charlotte:
Well, not all day every day but yes, every day.

It’s a job, you get paid for work, so no, you won’t be happy every day all day. But it’s not unreasonable to expect some joy at work every day. If not, chances are your work and your attitude at work (which affects everyone; it’s like dominoes) aren’t all that they could be and should be.

Which brings us to …

Team Joy

Maybe you’re a leader who’s found that their team’s kind of  … joyless. People can be joyless when they’re doing things that aren’t at that hinge point of their highest and best use. 

That can be where we come in. As consultants, we get a unique window into a business and often see the repercussions of a staff not doing what they love. We sometimes get invited in specifically to look at a creative team and structure and help assess where inefficiencies lie or morale is failing. Other times it’s just something that we observe and look for windows to suggest solves to the management team.

A Tall Order. Or a Venti.

It can be very simple. At one large retailer, where we were brought in to help out and look at the creative department structure, we found talented team members checked out. Turns out, there were senior writers who’d been hired to lead and drive voice but were taxed with a lot of data entry and product writing. That was a simple solve. We brought in an entry-level writer who saw this kind of work as a great career steppingstone. Taking this work off the senior writers’ plates made an instant impact on morale and freed them to work faster and contribute more because their focus was sharper and more strategic. And they felt more appreciated.

In another instance, there was an interest in testing creative, but the team was overwhelmed with day-to-day needs. We learned the brand quickly and earned the trust of existing creatives so they could focus on what they had to do and take a deep breath. This became something they were grateful to leadership for, a powerful benefit rather than a new team on their turf. Having someone on the outside also freed up the exploration; we came in as people who hadn’t heard “no” and who had a fresh perspective as consumers rather than insiders. Eventually we became a resource that team members asked to use on a variety of copy/design/brand needs whenever they felt overwhelmed. 

This became something they were grateful to leadership for, a powerful benefit rather than a new team on their turf. 

Sometimes it’s more like the customary campaign, like holiday. But in a completely different (more collaborative) way. We’ve come in with multiple creative concepts. Presented them first to the existing creative team (no brand “client” in the room) so that they’re truly part of the process. Hear their ideas and 86 anything that doesn’t get them excited. And only then return to present to the business owners as a single, unified team. This is a completely different way of working that gives the team the relief of a fresh perspective when they are heads down without worrying about a brand 180 or a competition. It gives leadership the out-of-the-box thinking of an outside agency while ensuring that what comes back is brand-right and usable. And it allows creatives to focus on what they often love most: beautiful executions.

And for some businesses, having all or part of a creative team isn’t their highest best use at all. Leaders want to manage less and build more. Sometimes we’re the whole creative team, with our own project management. So overhead, creative HR, reviews, all get to vanish. Leaders can work on growth, staff up and down and exchange individual talent as needed. The team is always fresh and raring to go. Think about that feeling of empowerment and delight and inspiredness you have during the infatuation stage of love. It’s like that, only as long as you want it.