Possibilities in Times of Transition
- By
- April 14, 2020
- Agency
Some months ago, and after quite a bit of soul searching, I decided to make a major transition in my career. After working in marketing for a commercial real estate company for six years, and establishing that industry as my niche, I decided to switch gears. The timing felt right to explore the opportunity of working back in the creative agency world – and spoiler alert, RBA was a natural choice for me. I began transitioning out of one role and planning for the next. I planned how I would make my exit and say goodbye to colleagues. I planned for time off to travel between jobs, to be ready for a fresh start. But then, Coronavirus hit and things suddenly looked very different from my well-laid plans. I never would have imagined that I would make such a drastic transition during this time of crisis around the world, but I’ve found there are some incredible lessons to be learned from adapting during such a cultural shift.
Connection is Possible
Meeting a new team and learning new processes virtually was definitely an adjustment. Rather than a typical onboarding process of shadowing, hopping into impromptu meetings, and being oriented on network systems, I was forced to adapt my onboarding to the digital space. It was surprisingly easy! Using online video conferencing, screen sharing, and repurposing gaming communication tools, I felt like my new team was with me in my living room. Of course, that was good and bad – suddenly I have a constant paranoia that I will be the next meme if I leave my mic on while going to the bathroom. In all honesty, getting a peek into each other’s lives, on a whole new level, has only aided the process of feeling part of the team. What’s that they say about relationships born in a time of crisis?
Growth is Possible
It’s easy to feel stagnant in these times and like we are just living the same day, on repeat. That doesn’t have to be the case. Joining a team that not only strives to learn for life, but is expected to actively pursue continuing education opportunities I find it inspiring to hear what new webinar or skills tutorial a teammate is going to tackle each week. Now is a great time to open those bookmarked tutorials or articles that we never seem to make time to go back to. Break up the monotony with quick lessons from Google or Adobe on Udemy.
Flexibility is Possible
I’m a planner. I had a plan for how I saw this transition playing out. How I would message it, how I would execute, and how I would quickly add value to my new team. Shelter-in-place mandates took a big axe to my plans and I had to recalibrate. Just like so many other businesses have had to adjust their approach, I had to adjust mine and bring my focus back to what really matters – our clients – and how we can best support them in their own recalibration.
It can be uncomfortable for those who don’t adjust course easily, but the outcome is worth it. I’ve been so impressed by the creative and adaptive shifts in retail, services industries, and others hit hardest by the latest restrictions to stay home. Companies finding ways to stay relevant and top of mind during these times will come out of this with solutions that will still be valuable in the future. For those of you looking to make adjustments but don’t know where to start, we at RBA have you in mind. We’ve created tips for success to help you as you adapt to serving your customers in this time of transition, along with a guide to help you make your own video content from your cell phone.
As we all adjust to new operating practices I hope that we all continue to grow and learn from these times, rather than to only see them as a hindrance. Remember, we’re all in this together.
