You have made it through the first working week of the year. Now how do you make the most of the weeks ahead? These four ideas from our 2017 article offer a starting point for staying curious and motivated in your work.
1. Keep your knowledge up to date
Make room for information that helps you understand your profession and the industries you work in. Subscribe to newsletters you find useful and follow people whose ideas make you think. For a PR consultant working with technology companies, that might include communications, marketing and technology coverage.
In the original article, I highlighted Wired for its in-depth technology reporting and Wouter van Noort’s writing about future developments. The broader point is to choose sources that help you understand what is happening around your clients and what those changes could mean for their communication.
Reading campaign cases and other teams’ success stories can also keep you sharp. Occasionally they might even make you a little envious, which can be a useful prompt to think differently about your own work.
Give your reading list a clear-out as well. Unsubscribe from newsletters you no longer use so that useful information does not disappear beneath an ever-growing pile of unread messages.
2. Get out of the office
Try setting aside at least one day each quarter to learn somewhere outside your usual workplace. Spend time with an organisation that does something different but has a connection to your field. Seeing another team in action can reveal approaches you would never encounter at your own desk.
At Progress, we have spent time with other organisations to understand how they work. In 2016, I volunteered at TEDxAmsterdam and saw what went into organising a large event with international speakers. It was an opportunity to learn from a different setting and bring ideas back to the office.
Conferences, trade shows and smaller professional gatherings can offer similar inspiration. The original article mentioned the 2017 editions of CES and Mobile World Congress, as well as sessions closer to home. Those dates are now historical, but the principle remains useful: choose an event where the subject and the people can broaden your thinking.
3. Develop a skill
A course can give you a fresh perspective on something you do every day. In our original article, examples included consultancy skills and presentation training with a voice actor.
A single day does not transform someone into a perfect consultant or presenter. What it can do is make you aware of habits, strengths and areas to improve. That awareness gives you something concrete to practise afterwards.
Keeping digital knowledge current matters too. At the time, colleagues regularly refreshed their analytics and advertising certifications. Tools and programmes change, so the useful habit is to revisit your knowledge and choose learning that fits the work you actually do.
Training together also gives colleagues a shared experience and a common vocabulary for helping one another improve.
4. Recognise one another’s work
You do not need to turn every small task into a celebration. But a sincere compliment can make a colleague feel that their effort has been noticed.
Be specific. Acknowledge a clear presentation, a well-handled client question or the extra care someone put into a project. Appreciation is more meaningful when it relates to something real, rather than becoming an automatic response.
For more ideas about the people side of agency life, read our article on building relationships with colleagues. If you would like to know more about our working culture, explore our team or contact Progress Communications.
Kinyi
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