Are you being heard?
I experienced a frightening moment late last week when a star design intern in our Sydney office acknowledged the exchange we were sharing as the third time we'd ever spoken outside of work.
He's been with Marketing Eye for 4 months.
I work in Marketing Eye's Sydney office - every day, as does he. In fact, he and I sit no more than one meter apart but this close proximity evidently has no bearing on our track record of communication. Sure, we talk all the time about visual communication and client work and then there’s the phone that rings 50 times a day and it's a really busy time for Marketing Eye at the moment as we all step up to bring everything we can - but 3 actual conversations in 4 months?! That's appalling. In fact, I'd go one step further than that and say it's *beep* disgusting.
In my mind he's a fantastic intern. He’s a fantastic coworker actually. He listens, he processes, he's dangerously creative, he thinks outside the box, he kicks goals and he SLAMS them into the net. He's talented, he's respectful, he's a sponge, he just does all the right things at the right time.
All of this though is in my head and isn't going anywhere if I don't communicate it - if I don't promote it properly. It's similar to a wham-bam product for which you build a website but don't perform SEO (you'd might as well print yourself a state-of-the-art brochure and keep it in the drawer). It's the same as running a campaign without your URL or phone number on your creative (don't be quick to pass the "that's child's play" judgement - it happens more frequently than you think).
It's real. And it's good. But no one - not least the person who needs to know - knows.
So I'm writing a blog and it’s going online because it’s time for everyone to know how fantastic this guy is. It's important for a number of reasons that he understands how good he is and how valued his efforts are.
My question to you is what are you doing to get the information you need to get out there, to the right people? I'm talking about in your own backyard and out to the masses.
Food for thought this Wednesday.
- Sofia Margelis
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Julia
09 May 2013So true. It's very important to make sure your voice is heard. We need to create collaborative and open work environments that encourage employees to express their ideas.
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