Team Appreciation

If you work in advertising I don't have to tell you, times are tough.

How tough? As one of my East Coast freelance colleagues put it so succinctly, "I'd give anything to be sitting in another useless meeting right now."

It hasn't been any better out here in Sunny California either. So to keep my mind occupied and my keyboard clacking, I have been doing some pro bono work.

One of my newer pro bono clients is Team Prime Time. They're a local organization dedicated to helping high at-risk kids become low-risk productive adults. And though their name would indicate a focus on sports, their expertise also covers arts, academics and vocational training.

In terms of great causes, I can't think of any better.

In terms of working relationships, this is true as well.

After a few introductory phone calls, I took a crack at writing a new mission statement for TPT. I shared it right away with the executive team, knowing full well I'd be writing other versions that might get closer to the mark.

But they would have none of that.

They snatched up the first anthem I wrote and said put your pencil down. I'm not saying this as any kind of humblebrag. I'm really not. To be honest, I've written better anthems/manifesto/mission statements in the past.

The point I'm trying to make is that they were so hungry for a clear concise articulation of their purpose they seized on the first thing they saw. Moreover, and this is what is sadly missing from our industry, they were appreciative and grateful. Not only because the work they were getting was free, but because they recognize the time and effort that someone put into doing something of value.

I don't know why clients need to be reminded of that, but they do.

The ideas, the words, the visuals, the communication tools we serve up on a daily basis, have the power to change the course of an organization.

Ask Apple.
Ask Nike.
Ask Geico.

No real point to this post other than to say that it's been refreshing and invigorating to work with professionals who haven't forgotten how to say, "Thank you."

And mean it.