Bonjour Millionaire,
South Africa is playing today (I'm writing you from the past). I really hope we won. By "we" I mean I get to claim this because my husband is South African and so therefore, so am I. My accent is really, really good if you ask me. Shame. |
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ON THIS EPISODE OF GO-TO-MILLIONS |
^^ self-portrait.
When I led an agency of 50 people not so long ago, I was the person who took away Summer Fridays. Imagine how popular I was that day. đ
I'm okay with being the villain, being the hardo, being the kill joy. Not because I prefer to be that way, but because I know that if I'm doing something unpopular, I'm doing it because I feel I have to. I would love to be beloved all the time. But that's for losers. đ God, I'm seeming scary lol. But let me explain what Summer Fridays really looked like and then you'll join me in realizing it had to go. And, then I have a greater point.
At an agency, where clients are paying a pretty penny, when you have Summer Fridays, and you have clients that are on the PST timezone, and your agency is primarily New York-based, you cannot reasonably disappear on your clients at 10am PST.
That's insane. Because the store is always open and they don't get a subsidized fee because you are trying to be cool, sweet, fun, popular.
I killed Summer Fridays because I led every team: Paid, Design, Creative, Web Development, CRO, Retention, and Account.
Summer Fridays existed for 6 of 7 teams. They fucking loved it. You know who had to work til 10pm on Summer Fridays?
My Account team, of course. Because clients still wrote. Clients still needed things. The world carried on. And when clients needed things, my Account team was team-less and alone in the requests. It was insane.
And we don't do insane in these halls. We are rational. We are tied to outcomes. And, it's our job to unite our teams to achieve the results they have signed up for. Damn it, I still sound scary. I'm cool as shit most of the time, I swear!! |
BEWARE OF: SLEEPY ORGS WHO TAKE THE SUMMER OFF Who does the fuckup land on? The owner of the outcome, of course (thatâs you). That also means the tone must be set by you. The agency example above is an example of my style, but I was actually just talking to the owner of a data infrastructure company that I work with this past week. He was working round the clock and said to me, "I'm working the hardest, because I need my whole team working hard'. His company is killing it BTW.
That is exactly how I am. On a Summer Friday if my Account Team was working til 10, I was right there with them. Later for me, because it was the least I could do.
I'm still like that, even though I don't want my team working until 10pm unless we need to. See?
The unless we need to is my entire point. Because we own the outcome and hard work isn't impressive alone but if we need to, we will. |
STEPPING UP đ I'm not 1 to block the fun. And, I think that's important as well. As an example, I had 2 really important people on my team out over the same week because they both had important things to go to. Life events. So I got it done myself.
I won't let it fall down. And, I'll do anything needed. Including ask them to complete 1 or 2 things that they are better at than I am, while they're out. So that the best is what we produce, but they get to go and I get to hold the standard. Everyone was happy, and we performed. I even got pictures from the trips, looked to die-for. In this scenario, I think 3 people stepped up. And, there were only 3 people in the equation. Nobody didn't do their part, and so we won. |
SCALING âJust doing it all yourselfâ doesnât scale forever, so what do we ask of the team? The standard ISN'T performative. It's not about never living life. Instead itâs about OUTCOMES. Standard is: nothing slips. Ever.
And so, if the outcome is there, no harm, no foul. If the outcome isn't there, you don't want there to be a reason to point to.
And, again, I'm not chill. I've never once told my team to snooze notifications at 5. I don't apologize for a late Slack. If I'm asking for it late, we need it. If I didn't, I wouldn't ask.
Certain places are sleepy, certain jobs are quiet, certain times of year are chill. That's not my reality. And, that's not very interesting to me.
Everyone can do what they want, as long as nothing slips. I don't ask for the specifics. I don't want them. |
The goal is to be the demanding boss who actually ends up being the best boss youâve ever had, because they show you what youâre capable of. If someone has a wedding, or a trip, or something they want to do, we figure it out as a team. You can't just say I have a wedding, bye. And, I'll never believe in Summer Fridays for an agency. I'm sorry about that! |
Kindly stay tuned for Wednesday because there will be baby pictures and sports analogies. Also stay tuned for Wednesday because I'll tell you how to get this all done and still be the boss that is in the group chat. Not the side group chat that isn't the real group chat. đ Like a part of the real inner circle.
But still, never get off your game. ESPECIALLY NOT THIS SUMMER WHEN IT'S ALMOST NOVEMBER! |
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P.S. I've never seen Downtown Abbey but I really, really like the energy of this character. I had so many memes. She's my girllllll. Yours, Ari P.P.S.: |
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