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A Brief Life Update:
Perhaps you missed it, but about a week ago, I announced I am joining a Digital Agency called August.
While I’ve been consulting for the past few years, I was looking for something more consistent and though I had considered a number of possibilities, this one made the most sense for a few reasons:
1. Alignment with the Founders
Chris is the founder of August.
He’s also one of my smartest friends.
And, despite what many people think about separating work & friendships, I have always felt working with friends is a huge advantage.
Work never feels like work if you like the people you’re building with.
I’ve known Chris a (very) long time - and if there is one thing I’ve always admired, it is that his default setting is for taking action.
I have a tendency to overanalyze so his Just Do It mentality is exciting to be around.
He takes massive action rapidly and most importantly, he doesn’t view failure as a bad thing.
Over the 15+ years that I’ve known him, he’s failed more projects than I have even ever started.
(this is a compliment)
As a result, he has a real understanding of how to focus on the problems that matter, while ignoring the ones that don’t.
This is a tremendous skill and advantage.
He also reads more than anyone I know, is able to assess a situation to the very root of the problem, and isn’t afraid to have a controversial opinion.
We have a lot of things we agree on, and even more that we disagree on, but the common trend is that no matter the issue, we can debate the pros and cons and always try to understand both sides.
Some people have difficulty seeing the forest for the trees…Chris does not.
2. The Role is Output Oriented
I’ve long felt that there are two essential ways to avoid burnout:
Own the Upside
Be Output Oriented
In fact - I think there are a few more, but that can be an entirely different post.
A lot of companies believe employees should work for the sake of it - that by paying your salary, in a way, they own your time.
This can lead to employee burnout, lack of concentration, and a poor alignment between employee/employer goals.
A better way of framing things is that they are purchasing your results.
They are buying the output you create.
And this role is entirely output-oriented.
If I were a painter, they would be buying my painting, not buying the hours it took to physically make it.
Framing something in this way mentally allows for a lot more flexibility, a lot less time sitting around feeling like you “should” look busy, and an incentive structure that is aligned between all parties.
3. The Ability to Do (LOTS) of Interesting Things
I have the ability to pursue interesting ideas and a platform with which we can make a lot of interesting things happen.
Case and point - we’re bringing in Joe McReynolds, author of Emergent Tokyo to Toronto to talk about lessons we can learn from Tokyo on building a vibrant and livable city.
As a digital agency, we have the ability to focus on specific nichés within technology, without having to ignore things that we find interesting outside of them.
This means we will be able to host thought leaders across industries and help create a more engaged and interesting community within our city.
It also means, we have the internal capacity to build new digital products for any problems we want to solve ourselves.
It really is a win-win - from a technology & software perspective, I will be learning from the best, but still, have the freedom to choose my own adventure and build from the ground up.
4. Hearing Problems At Scale
I previously wrote about how I loved consulting because it allowed me to learn about business problems at scale.
Every day, I was talking with a different business owner about what was working for them, as well as the challenges ahead - a tremendous advantage as it dramatically shrinks the learning curve.
This role is no different, except we will be looking at different types of problems.
Considering I’m coming from a different industry, joining a digital agency once again means I’ll be learning about (technology) problems as fast as humanly possible - a huge long-term advantage.
I’m going to leave it there for now…
Eventually, I’ll get into more of what I’ll actually be doing, what we as an agency do, and more thoughts about business in general but I thought it was important to explain what I’m most excited about moving forward!
Things Worth Checking Out:
Finding good content can be a pain, so I figured I would share some of my favorite things I’ve watched/read/listened to over the past month.
Documentary
Boy State
This documentary blew my mind - and made me feel every possible emotion from unfiltered rage to LOL.
It outlines all of the problems with modern-day politics, while somehow, making you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Podcast:
The Problem With Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart’s podcast has been one of my favorite things to take in lately, with this episode being the shining star.
It highlights a lot of the problems with modern media - something many people have become acutely aware of over the past 5+ years.
They brainstorm problems & solutions, while ultimately, shrugging at the end, agreeing not much is likely to change.
Book:
Emergent Tokyo
Because why not plug the event one more time! 😂
Check it out here, or read more about our event here.
