One Step At A Time, People

This is good.

You made some courageous decisions this year. Some around current clients, some around which accounts you didn’t pursue, some around how many people you can afford to keep, and some around your own pricing. And one time, at least, you just took a stand when you really couldn’t afford to.

You read between the lines a little better than the year before, and you didn’t stop short of saying what needed to be said. People were watching how you’d respond, and their hearts were full of gratitude that you led the situation honorably.

You met all those payrolls, so far. Whew.

You found a middle ground in some difficult situations and didn’t have to win or make the other person lose.

When that employee told you privately how you might improve as a leader, you weren’t as defensive as usual and despite what you could have said, you were gracious and became a better person.

You took more time off and were energized as a result.

You discovered that the place runs just fine without you on a day to day basis, but you also discovered those few things that no one else can do and you’ve learned to love doing them more than you have in the past.

You learned who to listen to and who is full of sh1t. Everybody’s got a great idea about how to run your firm, but you started this firm because you wanted it to be different and to follow your own vision. You’ve come to accept certain performance challenges and to fix others without compromising your beliefs.

You blocked out the noise and did your job, day after day, especially on social media. You’ve finally gotten to the place where you can log into the internet rage machine with its daily crisis and just smile at the energy people are wasting.

With authenticity and selflessness, you reached out and helped another agency principal. All they wanted was to talk to someone who understands their world.

You realized that this somewhat irrelevant world of marketing doesn’t define you. You can earn your fees with a clean conscience but you’ve found ways to impact your world outside of your job and that feels good.

But there’s still a few months left in this year, so keep plugging. It’s never as bad…or as good…as it seems. And in the end, very little of this matters, anyway, so do your best and then close the door for the day and walk away. Enjoy your evenings and weekends, and steal a day during the week sometimes, too.

Maintain your curiosity, your health, and stay in touch with the people who need you and whose connection you need, too.