Great People Lead Enjoyment in our Jobs

Six months ago, I started a new job at Verb. I felt really privileged that in the middle of the first lockdown, a company saw fit to understand the long-term business needs and while still being cautions over hiring but saw the need build out key positions.

Two weeks ago, I had my sixth month review… time has literally flown bye, but enough time has passed to see the business for what it is (warts and all) and I can honestly say that I’ve never felt more at home… and so this got me to thinking. What makes a great people business, what makes people enjoy what they do and what makes them want to jump out of bed to do their job? I thought I would share a few thoughts.  

1. The most important thing is seeing eye to eye with those around you and have a shared vision and belief in what you’re doing and the direction you’re taking. Running a boutique agency isn’t for everyone and indeed within that finding a team that you click with is very special. Having been around the block a few times I can assure you that not all agencies or indeed agency life is the same.  
2. Working with professionals who know their onions – we are at the end of the day a people business, we sell vision, ideas and concepts, so working with teams who have the same approach, ideals and values makes working with them easy.
3. Flexibility, C-19 has turned everything on its head in terms of how we run businesses, we’ve had to adapt quickly and change our working practices. It just goes to show that all businesses can respond and be dynamic when really needed. Working in a smaller agency this has an additional punch as we can move quickly. We don’t need complicated structures or indeed numerous management meetings to decide on a direction or a good idea. We just need to come up with it, sell the idea to a few key stakeholders and bang… suddenly things have changed. But all businesses can do this no matter their size, C-19 has already proven this.
4. Be open to new ideas, this can come from anywhere, it doesn’t need the senior management to lead or have the bright ideas. We have fantastic people in our teams, so empowering them to be the best they can be, listen to good ideas and ensure you act on them.
5. Ownership, give teams the ownership of their universe, whether someone is straight out of collage or been working in the business for twenty years it really doesn’t matter, people can be great at any level so empower them to own what they do and deliver great work.
6. I was going to stop at 5 but this had to make the list. Innovate, look to drive efficiency in what we do, use tools and tech to deliver this, and let your teams be freed to drive innovation and how they deliver… when you see successes and step change then shout about it… go public and make a big song and dance about what you have done and why.

Given we spend over half our lives at work, you’ve got to do something you enjoy and with people you get on with. I feel very lucky to have found that with VERB.

We’re always looking for great people to join us at VERB. If you’re interested in registering your CV or want to see the opportunities that are available now, head over to our Careers page.