How 2020 Made Us Better
No matter your industry, your role, or the size of your team, 2020 was a challenge for everyone. From working remotely and trying to stay safe to re-thinking the ways we collaborate and get things done, we can’t count on two hands all of the ways the past year has forced us to adapt and re-learn how to do our best work. Naturally, many of us want to put 2020 behind us and move forward, pretending like the last year didn’t happen. But, it wasn’t all bad. Even the darkest clouds have a silver lining. At Hype, like many others, our team had to quickly re-work the ways in which we conduct so much of what we do each and every day. Collaboration, communication, business development, building relationships with clients, finding inspiration, and just staying on track all had to adjust to a world flipped upside down.
As we settled into the New Year and started working towards our 2021 goals, it only made sense to look back and reflect. Even though 2020 was hard, it made us better. We chatted as a team and took inventory of everything we learned, the hurdles we had to clear, and the lessons we’ll take with us for years to come.
Communication and Connection
There’s a lot to be said about working together in a shared office space. Communicating is as simple as walking over to your coworker’s desk and asking a question or inviting a new client over for a meeting. By design, you’re always connected. In March 2020, when we began working remote and paused in-person meetings, we were required to find ways to stay connected from a distance.
We had to learn how to still feel like a team, even if we couldn’t jump into the conference room to brainstorm face-to-face. And we did. Things like checking in with a “good morning” gif on Slack every day, Zoom calls, outdoor meet ups, and getting clients excited about a presentation over the phone became the norm. If anything, our connections feel even stronger than they did before.
While nothing can compare to the buzz in our office after nailing a presentation, we’re proud of the ways we came together, even when circumstances forced us to be apart.
Trust and Transparency
The key to working remotely is trust and transparency. As a team, you’ve got to be able to trust each other to get things done and do great work. You also have to be able to be transparent. When setting goals and creating a game plan for a new project, you need to be able to be honest about your workload, your understanding of the needs of a scope, and you need to feel comfortable asking for help or insight.
We had to have confidence in each other’s talents and capabilities and work together in so many new and often exciting ways. In order to keep stress low and productivity high, we really had to lean on each other and trust ourselves this year. And whenever it is that the world rights itself again, we’ll be even stronger than before.
Creativity and Collaboration
As a creative agency, we pride ourselves on thinking outside the box. However, as we’re sure all creatives can agree, 2020 wasn’t the most inspiring year of our lives. So often, inspiration comes from good times and a happy environment. So, we really had to push ourselves to learn that we can remain creative and capable even in the darkest of situations. Many times, your best work is made in the face of adversity.
From shared Google Docs and conference calls to novel-length Slack messages, we found new ways to collaborate, share ideas, offer feedback, and inspire each other each and every day. Even if we were stuck within the four walls of our sometimes very tiny apartments, we're in it together.
We’re so proud of all of the incredible projects that kicked-off during the hardest year that many of us have ever lived through. We had to get creative, trust each other, and find new ways to connect. But we did it! We’re grateful to all of the incredible people who trusted us to bring their visions to life amongst the chaos, and we’re optimistic for the future.
Cheers to making it not only through, but above!