From the course: Succeeding as an In-house Creative

Getting the most out of the course

From the course: Succeeding as an In-house Creative

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Getting the most out of the course

- Kudos, you didn't skip this brief but critical movie. Gold star for you. I'm going to cover both high level and more tactical practices and behaviors that are not just kumbaya moments or squishy soft skills. They are ways of being and acting that if you stop pretending that creatives don't do business stuff and dare to get out from behind your monitors and into the discomfort zone, you'll get respect and even the opportunity to change the culture of organizations where you work. So here are some caveats and advice. Don't eat the whole burrito at once. It'll give you a tummy ache. Look for the behaviors and practices in this course that will address some of your biggest pain points and start with them first especially if they're not too difficult or confronting except for using spell check on your emails. Please, please do that tomorrow. No wait, make that today, like right now. Be patient or at least pretend to be patient. Our left brain colleagues are often unbelievably terrified of change especially coming from unusual folks like us. Give them time to adjust to and accept your new way of being. Don't become a process zombie. In other words, use good judgment. Some of the stuff I'll cover is pretty nuanced and should be customized for the unique situations you will find yourself in. You're a creative so be creative in how and when you apply these practices. Don't, do not ever, I mean ever use what we'll be discussing as a weapon really. Don't make your coworkers wrong. Don't wallow in self-righteous indignation and don't be passive aggressive. It never gets you what you want and quite frankly, it's very unattractive. Humor is the paddle to use when you're stuck up the proverbial creek. It'll keep you sane. Use it liberally. I certainly do. Oh yeah, but don't curse at work. Most people turn into prudes the moment they walk into the office. Don't be surprised when adopting some of the practices in the course if you feel like you're faking it or not being true to yourself. Integrating yourself into a new environment is like breaking in a new pair of shoes. It takes time to get comfortable with them. You most likely will find that as you internalize some of these new behaviors that your emotions and sense of rightness will catch up with them. Finally, have fun. It's not a four-letter word, but work is.

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