QUESTION EVERYTHING
Havas Lofts has been an incredible opportunity for me to get out of my comfort zone, meet new people, gain insights and inspiration in an entirely different environment. I came across a quote by Benjamin P. Hardy that hits the nail on the head:
‘Change freaks people out. It immediately pulls you from your comfort zone. Which is exactly what you need. You’ll often feel like a fraud. But imposter syndrome is exactly what you should be seeking. Do your best to always be the dumbest person in the room and you’ll improve rapidly.’
Anestis (ECD, Digital) at Havas Toronto said to me that he expects everyone working within the team to always ‘question everything’. For the past 4 weeks I’ve tried to ask as many questions as possible as I realize how much there is to learn. It’s in this exchange Anestis said that true collaboration starts to happen - the coming together of all the roles - designers, strategists, UX, whoever - and just working things out. Ultimately having the humility to admit you don’t know it all and more importantly being genuinely curious.
There are whiteboards everywhere in the digital department which is such a great idea and a great way of immersing yourself into any project. The team storyboard / sketch ideas out as a group first, planning, agreeing and nutting things out together before going off on their own ensuring no time is wasted. It’s an effective and collaborative way of working that we should definitely be doing more of in Sydney.
Only work with good people
For me the biggest takeaway from the program has been the people - not only the talented, down to earth and welcoming digital team at the agency but also the other lofters here with me - Andrea and Angel. The team you work with everyday is super important. People you respect but can also learn from and ultimately do better work with together. There have been a number of people during my short time here that have helped me gain new insights - I look forward to taking these back with me to Sydney.
My advice to future Lofters? Make the most of it as it goes by way too quickly and ask as many questions as possible!
