The holy trinity of un-learning, learning, and re-learning

Curiosity is a hallmark of human experience and more so of the communications industry! Naturally, when I joined The Mavericks amidst COVID-19, I wondered what a remote workplace, new colleagues, and clients could teach me. Well, it’s been a year working here, and here are three things that I unlearned, learned, and re-learned.

To place trust in others

When I joined Mavericks, I was constantly told “if you think you can do something, pick it up and run with it.” Trying to comprehend, I witnessed this firsthand how teams, colleagues, and seniors are walking this talk- be it about exploring ideas, processes, client engagement, etc. It didn’t matter how many years of experience they had, or if they had done it before. They believed, so they did.

Now, I would think it’s a tough choice to let fully scattered teams and remote employees who you haven’t even met, experiment. But this “allowance” or freedom stems from the sheer trust the leadership places on people- trusting our judgment, instincts, and integrity; and I think it’s a beautiful thing to learn. It’s one thing to always be the devil’s advocate and be skeptical about the other’s capability to succeed, but it is another to shower them with so much trust and encouragement that they’re not afraid to try beyond their best. It’s the passion that matters; the conviction which would be unfair to dismiss. I believe the latter is key to inclusive growth at hybrid workplaces.

To be fearless in being right

I tended to believe that client stakeholders always have the upper hand, and PR servicing teams are only hands and legs. “Our job is to propose, but ultimately, it is their call” — we complain all the time but we know it shouldn’t work that way. Most shudder to say it aloud, let alone describing in action.

This by far has been my biggest unlearning as I witness client counsel in all its glory every single day. Agreeing to and critiquing a client is easy but here, we are not afraid to completely overturn a client’s ask and hand them what makes better sense. We’re not afraid to say, “No, let me show you how” — even if it means spending more hours, and possibly hurting egos. Our goal is to extend the right counsel because that’s what we are skilled at. Do clients appreciate it? Yes, eventually and sometimes not. But I can guarantee that I sleep better at night knowing fully well that I’ve done my job!

What protecting your clan means

Popular opinion says that start-ups hold their clients closest and keep them happy at any cost. But at Mavericks, the reality is much more equitable. While clients are the lifeline, people are the biggest assets here. With empathy at the core, the leadership stands by us like a rock and as humans-first, then colleagues. It shines when our CEO says “take leave if you must, no questions asked” (during COVID waves); pauses work on RFPs to ease the pressure on employees; shields teams from rude clients — all of it while teams ensure top quality client work by teams. Here’s the re-learning story.

When a client displayed distasteful behavior with me, the leadership decided to let them go on the same day. I wasn’t even complaining. I apologized to them for having cost a client, only to be reminded, “What’s wrong is wrong, you shouldn’t apologize”. Correct! It’s a simple truth of the human conscience.

That day, an unparalleled feeling took over me as I remembered a decade-old conversation from my internship, at a popular radio station. I had complained to my supervisor about an RJ’s untoward advances- I was fearless, I trusted them to stand up for me. Instead, I was told, “He’s like that with most girls, many interns complain, ignore him”. — Sigh!

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These learnings go beyond the workplace as solid life lessons. Today, I constantly seek what can be shelled out to make space for newer, better things in life. It’s a never-ending process but I’m thankful for the great start at The Mavericks! As Alvin Toffler said, “Illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”