In a time of great uncertainty, there are a series of changes that any company needs to adapt to. As we are actively working towards navigating this new reality, we try to make sure the essentials stay intact, one of them being the team recognition for their great efforts and superpower abilities: Our Culture Heroes!
We keep our traditions and best practises running, guided by our core values. Based on them, we hand over monthly Ethos Awards to the team members who go above and beyond in displaying our core values.
This month we are celebrating not 1 but 3 of our team members, being recognised based on one of our core values – independently together.
Celebrating Our Culture Heroes – March
As we operate as a fully remote team, the ability to handle work independently while always going beyond and delivering as part of the team is crucial.
Get the scoop on what it takes to master this ability, straight from our culture heroes:
Cody
What is your best advice on working independently together (to the point of being recognised for this superpower)?
The Internet is a powerful tool. It keeps everyone close on a global scale. Use it to your advantage.
Some of my favourite apps include Slack, Zoom, email, Google Drive (mostly sheets, slides and docs). It’s all very efficient. Slack is a favourite as I can instantly communicate ideas and discuss work with the wider team, wherever they are.
There really are less and less reasons for employees in our industry to be in a central office anymore. More and more businesses are finding this out, especially given the current situation.
What are the projects that you are currently working on?
Since 2014, most of my time is spent working on the Gumtree account, on a part time basis. I’ve also assisted with various other accounts over the years, with a focus on SEO, content and account management.
How do you manage to juggle so many responsibilities and deadlines?
I’ve been lucky to dedicate most of my time to delivery for a large, single client. One tip, (not always easy), but I try to keep meetings to a minimum. I prefer to be doing stuff, rather than talking about doing stuff. Meetings and also email, are huge distractions. I try and only attend absolutely essential meetings, where possible. Dedicated email time is another good productivity measure, so I can spend more time on output and delivery.
Leann
What is your best advice on working independently together (to the point of being recognised for this superpower)?
Communication is more important than ever when you work remotely because you’re no longer sitting a few desks away from your colleagues. Platforms like Slack have made collaboration and keeping each other accountable a lot easier.
Working out loud breeds an inclusive culture that makes me feel more accountable for my tasks and tackling deadlines as a team. I find that giving regular updates to my teammates also lets them know how we’re going in the project timeline.
What are the projects that you are currently working on?
I’m currently working closely with Cody on the Gumtree account, but have worked on many different projects across various industries over the past couple of years.
How do you manage to juggle so many responsibilities and deadlines?
I’ve found the bullet journal to be a massive help in making sure I keep on top of my tasks. I love that I’m able to break down individual milestones into manageable tasks and activities. It’s also extremely satisfying to be able to cross each item off as I go!
Kirsty
What is your best advice on working independently together (to the point of being recognised for this superpower)?
I’m going to be really boring here and echo what my amazing colleagues have already said. Working independently together is all about communication. With 7 years of working remote at In Marketing We Trust, we’ve got this down pat. Need some tips on how to do this successfully? Read our post on How to Prepare for the Global Shift to Remote Work.
What are the projects that you are currently working on?
I’m currently working with Leann and Cody on the Gumtree account and I also manage all of the content you see here on this blog. I also help run our monthly Google Marketing Platform meetups, which have since turned to webinars. It’s a lot of fun. Sign up for our Google Marketing Platform webinars today. You’ll get the latest news on Google and an expert presentation. Our next event is with Mariana Valdez at Google on Smart Bidding.
How do you manage to juggle so many responsibilities and deadlines?
I always have more work than I can handle. There’s never time to twiddle my thumbs so the only way through it is to be highly organised. I start every day by writing a list of priorities which I’ll tick off as I complete. When things get really chaotic, I put symbols next to each task to imply importance. This ensures I spend my time working on the things that really matter and I don’t have time to sweat the small stuff.
