Teamwork: BMSD On Working Together

“We have a big week ahead of us—it’s crunch time.” 

This is a sentiment commonly heard around our small but mighty agency. Like most, we navigate our days with hard deadlines, full to-do lists and jam-packed calendars.

The challenge at hand for us typically lies in wanting to create stunning, impactful work in a reasonable amount of time. This is a challenge we overcome consistently by pulling together and putting into effect a little thing we call teamwork.

There is No “I” in… Yeah, You Know This One

At BatesMeron, no employee is an island. We tag-team tasks and share the workload, letting each uniquely talented team member perform to their strengths. For every designer pushing for the coolest creative, there’s a capable account manager keeping things in line. And so on it goes, from writers to developers, all the way up to the one who puts the “Bates” in BatesMeron. We work collaboratively, regardless of title, seniority or Lacroix flavor preference.

(Not our karaoke go-to, but definitely topical)

We’re able to work together effortlessly because we have one thing in common—aside from breathing air and living for Taco Tuesday—we are all ravenous for design and writing that inspires. That commonality keeps us striving, working and pouring (coffee, beer, coffee, beer) from day to day to day.

Communication is Pretty Important

The dream of working together could become the nightmare of working together if organization and communication weren’t a top priority. We’re #blessed to have a superb account management team keeping our heads screwed on straight when it comes to internal and external expectations, who’s doing what, when, where and why. All the w’s.

As for communication, our general rule of thumb is, assumptions = bad, quick check-ins = good. And keep in mind, communicating effectively doesn’t have to take up a lot of your day. Often times, a concise email or conversation can bring just as much clarity as a detailed play-by-play.

Cultivate an Encouraging Environment

Having a positive work environment is at the core of great teamwork. Most creatives I’ve worked with put their whole hearts and heads into their craft. It’s not always easy sharing half-baked concepts or little nuggets of inspiration, so we work hard to make sure our agency is a space where ideas—be they safe and simple or wildly outlandish—can be shared without judgement, because no one wants their pie-in-sky idea to be met with a room full of these:

At BatesMeron, we celebrate the possibilities of creativity, knowing that every project, every brainstorm and every meeting is an opportunity to drive success for our clients and consequently help each other grow in our passions and professions. Sure, days can be hectic but with a strong team that wakes up eager, there’s nothing we can’t conquer.