As we all return to a sense of normalcy and routine after a few weeks of holiday fun, this marks a good time for those of us at Matter to take a step back and re-raise the bar for 2015. While we continuously strive to better ourselves as masters of our craft, there’s something about a brand new year that encourages me to look at the larger picture and set some resolutions.
Matter had a huge year as an agency in 2014 (silver winner in Agency of the Year in the Best in Biz Awards, Top Place To Work for Young People by the Boston Globe, Top Place to Work by Boston.com… but we don’t want to brag…) and many of our clients and teams had extraordinary years with the results to prove it. It’s easy at a time like this to think “how can we top that?”
Setting personal goals is an imperative step to continued success in whatever industry you work in. So as we hit the ground running in 2015 and prepare for another year of awesomeness, here is what I’m looking forward to accomplishing this year:
- More collaboration: There’s a wealth of expert resources lurking around our offices in Newburyport, Providence, and Portland. Each team possesses different strengths, contacts, and creative ideas that can be game-changers when we’re working on a project and hitting a wall. I plan to use the New Year as another excuse to not only tap into the expertise of my colleagues in other offices, but also use it as time to get to know those who I don’t have the pleasure to work with every day.
- More reading: My mom made me read every night before bed when I was little. Not going to lie… I didn’t love it. But reading is such a crucial part of our days in PR. Without knowing what is going on in the world or the various industries our clients exist in, we’re in the dark. By reading more and familiarizing myself with new publications, industries and viewpoints, it will help me not only better serve my clients, but to serve as a better resource for my coworkers.
- More writing: Being a good writer is an invaluable skill. It comes naturally to some but it’s like playing an instrument, the longer you play, the better you become. At the end of the day, writing skills touch almost every part of our day from emails and press releases to texting and blogging. With advancing technologies and increasingly complex and innovative ideas flooding the market, our job as story tellers and writes can become overwhelming at times. With more research and writing on these subjects, comes a more informed approach to client work.
- More innovation: One of the things I love most about PR is the ever-evolving landscape. There’s no cut-and-dry way to “do PR.” We’re given the ability to come up with new and creative ways to share our clients’ stories and news. I plan to take note of my favorite ideas as I see them throughout the year and to challenge myself to be more inventive when presenting ideas to my teams.
- More personal goals: Here at Matter, we set goals for our work with our clients and goals for the agency, but the goals listed here are those that don’t quite fit onto those other lists. Individual goals are ones we can only hold ourselves to; a true test of accountability. My final resolution is to set more goals for myself to meet and surpass. Though that’s pretty easy when you love what you do.
What are your resolutions for 2015?