As we go through this life there are events that impact everything that happens from that moment forward. It could be someone we meet, something we learn or something we feel. A few years ago someone used the term “Bureau effect” when referencing a study on the overall health of companies in the Bureau community. They wrote, “you can’t project these findings on the industry as a whole because of the Bureau effect.”
Reading that stopped me in my tracks. What the hell is the Bureau effect? Then I thought back to when I first came in contact with the Bureau. I had only met a few people who ever did what I did before that day, but there I was in a room of 30 people who understood. They knew what I was going through. Until that moment I never realized how alone I felt. How much I hoped every day that I was making the right decisions for the people on my team and for my loved ones. How l was constantly deflecting any sense of success or failure because I didn’t have anything to gauge against. But suddenly all of that changed. I had a new group of people, of friends, who could help me. And to my surprise who I could help. That is the Bureau effect. And for me everything got better that day. I was no longer alone. And I didn’t just have people in my life who understood what I did for work, I had a new family. People who would do anything for me and who I would do anything for.
That was seven years ago. As of today, over 7,000 people have now come in contact with the Bureau. While not everyone had my experience, I’m constantly amazed to hear about the impact the Bureau has had. Stories that range from a simple process change that improved workflow to new connections that actually led to companies in different countries merging.
And that’s why I’m writing today. These experiences are so inspiring that we want to capture them and share them with others. Let people leading in digital know that they aren’t alone and things can drastically improve with the right community supporting you. So if you have a story of how the Bureau impacted your work or your life, we want to hear it. More than that, we want to celebrate it.