The 2023 State of Digital Services Report is complete, and we are here to give you a sneak peek and share some insights and trends that can help you see how you're doing compared to your fellow shops. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage and let's dive into the latest joint report from the Bureau of Digital and Promethean Research!
Who’s ready for hot bot summer? AI continues to be all the rage, with new uses cropping up almost every day. But while AI is incredible at assimilating knowledge, there’s still no substitute for human creativity. That’s what the Bureau members are best at, taking their unique experience and sharing it to help one another.
If you’re new here, each week I collect the most useful resources shared in the Bureau Slack and send it out in a newsletter. It’s worth signing up for, if I do say so myself. But if you missed out, here are the best of those resources shared in May.
I suspect there are some folks in the community who will skip this issue. And that's cool. Timesheets are polarizing. Mainly because we've created this narrative where nobody will fill them out, and if they do they aren't honest. But it doesn't have to be that way. And to address my value-based friends and their deep sighs, bill value! But track your hours for so many valuable reasons. (See what I did there?)
In the recent Marketing Role Call, the topic of trusting our gut over data came up and I am so energized by this idea that I rewrote the damned newsletter.
I mean, in a world overflowing with analytics and numbers, data dominates the scene. But as much of this data gets less accurate or effective with GDPR, privacy concerns, and GA4 launching, it's time to take a step back and trust our instincts and experience. Especially when it comes to how we approach marketing ourselves.
Living in this fast-paced digital world, we often find ourselves losing hours in the depths of the Bureau Community. I've found wisdom, support, and great friendships in these pixelated landscapes. But, there's magic in the real world, where face-to-face gatherings trump Zoom calls or chat threads. And we just experienced it at the last Owner Summit this week in New Orleans.
In this ever-evolving job market, companies are adapting by hiring part-time executives for full-time roles. It's not limited to upper management – various positions across functions like strategy and tech are embracing this approach. The main reasons are an unpredictable economy, shifting priorities, and changes in how we work.
If you chose a career in Digital or Creative Services, it can be a challenging path. But you have to remember why you chose it in the first place. For me, it was about the lure of creating cool stuff for companies that were focused on doing good in the world. And, taking control of my life. But oddly, after six months, it also included building websites for financial services companies because my family demanded food and electricity. So rude, I know.
I talk with a lot of people, and If there’s one theme nearly every conversation has in common, it’s that things are challenging right now. It’s hard to hear about tough times, but I’m also uplifted when I see so many of my friends and colleagues rising to the challenge to help one another.
Many of the challenges people mention with the 4-day workweek are based on the need to be more focused and efficient. And a lot of what we hear about AI is it may be so efficient it puts us out of a job. This week we look at the collision of these two trends, and why we might be headed in a good direction after all. Read on!
As the community continues to get bigger, we're reminded of the little lessons we've learned along the way. Like the importance of balancing power and responsibility. So let's tackle the challenges that come with rapid growth and create an even more vibrant and valuable community. Venture on fearless reader and see what's coming soon for the Bureau community.
Parkinson’s Law has many impacts on the world of business. Learn more from expert Jody Gruden on how this area affects employee experience and engagement.
Can you believe we’re already done with a quarter of 2023? The days are flying by, and there’s so much to do and to learn. We’re truly grateful for the members of the Bureau and how much we work to help one another improve our professional and personal lives. Our Slack conversations are full of useful information and resources. I try to send out the best of these each week in our newsletter. You can get that right in your email by signing up here. But if you are carefully avoiding your inbox as much as possible, here are some of the best links from this month’s newsletters.
The four-day workweek has been gaining traction in recent years, with more and more companies considering it to improve work-life balance and increase productivity. The idea has instant appeal. After all, who wouldn’t want an extra day off every week? So eventually we're all doing this, right? Read on and we'll talk about the pros and cons of that extra day off.
We all know the satisfaction of discovering the perfect tool that saves us hours of tedious work. The one that allows us to knock out the boring stuff quickly and focus on doing the important work. What's even better is when someone tells us which tools they can't live without. So, let's dive in and explore what the Bureau community is using to make a real difference in helping us work more efficiently. Let's go!
Do you have just one source of income, or are you one of the many people with at least one side gig? For some, it’s a necessity, and for others, it’s their passion. I want to dive into the art of the side hustle and how it’s shaping the world of work. And in case you didn't know, the Bureau started out as a side hustle, and look at us now!
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve eagerly embraced leadership positions throughout your life. It’s a great way to grow and learn to overcome new challenges. Once you’re there, though, it can be hard to let go of the day-to-day stuff. How do you learn to step back and let others work their magic?
Don’t you hate talking to customer service on the phone, only for them to transfer you to someone else, and you need to explain the whole thing again? Nobody likes that, especially your customers. How can you make sure there’s a smooth transition from the sales team to project management? This week we’re tackling this handoff process. And guess what, the secret weapon is probably already on your team.
February is already over?? Where does the time go? I’m not done complaining about January yet!
I love being part of the Bureau community because it’s full of friends and colleagues who let me complain, and they also offer excellent advice from their unique perspectives. I collect the best of these and send them out in our weekly newsletter, which you should definitely sign up for. But you can also get them right here, collected once a month. Let’s see what we learned last month!
For many Bureau shops, the past two years may have felt like an ongoing celebration of Fat Tuesday regarding our businesses and bringing on new clients. Work was abundant, pipelines were full, and, most importantly, closing business was much, much faster. And while an ongoing Fat Tuesday revenue scenario was definitely not the case for all Bureau shops, the economy's inertia swept us all up. Plus, the move to all things digital definitely helped during and after the pandemic.
Why did the AI-generated song win an award? Because it had the perfect pitch - and the perfect algorithm for creating catchy lyrics!
That was what ChatGPT came up with when I asked it to write a joke about using AI for creative tasks. That’s right; we’re going to talk more about AI. And this week, it’s time to put your best lawyer face on.
