A sample essay from a previous edition of The Afternoon Shift newsletter. Subscribe here to read on.
It was loud. Lights were flashing everywhere. And I was exhausted.
It was morning, but there were no windows in the casino.
If not for my alarm or the fact that my internal clock had been trained to pull this same client report every Monday for years, I would’ve had no idea what time it was. Which, of course, is exactly how the casinos like it.
I was posted up at the coffee shop just off the casino floor because everyone I was traveling with was still asleep, and it was the only spot I could find with Wi-Fi.
I fumbled through the clunky guest login, intentionally designed to slow you down and grab your data, and mentally prepped for the series of steps I had to take to get this report done right.
As usual, a thought crossed my mind: I really need to train someone else on this.
And as usual, the little devil on my shoulder fired back: Too risky. If something goes wrong, that’s on you. Better to do it yourself.
Fear, masked as responsibility.
Rookie move.
(And yet one that still pops up decades later.)
Eventually, I got online, pulled the report, and spent the next ten minutes nervously reshuffling columns in Excel, trying not to mess anything up, all while surrounded by the bleeps and blur of the gaming floor.
Not exactly the most inspiring backdrop for high-stakes spreadsheet work.
I don’t really gamble. And I don’t even remember why I was in Vegas that week.
But the experience reminds me of lessons I’ve learned and relearned many times: when we resist asking for help, when we avoid documenting repeatable processes, or fail to hold boundaries around our time, we’re not saving the game. We’re limiting ourselves, and our teammates.
I recently joined a client team brought together by a small agency. I was there in a consulting capacity, and so was most of the group.
Each person represented their specific skill set, from account management and admin to earned media and content to partnerships and more.
Everyone was excited to be there, proud to be part of it, and the client had been prepped for this setup from the start.
They trusted the agency leader to scout and field the right squad.
This kind of team formation is becoming the norm.
Most internal marketing departments are getting smaller. But the work hasn’t stopped.
So agencies, brands, and consultants are assembling client and project-specific teams to solve problems.
And those teams? They’re made of people like us.
People with experience and wisdom. Expertise and range.
So as we continue this exploration together, we’ll not only keep digging into what it takes to thrive as mid-career marketing, media, and creative pros, but also how we can connect and collaborate.
Because more than ever, career needs to be a team sport.