News and Insights
One Finn Partners
November 7, 2013
“One Finn Partners: Our Shared Culture and Brand.” This was the theme of a recent retreat I attended at the beautiful Hunter Mountains in the Catskills. Representing MEDIA CONNECT, I joined several other members of the Finn Partners family from all over, with representatives coming from as far as Israel and London. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know people from other offices and learn about the type of work they do, and most importantly, come together to find ways for us to all work together and make Finn Partners stronger as a whole.
Gathered in what was known as the Red Barn (pictured above), we joined together in several sessions to discuss various issues we thought could help contribute to “One Finn Partners.” In one such session, we discussed “food for thought” – each sharing a piece we had recently read that may apply to how we operate. Personally, I discovered that only 19% of US/Canadian workers actually take a lunch break and this actually causes us to be MORE stressed and therefore less productive at work.
In other sessions, we explored practical things we could do more immediately to help create this “one-team spirit of partnership.” One thing that was brought up several times was the importance of expressing gratitude, for both our colleagues and our clients. From acknowledging good clients for being great to work with, to recognizing our own colleagues for their accomplishments, we all agreed that a little thanks goes a long way. From office “kudos boards” to email shout outs, recognition for hard work really can keep us all stay motivated when we feel overwhelmed (and are therefore not taking the aforementioned lunch break and becoming more stressed out)!
So many great ideas were shared about how our entire group can continue to grow while staying true to the vision of being a great partnership. We all agreed that Finn Partners is a different place. It’s a different culture. And though we realized that there are several other agencies out there with an international presence, ours is one that is unique. In an industry that is often cutthroat and competitive, we stand out as a place that “works hard and plays nice.”
