The way it was …
For the first 20 years of my career, my summer was divided in half. The first half was a mad rush to support clients through the end of their fiscal year – helping them finish strong, wrap up projects, and plan for a swift transition to their new fiscal year. Then, no sooner did the calendar turn to the first day of the next fiscal, we were heads-down racing to the largest partner sales kick-off of the year. There were events to be planned, logistics to be managed, content to be created, and loose ends to be tied. Clients, colleagues, and partners gathered for a full-scale week-long production. And then … BAM! Everyone went on vacation, and it was a ghost town until Labor Day when children returned to school and employees found their inboxes overflowing with months of action items. Panic would ensue, and like clockwork and pumpkin spice, all things returned to normal in September.
Then the Pandemic happened. Events were cancelled. Budgets were reallocated. Digital transformations accelerated at warp speeds. Content marketing surged. And nobody traveled. Nobody took vacation time. The weeks and months blended into the seasons and work just kept getting busier. There were no breaks. No chance to catch our breath. The entire industry was told to “do more with less,” which was just a foreshadowing of massive layoffs and budget freezes to come. Downsizing cascaded across the entire industry and impacted the economy in unpredictable ways.
The way it is now …
But this year feels different. We are still busy. But we are rebounding. Somewhere in the chaos of the #WFH movement and political and social upheaval, a new generation has moved from high school to university and into the workforce, and they’re done navigating stress and uncertainty. They are determined to do things their way and wrangle their work into a balanced equation that works for them mentally, emotionally, socially, physically, financially, and perhaps even spiritually. The zeitgeist is shifting, and it is an experience to behold!
This summer, I’ve had the unique privilege of sitting in the space between managing a team of brilliant creatives who have always approached work differently and raising the next generation of entrepreneurs who are already rethinking the way they plan to approach school and work and life. Our team at The Odigo Group spans seven generations. Some were in the workforce for decades before I started working. Some were our very first interns when The Odigo Group was founded nearly a decade ago. Some are developing new technologies leveraging emerging AI capabilities. And some are reimagining how to automate projects they’ve been working on for the past four years. The world is changing rapidly around us, and trying to keep my finger on the pulse of where we are headed requires a skillset I’m not sure has fully evolved yet. But I’m actively experiencing it.
So, when I picked up the Harvard Business Review Special Issue (Summer 2024) a few weeks ago, I was fascinated (and comforted) to find that “great leaders [are] defined … by their ability to recognize and adapt to the opportunities created by a particular moment. They [can] sense the zeitgeist – the spirit, mood, ideas, and beliefs that define a period – and seize it.”1 I cannot confidently say we’ve seized every opportunity just yet, because if I were to describe all the opportunities we’ve uncovered the past few years, I wouldn’t know where to start. Developing new SaaS apps, expanding into new industries, diversifying our team, investing time and energy in new mentorship models, and making difficult decisions to restructure the team, we’ve been actively expanding and contracting – defining and redefining. “History shows that navigating periods of consolidation requires different leadership qualities than navigating periods of creation does,”1 and I can attest that I prefer the periods of creation to those of consolidation!
Now, I firmly believe we’ve navigated the period of consolidation while holding space for this fantastic period of creation. In fact, even in the most uncertain economic times the past few years, we encouraged our team to create … to explore AI. To dream of serving new markets. To discover their passions and propose new solutions. We’ve been talking about all the irons we have in the fire for the past few months, and now, as summer break is upon us, we’re finding the time and space to remove those irons from the fire, polish them, and prepare to launch them into the world. Apparently right on par with the emerging requirements of leadership … “The new zeitgeist will require executives with the instincts to deal with shifting external forces, the ability to sense fresh economic opportunities, and the skills to lead and manage in a different age.”1
The way it will be …
I mentioned my privilege of raising a new generation, with children and their friends wading into the workforce. Some are interning for us. Some are leading client workstreams and building world-class UI/UX implementations. Some are brainstorming new service offerings on more relevant social media platforms. Others are streamlining data dashboards and building their own portfolios of experience. Some team members are transitioning to use their professional skills for expansion into the public sector. New clients are emerging in new industries like government and education. This next generation isn’t just looking for jobs. They are looking for experiences that will enhance their lives.
I’m learning in real time that “today’s CEOs don’t just lead companies. They lead ecosystems.”2 I tell my team often that leading a company was never on my BINGO card. We’re here because we’re here, not because it was my dream. We simply followed the path as it emerged. And now, we’re leading an ecosystem of like-minded individuals who also wanted to challenge the status quo of how to use their skills to show up in Corporate America in a way that worked for them and their families. We built this company so we could raise our children. And now our children’s generation is changing the way work works. Our daughter asked if she could start University online and continue working in her Social Media Marketing role while exploring Europe for a year. Why not?
Yesterday, my son was packing to return to University. He emerged from his room and handed me a copy of the Tao Te Ching and said “You should read this, Mom. You’ll like it.” He’s pursuing a major in Business Entrepreneurship. I don’t know where he’ll end up, but I know he’s on the right track. He inspires me to “bring out the best in [my]self, and … bring out the best in others.”3
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1“As the World Shifts, So Should Leaders” by Nitin Nohria, HBR Special Issue, Summer 2024
2 “The Leadership Context Quick Takes” by Sarah Jensen Clayton, Tierny Remick, and Evelyn Orr, HBR Special Issue, Summer 2024
3 “Bring out the best” by Lau Tzu, Tao Te Ching