A veteran’s bond

September 7, 2006

During a vacation over the Labor Day weekend (and some adjacent weekdays) I visited an ad agency (Osborn-Barr) where I previously worked.

It was great to catch up with my former co-workers and get news on others who have moved on.

At lunch with Gwen, Coach and Bob, I realized that I didn’t think of them as friends. It was more as though we were survivors of the same event; we’d battled in the trenches, done time in San Quentin or built a sandbag wall to hold back flooding.

Of course, comparing the creation of advertising to any of these pursuits just ain’t right. After all, our jobs are more fun than most peoples’ vacations.

So why the reminiscing-old-veteran-like connection?

First, it’s the teamwork that binds us. Second, it’s the pursuit of a common goal and experiencing the highs and lows together.

But surprisingly, I think a third element is vulnerability.

When you’ve stood up and presented your precious, naked, barely-born ideas in front of a group of people, you are vulnerable. And when your little fledgling ideas aren’t stomped on, you feel a little better about doing it the next time.

So it’s not just having worked shoulder to shoulder that whole Memorial Day weekend, hot and humid because the power was out, to get ready for a presentation.

It’s the fact that no infant ideas were harmed during the process.

By Clara

Filed Under The Process

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