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Aug 3, 2022
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The Seven-Year Itch

Did you know that the average time spent for an employee between the ages of 25 and 34 at a company is three years (Bureau of Labor Statistics)—and even shorter in the marketing industry? This summer marks my seven-year anniversary at HZ, and I’m happy to be breaking records with that tenure. HZ’s always celebrated the seven-year anniversary of each employee with a seven-year-itch gift—can’t wait. 

My first year at the agency was spent knee deep on the Social team, weeding through comments, creative, and copywriting that would stop the scroll. Mid-way through that year, I was approached to join the Account Services team, which brings us up to speed. 

Back to the beginning, circa 2016 (that’s me, the short one)

I truly believe that someone’s time at a company isn’t solely based on their abilities to do a job, it’s influenced by their manager’s investment in them, real-time lessons learned, and the agency’s support of their trajectory. 

Seven years comes with a lot of successes, some failures (because we all have them) and many lessons learned that have helped make me a better person, employee, and leader.

These seven years have now become seven tips for how to thrive in a place that supports your ability to grow (I see you HZ, wink wink):

1.  Be respectfully curious

Being a sponge no longer does the trick! Get involved, ask questions, and dig deeper. The only way you’ll know is if you ask.

2. Celebrate the small wins 

I sent an email on time, I checked something off my to-do list—yay. At HZ, we know that no win is too small and everything we do helps drive better outputs for our teams and clients. Start small, celebrate, and keep moving.

3. We’re all human

and let’s remember that! We don’t know what goes on behind the screens, in people’s homes or personal lives on a day-to-day basis, so I always practice empathy and patience—reminding myself at the end of the day that we are all just doing our best. 

4. Learn from your mistakes

Oh, we aren’t perfect? No one likes to make mistakes, but guess what? They still happen. I’ve learned to take the hard lessons and turn them into a new process or way of working to ensure that a similar mistake won’t happen again. I still make mistakes, but I have homed in on how you react to those mistakes, which is what growth is all about.

5. The devil is in the details 

I learned the hard way that you have to double-check (and then re-check) your work. Don’t scrimp on the details. The details will often be what creates the best output for your clients, which brings me back to point 2—celebrate all of the wins!

6. Be passionate! 

Sports, food, education, and creating a better world are all things that drive me forward every single day. I am passionate about these topics and thankfully the clients and work I help lead all fall within one of these buckets. HZ has always focused on wanting our teams to be passionate about their work, and I believe your output is a direct reflection of that passion. 

7. Prioritize the priorities

Agency life is all about juggling competing priorities every single day. Not everything can be at the top of our list or the most “on-fire thing.” Take the time to direct your focus on tackling the one thing that will have the most impact on the rest of your priorities. This skill takes time, effort, and practice, but also sets the tone for your ability to thrive. 

At HZ, we push employees to be inspired and inspire others through hard work, passionate collaboration, and the never-ending quest to keep raising the bar. Cheers to seven years, and many more to come! And hey, if you want to work with passionate people who are looking to beat industry statistics at an agency that invests back into their successes, join the team.