One of our interns last year asked me a good question: what bad habit did you overcome that helped you most professionally? Frankly, it was hard to choose! Learning from mistakes has become somewhat of a specialty. But the first bad habit that came to mind was this: Worrying. Usually starting around 2am. I do that much less now. In fact, hardly ever. Thankfully, someone a while back enlightened me to the phrase “worrying makes you suffer twice” – and that clicked. Work hard, sure. Do your best, of course. Seek help when needed, absolutely! But if you’ve done all that, worrying isn’t going to get you extra credit. Especially in the middle of the night. There’s more than enough to puzzle out during daylight hours, so give yourself some grace and save 2am for sleep. As we welcome this year's summer interns, I want to be prepared with some other good answers. What bad habit have you dropped over the years? Leave me a comment 👇
Meet Program 11 Summer Intern Ariel! She's joining us as a rising Loyola Marymount University junior, with a major in marketing and a minor in psychology. When she's not crocheting and skateboarding, Ariel will be working with Program 11 on a variety of projects. We're aiming to expose her to all sorts of marketing activities across research, strategy, and creative so that she can identify what she's truly passionate about. We love mentoring the next generation of humans, and we also love learning what's worked for others who have had successful internship programs. Please share your tips! #summerintern #marketingagency #agencylife
Kirsten Withrow
3mo
This is a great question to reflect on! Someone once told me to cut the word "just" out of all my work emails: "I was just checking in..." "I just thought..." "Just wanted to see if...." They noted that I was using it as a hedge and therefore undercutting my thoughts and work — and they were 100% right! I still catch myself doing it sometimes, but I have become much better at noticing it, fixing it, and being more confident to let my work stand without it.
Such a great question - thank you for sharing because it has me searching as well. Though I do have to say I’ve been with you from afar at 2 a.m.!
David Feldman
3mo
Worrying makes you suffer twice— I’ve never heard this but resonates so deeply. Thank you for sharing Jenna!
Saying “I’m sorry”. Someone said to me every time you want to say “I’m sorry”, substitute it with “I apologize” and 9.9 times out of 10 you’ll see it’s not appropriate or necessary.
Anna Ferguson
3mo
Great question!! Love your answer Jenna Briand. So many wasted hours of sleepless nights!!
Co-founder of Program 11 - a multi award-winning boutique agency that helps exceptional brands grow their reach and impact through research, strategy, and content
3moThank you for this! We can learn so much from the questions our wonderful interns ask. My bad habit is often my superpower. It's "going fast." ⚡ When I go *too* fast, I can create more chaos than connection, more confusion than clarity. So, I'm continually seeking to identify when I'm doing this, and I've also learned to ASK PEOPLE TO CALL ME ON IT!