Key Insights

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  Remote teamwork benefits from adopting dance-like cues and rituals to communicate energy and intention asynchronously and synchronously.

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  Embedded agency designers must code-switch between their native agency culture and the client’s environment to build trust and effectiveness.

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  Maintaining distinct but respectful dual cultures between agencies and clients fosters better collaboration and happier teams.

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  Toxic relationships are easier to address internally due to familiarity but complicated by organizational politics and fear of repercussions.

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  Outside consultants can leverage the clear endpoint of engagements to manage difficult relationships, unlike in-house staff with uncertain futures.

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  Clarifying expectation gaps early with clients through pre-sales and onboarding discussions prevents misalignment and frustration later.

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  Pandemic remote work unexpectedly strengthened team bonds by making physical distance catalyze emotional closeness.

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  Trust in remote teams can be maintained and even enhanced when there is a prior foundation of face-to-face relationship building.

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  The pandemic blurred the boundary between personal and professional lives, leading to more authentic, humanized client and agency relationships.

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  Cultural differences impact work personas; for example, some cultures like Argentina naturally blend business and personal personas more than others, influencing client relationships.

Notable Quotes