Bridget Willard

Author: Bridget Willard

  • The Habit of a Relationship

    I speak, he listens

    He calls, I answer

    I cry, he holds me

    He’s sick, I caretake

    I stand, he’s there

    He leads, I follow

    I break, he mends

    I sleep, he snores

    He dies, I’m alone

  • Ten Things I learned from 10 WordCamps

    Can you learn from WordCamps? Short answer: yes.

    Since October of 2016, when I was asked to speak at WordCamp Cincinnati I have traveled to quite a few camps. In the last 12 months, I’ve grown professionally and personally. To me, this deserved an epic recap.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BLi-uVvgSHH/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    WordCamps – The List: October 2016 – September 2017

    After Jason Knill and I attended WordCamp Cincinnati, Give decided to up our WordCamp game. Most of these have also been new city visits for me.

    I’ll list my role after the camp.

    1. WordCamp Cincinnati – speaker
    2. WordCamp US – Philadelphia – attendee
    3. WordCamp Atlanta – Contributor Day (Marketing Team), speaker
    4. WordCamp San Diego – volunteer, sponsor
    5. WordCamp Chicago – attendee
    6. WordCamp Orange County – organizer
    7. WordCamp Europe – Contributor Day (Marketing Team), attendee
    8. WordCamp Ottawa, speaker
    9. WordCamp Sacramento, speaker (but sick)
    10. WordCamp Los Angeles, organizer, speaker

    Yes. That’s ten WordCamps in 12 months. For the balance of 2017, I will also be going to Seattle, Rochester, and US in Nashville.

    Let’s get to what I learned.

    Lesson 1: You have friends everywhere.

    Yes. These people are your friends. Connect on social media. Meet in person. Or meet in person and connect on social media. Either way, meeting people, having great conversations, and keeping that relationship going is good for your mental health and for referring people. We all live off of referrals.

    Take selfies. Follow people on Twitter. Stay connected. People matter the most. I promise.

    https://twitter.com/jackomo/status/876102941249331200

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BTc71Urlvnd/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    Lesson 2: Bars have the best burgers.

    Honestly, before attending WordCamps, I never hung out at a bar. Ever. So, thanks for making me feel comfortable in a bar, WordPress. (This lesson is debated whether it’s a good thing but for the purpose of this blog post we’ll say yes.)

    If the bar has craft beer, the food is even better. If they brew their own, they may even have their own root beer!

    https://twitter.com/YouTooCanBeGuru/status/888522755246886914

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BXjcOKCFI6p/

    Lesson 3: I learned to travel on my own.

    From March when I had to fly and Uber and check into the AirBNB by myself to going on my first international fight — alone — to Paris — I learned that I can baby step my way into confidence. That was huge. And I knew, that if anything happened, I had a whole community of people who would have helped me.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BVX3qH9lxxW/

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BW0JW8nFrxK/

    Lesson 4: WordCamp shirts don’t always fit; be glad when one does.

    This lesson is about grace. It’s so easy to be annoyed. I have so many different size shirts, it’s not even funny.

    WordCamps are organized by volunteers. If you think you can make a difference, join the Community Team or volunteer for your local WordCamp.

    Lesson 5: Cherish your co-workers when you work remotely.

    I love the freedom of remote work. That said, traveling with your coworkers helps so much. There’s more to relationships than weekly hangouts and slack messages can provide. Seriously.

    I’ll never forget jamming on guitar with Ben in San Diego or checking out dinosaurs with Kevin in Philadelphia.

    I really enjoyed all of the time I got to spend with Ben and Kevin this year, in addition to the local crew: Jason, Devin, and Matt.

    People matter. Some days you realize that’s all that matters.

    Lesson 6: Slides are great; audience participation is better.

    We love slides. But engaging the audience is how they learn best. That’s all that matters. They are the reason you’ve traveled. Make the talk relevant to those people. They’ll remember it.

    Lesson 7: Sometimes the food is weird. Try it.

    This is a big one for me. I didn’t ever want to order something and not like it and then go hungry. Traveling to WordCamps has helped me realize that a) I can try something; and b) I can order something else if I need to.

    You may be pleasantly surprised, too.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BW3aPIfljih/

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BVVYI9il6y1/

    Lesson 8: Go to talks above your skill level or from a different discipline.

    We forget about the value of exposure. No, I can’t write in PHP or work with an API or even use ACF. But I understand some of the concepts now. That helps me understand my job and, more importantly, have empathy with my friends and co-workers.

    You’ll be surprised from what you do learn. I promise.

    Lesson 9: If you do get sick; be in a good hotel.

    I felt bad I had to cancel speaking at WordCamp Sacramento but was glad for a few things. Namely, Matt Cromwell was able to speak for me and I was staying in a great hotel. Room service is the best when you’re sick. And Jen Miller brought me a tea. The thing is we have a team for a reason. It worked out wonderfully.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BZHVsMEFcZ0/

    Lesson 10: The “little things” matter; even in Paris.

    My favorite part of Paris wasn’t the architecture, museums, or even the food. It was seeing a sunset over the Seine and explaining to Heather and Devin Walker why it moves me so much.

    No matter what happens in the day; it starts over. A sunset is redemptive.

    Learn things. Make friendships. Life can be hard. Remember to celebrate the little things because they truly do mean the most.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BVX2fh8lKu4/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    x

  • Saying Goodbye — Again

    May 31.

    On this day last year my husband died.

    We were married for my whole adult life — twenty-three years.

    We were married when I was three weeks from being 20. “Hey 19” by Steely Dan was our inside joke.

    Mercier was my lover, friend, mentor, champion, and pastor.

    He was my whole world.

    Looking Back

    In the first nine months that Mercier died, there were four other deaths. For someone who had little experience with grief, experiencing five deaths in nine months was overwhelming.

    • My husband
    • My brother-in-law
    • My dog
    • My dad
    • My nephew

    But in the last year, I’ve also traveled to five cities I’ve never been to.

    • Cincinnati
    • Philadelphia
    • Nashville
    • Atlanta
    • Chicago

    Living on my own — alone.

    Besides being a teenager, this is the first full year I’ve lived on my own. Actually alone. Because, dogs don’t count.

    I know that I have friends. I have amazing friends.

    I know that I have God. Jesus is with me.

    But I am alone. That’s not something that can be dismissed. It’s truth.

    I alone am responsible to pay the rent, utilities, and other fixed costs. I alone have to shop and do chores. It’s all down to me.

    There were days where I didn’t think I could do it.

    But I have.

    Nice Surprises Along The Way

    I’ve had some surprises this year. Good and bad.

    I’m working on focusing on the good — the surprise friendships. The deep connection that only that kind of pain can bring. The vulnerable talks, the tears, and the laughter that overcame it.

    I’ve learned to travel this year. I’ve learned to appreciate change — though, I’m still not as good at accepting it as I could be.

    I’ve learned to look for beauty — even if it’s a reflection of a building upon the glass of another.

    I can stand there and say, “wow.”

    When the best thing can be taken away, you learn to cherish moments — looking at tulips, taking photos, remembering friends.

    Mercier was the kind of person who was fully invested in any conversation he had. I want to live that kind of life.

    To me, that’s how I honor his legacy.

    So I said goodbye. Again. Alone.

    Mercier was my husband. I was responsible for him and he for me.

    It was important to me to disperse his remains on my own — alone.

    I went to the beach. Talked to him on the way down, softly sung “Amazing Grace,” and carried him into the ocean.

    The waves came in and I opened the bag, the cold surf surrounded my legs which felt oddly comforting. I laughed. Mercier would have laughed, too. So, I walked through the surf and let him out. He used to say he wanted to surf in Heaven. This felt right to me.

    Being at Peace

    So, today was a day to be the independent person Mercier wanted me to become.

    And say goodbye.

    And prepare to be own my own.

    And prepare for a future without him.

    And so I did.

    Thank you, Mercier, for making me who I am today.

    I will always love you.

  • Good at strategy? Great. Do the work. Be a practitioner.

    It’s great to be a strategist. Heck, it’s a higher-paying job. But it’s dangerous to be too far away from tactics — especially since they change so often in tech. To be better at the work, you have to do the work.

    A coder can’t understand overall strategy without an intimacy with the code he’s proficient in, or better yet, understanding trends in codebases. A mechanic would not be able to shape and evolve his business if he doesn’t understand how much time an oil change should take.

    Most small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs are also practitioners. It’s not degrading to your role to do the work. So why do I hear myself saying this so often?

    Do the Work.

    Jason Knill and I shape organic and paid advertising at GiveWP along with my traditional content marketing goals like blog posts and email marketing. We look at trends, we talk about insights from in-person meetings, Meetups, Twitter, WordCamps, and other people’s news. We bring a “mental rigor and curiosity,” as he calls it, to our work with GiveWP.

    Lately, we’ve been having a conversation around craft. Why do so many people in our industry enjoy making craft beer? Why are people in tech turning to knitting, gardening, or even fishing?

    It’s about short-term satisfaction and accomplishment.

    So often our work has long-term results. It’s no different with strategy. To craft a strategy and then wait for results takes faith — faith in the process, faith in the forecasting, faith in the tactics.

    [bctt tweet=”Waiting for results takes faith — in the process, in the forecasting, in the tactics.” username=”bridgetmwillard”]

    So why do so many people shy away from tactics and stick with strategy?

    The only reason I can come up with is job protection.

    Protecting The Boundaries of Your Job Title

    Being a Marketing Manager means thinking strategically. That’s a closely-guarded job title. I’ve had friends say they won’t do “x, y, or z” because it devalues their job title. I’ve also been told that I’m acting like a “Social Media Manager” as if it’s more degrading than a “Marketing Manager.”

    Hey, I get it. In this world, regardless of how far we’ve come, a woman usually only gains salary increases by switching jobs. It’s sad from the point of diversity, feminism, and, I hate to say it, company culture.

    I recently read this post called “6 Reasons Why You Are Losing Key Employees” on LinkedIn by Bärí A. Williams. She brings up a valid point about salary history:

    “If two people with the same experience and education are hired as peers, are their titles and pay equal? Because people of color and women are often underpaid, even when moving companies or switching roles, they lose out of money based on salary history. Assuring that rank and pay are fair helps keep people of color and women from being under-leveled and underpaid.” Bärí A. Williams

    Consequences of Status Protection

    Before I digress too far away from my point of “doing the work,” there is something we should think about in this vein.

    If “it’s not my job” prevails any company culture, what you’ll have is an employee who is looking to transition to any good offer that presents itself. This will happen either consciously or subconsciously.

    What you’ve lost is bigger than the time you’ve invested in said employee.

    You’ve lost loyalty.

    A loss in loyalty affects the entire company culture. People watch how Employee X is treated. They will pick up on cognitive dissonance. They will come to the conclusion that if Employee X isn’t valued, maybe they’re not either.

    But I digress. The point is that no matter the reason you think you should protect the boundaries of your job title, being too far away from tactics affects strategy.

    What is the difference between strategy and tactics?

    Strategy is tied to goals. Where do you want to be? What would you like to achieve in a certain timeframe.

    Strategy is the plan — 30 days, 120 days, 1 year.

    Think of it in terms we may be more familiar with: war. Strategy is about winning the war. Tactics are how you do it. The great generals of time understand the landscape, their enemy, their enemy’s tactics, and the strengths and weaknesses of their own army.

    Don’t like war? How about sports? No football team goes against another team without spending time on the field in practice. The strategy of the game never changes: outscore the opposing team by running the ball in the end zone.

    The tactics to achieve that strategy vary depending upon the team you’re playing. Coaches and leadership — maybe even the team — will spend hours watching tape of the opposing team — studying their every move. The strategy of studying the opposition helps you find their strengths and weaknesses. It helps shape the tactics used in order to accomplish the overall goals.

    Coaches and generals apply strategy to achieve their goals, but in war and football, the tactics and tools don’t evolve as quickly as the digital world. This is why it’s important to do the work.

    [bctt tweet=”Tactics in social shift frequently. Do the work. Be a practitioner.” username=”bridgetmwillard”]

    Strategy and Tactics are not Mutually Exclusive

    If you’ve ever listened to Gary Vaynerchuk, then you’ve heard him say, “be a practitioner.” He talks about having his head in the clouds and his feet in the dirt.

    For him, clouds represent strategy and tactics the dirt.

    In this video he says,

    “I believe that engagement on Twitter makes sense. I also then do it.”

    Do the Work.

    Once you write your strategy and start implementing it, you may see results that surprise you — in any direction. Do you stop to ask yourself why?

    Why are those ads converting? What is your time on site? What are the voids your brand can fill in your industry? Where can you show your value? How can you increase loyalty? Why is your open rate so low? Is it just your company or is it the service?

    Questions are important. Questions drive you to answers.

    [bctt tweet=”If you don’t understand tactics, you won’t ask the right questions.” username=”bridgetmwillard”]

    Doing the work gives you familiarity. Sure, Vayner Media has over 800 employees. But what’s amazing about Gary Vaynerchuk is that he always does the work. That’s why his agency has won in so many areas.

    “Here’s the thing: if you’re not constantly working on your craft—if you get too romantic about doing things how they’ve “always been done”—you’re going to lose. You need to be a practitioner.” Gary Vaynerchuk

    Tactical shifts — especially in media — can alter the effectiveness of your strategy. If you distance yourself too far from implementation, you will not be able to create or alter a strategy that creates results.

    Do the work.

    “Be a practitioner.”