Five Steps to Leave a World-Class TAYA Legacy
Driven Communicator | Leadership, Sales & Marketing Coach
It ran on the long side so I broke it in half to give you some time to read, digest, and knock out the reflection exercise at the end.
If you missed it, it would be worth your time to give that a quick glance or two, and definitely do the reflection exercise.
If you're back, let's dive into the five steps you can take to leave a world-class They Ask, You Answer legacy behind you.
Five Steps to Leave a World-Class TAYA Legacy
1) Finalize Your Final Projects
If you've already got a job offer or know the timeline of your exit, it's a lot easier to scope out your project workload. Regardless of the timetable, a best practice would be to finish the projects you've shot and start editing since the vision is already so clear in your mind.
If you're in some crazy high-production company where that's not possible, consider your own version of finishing your expected project workload, but do your part to set the next editor up.
Think of the outlines and scripts you can prepare in advance or other projects you can scope out to help the company continue its momentum while they work through the transition.
2) Talk to Your Team
With an end date in sight and an organized content calendar, your next step is to brief your team.
Depending on your state of mind or status within the company at the time of your exit, this conversation could go a number of different ways, but it must happen.
Be clear, calm, and radically candid in your communication.
This conversation isn't meant for you to tell your former company why you feel they failed you. It's meant to help everyone remember where you started, what you all achieved together, and how to prepare for the future.
See why I had you do that reflection exercise? 😉
Taking the emotion out of it is going to be difficult, especially if you've got a few years under your belt. But at the end of the day, if you've decided you're ready to move on, then you're not the best fit to work for that company anymore anyway.
The main goal for that conversation is to get everyone on the same page with the remaining time that you have left with the company and the outstanding boxes that needed to be checked before you ride off into the sunset.
The clearer you can be with the scope of work and the timeline to complete it, the better off everyone will be.
Your next step toward building your TAYA Legacy is to account for, clean, and organize your assets.
Between your computer, your external hard drives, and online storage it could be near impossible for someone to find what they're looking to use in a project.
Between your desk, your car, and wherever you hang your hat, it could be easy to lose track of a few pieces of gear and equipment along the way. Especially if you've been working in a remote/hybrid type of job capacity.
That's why it's so crucial to take dedicated time to hunt down, clean up, and spell out what you have, where it is, and what (if anything) needs to happen with it next.
Quick Organization List:
-
Workstation
- Clean up your computer desktop
- Run searches for any files that could be buried
- Go through your desk/bags/car for any documents / sd cards / gear
- Check your company communication portals or intranets for any assets that should be moved/deleted
- (i.e. Slack / Teams / internal server / online storage )
- Identify any logins/passwords for software that you've been using
- (i.e. Artlist.io / Frame.io / Envato / YouTube / Storyblocks)
-
Hard drives.
- Delete any of your bad/useless footage.
- Ensure your files and folders are titled properly
- Gather/transfer your project assets to as few drives/locations as possible
- Account for anything living in "cold storage" or saved to other archived locations
-
Equipment
- Account for every piece of equipment
- Clean / label every piece of equipment
- Identify any equipment that needs to be replaced
- Identify any equipment that should be ordered
The list above should get your juices flowing but definitely add to it!
4) Create Onboarding Videos
If I had to pick a favorite step to leave a great TAYA Legacy behind...it'd be this one. Hands down.
You're the best possible person to introduce someone into this world. You've lived it, you've fought for it, and you should be stoked that someone else is going to come in and take it into the future.
An absolute best practice is to create a series of onboarding videos for the next person to watch.
The screenshot below is taken from one of many onboarding videos made by the now-former videographer at J Designs Pool and Spa, based out of California. They specialize in creating luxury pool designs that transform homeowners back yards into the resort destination of their dreams.
The videos don't have to have the same level of polish and production as your typical projects. All you need to do is help the next videographer understand what they're walking into.
Using 1:1 video creation tools like Soapbox, Vidyard, or Loom will give you the ability to quickly share your screen and start showing people around the world you've created.
When you're done with your series of videos, organize them in a simple document to help the next person come and start watching.
This thing doesn't have to be a polished PDF document with all types of graphics and branding. It just simply needs to help the next person understand the road already traveled.
A Few Types of Onboarding Videos:
- Overview of the types of videos you're making at your company
- Overview of your workflow
- Overview of your project templates
- Overview of all your hard drives, files, and folders
- Overview of gear and equipment
- Overview of your tech stack
- Any takeaways or lessons learned
- Welcome video for the new videographer
Think of the hours you could've saved if you had all these assets at your disposal. So for sure, your manager could hear you want to roll out and just fire you on the spot about a knee-jerk reaction.
That's why it's critical to come prepared with where you were, where you are, and your plan to set them up for the future.
You're offering to help expedite the onboarding of their next videographer which is more than most of us had when we started with our companies for the first time.
Which leads us perfectly into our final step.
5) Reinforce the Bridge
What does that type of energy accomplish? Sure it's funny to watch but obviously young Scarface there is going to have a really tough time finding a new job in the 2023 marketplace.
Think back to your reflection exercise. Think of all you accomplished.
One of the best ways you can leave your job is by doing so with the intent to reinforce the bridge, not burn it.
Go hard on those onboarding videos and think of any other last-minute projects that could help your company out while they hunt for the new candidate and your hourglass runs out of sand.
Do your part to ensure you've done everything you can to set the company up for success before you leave and when you do, stay available for contact if they need you.
In the months that follow, as they hire the next videographer, there might be an issue with equipment or a question about a project that you could quickly answer for them.
Maybe it's a text, maybe it's an email, but there's great power in staying available to your old company as they transition to the next chapter in their video strategy.
The more you can really demonstrate your willingness to do everything you can to set them up for success, the better equipped you'll be to confidently charge into the next chapter of your life.
Let's Land This Plane
This process isn't for everyone. I get that.
But for those of you that stuck with it, gave it some thought, and really dug into the stories I shared in this two-part post...odds are you already have the vision in your head.
All that's left is to get after it!
I wish all of you the absolute best as you chart your courses through your lives.
Have a great rest of the year!
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Either during a dinner conversation with your family or at some point while grabbing a drink with some friends, I'll bet that someone will tell you they're looking for a new job before the year ends. They'll mention their frustrations. They'll mention their aspirations. They'll for sure mention their desired compensation.But at some point in the conversation, they're going to stop talking.How will you respond?Will you be able to share the love of the work you're doing and the clear impact it's having on you and the people you work with? Or will you spend the evening swapping horror stories and trashing your teammates?If you're in the first group of people that really dig the work they're doing or are so fresh in their jobs that moving on isn't on your radar, let me save you some time by saying this post isn't for you. Nothin' personal. 🤘😎🤘If, however, you're in the other group of people that are considering a job or career change, keep reading for a few insights on the job market going into 2023 and a few questions to ask yourself before clicking "Apply." View full-sizeDownload End-of-Year Job InsightsA few minutes with a search engine will help you see the hiring process has been as short as a few weeks in some industries and as long as several months in others. January and February are typically the heaviest when it comes to new job creation and promotion, with the early spring months becoming a focal point for screening and hiring. The info coming out of your searches could be wildly different depending on your industry so do your own digging to get a good eye on what lies ahead for you specifically. Check your rearview mirror to see that in the last few months, Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, Vimeo, and a ton of other companies have already laid off or announced plans to lay off large percentages of their workforce to combat the current economic climate.What does that tell us?On one hand, we're about to hit the busiest time of the year for new job creation. Now could be as good a time as ever to blow the dust off our resumes and start checking the color of the grass around us. On the other hand, as the job market gets more competitive, the decision to leave your job is just as important as the way in which you leave it. So take time to really consider your options and your mindset before making any decisions. View full-sizeDownload Reflection Before Resignation First and foremost, I genuinely hope that if you've come to the decision to leave your company, you can still zoom out and look at the connections you've made, the work you've done, and the things you've built with pride.For a lot of us, we're so busy doing the damn thing that we don't slow down to look back at the damn things we've done.Below are a handful of questions to help get your juices flowing. Softer Reflection Questions: How many videos did they have when you started and what is the current total? What type of equipment did you start with and what did you help upgrade? How many people were willing to get on camera in the beginning and where are they now? Did you help your company figure out how to broadcast live? Did you scale your team up? What else have you achieved while you were there? What surprised you? What are you the proudest of? Of course, if we're going to reflect on the positive side, we've got to take an honest look at the rough patches too. Harder Reflection Questions: Are you happy with the work you're doing? Do you look forward to coming to work? Do projects motivate you or stress you out? Do you enjoy working with your teammates? What is the most frustrating part of the job? What wastes most of your time? What project never should have happened? What is your greatest failure? Take time to get in your own brain for a bit and try to write down some of your takeaways. Don't pull your punches at any point. View full-sizeDownload To Pass or Keep the Baton Step one is reflection. Step two is going through your reflection points, looking at your notes, and making a decision on what to do next. Do you stay and fight for this job or do you cut ties and walk? If you want to fight for it, you'll have a fantastic baseline to work from after digging into those reflection questions. Look at your notes and really try to determine what your role was in the success or failure of it. If we're really going to own this stuff, we've got to own everything, not just the stuff that makes us look better. Plus, if we are part of the problem, we are the best positioned to be part of the solution! Keep in mind that the company that hired you most likely did so knowing they weren't 100% sure what they were getting themselves into with a full-time videographer. As much as this might have been painful for you, I can guarantee you there was ample pain felt by your supervisors and leadership team as well. If you decide to cut ties and walk, then it's absolutely vital that we set up the next person to come in and take that vision into the future, with our guidance and help.To just walk away from a company without building a proper onboarding plan for them is disrespectful to both the work that you did while you were there and the organization you did it for. It also drastically diminishes your ability to stand out in the job market.What type of stories would you rather share with a future employer? That you got pissed and bailed when the chips were down or that you realized you'd met your growth potential, but refused to leave without ensuring the legacy you've left behind was set up to succeed, or hell, to thrive without you?While I acknowledge that not everybody that leaves their job will be willing to put this kind of time and effort into the process, it is 100% something I couldn't recommend more. Later this week, I'll drop a post on the steps you can take to leave a world-class They Ask, You Answer Legacy behind you but this is a great starting point for us to work from. Have a great week!
Devon McCarty
It's all about leaving things better than we found it, and doing our part to help everyone succeed.
Have a great weekend, my friend.