You’ve seen the list, I’m sure. Taped to a wall or a desk or the fridge in the office kitchen with the headline THANKSGIVING FOOD, or something of that ilk. When the infamous sign-up list for the MadMott Thanksgiving Feast gets posted, it signals the start of all things holiday—not just Thanksgiving—and along with that Christmas playlist that someone in your office is bound to keep requesting (or is it just our office?), it unofficially signals the beginning of the end of the year. We start to get mildly nostalgic for the summer, some of us start itching for a new DayPlanner (you know who you are), and we tell (and retell) stories of the year’s victories and failures. For our feast, we bring everyone together (not just our crew, but significant others, better halves, spouses, little ones, and even office dogs), share a few drinks, great food, and a lot of laughs, without a task list hanging over anyone’s head.
But what makes it really magical is the so-called giving of thanks—and not the kind that happens just during our Annual Feast. Whether it’s thanking our clients for opportunities or appreciating the crew for over-the-top efforts, the real work of Thanksgiving is a daily exercise. We’re big dreamers and serious thinkers, and we believe in the power of thank you.
Sometimes, it’s finding ways to be grateful for challenging feedback, or difficult conversations that have the greatest impact—all of which inevitably lead to better work and smarter solves in the long-run. Looking back over 2014, some of our best work came out of those moments where honesty between colleagues and clients alike pushed us all to make different, better choices. Moving through those moments with a sense of gratitude leaves everyone feeling more empowered—agency and client alike—and adds some real humanity to the mix. In so many ways, our work spills well beyond the boundaries of an 8-hour work day, and saying thank you (and meaning it) grounds us all, even when we may be narrowly skirting disasters, or flying by the seat of our pants.
And this is what makes our Thanksgiving Feast so magical. We spend the year making space for growth and learning and exploration alongside one another (clients and crew alike), and appreciating every part of it out loud. When we sit down together for our delicious meal, it’s with a real, well-practiced appreciation for what we have, what we do, and whom we do it with. Gratitude is a remarkable, fluid, powerful thing, and it has a place at our table, all year long.
So, thank you, for your part—however small or large it may be—in giving us the opportunity to create smart, cool stuff, with you and for you. We’re grateful—today, and every day.
PS – pass the gravy?