Humanizing the Digital Workspace with 4-Day Workweek - Kara Redman - S2 Episode #3

In this episode of Agency That Build, we are joined by CEO, Founder at Backroom, Kara Redman. She is a marketing wonder and skilled question-asker and a problem-solver. She founded her own business in 2014, a brand strategy and activation agency after working in marketing for more than 15 years. She empowers a four-day workweek by dismantling the 9 to 5 workday routine. A humanist in a true sense. 

Discussion points - 

• What is some sort of myth, bogus strategy? Something you misconception something you want to set the record straight on? 2:16
• Was there somebody in your past who was like a mentor and influenced your journey? 4:48
• What is the whole idea of impostor syndrome and the learnings from the mentors, how    do you implement these learnings in the in the way you are? 7:00
• How do you define humanist? How being a humanist can help you be more successful. 9:52 
• How you guys work within that four day work week? How you make that work? 14:02
• How do you take on new clients and type of work? Does the 4 day work week change anything for you on the type of work that you do? 18:05
• What are the tools and PM system you are using? Can you divulge the tools in your suite? Will you share that secret sauce? 23:59
• What are your thoughts on employee retention? How do you keep the your team engaged and inspired? 29:28
• What is exciting you about the future? 37:24
• Which your favourite tool? 38:33

Shownotes - 

• If you're open to always learning and being curious and growing over being right, or being admired, then the world is your mentor. 6:11
• You get more out of people, when you meet them where they are on an emotional level, versus trying to force somebody to produce from fears, scare tactics, intimidation hierarchies. 10:50
• We just set appropriate expectations, manage those expectations, follow through and show up and do the work. You don't have to cram everything in. 16:38
• As a society, we learn when we speak about the things that we're trying and doing and what works and what doesn't. 21:05
• Our rule is all documents are stored in Drive, you can link to them in Asana, we do all of our collaborative work in either mural or figma. 25:30
• Employee retention should never be a goal, because to me, it implies a mentality of ownership. 30:00
• We're really excited to see how AI continues to influence the work that we're doing. Like, for example, we're using AI for, like creative concepting right now, rather than doing like bespoke creative campaigns, and then, you know, creating based on what the clients sign off on. So, you know, we're really excited just to have more tools. 38:12

Links - 

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kararedman/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/backroom 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backroom.io/ 
Company website:  https://www.backroom.io/ 
Medium: https://medium.com/@kararedman 

Myth Busted - The idea of a self-made man, there is always somebody who gives the first opportunity. 

Show Credits - 

Host - Varun Bihani & Jessie Coan
Produced by Bobby Soni 
Edited by Priyanka Sharma 
Content by Aakash Damani, Yashika Neekhra, and Juhie Bhardwaj