Wherever I Go

So long, farewell, to you my friends (cue the Out of the Box theme). I've spent the last two weeks trying to figure out what I was going to say in this blog, how I wanted to write it, etc. After much deliberation and rewriting, I decided that I wanted this to be a letter, to the company that gave me the knowledge, skillset, and memories to last a lifetime.

Dear Red Shark family, friends and clients,How does on summarize the past almost 5 years of their life in one blog post? Well the truth is, that's nearly impossible but allow me to try.

I joined the RSD team back in 2017 as a digital strategist. I started my time with RSD like so many of our current team members do and trust me, all the content creation, optimization, and execution is going to pay off. It may seem like autonomous work at times, but the work you are doing has so much value for each and every one of our clients, even though it may not seem like it all the time.

For my first year and a half at RSD, I stayed in execution roles before taking over as partner account manager in late 2018. I never imaged when stepping into account manager that I would form lifetime bonds with some of our partners and clients. To our partners and clients, trust me, you are in good hands with your new account manager.

Red Shark Digital has defined my early professional life. Because of this company and the support of its leadership, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to places and accomplish things that I never would have been able to otherwise. I've grown so much since joining the team and am so very appreciative of all of the opportunities that have been thrown my way. Most importantly, however, Red Shark Digital is the place where I have met the most wonderful people and developed friendships that I know will stick for life.

Over the past 4 or so years, I’ve watched people come and go in our office, as Miley Cyrus says change is a thing you can count on. I’ve helped hire and train team members and interns who were just beginning their own careers and watched as they’ve grown and moved on to the next thing waiting for them in life.

And now … it’s my time to go.

Saying goodbye to Red Shark Digital is so much more than just saying goodbye to a job. Because I can’t do a goodbye to this place justice in a blog, I’m going to instead leave you with 3 of the greatest lessons that working here has taught me and the things that I am most grateful for.

1. Be Better. As most of you probably know if you are reading this, Be Better is in RSD's DNA. But it goes so much deeper than what you think it means. We don't strive to be better than others, we strive to be better than ourselves. In a world where we constantly compare ourselves to others, you have to remember that you are your own person, not just professionally, but personally as well. If you strive to be better than you were the day before in both your personal and professional life, you have one of the keys to success.
2. Be Open and Flexible. If I've learned nothing else at RSD it's that if you're both open and flexible you will learn and retain more than you likely ever imagined. In this career field, it's great to constantly continue to learn and grow. This may mean taking on new challenges but hey, the more you are open to new challenges, the more payoff you will see later. Be open to the what-if and remember that no idea is a bad idea. Listen to others as much, if not more, than you lead the conversation.
3. No one knows everything. Seriously, accept the fact now that you will never know everything, especially not in the ever-changing digital space that we all work in. Things are always changing, resulting in a new opportunity to learn every day. Being open to learning is the key to success in any role, especially at RSD. So next time Spencer or someone throws a curveball your way on something they want you to learn, don't sigh or roll your eyes. Buckle up and enjoy the ride on learning all that you can.

I have a friend who told me years ago (or maybe it was Hannah Montana), “You'll be with me, wherever I go.” I liked that because final goodbyes are hard to bear, but knowing that even though we may not be with someone physically for the rest of our lives, they will always be in our hearts.

‍Thank you, thank you, thank you Red Shark Digital (clients, partners, and my incredible colleagues) for these past four years. I don't know where I would be without every single one of you.

I know that this isn't goodbye, but just see you later.

‍

Be Better,

Travis Jones