Recently, I had a long discussion with a marketing director about some mis-steps within their organization that included their Facebook group being shut down, an entire email list being cc'ed on a promotion, and a couple of other things. While his remarks centered around work done by an intern and a first year marketing associate, his insight really struck me – "while they understand personal social interactions online – they lack a strategic understanding of marketing." I couldn't agree more, although there are exceptions in my opinion.
Interns and first year associates bring a fresh perspective, and this is vital. Seth Godin recently called for people to get out of the "circles of convenience" meaning tried and true "ruts" and embrace change. While interns and first year associates may lack strategic insights, they are still experienced students of life. My recommendation is to work side-by-side with them. Combine your strategic understanding with their new ideas and passion. Given that I've had some useless and very useful internships, Firebelly has always treated interns with tremendous respect and, in return, has been rewarded with clever insights, and we've been able to hire some talented people that already understand our culture.
Should interns and first year associated do strategic marketing work on their own? My answer is "definitely not". However with the right preparation and team work – these people can bring a lot to your organization. I remember reading Will Durant's "Mansions of Philosophy" years ago – the line that has stayed with me is - while youth has significant energy, it lacks wisdom and experience, and while age has experience and wisdom, it lacks energy.
Interns and first year associates need to be brought into strategic discussions with the right background, but at the end of the day, work is not a democracy, and leaders should listen to all compelling discussions before making decisions that are right for the organization. If that decision has its origins in the work or voice on an intern or first year associate, I recommend you pay very careful attention to that person's work – you have a leader in the making.
What do you think? Has an intern or first year associate been a part of your success equation? Do you have a story to share? We'd love to hear from you.
Oh by the way, the next post is going to be on why "IT" people should not be involved with marketing.
You hit it dead on when you said “work side-by-side with them” As an intern myself, the more direction and interaction I have with my bosses the more likely I am to achieve. We are capable of performing tasks, but we are brand new. We need some help. I think my co-worker (another intern) and I would agree, that our current internship is successful for us and the company because we have constant interaction.
Comment by Kim on June 24, 2009 at 10:46 am
Nice point Kim. I believe that the only work our interns should do is real work. We’ve hired some great people from our program – not to mention the tremendous network of former FB interns that are all working in the field that prepared for! Thanks again for your comment!
Comment by Duncan Alney on June 24, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I agree with both of you. As an intern, responsibility combined with direction goes a long way. I get excited about performing tasks and contributing to the productivity of the work environment; however, this responsibility is most successful when met with solid feedback and constructive guidance.
I like how you refer to it as “the right preparation and team work” and think that the element of collaboration (ideally, constant collaboration) is what pushes all members of the team to learn and be most effective in strategic marketing.
Comment by Kristin on June 24, 2009 at 4:53 pm