Right now I'm on the bench — which, if you're not familiar with the term, means I'm between placements and using the time to upskill rather than sitting idle. It's easy to see bench time as a lull, but I've come to think of it as one of the best opportunities you get: a rare window to learn, explore, and understand how the business actually works without the pressure of a live deliverable. And one of the most valuable ways to spend it is shadowing.
So last week I did exactly that — I spent time shadowing a colleague in wealth management marketing team, and it turned out to be one of the more valuable things I've done. If you want to understand how placements come about, what different teams actually do day to day, and where you might add value next, there's no better way than pulling up a chair beside someone and watching them work.
Shadowing sounds simple: you observe someone doing their job. But there's a real difference between passively watching and actually walking away with something useful. Here's what made the experience worthwhile, and a few tips if you're planning to shadow someone yourself.
Come in with a clear intention. Before the day started, I jotted down what I actually wanted to understand — not just "what do they do all day," but specific questions about how they think about their audience, how campaigns get prioritised, and where marketing and compliance intersect (which, in this industry, is constantly). Having a focus meant I wasn't just a fly on the wall; I knew what to pay attention to.
Watch the decisions, not just the tasks. Anyone can describe the steps of building a campaign. The interesting part is why certain choices get made — why one message gets softened, why a particular segment gets targeted, why something that looks fine gets sent back for another round. In a regulated space like wealth management, so much of the craft lives in that judgment. Watching those small decisions taught me more than any process document could.
Ask questions, but time them well. I saved most of my questions for natural pauses rather than interrupting mid-flow. A quick "can I ask why you went with that?" at the right moment opens up a genuinely useful conversation. Peppering someone constantly just breaks their concentration.
Notice the invisible work. A lot of what makes someone good at their job never shows up on a task list — the relationships they maintain, the context they carry in their head, the way they anticipate what stakeholders will push back on. Shadowing is one of the few ways to actually see that.
Write it down the same day. Impressions fade fast. I spent fifteen minutes afterwards capturing what surprised me, what I'd want to borrow, and what I'd do differently in my own work. That short reflection is where shadowing turns from a nice experience into something that actually changes how you work.
Say thank you — properly. Letting someone shadow you is generous. It means working while being watched, explaining things you normally do on autopilot, and giving up a chunk of focus time. A genuine thank-you and a quick note on what you took away goes a long way.
The biggest takeaway for me wasn't a specific tactic — it was a reminder of how much expertise sits quietly with the people right next to us. Bench time won't last forever, and shadowing is a low-effort, high-return way to make the most of it. If you've been meaning to understand another part of your business, don't wait for a formal programme. Just ask someone if you can pull up a chair.