Short answers to hard questions about work life.

At this formative stage in my career, everyday I actively look for a blueprint, a hack, some tips or tricks or anything that will give me an answer on how to navigate the dangerous (exciting) waters of marketing.

Few months ago, I came across an article in the Marketing Week Magazine titled ‘The things I wish I knew when I started out.’ It was written by Tanya Joseph then director of external relations at Nationwide and now director, about a NABS event she attended as a mentor. NABS is the support organisation for the advertising and media industry.

In the article she answers some questions that most young marketers have. I’ve definitely asked myself all of these at various times and it’s great to reflect back on my past experiences as I read through each of them.

1) What is the most important skill for someone like me?

Tanya said, there are many possible answers like - be entrepreneurial, be flexible, work hard but for her it’s most important to listen. Listen to your client, your boss, your colleagues, to everyone. Until you understand what your boss or your client is looking for, how can you possibly give your best?

I am very blessed to have Keely Moore - an amazing mentor/ marketing director at Symec with pools of experience I can learn from! She has the superpower of being able to listen to everyone and come up with ways to solve the problem. It is such an important skill because it makes her everyone’s go to person.

Another example of this is during my internship at Kameleon - a London based Content Marketing Agency. I had the pleasure of working with and learning from Asad Shaykh - Head of Strategy/ a strategic planning powerhouse. His single biggest advice was always keep a pen and paper in hand or some means of recording what is being said in the meeting so that you know exactly what it is you need to deliver.

2) What does it mean to be successful?

Tanya says that her biggest piece of advice is not to mistake career advancement for success.

Promotion is only one of the many KPIs of success, and by no means the most important. Some other or better ways of making that judgement are constantly learning new things, taking up bigger challenges, earning respect and recognition for doing a job well.

I’d like to include an extract from Tanya’s article verbatim because she absolutely nails it.

“Not all of us want to be, can be or should be the CEO, so we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for not making it. It is perfectly legitimate to decide that for the time being you don’t want further advancement. That doesn’t stop you seeking further challenges or changing your mind later on. Not being the ultimate boss could just mean you have made different choices.”

Being raised in an Indian family and coming from the east where the ‘tiger mom’ culture significantly impacts how I measure success. It is easy to get stuck in the hamster wheel - an illusion of constantly striving but feeling restless or stressed about not getting anywhere. It was very comforting to hear that it’s OK to celebrate your little successes. That they are worth much more in the bigger picture and that we should not limit myself by attaching the feeling of accomplishment with promotions.

3) How to prioritise work loads?

We all can split our work in two categories - the work we enjoy and the work that needs to be done. Often times we tend to prioritise the work we like and enjoy doing. Tanya talks about how good guidance can steer you in the right direction and you’ll learn to balance the two. Her secret is to keep lists.

From my experience so far working with colleagues, looking after interns and getting valuable guidance from my bosses, I’ve learnt that planning helps immensely. Clearly defining a few goals and setting proper deadlines at the beginning of a quarter or a month helps me see the importance of new projects that might pop up or expectations that might shift around the old ones.

4) In house or agency?

There are thousands of blogs, videos and books out there about the pros and cons of working on both sides. It really comes down to individual preference. What you are really seeking from a job, or more importantly, an employer.

The crucial questions to ask at this point are - What is the workplace culture like? Will there be opportunities to learn and be challenged? Do the values of the organisation align with mine? Can I respect my boss and/or the organisation’s leadership team?

In the agency side, I love the idea that I get to work on 5 different clients and learn new things everyday, where as working on the client’s side gives me the satisfaction of seeing a project from beginning to the end and seeing results.

5) When is the right time to move on?

Tanya says that when you are bored, frustrated and see no fresh challenge in that role that would be a good time to move on, but she points out that doesn’t necessarily mean leaving the organisation. The perfect new role might not be at another address but on another floor.

It could be getting involved in different projects, or even taking initiative to bring a positive change in your role by talking to your manager about taking on new responsibilities.