Pick yourself up and dust yourself down

As a tough working class Glaswegian I was brought up with the expectation that nothing would keep me down for long. Weakness was not an option. It is something that I have carried with me in to adult life, and even today I tell myself to ‘pick yourself up and dust yourself down’, essentially just get on with life.

This week I attended a full-day course run by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England with 14 colleagues from Ketchum London. I am now a qualified mental health first aid champion. I’m more equipped to identify the signs that someone might be struggling, to know what support is available to those who need it, and to further develop a culture where it is ok to speak up about mental and physical health.

What struck me during the course is how important it is to promote physical and mental well-being, and that is why I am so proud of our Wellness Wednesday programme. This was a programme that was thought up, developed, and implemented by a member of staff – Chanté Plom, with the support of the Senior Leadership team.

From health checks, to yoga, to mindfulness, smart living workshops, and fitness coaching the programme is designed to encourage wellness at work. It is also designed to make mental health a subject that is openly discussed, and there are information points throughout the office if our people need to seek professional support.

The top tips for promoting well-being from MHFA are really good anchor points for living a fulfilled life:

• Connect: spend quality time with family, friends, colleagues. The connections you make and nurture will support and enrich you on a daily basis.

 

• Be active: exercising makes us feel good. Find something you enjoy and build it in to your daily life.

 

• Take notice: a flower, new street art, the changing weather, the taste of your lunch – savour these moments every day. Keep your head up and appreciate your surroundings and the small every day things that matter.

 

• Keep learning: Set yourself challenges, at home and at work, that you are going to enjoy achieving. Learning new things is both enjoyable and confidence boosting.

 

• Give: an act of kindness brings joy to you and the people around you. Volunteering in your local community, fundraising, or even just offering someone a smile or to make a cup of tea can be incredibly rewarding.

Work is such a dominant part of our everyday lives and if we are to maintain the high performing culture we have at Ketchum in London, it is critical that we integrate well-being in to our working lives.

As someone who has a lot of resilience and over-indexes on the optimistic side of life, this course reinforced that everyone is different, and many people can’t ‘just pick themselves up’. People need support from those around them, and sometimes need professional help. There shouldn’t be any stigma attached to talking about health (mental or physical), and there certainly shouldn’t be any stigma attached to asking for help.

If you want to find out more about MHFA England: https://mhfaengland.org/

 

It’s we…. not he or she

My head and my heart are full after a spectacular day at the OmniwomenUK summit on Thursday. 

The speakers were outstanding. The stimulation exceptional. And the expectation for change huge. 

But the thing that struck me most is that too many still see this as a ‘them and us’ issue. Woman fighting the men. Women solving the problems and challenging the system themsleves. Woman, alone. 

I loved when Shelley Zalis said this is about ‘we, not he or she’. We are all in this together. And although some may not know it, men will benefit just as much from equality as woman will. 

That’s why my friend Phil Bartlett’s speech ‘Boys don’t cry’ was so perfectly pitched. Boys and men are brought up to think, behave, and not feel a certain way. Society needs to change that. As the Mum of a boy, I’m determined that he knows that he can be anything, and that it doesn’t need to be at the expense of anyone else. And he can certainly cry, no matter what age he is I’ll always be there to give him the biggest of cuddles. 

Phil Bartlett

I am a strong woman. I am really very good at my job. I’m an excellent mother. I make mistakes all the time, and I learn from them. I love hard and I feel emotions. Sometimes I’m angry, most of the time I’m overflowing with optimism and happiness. I want the world to be a better place and I’m willing to work hard to have an impact. As Sam Phillips said ‘not everyone can change the world, but everyone can try and change the world for one person’. Amen sister. 

Sam Phillips

The theme of OmniwomenUK 2018 was ‘Take it on’. At Ketchum in London we are going to collectively pledge to take on one initiative, so more to come on that. But I’m also going to take something on personally. And it’s this. Every single day I’m going to try and do something that matters for another woman in my life. At work, at home, for my friends. Something that makes their day a little easier, a little better, and gives them the support they specifically need. What are you going to take on?

It takes 2…. hundred and forty baby!

They say that as you get older time passes much more quickly, well I can certainly vouch for that. The first nine weeks of the year have flown past, so it’s important to pause and appreciate the great things we have achieved and the lessons learned.

February has been another global whirlwind. I spent a week in Abu Dhabi and I am currently writing this blog from Beijing. Working for a global border-less agency like Ketchum, means we are lucky that our clients take us all over the world.

Beijing

We also get to celebrate client milestones, and so I was absolutely delighted to join Mastercard at the O2 to celebrate 20 years of sponsoring the BRIT Awards. It was a spectacular evening with stand-out performances from Liam Gallagher and Stormzy. I may have looked like a walking version of the new Ketchum London credentials…… but hey, every opportunity is a marketing opportunity – right?!?

I am also so proud of the work we have been doing with Discovery and Eurosport. They absolutely smashed their first Olympics and we were the lucky agency to be partnering with them every step of the way.

Sam at the Winter Olympics

So whilst February has been crazy, it has also been really rewarding.

One of the reasons I love my job and the big agency life, is that success is all down to relationships. It is about the trust you build in the agency between colleagues, the trust you build with clients, and the trust you build with your boss that you will deliver against the vision of the organisation. Relationships matter.

And relationships take work. That is one of the reasons I am excited to be pretty much grounded in March. I am looking forward to spending more time in the office connecting and working with my colleagues and making use of my new club….. as I am a founder member of the AllBright club on Rathbone Place www.theallbright.com

Debbie and Anna at the AllBright Club

The AllBright is the first women’s only members club in the UK for ‘working women’ (although we can take men as guests). It was founded by two fabulous women Debbie Wosskow and Anna Jones, as a place where women can do business, support each other, and ultimately build relationships that last. So I am looking forward to taking clients and colleagues to my new found happy place in the centre of London where I can support (and be supported by) talented women from across London and the UK.

I really have loved every minute of my new role as London CEO. I can already see the entrepreneurial spirit of our people from all over the business having an impact day-to-day, and I know if Ketchum London is to truly break new ground and trailblaze the industry, it is going to take all 240 of us…….

Creativity belongs to everyone

In creative industries we like to put people in boxes. Planner. Strategist. Client handler. Researcher. Creative…… but the life blood of any agency is the ability to curate and empower creativity. And creativity really can come from anywhere. So if you pigeonhole people then you are way less likely to get the best ideas 💡.

The award winning break through work really comes when everyone is helping to create the ideas. When there is a permission to contribute, to offer an opinion, to push the boundaries, people from all parts of the business feel empowered to create. And this really makes a difference.

In any walk of life, but especially in agency life, there is no sole owner of creativity. In fact, creatives who are the most successful are those who can connect with others and allow others to grow through the creative process.

Having spent my professional life as a lobbyist and then a corporate reputation specialist, it would be easy for some people to consider me as more sober than creative! But that totally fails to understand what creativity actually is, and as said previously how it can come from any walk of life.

I’ve spent 26 years involved in baton twirling, first as an athlete, then a coach and judge. One of the things I get most joy out of is choreographing new programmes for talented athletes. From choosing the music, to selecting the moves, to advising on the costume, I love every moment of the process. But the most joy I get is when I see the final performance on the competition floor. Why? Because that is when you see the athlete bring their own style, character, and performance to the creation. It is when you see their creativity come to life. It is when the partnership you’ve formed, the trust you’ve built, comes to fruition in the creative process.

The two clips I’ve selected to share below are of a 12 year old Eilidh Francis performing ‘Little Bird’ in 2015, and a 13 year old Abbie Davidson performing ‘Peter Pan’ earlier this year. They might be young, but their creativity is absolutely wonderful to see, and I’m so proud to play a part in their twirling careers alongside their coach Sarah and their mums Audrey and Haley.

Little Bird:

Peter Pan:

 

Creativity is a powerful tool to engage and develop people of all skills and backgrounds. Inspiration can come from anywhere. If creativity exists in a vacuum it is useless, because creativity belongs to everyone.

Who am I?

I had a brilliant night last night at the Ivy Club where I shared a platform with three spectacular women. The topic was an age old debate about whether women can have a successful career and a family. Crazy right. How can we still be having this debate in 2017. 

But it was fascinating to hear the experiences of Viv, Claudette, Julia, and the audience members. The themes that were discussed were on the whole nothing new. 

• Employers pre-judging pregnant women and mothers and making future career decisions based on their ‘commitment’
• Lack of flexibility 
• Being evaluated on presenteeism rather than outcomes and impact
• Women not being kind to each other and offering a hand up 
• The stigma of being defined as a ‘mummy’

But despite all this, what was clear was the progress that has been made over the past 40 years. The experience of Claudette, who’s eldest is 44, is incredibly different to mine with a 15 month old. And this should be celebrated. The progress made should be applauded, but there should be no let up in demanding that businesses and society recognise the importance of women in the workplace and the impact working mums can have. 

Julia and Viv both work for themselves.  They’ve opted out of the traditional workplace and made a huge success of their careers and home life. This is increasingly an option more and more women are taking as it allows them to define their working patterns and be masters of their own destiny. 

My own experience has been nothing but positive. Why? Because I work for an incredibly progressive business. Because my husband is a real partner and shares the childcare responsibilities equally. Because I place value on what I achieve and the impact I have. Because I try to always be present when I’m at work, at home, or at play. 

It’s not always easy. But it’s worth it. I love work, I love being a mummy, and I do my best to live every moment of my life. 

As a senior business leader, my commitment is to do whatever I can to ensure that women (and men for that matter) have the tools and the confidence to blend careers and lives. No one in 2017 should have to choose between having a successful career and a fulfilled life.

Don’t leave your door open, leave yourself open

I’ve always prided myself as being a door open, approachable, fun colleague. As I’ve got more senior I’ve tried to maintain that, and I’m not afraid to admit that it’s hard. I also totally subscribe to the mantra, that in work, it is better to be respected than liked. So it is a really difficult balance to strike!

I read this article today and it really made me think about how I can make myself more accessible and approachable to colleagues at all levels. 

https://hbr.org/2017/03/the-problem-with-saying-my-door-is-always-open?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social

One thing I’ve done since returning from maternity leave is hot desking all over the office. It has given me the opportunity to get to know people who joined when I was out. But also for them to see that I’m just like them in many ways. I like the same tele, food, wine, travel. It also lets them see the work I do. On clients. On new business. Helping the business to grow in any way I can. I think, and hope, it is making me more accessible. 

Many things struck me about this article, but this piece of advice cut deep:

‘carefully holding your tendency for extraversion in check so that others get a moment to speak up’

I’m terrible at this! I know I’ve got a big personality, I know my brain operates at 100 miles an hour, I know that I can dominate a conversation, I know that I can get carried away quickly….. I’m very aware of it, and I need to get better at managing it. 

So here’s my goal for the next 3 months (apparently that’s how long it takes to form a habit) I’m going to try and be the last person to speak in meetings (or at least not be in the first 3!). I’m going to write down my first thoughts, then I’m going to actively listen to every single person, and then I’m going to see what impact there is on my own opinion and point of view. 

This is not going to be easy for me. And I’ll need some of my colleagues to keep me in check. But hopefully it will make me a better colleague, a stronger leader, more accessible to people at all levels. And the impact? Surely it will mean we make better decisions. 

I’ll report back in 3 months.

Women of the world, rise up.

On international women’s day, I’m going to be spending my time at the #omniwomen conference in London. Sourrounded by successful, motivated, and talented women from across the Omnicom companies, I’m certain I’m going to learn a thing or two. But I also want to use the day to make connections, to share experiences, and to challenge myself on what more I’m going to do for the women in my life. 

It’s incredulous that in 2017 women are still not treated equally to men. Whether it is the pay gap, representation in parliaments, representation in board rooms, or share of voice in the media, despite all the progress made, woman are still behind men. 

I used to think that we were all masters of our own destiny. That if you worked hard enough, and delivered results, you would be rewarded based on that. I’m a firm believer in fairness and meritocracy. But I was wrong. Gender continues to be front and centre as a barrier in the workplace. 

So here is my pledge to all the talented women in my life. I will be your champion.  

If you need help, ask. And even if you don’t think you do, I will probably offer it anyway. As women we need to work together, to rise up, and challenge every single day the inequality we see around us. We need to offer the hand of frienship. We need to be proactive in mentoring, promoting, and partnering with the great women all around us.

I’m honoured to work with women who inspire me every day. And I’m lucky that I have a personality that tries to smash through barriers without a second thought. I’m going to use those two things for the benefit of women everywhere. 

So I want to end with saying thank you. To the women in my daily life, and the women I work with at Ketchum, you all help make me stronger, and for that I’m very grateful. 

That tingling feeling

We’ve got a huge pitch today. A global team has been working on it for a month. Blood. Sweat. Tears. Love. Laughter. And a million deck changes….. Agonising over ever word, every image, how to start, and how to finish. 

I wish when I had started my career I’d kept count of how many pitches I’ve done. Like a midwife keeps count of babies delivered! How many wins. How many losses. How many where the client seemed to disappear and we never even got a result. 

I could have wrote a book. The chapter about the one where we had the wrong company name throughout the deck and didn’t notice until the CFO pointed it out to us (the shame). The one where every client in the room was on their blackberry from beginning to end (and we won – go figure). The one where we got a standing ovation (and lost). The one where we got the start so wrong we just closed the laptop and continued freestyle (we won!). The one where we pitched in February, thought it had gone dead, but got a call in November to say we had won. The one where we went to the wrong address and ended up over an hour late…. we didn’t even get to do our presentation. 

Every pitch team, everywhere in the world has a story to tell. For me, the most important thing is the team spirit, the fun, the creative. It’s the process of putting together our masterpiece and then giving it all we’ve got when it is showtime. You always learn something new in a pitch. So it’s never wasted time. 

This morning I’ve got that tingling feeling. I’m excited. I can’t wait to share our thinking, our ideas, but most of all I can’t wait to show off about the team. One of the best I’ve ever worked with. 

The tingling feeling is the best. It means we are ready. It means we have enough juice in the tank to smash it in the room. It means we are going to give it our best shot, and who can ask for more than that? Wish us luck. 

What the world needs now…..

Life is short and full of surprises. If 2016 taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected, and not always in a good way. 

There has been a rise in me first attitudes all over the world. Everyone is looking for someone to blame for what’s wrong in their own back yard, and it is easier to blame people who are different to them. The difference doesn’t matter. It can be the colour of skin, religion, gender, sexuality, or even just different attitudes to how life should be lived. 

The right have done an incredible job of exploiting these fears, while those of us on the centre or the left have been too quiet and too slow to challenge and offer alternatives. 

You don’t need to be influencing policy on the national stage to make a difference. In fact, it could be even more powerful if we start with the people closest to us day-to-day. How? See the best in people. Assume that they are doing things for the right reason. Challenge rude or bad behaviour. Reach out and offer help to someone just because you can. 

I’m an optimist. I believe that if enough of us can show kindness, to our friends, our family, our colleagues, our community…. if enough of us can be the good we want to see – then that is enough to turn the tide. We’ve been quiet for too long. We’ve been afraid to challenge for too long. What the world needs now is love, and we all have enough of it to drown out the hate currently dominating the news agenda. 

The next chapter

All too soon the time has come for me to return to work full time, and goodness I didn’t realise how hard it would be. 

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love work. I have great clients, I enjoy the thrill of going after new business, I love the social interaction and solving challenges as a team, and I’m partial to smashing a target or two. So you would think that I couldn’t wait to get back in the thick of it again? And in once sense I can’t. I’m excited. I’ve got a whole bunch of new ideas that I’ve been thinking about. I’ve got a fresh perspective on what’s important and how to get to where we need to get too. So yes, I’m excited to get back to it, but I’m also incredibly sad. 

I never knew that I would love maternity leave as much as I have. There is not a moment of the past 6 months that I didn’t love. Keir is funny, playful, loving, and just a little bit cheeky. I had no idea such a young baby could have such a big personality. He charms everyone he comes in to contact with, and through the winter months he has been a complete ray of sunshine. If I’m really honest I just don’t want to leave him, and I’ve shed a few tears over the thought of it.

It’s the first time in my life where I’ve wished there was a way to be in two places at once. And to manage it I’ve set myself a few guidelines:

– focus on the things that will have the biggest positive impact both at work and at home 

– know when good is good enough 

– commit to a maximum of 2 evening engagements a week

– be a role-model for flexible working 

– don’t sweat the small stuff 

– spend Friday nights as a family

– ensure every interaction with Keir, no matter how small, is full of love and fun…. and always has a huge hug

I’m sure once I’m in a routine things will start to fall in to place and I’ll find the right blend between work and home. I’ll definitely be seeking tips from other working mums, and there are some great role-models at Ketchum. You don’t have to choose between being a great businesswoman and a great mum – I’m determined to be both and unapologetically simultaneously so, not as two somehow dissonant halves. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m certain it is going to be worth it. 

Wish me luck!