I was recently interviewed by the CEO of Ketchum Europe, David Gallagher, as part of his PR launcher series, looking at people who have worked at Ketchum PR over the course of their career. I started my career as an AE there over 20 years ago and it was a fun conversation to have as it reminded me of some of the highs and lows over the years. I’ve summarised the interview into these 5 key points below. You can read the full interview on Linked In here.
- Be curious – for me this is at the heart of creativity and if you stop asking why or picking up rocks and looking underneath then when you’re problem-solving it’s a sign that something’s not quite right with your energy or your motivation (I’ve known both problems myself).
- Experiment – don’t be afraid to try new things and get out of your comfort zone occasionally
- Take risks – particularly early in your career when you don’t have family or kids to think about. I would’ve loved to do a stint in a totally different market like Sydney or Hong Kong but the timing was never quite right.
- Demand equal pay – it’s shocking that this is even relevant 20 years after I began in PR. But it is so if you’re not being paid as well as your male counterparts demand to know why.
- Define success on your terms – I went 4 days a week following a period of burn-out and never looked back. Many of my colleagues said it was the start of the end but here I am still going nearly 10 years later. Sure I don’t have a big office or job title but I am happier now than at any other time in my career.