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Parkin Empathy Award Winner – Trevor Kroon

Published June 21, 2021 | By Stuart Parkin

Congratulations to Trevor Kroon, ‘Derek Parkin Empathy Award’ recipient.

The ability to work seamlessly and effectively, starts with a determination and ability to effectively understand others. This learned ’empathetic’ ability is key for effective strategic problem solvers as it is for a functioning society!

It was a pleasure talking at length with all the students at the latest Miami Ad School Planning Bootcamp on Friday, and to announce the award winner.

I’m very much looking forward to working with Trevor, who will receive $1500 and three one-hour coaching sessions.

This award is judged by the students on the course as well as the instructors, not by the school or SPARKIN.

Congratulations to all of them for all their effort and notably Manolo Garcia for making the course seamlessly happen.

Around a Father’s Day weekend it was also a great personal gift to be able to present this award, in honor of my/mjjx&c’s father.

#parkinaward #careeroptimisation #lifeskills #sparkinsearch #fathersday #inclusive #empathy #diversity #inclusion

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Rekha Yadav

Posted in Empathy Award Winners, Soft Skills, Strategists, Trusted Advisor

$64,000 dollar question ‘You Need’ to be able to answer

Published May 18, 2021 | By Stuart Parkin

Your daily sanity depends on it. Your reputation will be maintained and enhanced by it. And without it, you will surely fall behind your peers. What am I referring to? Your continued GROWTH.

Your growth/your progression, can take you in many different directions. It can be a different type of strategic approach. It can be more quantitative understanding or more focused on engagement versus big picture brand development. It can be to experience more of a business environment, to scale what you’ve already been doing or simply but critically, to work with a great manager/mentor or team. Whatever growth is for you, knowing what it looks like for you reveals a few things:

– An understanding of where you are and where you want to be in your career as well as having a sense of what is needed to get you there.

– A conscious focused desire to develop your ability versus being fatalistic/simply open to anything without focus?’

– An appreciation of which environments and career opportunities might deliver for you. This will allow anyone tryng to help you to better identify a great career move, tailored to your growth.

Looking forward to talking.

Cheers, Stuart

Articles

Job Opportunities 05/21

If you know of anyone looking for full time or part time work, some of the below opportunities are full time and some temp to perm.

1. NY/Associate Director Strategy – >130k – creative

2. San Francisco – Head Strategy – >250k – creative

3. London – Head Strategy – >170k(stg) – creative

4. NY EVP Strategy – >250-300k – pr

Past Newsletters

1. Job security – Do we ever have it?

2. Freelancing yes if…

Posted in Career Optimization, Career Planning, Soft Skills, Strategists

Effective Career Must Have

Published April 10, 2021 | By Stuart Parkin

A successful career is? What’s one thing that is more likely to bring it about than anything else? What is one career must have? I refer to being an ‘active’ managing editor of your own growth and development.

Growth

Any reason for career change can be attributed to some form of growth or perhaps the lack of it. The key is, not to be reactive in terms of it’s pursuit. Better to stay on the front foot as when you don’t, whether you know it or not, this consciously or subconsciously impacts how you show up, the quality of the work you do, so harming your reputation and your chances of moving forward. This sounds obvious, but many planners I speak with do not have a well thought out idea of how they want to grow.

Experience

Moving forward, what is the best career plan? To further develop existing skills, or to learn new ones? The answer is, it depends! But, the best use of time for anyone will be one in which you get to use and develop skills you wish to, in a context that allows you to thrive and for a purpose that has meaning for you. Know this, ‘know thyself’ and then worry about the market and what it wants/what it defines as success. Compromises are invariably needed but key to an effective career has to start with your definition of time well spent/understanding the growth you seek.

I’d be happy to talk through with any of you.

Best wishes, S

Articles

Tips to improve your career development

Ten steps for managing your own career

Know Thyself

What are your career goals?

How to become the person you want to be

11 uncomfortable signs you need to make a shift

Making better use of your time

Job Opportunities 03/10/21

If you know of anyone looking for full time or part time work, some of the below opportunities are full time and some temp to perm.

1. NY/AT – Director Integrated Strategy – >170K creative a

2. SF – Director Strategy, Btob focus – >180K – creative a

3. Nashville – VP Integrated Planning – >150+ – media/pr

4. New York – Director Data Analytics – >170 – creative

5. New York – Director Data Analytics – >180 – pr

6. NY EVP Strategy – >250-300 – pr

Past Newsletters

1. Fancy a Laugh/Humor & Advertising

2. Music and Brand Building

Posted in Barriers to Success, Career Optimization, Soft Skills

Creative Pressures and Positivity

Published April 6, 2021 | By Stuart Parkin

Creativity typically requires a positive mindset and that is tough, particularly when you’re paid to be creative! “getting Positive’ aims to bring more positivity about. gettingpositivenow.com

Posted in Adaptability, Soft Skills, Work Life Balance

Cogratulations to Mariana Crespo, Empathy Award Winner

Published March 23, 2021 | By Stuart Parkin

Many congratulations to Mariana Crespo, the newest Parkin ‘Empathy’ Award winner and the 27th recipient of $1500 cash prize $500 of coaching sessions, the first just just completed!

Gandhi exhorted, ‘be the change in the world you want to see.’ At SPARKIN, we would like to see many more empaths in the world. The ability to work seamlessly and effectively, starts with a determination and ability to effectively understand others. This ’empathetic’ gene is key for effective strategic problem solvers as it is for an effective society! Boy could our world use many more people suspending their beliefs and genuinely trying to put themselves in the shoes of others!

The award is judged by the students on the course and the lecturers, not the school and not by me.

Congratulations to all the students: Brett Crockett, Jake Wagner, Amanda-Victoria Gonzalez, Rebeka Carson, Madison Stout, Stacy Aiello, and Olivia Chase and congratulations also to all those adjunct professors/guest lecturers, who seek to give back/make a difference: Marta Insua, Juan Isaza, Dania Aguayo, Alejandro Oszust, Eric Pakurar, Yvette Quaizon, Luis Miranda, Luisa Liriano, Luis Camano, Christopher Owens, Kelsey Damon, Chris Millichap, Bruno Cunha, Fabio Seidl, RP Kumar, Jen Clarke, Chris Kwak, and Patrick White.

A big thanks as ever to Enrique (Henry) Ahumada, for making the NY Strategic Planning bootcamp happen.

Posted in Empathy Award Winners, Strategists

Career Effectiveness = Mindset Change

Published March 9, 2021 | By Stuart Parkin

There’s no such thing as a career any more. Not quite true but certainly, rapidly changing times require a changed mindset. Think (whether employee or not) that you’re managing your own business: Reputation/time/problem solving expertise.
https://lnkd.in/dbw2-aM
#ownbusiness #careerchanges #mindsetmastery