Do you want to show up more creatively for your clients and your colleagues, your family, and your friends?
Do you want to default to thinking about opportunity versus focusing just on problems?
Discovering Hope is full of proactive steps you can take right now, to achieve a more positive mindset or to help maintain the positivity you already have
Getting Positive reveals that more optimism is close at hand
Counteracting the effects of Covid 19
Who isnât stressed with the effects of COVAD19 first from the perspective of the health of their loved ones closely followed by economic uncertainty and fear for their jobs. What should we do to help our families/friends and colleagues/clients?
What We Can Do? Professionally
Forwards â Thereâs only one way we can go. Itâs good to remind people of this fact, while struggling to cope with real life pressures isnât easy, the sooner we focus on the future the faster we move individually and collectively forward.
One For All â We will get through this through collective support and effort. Communicating this is comforting to those that are feeling the stress, who are feeling the pressures of the world are upon them.
Communicate Empathetically â Uncertainty is the enemy of business. Before anything else, others need to know that you understand their situation. Donât assume you know what it is. Hear people out. Often they simply want to express themselves. Hear them and you are better equipped to communicate effectively.
Positive Mindset â Much easier said than done but to get the best from those around us, we can play are part in giving âbeliefâ that things will work out. By projecting a narrative away from âuncertaintyâ to one of possibility and potential, we influence the defensive mentality of clients.
Create Opportunity â In every situation your reaction drives you toward a potential positive or negative outcome. Externally thereâs much you canât control but by talking opportunity or potential even with clients in a defensive mindset, you increase the chances if not of an expansive client mindset then of one that is relatively less negative, one prepared therefore prepared to cut budgets less?
What We Can Do Personally? (How best to escape constant pressure and to buoy our mental health)
Find Peace away from the Bad News or/ switch off.â For many this is not hard but for a decent number this is very hard. Two âsafeâ areas Iâd suggest.
Gratitude – After extensive travel in Africa and India, Iâm aware that we have huge amounts to be grateful for. You might not want to hear this and are simply concerned for your familyâs well-being to which I say, focus on how fortunate you are to have a family you love so much, many donât. Focus on the things that are amazing in your life, such as being healthy, having food to eat or that you have an inquisitive, âproblem solvingâ mind! We all tend to take most things for granted; The state of being grateful, prevents you focusing on what you donât have. Being grateful is âmentally,â a very safe place to be.
Giving – Helping others â (Not talking about it, doing it.) So your hands are full, I understand but when you are completely focused on helping others, your own children or strangers, when you are completely âin the momentâ of helping, you are in a âsafeâ area, as far from worrying about what âmight not beâ you are creating âwhat isâ for someone else.
Connect with Others â Talk with others, show them you care, that they are not alone and in so doing, you help and are helped.
For links on some of the themes from above – Bit.ly/2xiLLRG
Counter Attacking COVID-19
Who isn’t stressed with the effects of COVID-19 from both the perspective of health and job security. I’m no ‘crisis’ expert but when times are tough, I tend to default to the following.
Professionally – Key actions with clients
One-For-All – Communicating that together we will get through this challenge. This ‘needs’ to be communicated through words and better still, words and ‘actions.’
Empathetic Communication – Uncertainty is the enemy of business that said, in the midst of this crisis, I don’t assume I know what someone else’s situation is. I try to listen carefully and communicate an understanding of what I’ve heard and then work form there.
Positive Mindset – My aim is to project a narrative away from uncertainty and toward one of potential and in so doing, perhaps mitigate the defensive mindset clients might have.
Create Opportunity – There’s much I can’t control but, I can control how I show up! Talking ideas/opportunity is the way to help a client orient away from challenges/threats.
Personally – Mitigating pressure/buoy mental health)
Two areas I take refuge from stress:
Gratitude – When I’m focused on what I have versus what I don’t, I’m not in a negative frame of mind.
Giving – When I’m helping others, (or trying to!) again I’m not thinking about my situation, I’m focused on others. At the same time when much seems beyond my control, giving is something that not only helps others but it empowers me; I’m in control and making a difference.
I’m here for any of you. Very best wishes, S
Articles and commentary that might be of interest…
2020 – Job Security and Success
In a perfect world you would enjoy most of your working day but for as many as 60% (Gallup 10/19), this is far from true. If you consistently donât like more of your working day than you like, the salary and/or experience youâre getting really need to be worthwhile to justify staying in the job.
Itâs not rocket science. Thereâs a strong correlation between enjoying what you do and job retention. In truth, if you like what you do, you may well be good at it or at least, motivated to achieve task mastery and therefore show up, more energetic and enthusiastic than your peers.
For strategic planners, 2020 presents much opportunity but the uncertainty pervading the advertising and marketing worlds is palpable. A volatile business in-the-midst of structural change, with a short term âP&Lâ focus, with jobs added and removed at the margins as business is won and lost, should ensure the safety of strategy roles, but this very often is sadly, not the case.
Iâve spoken with several talented strategists who have recently lost their jobs. If they are so talented why are they losing out?
- There are no guarantees in business and the chances are at some point, (law of averages) you will be laid off.
- Factors beyond your control â The new boss, the new competitor, client cut- backs.
- Strategy is misunderstood and/or undervalued in your agency.
What can you do to minimize your chances of being laid off and to be a career success. As we roll forward into the new year and decade, a few thoughts.
i) Business mindset â Be aware how and where the agency or business you work for makes money even if itâs not your role to do so.
ii) Keep close to the money â Keep a close handle on the client relationship. Be aware of how the client makes money so you can help them and so enhance their loyalty to the agency/you.
iii) Multi-Skilled â The more you can contribute the easier to deploy, the more valuable.
iv) Team Player â Work closely with (and in the development of) others and be open to performing multiple tasks.
v) New Business â The security for all business is sales/new business, particularly where business retention is poor. Get involved in making business growth happen, new or existing.
vi) Leadership â Keep near to it and so close to the pulse of the agency and whatâs happening.
vii) Fame â âBe famous!â Be known for doing something extremely well. I.e.) Make yourself irreplaceable. Easier said than done. It takes time so start now!
There isnât 100% job security for most people, employed or self-employed. So, the more aware you are of the value exchange, yours and how the agency provides value in relation to where the client makes money, the greater chance you have of not simply keeping a job but thriving in it.
For more background on this article see newsletters with links attached in the sparkin search website.
Wishing all, a happy and successful year ahead.
Onwards,
Stuart
2020 – Job Security and Success
In a perfect world you enjoy most of your working day but an October 2019 Gallop Poll suggests 60% of employees don’t!
There’s no rocket science in saying, if you like your job you put more in to it and show up therefore, more enthusiastic if not more effective than your peers.
The challenges I believe for strategic planners presents great opportunity in 2020 but the uncertainty pervading the advertising industry is palpable and good planners lose jobs. Why? Many reasons notably, an underappreciation of the value of strategy combined with factors that effect every employee, a P&L run month to month and oriented around winning (and losing) business.
What to do to enhance your job security and more positive, to enhance your value and career opportunity:
1. Business Mindset – Be aware how and where your agency makes money even if it’s not your job to do so.
2. Follow the money – Keep close (if you can) to the money/valuable clients.
3. Generate revenue – Help make existing clients more valuable or be involved in getting new clients.
4. Leadership direction – Keep close to the pulse of the agency and what’s perceived as key now and going forward.
5. Team Player – Work closely with and in the development of others.
Finally, have a sense as to what the market and clients consider as key core (hard and soft) skills in the year ahead.
Onwards,
Stuart
Articles and commentary that might be of interest…
Pivotal To Your Career Success
Many of you are capable of brilliance, a brilliant strategy that helps win a pitch or propels an existing client forward. But, can such quality thinking be replicated on a consistent basis? It’s this consistency that leads to greatness. Great reputation and with it, great opportunities for career success.
Why do some have greater consistency than others? Is it different talent, experience, work-rate, support network, determination? Perhaps it’s the significance of the outcome (pressure) or something more fundamental, the challenge of forming habits, of being able to consistently change your behaviour.
The truth is, everything that matters we want to be consistent. And what does consistency give you in a career context. To name a few:
- It builds reputation – When you consistenly deliver, people take note and you become the ‘go to’ person.
- Amplifies skills – It’s well documented that mastery arises from persistently repeated activity and the nuanced learning that comes from this.
- Builds Self-Belief – When you are able to consistently deliver something, that’s empowering. When you know others know it, that’s validating and further confidence boosting.
- Achieves results – Reliability builds momentum which backed up by planning and resources, leads to results.
- Builds relationships – Bosses and consumers seek consistency and when it exists, so relationships begin to form.
For more on why we fail to be and how we can become more consistent, a few links attached.
Onwards,
Stuart Parkin/SPARKIN
Articles and commentary that might be of interest…
Struggling to be Consistent
- Why do people struggle to be consistent?
- How to be consistent in 4 steps
- How to be outrageously consistent
Why consistency is Important
- Consistency in action. Is it the hidden driver of success?
- Power of consistency – 5 Rules
- Purposeful consistency with the right mindset = Unstoppable
- Consistency: The key to Success
Consistency – Getting Motivated