A few things 15 years in the corporate world taught me
Image credit: Kirsten Cunningham Photography, Byng St Hotel, Orange.
For those that aren’t as familiar with my corporate background, I spent 15 years working in brand strategy and advertising roles for big media companies. I got offered an amazing job while I was studying and doing work experience and saying “Yes!” to a brand new industry proved to be a game changing move for me. Walking through the doors of 54 Park St in Sydney as a full time employee felt surreal (I mean, I couldn’t believe I got to wear heels and whatever outfit I wanted every. single. day - gah, such innocence! It was the simple things that blew my mind back then, not a single sneaker or piece of loungewear in sight!) and in the words of Andy Sachs, yep, it probably was a job that “a million girls would kill for.”
In that 15 years in the corporate world I saw the immense rise and gradual fall of women’s fashion mags and the HUGE ad budgets that went alongside them. I saw the growth and innovation that came with the changing digital media landscape and the cultural and political shifts within our world that changed how we all worked together. Most of my time in the corporate world was amazing, the talented people I got to work and learn from were the highlight. However I do often find myself reflecting on some of the harder, stressful, pressure cooker times with a new perspective that has come from the life experience since.
For many of you, your career has had a similar path. For some, you’ve worked in small business your whole working life and couldn’t dream of not running your own show. So just in case you were either curious, needed a little validation or you’re pondering a change, I thought I would share 5 key things that working in the corporate world (and then leaving it behind) taught me, the lessons I use today….
1. Take what you love, adapt what you don’t.
Bigger companies need systems, processes and procedures to function, to allow for streamlined goals and a cost efficient bottom line. The importance of business planning was drilled into me very early on and the time saved thanks to automation and succinct templating is a worthy lesson I’ve applied in my small business life. However, you know what didn’t work? The meetings. The more people in the workplace, the more meetings. SO many meetings. TOO many meetings. Meetings that people schedule to attend because they themselves aren’t comfortable with delegation or just need some extra face time with whoever can fit into a meeting room to boost the good ‘ol ego. If it can’t be settled with a phone call or email, sure I’ll be there. But never again will I be attending any unnecessary meetings. My time is valuable.
2. The best leaders aren’t always the ones with the highest job title
This is something I didn’t necessarily see at the time, but I do now. The best leadership didn’t always come from the people right at the top. (Actually, that was a momentous learning experience, realising that those senior figures you once admired are actually not worthy of that admiration at all.) I see now there were some great leaders in teams I wasn’t event part of, they didn’t always hold those big job titles. So pay attention to the people whose values and professional qualities you start to notice…the one’s who you respect. Listen and learn from them.
3. Through change, you can a new perspective and that’s a powerful tool
It’s only when you step outside of what you know that you can gain a fresh perspective. In the years since stepping away from working long term in a corporate environment, my eyes have been cracked wide open and I have learnt so much more about social, cultural and political issues – and the positive and negative effects of these in the workplace – then I would have had I stayed the course. Being brave enough to change my career path and gaining a new perspective filled with new people and a new environment, has made me a better human, I am sure of it. If I ever venture back into a corporate role, I will be a much better employee, team member and leader.
4. You don’t have to work with people who don’t align to your values
I understand that not everyone has the luxury to pick and choose a workplace or the specific individuals they work with day in, day out. That is a very privileged position to be in. However if your work environment isn’t something you’re proud of and if the people within it aren’t aligned to your values, then do whatever you can to make a move, even if it’s going to take some time. Make a change. It’s worth it.
5. Communication is key
Corporate environments can often mean bigger teams. The media brands I worked on, were joint ventures with head offices based in New York, Milan and Paris. Our communication had to be on point as collectively as a team we needed to advise, collaborate or seek approval on projects with each other locally and with the greater team internationally across different time zones. Therefore communication had to be succinct and timely in order to be effective. When you’re on a deadline, you can’t afford the back and forth, you need to know your s**t, be able to communicate it with clarity and get to the point…quickly.
Loyalty is a powerful hook and often, especially as women, we can mistake our value or self worth with this sense of loyalty to a particular workplace or specific job title. That can make us hesitant to make a change. Of course, there are a tonne of perks that corporate life and working for a big business can bring, but if stepping away, changing it up, accepting an entirely new job, or even starting your own small business is something you are thinking about. Do it. Give it a go. You may not realise it at the time, but your achievements so far will provide the perfect head start and confidence boost you need to move forward and embrace the valuable life lessons that will come your way as you take a leap in your new adventure. (In whatever footwear you choose!)