Career Development - Sep07

Animal instinct

Imitating canine attributes won't leave you barking up the wrong career tree.

Many years ago when I was a young account manager at George Patterson's in Melbourne I got some advice from my boss. He said that that if you want to get anywhere you should act like a dog and not like a cat.

This means that if you want to be successful and move up the ladder in almost any business, including an advertising agency, you need to be collaborative, visible and a team player. Somebody who is passionate about what they do. Not just turning up to the office for the sake of coming to work.

Companies want energised people ready to perform and at the same time be able to change and adapt quickly. To be successful you need to keep this top of mind as well as have the ability to make sure you are noticed by your senior managers.

Success is something that is given to others; it's not something that you can readily create by yourself inwardly. Yes, you can ensure you have all the right skills, processes and abilities to do the job but you can't get promoted without somebody seeing that ability and nominating you to step up.

Think about the analogy of the dog. He's playful, always running around chewing on something in your house or he's in your face wanting to go for a run around the park. He's lovable and he's always there when you need him. Whilst he might be irritating at times when he digs up the front lawn, he's part of the family and you love having him around.

This is how any success orientated person should behave to get noticed. Get included in new projects, be proactive, demonstrate the enthusiasm you have and your unique personality to senior management.

It doesn't really matter how smart you are or if you were top of the class at school. If you don't get noticed and try and include yourself into the vision of your senior management you will not get anywhere.

You might work hard. You might be the brightest most dedicated creative or account service in the agency. In fact you might be working 18 hour days and have a good relationship with your client. You might believe that doing the work and getting it done is your greatest chance of moving up the ladder and taking on a better role.

Actually 9 out of 10 times you find that somebody else got the promotion.

Plodding along at your desk and acting like a cat is not enough. Doing a great job for your client is not enough if you want to succeed.  How you are perceived by others in the agency is very important. Doing all the work and becoming too busy for social functions or all agency sessions sends the wrong signal to senior staff.  They'll wonder where your priorities lie.

On top of all of this you also need to have a goal and at the same time to be flexible. Flexible enough to bend to opportunities as they come along. Don't be so rigid that you can't refocus your goals. Life is about change, use the change in life to adjust to new circumstances, opportunities and your step up the ladder.

BOX-OUT

Key tips for stepping up the ladder

1. Have a goal. Make the goal flexible enough to be able to adjust to change and opportunities.

2. Challenge the norm. Look for new ways of doing things better and excite those around you especially your boss.

3. Be yourself. Build on your strengths and look at how you can do things better.

4. Act like a dog not like a cat. Be seen, be pro-active, have a POV about your work and share it with your boss.

5. Be an integral part of the agency. Get involved in more than just the client's business.

6. Be open to new ideas. Learn from the best and have fun doing it.

Peter Skalberg

CEO Singapore

Regional Director SE Asia