Who’s got the guts in Canada’s ad industry?
Ambition is not a dirty word. Or at least I don’t think so.
I attended a 4As (American Association of Advertising Agencies) forum in Boulder Colorado this year. A collection of mid-sized agency heads, my U.S. colleagues and I toured some of the latest, cutting edge ad shops and technology firms in the area.
Everywhere I went, “Where are all the women?” kept popping into my head as I was greeted by one more room, brimming with young men and nary a woman in sight. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for young men, but where are the young women who want to get ahead, to have the big job? Isn’t it supposed to be easier for them, the way paved by women who had to fight their way into the upper ranks of communication agencies to prove their worth?
This is a frequent topic of conversation as my colleagues and I observe the industry from our own vantage point, managing a mid-sized Canadian advertising agency.
Upon further thought, it occurred to me that actually the whole ambition thing (or lack thereof) is really not just a girl thing. Both men and women are equal participants in the lack of ambition vibe I’m feeling from some people these days. I’m not talking about dangerous, burning ambition… the kind that gets you kicked out of law school for hacking into the grading system. I’m talking about good old “I want to take the next step up the career ladder and eventually be the boss” ambition.
For myself I always wanted:
• to get ahead
• to get ahead
• and, oh, did I mention to get ahead?
I don’t want to look back on this one life I get to live and say “woulda, coulda, shoulda.”
Now at 48 (I’ll be 49 next month) I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I’m not going to sing in front of a large audience, perform at the Olympics (hell, I may never get to attend them) or drive a race car, but I’d like to think I’ve pushed myself to do what I know I can do and what I truly want to do.
As a young person, what drove me was the desire to one day stop stealing groceries out of my parent’s freezer and to live in an apartment I didn’t have to enter clutching a can of mace. Everything pretty much took shape from there. I worked hard and took a few chances or “risks” as we call them.
Maybe that’s the dirty word–”risk.”
Several times in my career, I’ve observed peers with the perfect opportunity to strike it big. With a fully cooperative client in hand, ready to follow them anywhere, some people choose to guide that client into another agency versus starting one up themselves or leveraging that relationship to their own gain. In many cases they’ve told me that they were afraid of the risk. What risk I ask you? What’s the worst thing that could happen? You might fail and have to start again? In this business of “you’re a hero, you’re a bum, you’re a hero,” how big a risk is failure, really? Look to the left and look to the right and you’ll see what I mean. Failure is normal and somewhat inevitable in this business. Every successful advertising and marketing person I know has at one point been told no, or fired, or kicked off a piece of business. Or they’ve simply been passed over.
It’ll never happen to me…
Some people just don’t seem to believe that rising to the top, or owning the company, being the boss, or getting the big job can happen to them. They seem to think it’s as unlikely as winning the lottery or that you have to be a member of Mensa to move above your perceived station in life.
They’re wrong. However, when opportunity knocks you have to answer and you have to be willing to help yourself along the way.
I’m reminded of the story about a man who prayed to win the lottery. After months of this prayer, day after day, he finally heard a thunderous voice from the sky, “This is God speaking. Yes, I will grant you your request to win the lottery, but will you do just one thing for me, please?
“Will you go buy a ticket?”
When offered an opportunity to move into a senior management role, a co-worker once told me “I can’t do that. I’ve never done that before.” Of course you’ve never done that before. That’s why they call it a change, a promotion, upwards advancement. That’s what it’s all about: doing stuff you’ve never done before. That’s how you learn new things, challenge yourself, test your boundaries and discover what you’re truly capable of.
Often, the only difference between the guy who plugs away at the same job without going any further and the guy who ends up getting the top job is the willingness to believe it’s possible and move forward on a plan. Not taking a risk can be the riskiest move of all. My nervous co-worker, the risk- adverse one, was spit out the side of the industry not too long after his refusal to ascend.
It’s really okay to struggle
Being ambitious and getting ahead often comes with a fair bit of struggle. Stopping and starting, getting it wrong… things involving humiliation can all be part of the journey. It can be gut wrenching, morale testing stuff. But so what?
I once was asked to speak at an international conference of my peers while attending an advertising agency training program in New York. A junior at the time, I was so far out of my element it wasn’t funny. I found myself at the base of the amphitheater, looking up at two hundred people. I considered fleeing the room but rode it out only to find that most people didn’t a) notice or b) care about my nervousness. I lived to tell the tale and it emboldened me to continue to make a fool of myself in public at every opportunity.
Maybe it’s not worth it. Maybe for younger agency types who’ve watched their parents get tossed out of jobs after loyalty to an organization it looks like an ill conceived plan? Who wants to put your all into climbing the career ladder when you may be rewarded with a kick in the teeth?
You may end up asking yourself questions like: Will I ever be happy if I set my goals high and I don’t make it? Shouldn’t I seek work-life balance and not place too many eggs in one emotional basket?
It doesn’t have to be either/or.
The idea that an unfulfilling home life comes with career advancement is a bunch of crap. The two are not mutually exclusive, inclusive or even related most of the time. Strive for both and surround yourself with people who are also ambitious and want a full personal life and you’ll have plenty to sharpen yourself against.
I have a colleague who is a leading creative director, a mother, a wife, a gourmet chef, author, marathon runner and world traveler. Is it exhausting to watch her? Sometimes, but mostly it’s inspirational.
I like to think that she’s ambitious. And there’s nothing dirty about that.
Jill King is president, Due North Communications.
