Nancy Vonk
Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy Toronto
Nancy Vonk (left) is the “co-dependent” co-CCO of Ogilvy Toronto. She and partner Janet Kestin are the authors of Pick Me: Breaking into advertising and staying there (Wiley, 2005), based on their advice column for young ad professionals, “Ask Jancy.”
1. Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. One of the most memorable experiences of my career was listening to Malcolm Maclaren give a talk in Thailand at an Ogilvy event. He said a lot of stuff that stuck, like “Success is boring. It’s so much more interesting to fail spectacularly” and “I decided I would be the Sex Pistols’ best mis-manager.” I’ve quoted the theme of that talk a hundred times: “Be authentic, or be karaoke.”
2. Get a mentor. Then mentor. I was so fortunate to have so many people who took an interest in my career success. From my first CD, Sam Macuga (a woman, so lucky for me), to Mark Hilltout, still the most politically incorrect person I know. Rick Boyko, Steve Landsberg… they taught me the most through their examples. All bold, authentic risktakers. They showed me you may as well speak your mind and take the consequences. You’ll come out ahead in the long run.
3. Throw the kids in the deep end. We have always had new grads around, entrusting them with real jobs. And here’s what happens: act like they’ll succeed, and they’ll succeed. Often spectacularly.
4. Admit mistakes. I’ve made so many of them that I’m really good at this. You might as well say what everyone knows anyway: you were wrong. People respect you for it.
5. Apologize. A close relative of “admit mistakes.” It’s important to say “I’m sorry,” especially if feelings have been hurt. Again, I have a lot of practice at this. Let me apologize to everyone reading this that I’ve sent to the bathroom crying.
6. Fake it till you make it. With the bold example of Sam Macuga in front of me at my first job, I mimicked her sureness from early days. Clearly she didn’t always have the answer, but she projected supreme confidence at all times. It took me years to feel truly sure of myself, but in the meantime, I talked the talk.
7. Hire people better than you. Such a no-brainer.
8. Be a true partner to clients. Even as students, many creative departments learn an “us vs. them” approach to that key relationship. It’s a losing strategy. Start behaving like they’re your partners in success and they’ll be your partners in success.
9. Keep your door open. You might actually get the chance to solve a problem someone would otherwise hold in. You might benefit from people feeling like you are approachable. You might be more in touch with what’s going on in your group.
10. If you’re in the middle of the road, you’re going to get run over. Get out on that limb. Take risks. If you’re never in trouble you aren’t trying anything truly new.
11. Say yes. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith on an idea that is scaring the crap out of you. If it doesn’t work out, call it a good learning experience and move on.
12. Say no. Things to say no to: a promise made to a client that should never have been made (“They really need it tomorrow!” says the account person. “You should have checked first. It’s not possible. Good luck breaking the bad news,” say I); doing anything that will make for short-term happiness but long-term misery; doing anything that would compromise your partnership; doing anything that undermines the brand.
13. Say thank you. Those people slaving away all weekend? The team that cracked the challenge wide open? The cleaning lady who just threw out your giant wad of bad ideas? They all deserve some recognition.
14. Collaborate. Why be lonely at the top? Or the bottom or the middle? What could be more boring or limiting than trying to do it all on your own? Janet and I have insisted on teamwork in the creative department. It leads to better work and it’s way more fun.
15. You don’t have to choose between the tot and the top. A student just told me a male copywriter from an agency spoke at her school recently and told the female students not to go after the art director or writer jobs; they are too demanding once you have kids. So much for progress. It’s hard, without question, to pull off two big full-time jobs. (My daughter Lily is reading this and saying, possibly out loud, “Nice try, mom.”) One thing is for sure: if you have a child you need a partner who supports you and is good with 50/50 parenting duties. One other thing is for sure: if women keep listening to the storytelling of people like that male copywriter, our industry will retain the neanderthal crown for a long time.
16. Befriend your competition. First, because they are really smart, interesting people in general. Second, you have a lot in common and there’s almost no one else on Earth who can relate to what you go through like they can. Send them congrats when they succeed. Compare notes. Learn from each other. Help each other out. Works for me. I even sleep with them. (Kidding. Just one.)
17. If they want to go, don’t stop them. Nothing is more pointless than trying to keep someone who has told you they are taking another job. If their head is out the door, you don’t want them around anyway. Be gracious, be supportive if they are making a good move. And if you really like them, tell them when they are making a stupid one. It won’t keep them, but they’re forewarned.
18. Don’t use research to decide anything. I’ve never failed to learn from research. It has helped me many times. But I’ve seen it have a negative impact on work as well. As humans we can’t help but be unnerved by the one guy who says he hates the idea and now he’ll never buy the brand again. As one ad great said, “I’d use research every time if I was the only one who got to see it.”
19. Be willing to be the unpopular person in the room. Check. Got that one down pat. As a good leader you have to be the truth-teller, not Miss Congeniality. Go ahead, tell the room that the senior client’s idea simply doesn’t work. Or tell your CEO you just can’t agree on the vision. The only thing harder is living with the fallout of making the easier choice to be everyone’s friend. 20. Spend your career with Janet Kestin. (Or someone else smarter and nicer than you.) I can’t even begin to list the ways she has improved my career and my life.
20. Spend your career with Janet Kestin. (Or someone else smarter and nicer than you.) I can’t even begin to list the ways she has improved my career and my life.
