advergirl

Getting over The Yips

During the writer's strike, I suppose I could have picked up a healthy habit like spa cooking, whatever-came-after-knitting, or old-school Tae Bo. But, instead, I rented entire seasons of series I had missed the first time around. The most addictive of which was the profoundly screwed up Nip Tuck.

In one episode, the more responsible, less hot doc finds his hand shaking and jerking during surgery. Eventually he has to stop operating for the safety of the patients. And, alas, his own doc cannot find a physical cause. They determine it's The Yips.

The Yips: A golfing term that basically means you twitch when putting. Could be medical. Could be all in your head.

Zipping back over to the real world. About 8 months ago, I got a whopper of a case of them. Not in my hands, but in my voice. The woman who has been running rooms and talking off the cuff for 15+ years suddenly couldn't get through a little case study without her voice cracking like Peter Brady (remember THAT episode?) In one memorable new business pitch, my throat shut so tight that my usual casual speech quickly became a caterwaul, spiraling so fast that I basically completely lost the ability to speak for a moment.

The worst part is, The Yips feed on themselves. So, once it happened, I would be even more nervous about it the next time and it would be ever more likely to happen.

Happily the symptoms were limited. Only standing presentations. Only in rooms of people I didn't know.

More happily, it's over.

Not because I have a great story of dealing with it, confronting the office bully, getting my groove back, etc. No, I took the easy way out and just completely changed my environment. But, I have walked away with some advice. Sort of an adrenaline shot to the heart you can give to a speaker losing her cool.

Yips Rx: Interrupt her

All it takes is a friendly question, a smart (or, hey, no judgment, any kind of) comment to give her a minute to get her composure back. In that instant, the panic cycle is broken and The Yips have to start all over again.

Go ahead, do it for a good speaker with a case of the nerves in your life.

Entrepreneur loose in a collaborative environment – part 1

OR how I’m driving my co-workers crazy today

Turns out – I can’t brainstorm.

But, happily, I am over “the yips.”

I grew up in pretty entrepreneurial roles. Jumping in, figuring things out, coming up with a straight-forward point-of-view, convincing a client to act.

String a few of these roles together and you start to see a career of smart fiddling taking shape. One that rewards the Three Attributes of a Marketing Handyman:

And, one that got me into a number of habits. A way of working that let the good stuff rise to the top and kept me motivated to keep discovering.

That way of work was part of why I created this blog. So that when I heard a problem or a challenge, I could leverage the stories I'd collected and whatever else I could dig up to create a few ideas or scribbles on the back of a napkin. My collected scraps and non-sequitar notepads would eventually (like the ding of an Easy Bake oven) come together into an actual solution. One that I could quickly build a framework around and take to a client or a creative team.

For years, I was the boss' favorite thing not to have to worry about. Give her the resources and check in when projections are due.

Enter Ologie. My latest gig. An agency that works in a completely different way. One that rewards collaboration and conversation.

Of course I assumed I could do this. After being out there without a net for long enough, wouldn't anyone like to be in a room of like minds co-creating ideas and solutions. Yes, but...

Eeeerrrck. My brain doesn't work that way anymore. Thrown into a room of people brainstorming on a topic I hadn't worked on before, my fingers just itch for the keyboard. How can I bake something on the spot without the time and space to collect the ingredients and form a little dough?

Ah. Brain freeze of a whole 'nother kind.

So, here I go evolving again. Knowing that if I get good at this, I'll definitely forget part of that last evolution - and, it's scary to think about that. What would it mean not to be able to bootstrap a little marketing now and then? And have the confidence that I came to the right answer on my own.

Til then. Better work through collaboration.

And, while I'm working on that, maybe I can kick a few of these other entreprenuerial artifacts that make my teeth clench:

Accepting criticism from people much farther away from the problem. Pesky.
Sharing food. Ew.
Living in open work environments. Distracting.

More on "the yips" tomorrow...

Until then, I'm off to co-create and hope to be wiser for it.

Creative Class: Come to Columbus, OH

If I were to guess what the two biggest drivers of immigration to Columbus are, I'd say:

Love
And, longing

Love of a boy or girl who you must be near. Or longing for the kind of place you experienced briefly once --€“ maybe you went to school here or had family here or even grew up here and later moved away.

I was wandering around Barnes and Noble this weekend, kind of spinning my wheels waiting for adver-boyfriend to sate his periodicals addiction when I came across Who'€™s Your City by Richard Florida.

He kicks off with the assertion that where we live is the most important decision we make in life:

Finding the right place is as important as - €”if not more important than -€” finding the right job or partner because it not only influences those choices but also determines how easy or hard it will be to correct mistakes made along the way. ...The place we choose to live affects every aspect of our being. It can determine the income we earn, the people we meet, the friends we make, the partners we choose, and the options available to our children and families. People are not equally happy everywhere...

Florida's aim is largely to defend the importance of a sense of place vs. the encroaching genericism of globalization. Where you live does matter and is part of who you are.

It took me back to the very logical approach I took to relocating from Chicago to --€“ it turns out  -- Columbus. Books with city ratings were purchased. Web sites were bookmarked. Conversations with employers were had. And, none of it even got close to telling me how happy I'd be here.

Florida has a list of his own. The top cities by various lifestage criteria.

Columbus doesn't make his list. (Although it made a ton of others).

So, in the spirit of our conversation economy, I'm bringing my message here by answering the key questions that Florida posed:

1. How do you like the place you'€™re living now?
   
   I love living here. Surrounded by smart creative people, great neighborhoods and a really progressive culture.
   
   Columbus is one of those places that draws you to it. It'€™s got the personality of that one guy who everyone likes -- who is kind of a mellow cool, is ok with just about any kind of person or lifestyle, and is comfortable having a beer on the patio or out at a gourmet dinner (well, as long as he can wear jeans with his jacket).


2. Is it somewhere you really want to be?
   
   Yes, I could live anywhere. And, have lived in Chicago, Pittsburgh and small-town Appalachia. I actively choose to live here.


3. Does it give you energy? When you walk out onto the street, €”or the country lane, in the morning, does it fill you with inspiration, or stress?
   
   It absolutely gives me energy. And, when I'm out walking the dogs on the cobblestoned streets of my historic neighborhood or shopping in the sophisticated Short North, I'm almost guaranteed to be smiling.


4. Does it allow you to be the person you really want to be? Are you achieving your personal goals?
   
   I feel like I can achieve all my personal goals here --€“ the affordable cost of living and healthy economy are an ideal foundation for a professional life. And, the generally accepting vibe makes any lifestyle comfortable.


5. Is it a place you would recommend to your relatives and friends?
   
   I'€™ve been trying to get my sister to move here for years.

Short story: Columbus is the best place for me. And, for the creative class. They just don't all know it yet.

Check us out for Volume 2, Richard.

Blogging Anniversary

This  month marks my fourth year yapping away online.

Three blogs and over a thousand posts later, I still log on a few times a week to share an opinion, a great find or a little wisdom earned during the last 10 years of surviving clients / bosses / and impossible deadlines. I still get excited to see new comments in my inbox and watch the traffic numbers with more than a little ego in play.

I've made new friends (some of whom I know in the real world, too), reconnected with old ones, and have been challenged by peers I genuinely respect. I always have offline conversation from the people I'm connected to online. And, all this banter has definitely had a positive impact on my career.

Every now and again, someone asks me why I do this. Why I invest time in talking about work when I'm not at work. Since bloggers love bullet points, I'll answer that in my native medium:

• I've never in my life taken a job I was actually qualified for... but, I try not to let that stand in my way. That's actually why I started this blog in the first place. I knew I wanted to do well at the advertising agency - for my clients as much as for myself - but with a background in technology marketing and PR, I didn't even know what I didn't know. So, I bought some books, signed up for way-too-many RSS feeds (now brutally edited down) and started up conversations anywhere I could... and, the easiest place to do that (particularly as an AE) happened to be right here.


• I'm used to having a wildly unfair share of voice. When I was a kid, I found it easier to get along with grownups. When I went to a wildly liberal college, I was a loud-mouthed, boot-straps Republican (although I have long-since gone the other way). When I worked at a traditional agency, all I wanted to talk about was Interactive. I'm the consummate contrarian. Which, when paired with a little confidence and an ability to go on (and on) = an unequal share of voice. So, naturally, the 1% rule, the existence of trackbacks, the ability to be considered an 'expert' voice for little more than a clever soapbox ... well, it's all very motivating and appealing. 


• I really do have an opinion about just about everything. Where are we going to go to dinner? Would my hair look good with blue highlights? Should the logo be bigger? Who will win the next season of Top Chef? I have an opinion about all of it. I'm madly, annoyingly decisive. Online, that's personality. Offline, it's didactic. I try to get all of the fight out of me right here!

So why? I get more from it than I put in. It's easy. And, it keeps me nicer in the real world.

Here's to another 4 years.

New business cards and a better embarrassing moment

Update from the desk with 3,000 shiny new business cards: New pond. Bigger fish. But, I'm still swimming.

Which is all to say, today was my first day at Ologie:

First up, if you are used to a whoever-wins-the-fight-wins-the-strategy, kinda guys-guy environ, it is incredibly, surprisingly difficult to chill out and fit into a collaborative culture. I feel like I'm punching people when I use my nice voice.

Second, I'm in a cube. (You know, a really cool agency version of a cube that's like a tented pod, but, still). Which I knew was going to happen. And, yet, still find myself completely thrown by. I feel like every sniffle, sigh and paper shuffle must sound like the aggravating blare of a bullhorn to my neighbors. And, I have no idea how people have a phone conversation / think / create in such wilds ... but, I'm sure I will learn and my monster ego will be so much the better for it.

Finally, and most importantly. I so definitely missed an opportunity at the All Staff meeting. I was asked to share an embarrassing moment or something no one knows about me. I quickly avoided the embarrassing moment route. Not because I have any particularly mortifying secrets, but, really because I don't have any good mortifying anecdotes. They all seem to require so much back story that by the time I get to the punch line, the response in the room is something like, so, wait, you played the flute?

Anyway, I went to something no one knows.

My actual answer: I spent the first few days of my first big agency job in Chicago wearing a hair net and working with a spatula, and I've been haunted by the smell of pumpkin pie and spray glue ever since*. (true)

My total missed opportunity answer: The Rev Jimmy Bakker's cell mate taught me how to skydive (also true)

Back to the usual Advergirl tomorrow. Now, out to debrief over drinks!

*Rest of the story: The agency represented American Heart and American Lung of Illinois right around the time of the first big multi-state tobacco settlement. Their goal was to convince lawmakers to reserve half the settlement amount ("half the pie") for cessation programs. So, PR idea was to create hundreds of pie tins that included half a seasonally-appropriate pumpkin pie, a press release and a graphic of the desired budget division. And, being handy in the kitchen (it does take some precision to slice a pie in two and flawlessly move half of it to a new tin with no crust cracking), I somehow got drafted into assembly...

Advergirl goes to Ologie

Big news from your blogging account girl: I've resigned my post.

No worries, not Advergirl. That will likely continue to be as eclectic and inconsistent as ever. Rather, I've resigned my account director post at SBC Advertising. And, I'm continuing my ad-girl career in the strategy group at Ologie, a nationally-recognized branding agency. 

Needless to say: I am ridiculously excited. I've been struggling with the AE role for upwards of a year now; so, it was incredibly tempting to evolve my career in a new capacity. But, more than that - I'm looking forward to working on the fundamentals of simplifying complex messages and elevating & clarifying brands.

Plus, Ologie has a lot of cultural perks for someone graduating from an 'entrepreneurial' agency - like, a focus on being more green, a commitment to philanthropy, strong peer networks, a book club, daily healthy lunches, etc. And, it's an agency that was started by a powerful woman and has women in key leadership roles. Something that's extremely meaningful to me. And, a big change.

Today is the first day of my last week at SBC - an agency that has taught me leagues in the last three years. I think I'll miss my clients the most - smart, strategic people who have accepted me as a peer - but, too, I'll miss my friends and mentors who have made this place home.

I'm nervous and optimistic about the road ahead. Wish me luck and watch this space for more...

Your brand personality

Ok, yonder readers, time to prove out just who are the marketing geekiest among us.

Have you ever thought about what your personal brand personality might be? That one thing that unites all your disparate - work, family, friends - selves by a common thread? A subtle elevation of the common to a unifying spirit. That thing that sets you apart.

Last month, I met this amazing woman who said her's was 'scrappy.'

Do you love that? At once competitive and practical. Bootstraps and game-changing ideas all in one.

Sadly, I believe mine is 'resourceful.' Not much romance in that. All practical, little passion. But, I'd like it to be 'curious.'

And, that my friends, is why I win this geek off. Not only do I have a personal brand, I also have personal brand envy.

Leave yours in the comments...

September 11, 2001

That morning - in the shadow of the Sears Tower, just north of the downtown Loop - our agency was just opening for the day. A few of us wandered in and turned on the three televisions that filled our 'newsroom-style' PR agency with the constant chatter of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.

I remember standing there in the mostly empty room watching video that they never showed again - the nose of the plane coming through the building, into the camera.

I remember the confusion - the reporters going back and forth about the Mall being on fire, foreign attacks, a plane headed for Chicago or Pittsburgh or L.A...

Even at 9:30, our city was already shutting down - commuters heading home to be with family, to get away from the bullseye of the target. My then-husband (JT) was at a conference in L.A. I called him and begged him to stay at the hotel - we were attacked, I said; I think we're at War.

And, even as the country became more real and earnest and compassionate (remember the news anchors barely able to hold back tears that night? the strangers helping each other search for lost loved ones at ground zero?), our agency world held that strange, rarefied quality of not being part of the real world - of being more cynical, privy to the real story, untouched.

We didn't close. We watched out the windows - looking at the Hancock to the East and the Sears Tower to the South. We gathered around the televisions. Our bosses reminded us there was work to be done. Our executives went to a new business pitch.

I don't remember how I got home that night. I think the trains had been shut down.

The neighborhood was strangely quiet - everyone inside, watching hours of television, trying to understand.

I went inside, turned on the TV again. Later, headed out to the beach, talked to my bleary-eyed neighbors. Was amazed at how the world had changed and that we had stayed at work as if it was just another news story…

Just exactly what would you do for a client?

Front row. That's me covered in band aids.

That's my client in the johnnie.

Yeah.

We're at his kickball team's War of the Wounded theme night.

No, the other teams do not have theme nights.

Yes, I did say kickball.

---

Come on, this would make a great book - Just exactly what would you do - have you done - for a client?