The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett XX
[0] Did you know that the DariVosio now has its own channel exclusively on Samsung TV Plus?
[1] And I'm excited to say that we've partnered with Samsung TV to bring this to life, and the channel is available in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria.
[2] Samsung TV Plus is a free streaming service available to all owners of Samsung Smart TVs and Galaxy mobiles and tablets.
[3] And along with the Dyeravisio channel, you'll find hundreds of more channels with entertainment for everyone all for free on Samsung TV Plus.
[4] So if you own a Samsung TV, tune in now and watch the Dyer of a Cio channel.
[5] right now.
[6] I want to get some advice from you about work.
[7] I know most people listening to this will really be in awe of the career you've had and trying to take some actionable, more actionable advice from this conversation as to how they can have a similar career, how they can be successful in whatever endeavor they're pursuing.
[8] When I was thinking about some of the advice you've given previously, one of the points you'd said is about really understanding your core strength.
[9] and your core skills, why does that matter?
[10] And how does one do that?
[11] And what does it mean to understand your core skills and strengths?
[12] I think it's about understanding what you enjoy.
[13] I think it starts there.
[14] And then whether you're playing what you're intrinsically good at in with those areas as well.
[15] Because actually, sometimes people are good at things, but don't enjoy it.
[16] And so ultimately, that will not make you as fulfilled or as happy as you can be.
[17] often you're not the best judge of yourself and so finding people around you either family and friends but actually also work colleagues that can start to say what is it about me that's good what is it about me that maybe isn't so good help me help me understand those things better and then you start to create a stronger version of yourself or vision of yourself that you can then can work through I've always through my career had my own sort of board of advisors.
[18] It's an informal thing.
[19] When I'm doing different things where I need a different point of view or perspective, I'll put people around me and ask them for advice, mentors, sponsors, you know, fashionable words that get used.
[20] But it's really people that perhaps are a couple of years ahead of you or older that kind of done these things before to learn from and to be inspired by and to change them around as well.
[21] I think those things help.
[22] What are your core skills and strengths?
[23] Others will say, but I think it's around that I start, that I lead with empathy and that it really matters to me to understand who the people are that I'm working with and what motivates them and what doesn't and to have a different style that can work with each of them to motivate them to be the very best that they can be.
[24] I'm always looking to understand that.
[25] I think I set pretty clear deliverables and expectations, and I really spend the time with my core team.
[26] I absolutely believe in the frequency of a regular one -to -one meeting where we can learn to get those constant updates where I can give advice.
[27] But I've always got the clear North Star.
[28] I've always got written what I think the deliverables will be.
[29] I'm not afraid to pivot and to change my mind.
[30] If I see evidence and data, there's a poster at wall, data wins arguments.
[31] I like that because I think it's true.
[32] that you can really look at something and know.
[33] And then if something isn't going well to stop it and to have the humility to say we tried something, it didn't work, and then to be able to move forwards and to role model that as well and not to be afraid to say, I did that and it didn't go so well.
[34] Let's now go and do something else.
[35] Those are a few of the things.
[36] Others will add other things, I'm sure.
[37] Also, you know, to have some fun along the way.
[38] I think that's really important.
[39] I think when I first started work, there was this thing about works really serious, and it is serious and it matters.
[40] but you spend your most amount of time with the people that you work with and one of my other favourite posters is that meetings are made for laughter and so sometimes if you can just take the tension out and just break it a little bit I think that's something that's important as well I've heard you give the advice that it's important to bring your whole self to work as well I think that is also kind of counter -narrative in the sense that people think they should just bring their professional self to work or their boss self to work.
[41] Why is it important to bring your whole self to work?
[42] Because if you're trying to be, you know, other things, you're just not do a very good job.
[43] And if people don't know what else is going on in your life, I mean, look at all the things that we've talked about today.
[44] If people didn't know I had, you know, I was dealing with health issues at different times and maybe my performance wasn't so good at that time, I'm going to be judged unfairly for where I am in that time as opposed to let's just have an honest conversation.
[45] I'm old enough now I'm 50, but I remember some of the days of the women that came before that would leave a handbag and a coat on the back of a chair to pretend they were still in the office when actually they popped out to go and pick up the children or do something, but were scared to show that because it was a sign of weakness if you were actually being a mum.
[46] I mean, it sounds ridiculous, but there are still companies where that sort of behaviour is happening.
[47] And so the fact that we can be in 2022, and it's still taboo to talk about a disease that you have.
[48] or it still can be in certain companies to do to talk about the fact that maybe your parent isn't well or your child isn't.
[49] I mean, that's crazy.
[50] So allowing the space and the culture within companies to be who you are and to know the things that matter to you ultimately allows people to be higher performers, which ultimately means that they'll do better in their jobs and they'll be happier in their lives.
[51] And do you think there's a real responsibility for the leaders at the top of the organisation to lead by example there?
[52] Yeah, I absolutely do.
[53] again, here's where the data wins arguments, because if you have more diverse boards at the tops of companies, you have more successful companies.
[54] And I do think there's an element where you don't have group think and you have different people around the table.
[55] It brings in some of these types of ways of being and ways that form a culture.
[56] Culture is formed top down and bottom up, but so much of it is from the cues of the leaders at the top as well.
[57] So showing that vulnerability, being so open, bringing your whole self, allows other people to do so as well.
[58] And your career is a real testament to this next piece of advice, which is about asking for what you want.
[59] People don't do that either because people think they should take what they're given.
[60] But having the, I don't want to use the word courage, because it doesn't seem like quite the right word, but asking for what you want is scary for a lot of people.
[61] people and there's a lot of threat and risk associated with that.
[62] How has that been important in your career?
[63] Yeah, I think it is.
[64] But I think it's also about doing your homework, knowing what matters to you, knowing what's important, questioning if these are the things that matter to you and these are the opportunities that you want.
[65] This is this pay rise that you think you should have.
[66] I mean, my first couple of pay rises, I just said, thanks, that's great.
[67] I mean, I mean, that's terrible, right?
[68] I had absolutely no idea of what my own worth was.
[69] And so I just said, thank you.
[70] I never went in in those early pay rise conversations once a year reviews to think about.
[71] Was I happy on the accounts that I was on?
[72] I just said, thanks.
[73] I would not give that advice to anybody.
[74] I just wouldn't.
[75] I think that's a terrible thing to do.
[76] I think you should know those things.
[77] And then the onus is on you to make sure you do the homework.
[78] on your career because nobody else is going to do that.
[79] And also to not assume that people know what you want either because sometimes you do know what you want and you're sat there going, I hope they're going to suggest it and not to say it.
[80] People don't do that because they are scared.
[81] And again, I go, what's the worst that can happen?
[82] You can ask for it and they'll say no. And then you've got a judgment call.
[83] Do I want to stay in a place that said no?
[84] Or are they giving me a trajectory for what I need to do in order to get there?
[85] Or actually, is this a wake -up call to say actually maybe I should look at something different.
[86] What do you wish you'd said in those pay -rise conversations?
[87] Not just thank you, but I've been out and I've looked at the market and I understand now that my value is this and these are all the things that I've done that I'm really proud of and that I've been successful and these were the KPIs that I think that you set me and thus this is what the equation should be.
[88] And then probably there'd be a bit of a negotiation, but at least I'd be in with a start, right?
[89] Whereas I had, and I was just like, thanks.
[90] What if your boss turns around and goes, you're out of your mind, get out of you, Nicola?
[91] Then I think you have to go, why do you think that?
[92] Because if you have the data to say, well, other places don't feel that.
[93] And here's all the reasons why I feel passionate and proud of what I'm doing.
[94] Show me the path that gets me there.
[95] And so if it's a yearly pay conversation, maybe look to see if you could do something in six months or set out other criteria in terms of what matters and what's important.
[96] A quote from you, the times I've grown the most have been the times where I felt most nervous, the times that I thought I wasn't going to be able to do it.
[97] Those growth moments throughout your career where you felt most nervous.
[98] Yeah, I think what we've talked about, each of the firsts of the jobs, I think, were definitely.
[99] Another one was when I took on my first position, if you like, in the industry, which was when I was asked to be the president of Wackle in the UK, which is the Women in Advertising Communications of London Club.
[100] It's a 100 -year -old networking club for women in the industry that's gone through its own metamorphosis.
[101] And so suddenly I'd gone from being Nicola in, you know, just in an agency to having this position across the industry to inspire women, to bring women together and to chart what it means to be part of a women's club in this era and what needs there might be.
[102] And so, yeah, I practiced, I prepped, I really thought long and hard.
[103] A lot of the things that we talked about, I went and met all the past presidents.
[104] I got the advice from them as to what they wanted.
[105] I talked to existing members, what they wanted.
[106] So I really did my homework so that when I came to that moment of setting out my vision for the year as to what I was going to do, I felt prepped.
[107] I was still nervous.
[108] It's good to have those nerves, right?
[109] But, yeah, do the prep, and I think it helps.
[110] those nerves a lot of people they tell themselves a story about those nerves the story being I'm an imposter and I imposter syndrome seems to be such a frequently asked question of me and from this audience is like how do you deal with that people think I think they think that imposter that feeling of nerves which is that I think that they're reading into feeling like an imposter is signed to retreat and to get back into comfort get back into certainty no for me it's it's a rush of adrenaline.
[111] It's the moment before you do something to go, all right, you've done the prep, you've got this.
[112] It's good just to kind of get ready.
[113] It's like a getting ready moment and then you go.
[114] And then it kind of helps.
[115] It helps you go there.
[116] Because I think if perhaps it doesn't happen, then maybe you're not going to be on your A game.
[117] And maybe that's not a good thing.
[118] Did you know that the Dyer of a CEO now has its own channel exclusively on Samsung TV Plus?
[119] And I'm excited to say that we've partnered with Samsung TV to bring this to life and the channel is available in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria.
[120] Samsung TV Plus is a free streaming service available to all owners of Samsung Smart TVs and Galaxy mobiles and tablets.
[121] And along with the Diary of a CO channel, you'll find hundreds of more channels with entertainment for everyone all for free on Samsung TV Plus.
[122] So if you own a Samsung TV, tune in now and watch the DiRiver's CEO channel right now.