17 for 17
I was reminded on Monday morning that 22nd August 2022 marked my 17-year anniversary at Ketchum. 17 also happens to be my birth date, so a poignant set of digits for me and a real ‘pinch me’ moment when I think back to what I’d done, what I’d learnt, what I’d seen change and where I find myself in this company that’s been a part of my life for so long!
So, as an anniversary gift to myself (yes, I like writing), here are 17 musings from my 17-year adventure in PR.
I used to dread the question (I get asked it all the time) about why I’d been at one company for so long.
“Wow, I don’t know many people like you” or…
“Gosh, you’re a bit unusual aren’t you for staying put for so long.”
I’ve heard these phrases countless times, and in many interviews for new roles at Ketchum. I used to cringe when they asked them…almost a bit embarrassed…God damn they did their LinkedIn homework.
Which is why musing number one is called ‘Own it’.
1. Own it – My career has had more handbrake turns than a rally car doing a drift on a runway so yes, I’ve been at one company for 17 years, but it hasn’t been a period without constant reinvention of who I am and what I might do here. So do me a favour, park that embarrassment.
2. Love what you do – Life is too short to work a job you hate so always make sure you feed the fire that keeps the passion ignited; and if you get the ick, reassess whether you really do love what you do, and what you can do to flex it. It’s called ‘your career’ for a reason.
3. Raise your hand – Even if it scared the bejeezez out of me, I always tried to raise my hand to work on things that lay outside of my comfort zone – like the time I volunteered to run a 13 market global Ketchum network for Qatar Foundation. The website ‘world meeting planner’ became my best pal!
4. Reinvent the old – If something isn’t working in your agency, fix it. I always tried to challenge the status quo of why certain things were done in certain ways – this could be as simple as rebuilding a spreadsheet to give it more razzmatazz. Yes, I LOVE Excel.
5. Be generous – It’s easy to be in it for yourself in PR but I’ve always been the type to lean in – to people, situations, departmental changes. It’s not always been easy or without sacrifice, but generosity is an underrated value in my eyes…and it costs you nothing.
6. Dial up the curiosity – Those who succeed in this industry, in my opinion, are those who feed their curiosity relentlessly. Just because you rise up the ranks, doesn’t mean you stop learning or discovering so be ‘sticky’ as you walk through life.
7. One life – I approach work with the mindset that I have one life, so there’s no such thing as work/life balance. Manage your 24 hours around what you need to accomplish that day – for yourself and your company but above all else, be accountable to both parts in equal measure.
8. Build a support network – PR can be high stress and high adrenaline, and not everything will go your way. My advice is find who your allies are at work, the people who’ll have your back no matter what, and nurture that network. As much as I avoid politics like the plague, it will find you so build resilience through relationships.
9. Lead a passion project – This isn’t the same as being a ‘specialist’ in a certain area – that would be rich coming from a generalist like me – but it’s about hooking yourself up to a project that lights a fire in your belly. For me, that’s been helping Ketchum turbocharge it’s DE&I work, and it’s given me a great platform to both enact change, build an external partner network and have an external point of view.
10. Do the occasional self PR – No one likes being too braggadocios but believe me, there’s nothing wrong with a spot of self-promotion, we’re masters at that remember! Practice what you preach to your clients – have an opinion and get out there occasionally to tell the world what you think, it’s pretty satisfying and helps with those LinkedIn views!
11. Enjoy the perks – PR can be stressful, but it also comes with lots of perks as my husband often likes to (begrudgingly) remind me. Attend the award dinners, show up at client events and lap up team lunches when they come round, it’s all ‘part of the job’ as they say…wink, wink.
12. Don’t pigeon hole yourself too early – I used to question whether it was a smart (or stupid) move to be a bit of a ‘Jack-of-all’ PR trades, but I soon learnt it was the former. Don’t put a label on it if you don’t need to – flex between all PR specialisms to get maximum exposure, don’t restrict yourself to one swim lane, be a ‘hybrid’ as we now like to call it.
13. Pay it forward – Invest time in giving young, diverse talent a way to access our industry, and your expertise, you’ll be amazed how much you’ll benefit from reverse mentoring; plus we need to be doing more to increase representation in PR. Make time for this, I did, and the kickback has been phenomenal.
14. Take a flight – Work on international business if you can, it will broaden your horizons, help hone your craft and you’ll get to explore new geographies. My highlight is doing a site recce of a £21M off shore condo in Dubai when I was an Account Manager…fun!
15. Build relationships – With EVERYONE, you never quite know where they’ll end up, PR is a very small world! My tip is never transact your way through life or your career, it’s a vacuous way to build relationships…and they won’t last. I still have relationships with clients and ex-colleagues from over 10 years ago because of this approach.
16. Learn how to use PowerPoint – Period. Skill for life in PR, trust me.
17. Finally, HAVE FUN!! Laugh a lot, bring the sunshine, be glass half full. As I’ve worked the career ladder, I’ve been acutely aware of how my presence can impact others so radiate energy, smile (a lot) and you’ll be surprised what magic can happen…even after 17 years!
Written by Alicia Solanki, Managing Director, Client Experience
