Marketing and Communications Leader Series ep.5: Jen Barham

If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be? And what advice would you give to young aspiring professionals that are looking to advance their careers within marketing and communications? 

It is a journey of self-discovery as well as career development.  Any role, any profession, any industry, any job title. If I could go back, I would spend as much time focusing on the cultivation of my authentic self and confidence and self-belief as I did on the metrics of success and being promoted to the next level, because those two are fundamentally necessary to make you the best human being, that you can be not the best professional, the best human being. There are a couple of things I think that I would suggest doing early. Rewire that negative voice in your mind. No one is more unkind to us than our own narrative, and you develop those very early on. They are backed up by evidence time and time again throughout your adolescence, your first job, your second job, and your career trajectory. The neuroplasticity that our human brain affords is amazing and you can operate with self-compassion. It takes work, but that will help take that next step forward, that's probably number one.  

Number two, don't fear your stakeholders. It's really easy when you come into a position in lots of professional services, financial services, businesses, it's marketers versus fee-earners or this kind of group of people that are sustaining the revenue generation for the business. It's very easy to feel intimidated and feel less than. So, recognizing that they are human beings, that you can connect with them on every level. Vulnerability as well, as shared vulnerability really does breed connection. That's a really valuable tool and something it's worth doing from the ground up. You can always learn something from everyone.  

The third one, there is always a temptation at every level to say, I can do it, I'll do that right now. And then you go away and figure out how to do it and sometimes you'll find you can't. I think being honest about your capabilities, where you need support, where you need training, and where you need advice, really helps. But that also translates to that part about being the best human being you can be. I think being honest about who you are and what you stand for, where you've come from, all of those things. If you can be your authentic self, you're going to be as productive as you possibly can be as well. And that's your superpower really, because that's what makes you, you.