"Nothing great ever comes from being comfortable": AD FED MN presents the Women's LeADership Panel

THE WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PANEL

Last night Ad Fed MN and Ad2 presented the 4th annual Women’s Leadership Panel. Moderated by Nora McInerny Purmort, the evening was definitely something to remember. To start, Nora asked all the men in the room to stand up, while the title says “Women,” it was an inclusive event. She noted that in past years there were maybe 5 or 10 men in the audience, this year there were many more but they were definitely in the minority.

Now you know what it’s like to feel uncomfortable for just being who you are. Save the feeling it. Bottle it up and push it down inside.

A big topic was gender equality and “The Pay Gap”. It was mentioned that if a woman comes in with a strong opinion, she’ll be perceived as bitchy.  But a man with the same attitude comes in and he’s assertive. I’m not too worried about being seen as bitchy or mean, but I do get called bossy a lot. Which I find very degrading, since you never hear someone saying “you’re so bossy” to a man after he’s asked them to do something…

But more than just discussing feminism and equality, I was more inspired by the discussion of what makes a good leader and learning from the amazing panel that was put together.

The panel consisted of six female leaders in the marketing world:

• Jill Gutterman, Digital Transformation Leader at 3M

• Mahtab Rezai, Principal & CEO at Crux Collaborative

• Sue Kruskopf, CEO at Kruskopf and CompanyRosemary Ugboajah, President of Neka Creative

• Emily Pritchard, Co-Founder & COO at The Social Lights

• Margaret Murphy, President & COO and Olson

My biggest revelation from the evening is that sometimes it’s necessary to step back and reevaluate what your job really is. I came away from this event with a lot of inspiration and some ideas on how to better my marketing.

1. Get uncomfortable!

“Nothing great ever comes from being comfortable.” – Margaret Muprhy

I have no issues traveling alone, going into social situations, or talking to anybody (literally, anybody). And I do well at these things, but I know there are some things that raise my anxiety. Speaking on camera is my biggest issue. It’s my biggest weakness, which can be an issue when I’m at conferences exhibiting and a news crew comes by. Up until now I have been great at deflecting the spotlight to someone else, but I realize that I need to face that fear, make myself uncomfortable, and become great.

2. Find a personal Board of Directors

My position at a “start up” company provides me so many unique opportunities and great experience, but it also means that I’m constantly being thrown into the deep end. The ladies on the panel made me realize that I need to find a group of professional experts that I can reach out to when I get stuck, or am lacking motivation.

3. Build your personal brand

Keeping yourself relevant isn’t an easy task in a constantly changing profession. Building your personal brand and understanding who you are and the value you bring to the company brand is critical. Building the company’s brand ID and ensuring the messaging and perception is cohesive is a big job, and it’s easy to forget that you are a crucial part of the brand. Anyone can be a marketer, but not everyone can be great at it.

4. Get involved

After this Ad Fed MN/Ad2 event I am more inspired than ever to get involved with the Minneapolis Marketing community. BRB checking the calendar of events…