Whilst smooth sailing is always more welcome, Fern Canning, marketing director, consulting at Deloitte has said it’s the hard times “that make you”.
“When you work in this career, sometimes you are on top of the world – your campaigns are looking incredible, you’ve nailed the creative, it’s bang on strategy, everyone’s applauding you, you’re winning awards. It’s absolutely fantastic.
“But that isn’t what grows you, that’s the really hard times.”
Canning told News Corp Australia’s director of the Growth Intelligence Centre and independent think tank The Growth Distillery, Dan Krigstein, that when you move into a leadership position, you don’t have all the answers – and sometimes it’s just about getting out the other side and learning from experience.
“That same pay it forward journey applies when you lead teams, you create that experience that it’s okay when things go wrong. Because you can say, ‘Hey, back in the day, this happened to me, and I came up with something better and I learned more. I became stronger and I’m better at what I do, because I’ve had the lived experience.'”
Speaking to Mediaweek after the recording, Canning said the biggest myth of leadership is that it comes in a hierarchy.
“I think when you hear about a leader or leadership, you start to picture a pyramid, or you picture an organisational structure and reporting lines. I fundamentally believe that leadership is not a position, it’s a behaviour.
“You don’t have to be managing somebody to be a leader. It’s more about who can you inspire? Who can you nurture? Who can you help?”
When asked if she had any advice for people looking to move into leadership roles, Canning said it is important not to “go in half hearted and think that being a mentor is ticking a box.
“Often you’re helping to guide somebody through quite difficult times and have really open conversations, and you have to gain their trust for them to be able to have that conversation.
“As a mentor, I think it’s really important to understand that it’s not it’s not about something you put on your CV. It should be a part of your legacy as a person in our industry.”
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Top Image: Fern Canning