F.E.A.R. Face Everything & Run or Face Everything & Rise.
“You gain strength and confidence with every experience you really stop to look fear in the face and do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Eleanor Roosevelt.
Growing up, I was the eldest of six. Failure was never an option and talking about your emotions not the norm. Who knew this would not only stay with me throughout my career but affect every other aspect of my life?
What I quickly learnt was denying your fears doesn’t solve anything, it only holds you back. Instead, if you learn to use that fear as fuel you will grow and create a better version of yourself. It’s the very reason I managed to navigate my career so successfully.
You can be excused for thinking that fear is only ever present at the beginning of any journey. Your first real job can be daunting, and unless you are a narcissist, you’re riddled with self-doubt. Questioning whether you’ll be good enough. Even when you realise you are good enough, you question whether you’ll be good enough to rise to the top (imposter syndrome is a real thing, to be covered in a later article).
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but once you reach the top that fear doesn’t go away. No. It’s replaced by a whole new set of fears. Can you stay at the top? Can you continue to grow and stay ahead? And more importantly can you continue to inspire those around you?
I consider myself lucky and talented in equal measures; I rose through the ranks quickly. But each time I heard the words ‘Congratulations Suki, you’ve been promoted’ I laughed a little hysterically and thought they’d made a mistake. Not because I didn’t think I deserved each promotion, but because I was paralysed with fear that I would not be able to rise to the challenge and the extra responsibility it came with.
Each promotion taught me something about myself and about fear in general. There are two types of people in this world, those that live in fear and those that are driven by fear – I’m most definitely the latter.
This trait has served me well. When others around me panicked, I remained calm. Something any risk averse client appreciates. I’ve been asked this question many times. ‘Weren’t you scared it wouldn’t work?’ The simple answer is YES, I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t. But I’ve created and curated some of my best work through fear and I’ll continue to use it as a weapon not a disability.
In the days when mobile technology was in its infancy, someone thought it would be clever to be the first ever agency to use mobile at the heart of any promotion (thanks Danny for the stress and putting the fear of God in me, much appreciated). The term txt ‘n’ win was born, a term that you would in later years see everywhere. No one else in the world had been crazy enough to do anything like this and there wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t overwhelmed. I had everything riding on its success.
My gut told me it was going to be great, but it could so easily have failed. There were so many factors beyond my control, and they could easily have gone wrong. Would the technology fail me? Would people bother to text to enter? Would it drive sales? The list was endless.
Each day my client would say ‘Suki this is going to work, isn’t it? Nothing is going to go wrong?’ I’d smile calmly and tell her that it was all going to be great. I knew they were out of their comfort zone, and it was my job to reassure and contain their anxiety. Little did they know I too was out of mine (sorry Katherine).
I’m pleased to say when John O’Sullivan the CEO of Cadbury commented in an article that ‘the promotion single handled reversed the decline in sales’ I’d never felt prouder. A feeling I’ve had many times since. Each time the fear propelling me to create something game changing. But whilst fear drives me, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t had more than my fair share of failures.
My first failure – listening to my heart, not my head:
When I’d fallen out of love with the agency I’d cut my teeth at, I knew it was time to move on. When I handed in my resignation, I was offered a seat on the board. I would have been the youngest Board Director at one of the best agencies in London. but I didn’t think twice about saying no. I was immensely flattered but my heart just wasn’t in it.
For once I wasn’t scared that I couldn’t do the job. I was more fearful about how I’d survive once my comfort blanket was whipped away. I still ask myself if I’d taken that role what would I be doing now? Which part of the world would I be living in? Which award winning agency would I be running?
Failure number two – my first marketing agency:
A decade after walking into agencies and turning them into lean, mean, profit making machines, I thought it was time I did it for myself. A chance encounter made it possible, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect. But whilst it was successful on so many levels, ultimately it, and by default I, failed. We closed the doors 3 years after my partner John and I had proudly set it up. It was heart breaking.
We both took some time out. It was a low period in my life and my head was spinning. Where did we go wrong? Why didn’t we see it coming sooner? Why didn’t we make the necessary changes quicker? Why did we blindly take the word of a client we had never worked with? Pragmatism eventually took over. I faced up to all the things we’d done wrong. I told myself when I was brave enough to do this again, I’d be better equipped to do things differently. Yes, I could have let the fear paralyse me, but that’s not who I am, nor will it ever be.
Failure number three – a concept ahead of its time:
Having spent the last decade in and out of agencies consulting on various areas of their business, I soon realised there was a gap in the market for a management consultancy with a difference, but unfortunately the concept was way ahead of its time. Three years later I’m proud to say I was asked to join the bench of a management consultancy with a difference. I’ve also launched my personal brand coaching service and I’m back to focusing on doing what I love.
What has all this taught me?
Facing your fears can’t guarantee success but it can propel you to greatness. Will I be the first person to fail? No. Will it be my last failure? Probably not. But as Warren Buffett once famously said “I won’t invest in any business whose leader hasn’t failed at least twice”. I guess that stands me in good stead.
Fast forward twenty-five years and I’m more fearless than I’ve ever been, and I’ll keep using that fear to push myself harder. There will be failures along the way. But winners always dust themselves down after a fall. Now if you’ll excuse me I think I hear Warren calling.
Suki, you have the talent in spades to overcome any fears. Best of luck with the new venture