THOUGHT PROVOKING THURSDAYS- 30. Dealing with Career Transitions- Finding the next big thing

Sometimes, in life, you have to take a big leap. This realization struck me as I sat down for a coffee chat with the energizing, provocative and highly personable David Tang. He has had a stellar and enviable career where he ran DDB for 25 years, eventually as CEO for Asia - probably the only Singaporean who made it to the global leadership board. But that was not where he wanted to finish his game and decided to do his thing, what he does best!

He sparked off a few honest and brave thoughts. Where do great CMOs and marketers come from? Is it in the genes, the bones or the training?

He is on to something exciting, and I dare say scary, when he talked about his move to set up a marketing agency with an academy to spur great marketing. Which reminded me of the legendary A G Krishnamurthy and MICA – the Institute by Mudra that has produced so much renowned CMOs, marketers, planners and advertising greats. ?

Just listening to David talk about his vision rekindled the dormant planner in me. My first 15 years in advertising were rooted in planning and subsequently, even as a marketer, I was always pushing for the killer strategies and insights that would move brand sales and market share. And as the hot coffee became tepid, we stepped on the heat on the state of marketing and branding today.

?

So, some thought provoking questions for this post:

1.???? Where are the great CMOs and planners producing great marketing work? Who are the hottest blades in town? Can anyone name 5 amazing CMOs and what they have done?

2.???? What is great marketing today? In the maze of complexity of digital, media, data, AI and that scarecrow called creativity, has marketing gone out of vogue? ?

3.???? Why is there no marketing university that is able to generate talent for the entire industry, quite like what MICA has done for marketing and communications in India?

4.???? Could a marketing academy uplift an industry of talents? Marketers could learn from the greats in strategy and new thinking. Suits can learn planning. Creatives can learn strategy. Planners can learn some realities. And really, why not?

?

I suppose it takes a practitioner in the field like David to disrupt academia as we know it. And it’s hard to argue against him, who’s part adman, planner, suit and creative.

?

But more than that, there is a lesson in this story for those who have been top dogs in their careers in famous companies, to reinvent themselves and the industry.

1.???? So, what really is your passion - Find what you deeply care about, those 10,000 hours that define ‘you’ and see how that can now reinvent the business.

2.???? Network, network, network - Leverage your current network and expand to include those from new and desired fields; don’t just stick to the knitting.

3.???? Continuous Learning - Approach your fresh start with an open mind and optimism (if for years, you’ve been whining about your job).

4.???? Craft a compelling narrative - Build an authentic story that you can live up to and own.

?

Personally, I was delighted to see David again, someone I have admired from a distance ever since I came to Singapore in 2000. After all, he’s covered a lot of distance over those 25 years. It’s been a long time coming but as Guinness said years ago… Good things come to those who wait!

?

#freshstart #reinventingmarketing #careertransitions