You’re not expected to have all the answers

Whether someone recently entered the advertising industry or they’re a seasoned professional with more than 30 years of experience, the field is constantly evolving. In this series, Mythic asks team members to share industry and career advice based on what they’ve learned, regardless of how many years they’ve been at it. After all, here at Mythic, “Be More” is the ethos we work and live by, so naturally, our team members are eager to share what they’ve learned from the moments that have helped shape the trajectory of their careers in hopes that others can reap the benefits.

Even with more than 15 years of experience in the advertising industry, for Rachel Cobb, Mythic’s EVP of Strategy and Planning, getting to learn something new every single day remains the primary reason she loves the business. For Rachel, surrounding herself with wildly smart, passionate people who push her to continue learning keeps her inspired and motivated. As such, it may come as no surprise that many of the most valuable lessons she’s learned throughout her career are people-centered.?

The following interview is a window into Rachel’s career and the lessons she’s learned along the way:?

If you could go back in time, what is the one piece of advice you would give your younger self about how you approach your career?

"Starting out, we treat inexperience like it's this taboo thing. I felt such a heightened sense of obligation to show up and be able to add value immediately when there was so much I didn't know. So, I would go back and tell myself that you're not expected to have all the “right” answers, and that applies even later in your career. What I find now is that a fresh perspective is so valuable when you're thinking about a challenge, whether that's a career or an advertising challenge. I would encourage myself to ask more questions and stay open to learning. That has been such a key to success. I would also give myself permission and encourage people just starting their careers to embrace the fact that no one has all the right answers at any given moment. Everyone is just showing up and making the best decisions they can with the information they have on hand."

As you think about the challenges and opportunities you face in your career today, what would you tell your future self as you navigate those?

"As the decisions I get to be a part of at any given time increase or become more complex, the pressure feels higher. I think I would tell my future self to remember that it's all about people. Most of the challenges and opportunities we face come down to relationships. It's rarely about an advertising challenge when it comes down to conflict. We are pretty good at solving those. I find that I can get through the toughest challenges if I'm willing to have hard conversations with people I trust, and that takes building trust over time. Similarly, I find that opportunities typically come up when you can be trusted to get it done and to do your best, and, maybe, more importantly, you've shown the ability to help others do their best. One of the themes that you'll probably hear from me, no matter what target audience you're talking to or about, it all comes down to people and what motivates them. What are their barriers or fears, and how do we set ourselves up for mutual success?”

How long did it take you to realize that so many of the challenges you would face in this industry would come down to interpersonal communication and relationship building?

“I discovered early on that I had the greatest success when I was building team consensus or helping others come alongside a journey. So that became a pretty integral part of my process, whether it was around strategy, internal communications or client relationships. I've definitely tripped a few times along the way, trying to solve a marketing challenge or a strategy framework challenge. When I step back to figure out what's going on or why there's a disconnect, it rarely comes down to the thing that we are trying to solve. It always came down to having miscommunication, not anticipating input or building enough trust along the way to allow us to have the hard conversations and get to a mutually-agreeable solution.”

What’s the most valuable advice you’ve ever received and why??

Kick the expectation of perfection to the curb

"So some of the best advice I ever got as a young and very idealistic planner was absolutely heartbreaking. I had a great mentor who sat me down and said, 'Rach, there are no perfect clients; there are no perfect agencies.’ None of it's going to be great all the time. In any job, there going to be not great days, there are going to be hurt egos, hurt feelings — all of those things. So at the end of the day, it's going to be pretty important that you find a place and a team that you can not only respect, but who you can trust and enjoy when you're in the trenches. It was such a gift to get that perspective. At the end of the day, if you're not working alongside people you enjoy, it's going to make for really, really long work days, and I'm very lucky to be a part of this culture where even on the worst days, I'm excited to show up alongside this team to do the work that we get to do. I'm also highly aware that I'm lucky we have more great days than bad ones to balance it all out."

Ask all the questions

"It is such a cliche, but I had a colleague on the account side who would use, 'There's no such thing as a dumb question' over and over again. She would kick people out of the meetings if someone said, 'May I ask a dumb question?' because there aren't any. It became so freeing to recognize that every single question would add some sort of value. It's either going to help somebody sharpen their perspective, their opinion, or the way they articulate an answer, or it's going to force the room to reconsider and rethink what they thought they knew. One of the things I hope to pay forward is the idea that so much of our value in any room we're in as strategic partners, as brand stewards, etc., is that thoughtful questions can change the trajectory of a strategic approach, a campaign direction, or a business strategy and approach. So that early nudge of, 'There's no such thing as a dumb question,' has been game-changing for me."

Take those vacation days

"This was an important lesson early in my career because you feel like you have to show up and work so hard to earn your place. Taking your vacation days is a means of reminding us that we're going to be better people, partners, and performers when we're refreshed, relaxed and taking care of ourselves. So you need to adopt the mindset of taking those days, taking the time to do whatever recharges you, whether that's travel or just chilling out and reading a book. I find in today's context of work-life blend, it's as critical as ever. It is so hard to turn it off even when we're supposed to be in our leisure time of the day. So, that ability to take a minute, take a deep breath and try to shut it down brings me back in such a refreshing way."

In a world where attention spans are limited, we're glad you stuck with it and made it to the end of this article because we certainly think it was worth the read. If you’re interested in learning more about Mythic’s culture or exploring career opportunities, please visit our website and drop us a line if you have any questions.