Behind the Bob - what's helped my comms career?

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Welcome to Behind the Bob Diary of a Comms

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Director with me, Carrie Ann Wade.

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This podcast is all about developing communications leaders of the

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future and supporting you to grow and thrive in your comms career.

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You'll hear from me about my experiences and insights, and there might even

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be a special guest or two popping up.

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So I hope you enjoy.

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hello and welcome to this first episode of Behind the Bob, my new podcast.

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I am feeling excited and apprehensive at the same time.

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This is the first time that I have launched a podcast where, Any of the

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episodes are going to be me just talking.

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Having said that, there will be special guests through this series of Behind the

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Bob because I'm inviting some amazing communicators to have conversations

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specifically about working in public sector communications and how we encourage

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that as a career choice and encourage more diversity into the profession.

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But this first episode is definitely just me, and as the podcast series is

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all about inspiring and supporting and helping communications professionals

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to grow, thrive, develop and.

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Support them on their journey to being communications leaders.

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I thought it would be helpful to share some of my reflections about what has

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helped and supported me on my journey so far to becoming a director of comms.

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So I've spent 18 years in NHS communications and any listeners who

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follow along on the socials or know me probably are well aware of that by now.

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Prior to joining the NHS I have worked in market research, in sales support

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and project management in a variety of organizations in the private sector.

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And when I was thinking about this episode and sharing some of what's helped me

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so far I started to reflect on the fact that what has helped me to grow as a

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communicator and as a leader hasn't just been about my NHS communications role.

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All of these things have happened and helped me in my roles prior to

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becoming a communicator and have definitely influenced me in terms of

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life outside of my profession as well.

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So without further ado, I will crack on and start to share with you some of

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those reflections on what has helped me.

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So the first thing I wanted to talk about was saying yes to opportunities and

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pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.

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I have done this in both my private sector and my public sector careers, and that has

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been about all sorts of different things.

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It's been about taking on new roles.

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That I've been nervous about.

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It's been saying yes to projects that have stretched me and taken me beyond the remit

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of the role that I've been in at the time.

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And it's been about development opportunities, which I will talk about

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a bit more later on in this episode.

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One example that sticks in my mind was putting myself forward to chair a

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national communications leads network.

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I remember.

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Being that moaning, mini moaning about the fact that the focus always seemed to be on

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acute trusts, so hospital communications and issues, and as someone working in

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community and mental health services, I felt like our issues were being neglected

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somewhat, and that our challenges were actually quite different as communicators.

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So someone at the time said to me, put yourself forward.

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Then in the next election round, if you want to see the change,

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then you have to be the change.

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I was very nervous about doing so, but I did it.

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So I thought I'm gonna have to put my money where my mouth is now.

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And I was lucky enough to spend four years as elected chair of that network.

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And it was quite possibly one of the best experiences that I've had

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in my communications career in the n h s, despite me worrying about

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what colleagues would think of me and if I was good enough to do it.

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It was such an excellent learning opportunity and it really did help me

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to grow my network and to take action on the things that I'm passionate about.

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One of which is definitely professionalizing

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communications within the nhs.

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Also in my life, outside of my NHS role, I have definitely been pushing myself

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outside of my comfort zone, podcasting being one of those areas for sure.

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So running my own business has provided many new opportunities for me.

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I love collaborating and I've said yes to setting up the awesome

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women's retreats with the amazing Jane and Lorna, and to being part.

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For how to take the Lead podcast and collaboration with the Fabulous Lee,

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and all of these experiences, I believe have made me a more well-rounded

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leader and communicator and.

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Enable me to bring different perspectives and different experiences into not

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only my own business, but also my role as a communications director.

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So talking of my own business, I set up Cat's Pajamas because

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I was unhappy in my day job.

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But actually the combination of.

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Changing leadership in my day job at that time and shifting the focus of

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Cat's Pajamas to be about my passion, as I've said, supporting the profession,

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but absolutely supporting communications professionals to grow and thrive, I

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feel has really made me more productive and impactful in both of those

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roles, my day job and in my business.

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Part of being able to do all of those things and say yes more to opportunities

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and to push myself outside of my comfort zone brings me on to my next

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point of reflection about building and nurturing a strong support network.

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So I, having people who not only believe in me, especially at the

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times when my own self-belief has been low, but who will also challenge

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me, has been absolutely crucial.

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I don't mean that you should surround yourself with yes, people who will just

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for want, have a better description.

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Blow smoke up your behind.

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Really consider who the people are that matter to you.

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Whose opinions do you truly value?

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Who will be honest with you this bit?

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So important, and tell you some of the hard truths when you need to hear them.

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And who will cheerlead for you but challenge you in equal measure?

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These are the people that I choose to surround myself with in my network.

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Nurturing that network also means that I have to give back.

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It's not all about them supporting me.

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I have to recognize the value and contribution I can provide

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for those people who are in my network and offer them my support.

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And have to remember sometimes that it won't always be balancedand 50/50.

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Sometimes I'm going to need more help from people and ask for that.

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Sometimes I won't ask for it.

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People will realize because they know me so well that they

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might need to offer that for me.

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But other times, my friends, my colleagues, my network, my peers

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will need a lot more from me because.

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They won't necessarily have the energy or capacity to give that back.

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It shouldn't mean that I don't give them that support, and that's okay.

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It's also okay to recognize when relationships shift and change and

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to let go of them if that feels like the healthy right choice for you.

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My own experience as a people pleaser, and you will have heard me say this before,

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I'm sure either on the other podcasts that I've been part of or in any of the

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leadership sessions or conversations that you may have heard me speak at.

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But I am a self compe.

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First people pleaser, and that can be really challenging at times.

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My own experience of being a people pleaser and of conflict avoidance

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actually means that at times I have continued relationships with people

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in order not to upset them or to make them feel bad or to let them down.

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But actually those relationships for me have become unhealthy.

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So knowing when to step away from those relationships can definitely

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be as important as nurturing and sustaining relationships with

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people who are in your network.

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The next thing I started to reflect on was about development and as I

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mentor communicators and leaders as part of what I do, both in my

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NHS role and through Cat's Pajamas.

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But I thought it was important to reflect on.

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My own views about owning my own development, and I would like to think

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that I've always taken ownership of my own development and progression.

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And that's not to say that I haven't been supported by other people, by employers

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or my managers because I absolutely have been lucky enough to have that

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support at different points in my career.

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And aside, I also think if you don't ask, you don't get.

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That's one of my mottoes.

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So there's definitely an element of asking for development as part of you owning

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your own development in your career.

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But throughout my comms career, I've always been a

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member of a professional body.

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I've changed my professional body once due to my experience of how an issue

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around ethical practice and communications was being handled and how that didn't

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sit particularly comfortably with me.

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And I think that's okay to make those choices.

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But the reason that I have.

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Been a member of a professional body is because I feel it's important for me.

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It opens up again, those opportunities that I talked about

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around development and learning.

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And it will also actually help you to build your network.

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But because I f felt this is important to me, I have always funded this myself.

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So from my first ever comms job right up to now I've always funded my membership

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of a professional body I studied for a degree while I was working full-time.

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And that was part funded by my employer.

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Back to my point about if you don't ask, you don't get but I part funded that too.

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And I have to say it was blooming hard work doing a full-time job.

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And studying for a degree, which I did also manage to achieve in three years.

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I'm not quite sure how I did it.

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Being in an insomniac and not getting a lot of sleep probably helps

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because I perhaps feel like I've got more hours in the day than the

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average person to fill with stuff.

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But yes, doing that degree again was something that I did

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because it felt important to me.

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It was partly about.

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It helping to progress my career.

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I had seen a number of more senior communications roles asking

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for a degree as part of what they wanted in the person spec.

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Although I have views on how important that really is.

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Now.

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In communications as a career, which may come out in an in another episode, but

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it was al also partly to push myself and invest in my own development and learning.

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And if anyone is interested, my degree is in psychology,

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sociology, and media studies.

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And while I don't always go back to it in terms of the academic learning, I do

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feel like it was really good for me in terms of me thinking about how I wanted

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to operate as a communicator in my profession, but also things that I was

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interested in personally in terms of.

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What makes people tick how people's minds work and how society more broadly

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operates and interacts with each other.

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I've digressed, which is not unusual for me, if you've ever listened to

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the How to Take the Lead podcast that I do with the lovely Lee.

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But getting back to the point.

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I've said yes to opportunities to be on new cohorts of training.

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For example when trainers and facilitators have reached out because

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they are setting up sessions where they want to learn what works.

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And to have some Guinea pigs to test on.

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And I always feel like that's a great opportunity because I get the benefit of

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the learning and the knowledge, but I'm also helping them out because they get

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the benefit of seeing how their course or their training is working for delegates.

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I also have a coach and I invest in that coach myself.

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And I have a coach that my work invests in for me.

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And again that's helpful and I feel privileged and lucky that I'm in a

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position both to fund a coach for myself, but also that my work see my

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value and invest in a coach for me.

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I want to improve as a leader.

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I want to be open to diverse thinking and I want to challenge myself.

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So I see investing my time and energy and where needed my money in my development

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as an essential part of my growth.

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I appreciate that I am in a position of privilege where I can afford to do this,

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but even when I couldn't, I found ways.

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I saved up.

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I asked for support, I applied for funding.

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So there are always opportunities out there for you to think about how you might

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support your own professional development.

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And as I've said, I ha I have, and I do mentor other communicators and

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aspiring leaders, and I've been doing that for the last maybe 10 years.

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I do this through my n h s role and I also do this through my business.

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While I share my experiences in this space, in the hope that they

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will help others, I equally learn as much from those that I mentor.

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It helps to shape me as a communications professional and as

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a leader, and I love it because I get genuine joy from supporting.

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Other communicators to achieve their potential.

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So if there are opportunities either for you to mentor or be mentored or

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for you to shadow or be shadowed, then I would definitely suggest that

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you have a think about those and take those up as part of your development.

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One of the things that I was reflecting on in preparation for this episode

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was what it's been like to work with leaders who value communications.

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And this is a tough one, I think, because it can definitely feel like the luck

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of the draw sometimes in this space.

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Partly, I think because so many people see themselves as expert

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communicators and perhaps don't understand what we do in our profession.

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I could probably do a whole episode on this topic.

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But for now I will just leave that bit in terms of saying, I believe that

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we as communicators have a huge role to play in demonstrating the value

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of our profession through evaluation, presenting impact, celebrating successes.

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There are lots of ways that we can do that.

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And as much as it grates on me when communications is undervalued I

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think it's up to us to take action to change this rather than spend

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all our time moaning about it.

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So I won't spend any more time moaning about it, and I will consider

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whether or not an episode focused on how we demonstrate the value of

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communications might be one that goes into this series of behind the Bob.

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But I will get back to my point now.

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When I have worked with chief executives and other senior leaders

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who truly understand the strategic contribution that communications

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makes to a business or organization, it has made such a difference.

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Instead of battling for a place at the table, I've been asked proactively for

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my advice, my views, my professional opinion, and I have been part

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of decision making as a leader.

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This hasn't always happened for me, don't get me wrong.

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I have had those battles about.

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Not just being the team that does the newsletter, screensaver,

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insert any other comes output here.

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But when I have worked with chief executives who truly get it has

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been amazing because it's freed me up to have genuine impact and

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do my job rather than spending my time justifying why I'm even here.

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Again, we are not always going to be in a position where we can choose

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who we work for or who we work with.

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But now at my stage in my communications career, it has become an important part

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of my decision making about what next for me and what's important for me.

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And linked to that is the final point and reflection that I wanted

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to make about what supported me on my journey so far in my career.

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And that is around clarity on my values and what I stand for.

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So that's probably linked not only to what I've just talked about, but most of

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the areas in this episode, gaining that clarity over what matters most to me,

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what I stand for and my values has been incredibly helpful in my career, in my

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decision making and in my effectiveness as a communications director.

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It actually does take some effort to get there.

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Is what I've experienced.

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It has required me to reflect, to ask myself sometimes some challenging

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questions and get into a head space that makes it okay to take the time to

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consider this type of stuff, what my values are, what I'm about as a person,

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as well as who I am in my profession.

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And I feel like it can feel a bit.

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I dunno, you can make you feel a bit guilty taking time

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to reflect on those things.

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But as a leader, I think that's really important.

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Gaining this clarity has helped me in so many ways.

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It's shifted me into a space when I've worked with poor

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leaders, for example, from.

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Being someone who wants to keep my head down, which I now realize on

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reflection has made me complicit in some of those bad leadership

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behaviors that have been demonstrated.

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But it's shifted me to be a communications leader who will question

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things that don't sit right with me.

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Being clear on my values and what I believe in, and to give you some

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examples, integrity, collaboration, learning, being just a few of those

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things has really helped me with decision making, with recruitment with.

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Performance management with supporting others to develop with dealing

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dif with difficult conversations.

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The list goes on and on.

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Doing all of these things from a place where I feel confident

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in who I am and what I stand for has been a game changer for me.

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It has really helped me to step into my role as a leader, not just

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in my function, but more broadly and to feel like I'm an equal.

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So I would definitely recommend that you spend some time if you

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haven't already, considering what your values are, how you show up.

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In light of what those values are and what you stand for because I definitely

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think taking that time will really help you with your decision making

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and your thinking going forward.

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So I hope that some of my insights and reflections have sparked something

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for you, and I would encourage you to spend some time thinking about what's

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got you to where you are today as well.

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Of course, as thinking about what your aspirations are for the future.

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I would love to hear from you, so drop me a line or join in the conversations

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over on the socials and that just leaves me for this first episode to

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say, take care and catch up soon.

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Carrie-Ann Wade: 00:18:49

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