The best 5 things I learned from my ex-bosses

If I remember anything from the previous organisations that I've worked for,  it would be the amazing advice "collected" from the best leaders I met along the way. And I would be truly selfish to not share these words of wisdom because they made an impact on my life and career - for the better. 

“Yes” gets you farther than “No” - by CB

It’s true. According to CB, a high ranking FMCG professional, saying yes opens you up to more opportunities. He said, “The guys who say yes, the guys who are willing to do more are the ones that go far in their career. A yes can really open doors for you”. In a world where ‘Tai Chi’ is a diversion skill used to escape responsibility, accountability and extra work, being the person that says yes not only brands you as a team player but also as an employee who adds value to the business. It can mean more work, but it also means more learning opportunities. I still remember working on a project involving a big customer where PR support was needed. There was absolutely not enough lead time to hire a PR agency and the show still had to go on. So I did everything from strategic counsel and ideation to implementation and evaluations. The result? The project was so successful that the same customer came back asking for an exclusive partnership stating that they really appreciated what a great partner we were.

Go big or go home - by SS

SS was an inspirational leader to have. Have you ever had a boss so charismatic and wise that you wish you could be like him? SS is one of them and I was lucky to have had the opportunity to work with him. SS said to me that you should always be unique and the best in what you do. So, it’s good think out of the box (I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times) and focus on few initiatives that gives the business the biggest impact. It’s all about aligning your resources to support the idea or effort that will bring the most benefit. SS taught me that doing a lot doesn’t necessarily mean doing well. Think of few powerful punches rather than many insignificant small pinches. This is especially important for projects with minimal budgets.

Be aware of how others view you - by EK

Have you ever exploded at a colleague, not delivered a project or complained about everything every time? My ex-boss, EK, taught me that the biggest mistake we can make at work is to put our emotions before our professionalism. I really do admire how EK does it. When not in the right frame of mind, she would take a pause before sending out an e-mail or even responding face-to-face. Do know that our reputation depends not only on our quality of work but also our quality of interactions with colleagues, bosses, clients, agencies and more. I still remember hearing a conversation about whether an ex-colleague of mine was “fit” to be a leader despite the years this person has poured into the company. And they were not talking about aptitude but attitude. And attitude is not just limited to behaving well, but behaving like you are truly part of the family. Align yourself to the company values and live them. At Mondelēz International, the 7 values really help guide employees in their “hows”: Inspire trust, Keep it simple, Be open and inclusive, Act like owner, Lead from the head and heart, Tell it like it is and Discuss. Decide. Deliver. What are your company values? Can you identify your own values in them?

Be positive - by RZRS

The last thing you want do is to bring the team’s energy down. Being positive is important as it shows how optimistic you are. My ex-boss, RZRS, once told me that it is essential to showcase that you have tried. Instead of saying things like “oh, I don’t think we should do that because it sounds too difficult” or “it’s never been done before, so it won’t work”, give your team or boss the options and paint to them how different the achievements or results can be depending on different methods. It’s also worth looking at previous efforts to see what the challenges were and how you can improve it moving forward. You can say things like “That didn’t work previously because…perhaps this way we can make it happen”. Don’t sound like a quitter from the start unless you can prove why certain things are not worth exploring at all.

Never leave badly - KC

It's true. No matter what reasons you had for wanting to leave, never leave badly. The industry is too small to make a fool of yourself. No drama is worth being talked about. I remember being a young executive at an agency where towards my last day, I still had a million of newspaper clippings to finish. Looking at that mountain of paper, I could've easily taken off without finishing them. But that would mean that I was leaving badly. So what did I do? I finished every single clipping and even ensured it came with a good analysis. Looking back, those late nights were totally worth it. I still remember KC's words to never leave badly because the world is small. I’m glad I took her advice and practiced it every time I left an organization. Until today, I am still in contact with my previous bosses and every time I get a new job offer or need career advice, I will always talk to them. Leaving an organization on a positive note is not only about protecting your brand but also about carrying forward the friendships you’ve developed which can help you in your next capacity. Having these sort of alignments with highly experienced people can really help you in making tough decisions.

So those are my 5. What are the best things that you picked up along your journey? Do share!

Melati

Photo from: http://www.scarletstarstudios.com/blog/archives/2006/03/mhcc_calligraph_18.html

PR TIPS: How to get spokesperson quotes before editorial deadlines?

Photo from APhotoEditor

You get a call from a reporter friend asking for a comment from your spokesperson. You are delighted with the free publicity but here’s the challenge: The quote needs to be supplied by tomorrow morning. You glance at the MD’s room; it’s dark. You IM the secretary for his schedule and he is booked till next year. Now, how do you do it? How do you get a good quote without ruffling a few feathers and letting your reporter friend down?

OPTION 1: Start a quote library! Always record what your spokesperson says during town hall sessions or during office parties. Type them down and book his time to get approval. You can also use that session to ask some questions that potentially might be asked by the press. Get his reactions and get it approved. You should also record all past Q&As with the press in your library. The use of the quote library is not to release quotes without the knowledge of your spokesperson but to speed up the process. With a “ready” quote, you will leave more time for your spokesperson to go through and approve it. In your e-mail, you might want to indicate that the comment had previously been approved by him. All you need is to show the context in what the quote will be used and get the approval to release it. I’ve done something similar and the quote was approved in 1 hour!

OPTION 2: Be the journalist! Sometimes, you really need to do it. And I don’t believe in letting my media friends down. I had an experience where I was given less than 1 day to get a quote for a story in the newspaper. I quickly booked a 10-minute appointment with the secretary, grabbed my Samsung Galaxy Note II and asked for a quick interview. I briefed the spokesperson on the context and the question and that I needed his quote. He immediately shared his views while I recorded it on my phone. Before I left, I asked if I could e-mail the answers as per his words or if he preferred to see it again. He said that it doesn’t need another approval but the condition was that I used his exact words. Done!

OPTION 3: Dramatise your subject headline! Spokespersons are often very busy people who will need to prioritise their work. What is a priority to you might not be a priority to others. And I learned that the hard way when I first started. If meeting the spokesperson in person is not an option, you’ll need to make your e-mail sound as urgent as possible. Try “URGENT: Your comment for X newspaper needed by 2pm today”. Follow-up with a phone call to see if he has received your note. If you have a close relationship with his PA, ask for a favour that the spokesperson is reminded of the quote. In your communication, always state what the benefits are such as “reach 2.1million viewers” or “Coverage in the No.1 paper tomorrow” and always state what the consequences are if the quote is not delivered. For example, “It would be good to have your quote there as our competitors will also be featured”.

But at the same time, every time you receive a request for a comment, be as realistic as possible with the journalist. If he/she can give you more time, you can use that as a buffer in case your internal deadlines are not met. The last thing you want to do is to disappoint the media. It’s always about managing and meeting expectations of both parties – spokesperson and journalist.

What are your own challenges when getting quotes and how do you overcome them?

PR: Cadbury Dairy Milk Happiness Taxi

The thing about PR is that, you can't bulldoze your way to get coverage.

PR = earned media. Advertising is = paid media.

Anything that you don't pay for, isn't easy to get. And you have to have a good reason to get free coverage. I respect that.

Having been a journalist myself, I truly understand how it feels to receive a press release which is all about the brand and of no service to the reader. So when I embarked on a career of brand PR, I vowed to never do the things I observed as "not editorial enough".

The key to getting coverage is to offer a good story. A good story that would excite readers, worth announcing and worth a journalist's time. And never send a press release without pictures - unless you're from a bank. Even so, you still might want to include a photo of a spokesperson or a picture of your bank facade, whatever is relevant.

Anyway, when I realised that World Happiness Day (WHD) was coming up (March 11th), I thought, let's hijack that and do something that fits the brand proposition of Cadbury Dairy Milk! Cadbury Dairy Milk is all about sharing the happiness and multiplying joy and WHD was a perfect fit. Then I came up with an idea of a roving Cadbury Dairy Milk vehicle that would randomly pick people up and send them to their next destination. A journey that's so happy and magical that everyone would talk about it on print and social media.

I proposed the idea to the marketing team and they said YES. We were 1 week away from WHD and work started. We rented a Hummer, dressed it up in purple and fit the car with automatic bubble makers. It was a beautiful sight.

On WHD, the Cadbury Dairy Milk Happiness Taxi created a lot of buzz in the bustling Kuala Lumpur, driving consumers to our Cadbury Facebook. Thousands of chocolates were given away as a sampling activity and our magician delighted the crowd with cool tricks.

I managed to convince some really helpful celebrities to participate in our tactical campaign. They were Ben Ibrahim and Marsha Milan. Ben Ibrahim used the taxi as a treat for his wife Sofia who was due to give birth to their first child (she delivered their baby, Kyla Natasha, the next day!). Marsha surprised her fans with a magic show and free chocolate treats. It was also her way of saying thanks to her loyal fans. The story was published in major dailies and by different desks from news to entertainment.

It was a great consumer engagement activity and we achieved 7 million eyeballs. Social media was abuzz with sightings of the purple taxi!

Most importantly, Cadbury Dairy Milk multiplied the joy and shared the happiness!
Watch the video here.

Melati

COVER: Neelofa for Cosmopolitan Malaysia (June 2012)

How do you make denim look glamorous?

For the spring summer issue of Cosmopolitan Malaysia in June 2012, Eena Houzyama, Editor of the magazine, wanted something different – the cover girl in jeans. So we thought, how do we have a casual look but still retain the glamorous characteristics of a Cosmo girl? Well, a sparkly top of course! Because the denim had a very minimalist look about it, I picked a top with oversized sequins to balance the ensemble.

We kept the look natural and soft for a summer issue. Cindy Hor, top Malaysian makeup artiste did her magic giving Neelofa a dewy yet sexy look. It wasn’t hard to style and direct the shoot of Malaysian celebrity Neelofa. She had natural beauty and not to mention, very photogenic. Cindy applied some Benefit Bathina body glow cream to get that delicate shine on her shoulders and collar bone.

Photography was by Kimmun of Threesixty. During the shoot, we playfully said to Neelofa how she reminded us of Miranda Kerr (Victoria Secret supermodel and wife to Orlando Bloom). She beamed with joy. Thanks to Neelofa’s professionalism, we ended the shoot early and were able to have a proper non-fashion shoot type of lunch! (which is usually the case – instant noodles and ice tea!)

Melati

COVER: Shiela Majid for The Malaysian Women's Weekly (October 2010)

One of the briefs that I got from Elaine Kwong, Editor of The Malaysian Women’s Weekly, was to shoot the cover girl with her hair up in a ponytail. Our challenge was to produce a picture that was stunning and one that can “balance” the page in terms of the “head” space. Too sleek a hairstyle might result in a very empty looking upper half of the magazine. So we played with air blows to create volume and movement at the same time. Top photographer, Kimmun of Threesixty, played around with different angles and this was the chosen shot. Makeup artiste Cindy Hor did an amazing job with the look, choosing to work with neutral tones.

To balance a “simplistic” or minimalist do on the makeup and hair, I decided to give Malaysia’s Queen of Jazz, Shiela Majid, a textured dress. It fit her beautifully. Shiela was a pleasure to shoot as she certainly knew her angles and worked well with Kimmun.

This is Shiela’s second cover for The Malaysian Womens’ Weekly. Sheila first graced the MWW cover 10 years ago – amazing beauty until today! The editorial team chose to have Shiela on the October 2010 cover to celebrate their 10^th year anniversary.

Melati

COVER: Amber Chia for The Malaysian Women's Weekly (February 2008)

Amber Chia is one of Malaysia's top models. We needed an Asian model to grace the cover especially for the Chinese New Year February issue. So Amber was a perfect choice and was lovely to shoot. I dressed her in a satin Karen Millen dress and jewellery from Boucheron. We decided on natural makeup and hair to balance the opulence of the dress. This cover shot was done by Kimmun of Threesixty who is one of Malaysia's top commercial and fashion photographers. He is one of those photographers who can capture that "magical" moment in a shoot. Hair and makeup was done by Cindy Hor, also the country's top artistes, trained and certified by a London based institute. I had fun styling and directing the shoot. The result was stunning!

Melati