Expert Marketing Blog - Culture - Page 5

As a person who has employed hundreds of people in my career, I am always amazed at how some people stand out from the crowd, while other's don't.

In today's work environment where work, life balance seems to take precedence, and the millennials and gen-y are looking for more than their predecessors who were mainly happy to be gainfully employed and on a career path that funded their lifestyle - it appears that fewer employees are seeking to be outstanding. They are looking for more than just to be an outstanding employee, but rather a career that is fulfilling, balanced and with the right perks to help them get the outcomes financially they are looking for in their lifetime.

Now, this is not a bad thing. As you get older, you realise that you only live once. This new way of thinking and the younger generation putting life first and career second, can only benefit generations to come.

Where the real problem lies in the blurred line between how to advance your career or how best to maintain your status quo in the workplace.

Landed in Atlanta, and within minutes and I am getting the run-down on what's going on in the office. Clients are happy, new brands are being launched, marketing campaigns executed, clients acquired in January have been on-boarded, moved to a new office within our building because of our continued fast growth and a new employee has started.

It's no secret that our Atlanta team is the highest performing marketing team I have ever worked with. As a team, they are game-changers. They see things that other's don't and communicate creatively and insightfully our clients brands in a way that resonates with their target market.

Winning is part of the culture. Each member doesn't know how to lose. They push each other to perform at a level that blows my mind and are forward thinkers. I never have to ask if something has been done - because it was finished yesterday.

Common sense is not so common. The older I get the more I realise the truth to this statement.

Lately, I am getting more and more frustrated about the lack of common sense amongst the young, and today I realised that perhaps I am being a tad unfair. Gen-Y are not apt at using common sense particularly when it comes to business. I find myself constantly pulling my hair out when I hear and see things that they do, because I just don't get it. I don't understand how something so basic can be forgotten, not thought about or completely ignored. 

But am I being unfair. Often its things that they have been trained on, and they just constantly forget a process or sometimes its just when a client or supplier asks a question that has an obvious answer (at least to me) and they just don't get it.

Ignoring my #24yrold and #24yroldblackguy (the latter is his own hash tag - not mine!), I find myself constantly getting irritated at the lack of common sense in the typical Gen-Y. They are the exception and I have never found myself to be having "the conversation" with them.

#24yrold says "you are born with it".

With lots of thought given to this problem as it seems to be the only issue I face in the office these days, I realise that perhaps its actually mine. In general, I have had 10 years to hone my skills to ensure that I think before I act, and based on experience, minimize errors. I cross all my "T's" and dot all of my "i's" - if you know what I mean.

The question is, what is common sense? To me it is not another kind of knowledge, nor is it a simple cognitive process or ability. My common sense tells me that is as complex as the factors inherent in a situation to which it may be applied.

Marketing maven, Tegan Addinsall, a senior marketing manager at Marketing Eye Melbourne came bursting through the front door of the office this morning with the grandest smile on her face. It was 7.30am in the morning, and although I was at work, I didn't even have my makeup on and certainly hadn't finished my first cup of coffee.

"I love my job!" expressed Tegan. She definitely does. Every day she comes to work with the biggest smile on her face. She is incredibly smart, and knows her "stuff" better than most. Sometimes annoyingly, she smiles and laughs so much that I want to hit her over the head with a book, so she can come down to my level (not really!).

Marketing Eye Atlanta is looking for a new hire as a Marketing Executive; someone who has a few years experience, but not too much that they are stuck in their ways. We are seeking a person who fits our fun, innovative and clever culture, while still being academic and tactical enough to produce work of the highest level.

It's a tough gig to work at Marketing Eye Atlanta right now as our culture is so good - that no-one is prepared to have a new marketing recruit that doesn't fit to perfection. We are "googling" our way to fast growth by focusing on culture first and qualifications second, but at the end of the day, it is critical  that a person who works with us has some common sense and understands most facets of marketing - the rest we teach.

In Atlanta, there are not many marketing positions on offer - and certainly none that offers the same opportunities as Marketing Eye unless you are working for a big global corporation. The reality is that there many highly qualified marketers from an academic perspective looking for positions, but most don't have any experience other than in sales or customer service. They simply have not been given the opportunity. 

As we go through the hundreds of resumes, it is apparent that there are either people who have Degrees and some with Masters in Marketing Degrees, or the alternative; people who have been VP's of Marketing in organizations such as Coca Cola and other Fortune 500 companies.