Share: Nadine McHugh at the Leadership Breakfast Series by Amy Lam and Sue McCauley

Our second exclusive Leadership Breakfast Series featured Nadine McHugh, Managing Director, MindShare, as the guest speaker at Yahoo! on October 15th. Interviewed by Terry Yoffe, Personal & Professional Development Coach and chair of the AWNY Mentoring committee, Nadine talked about key themes in mentoring, leadership and work/life balance. She is proud to be part of the AWNY Mentoring program, as it gives her an opportunity to give back to the community and to reflect on her roots.

She started in the advertising industry with the dream of being a copywriter. Her initial plan was to land a job in account management and transition into copy writing, but she ended up in the world of media planning. She attributes her career success to her family upbringing and motto: "I never thought I couldn't do anything" and advises women to tune into their natural skills to be successful by "listening to your gut." She also noted that people should not be hung up at having a precise career path because choices are now changing faster than ever and may result in a "zig-zag" route.

Throughout her career, her leadership success came from observing other people and deciding which behaviors she wanted to own (and not to own). She has very fond memories of one of her mentors, her first boss. He had a special way of connecting with people. He:

• Knew how to rally the group
• Had an attitude that was not above anyone
• Taught others to not be afraid to use common sense
• Had a great sense of humor
• Did little things that meant so much (i.e. bring people flowers spontaneously) - Knew when people had enough
• Was passionate about his work
• Had perspective on life
• Knew how to get from point A to B quickly
• Was a great storyteller
• Took risks

One of the most important lessons she learned was to maintain a level of integrity and focus. "As you move up, you need to be aware of what you put out there for people below." Nadine warned about those who "drink their own kool-aid" when they get to a certain level. "It is so important to be able to see yourself in the mirror." She continues to find pockets of inspiration and be a good role model to her children.

During the Q&As portion of the breakfast, Nadine addressed several different topics:

1. Work/Life Balance
   - She does not work towards balancing her life. "I strive to be and do the best that I can. Be true to yourself and who you are."
   - Understand what feeds your soul
   - Take pause to figure out what you want to do
   - Explore and ask constantly
   - Be good to yourself
   - Exercise
   - Eat better
   - Do what's right for you
   
2. Motivation
   - Keep looking for pockets of inspiration
   - You just have to pull yourself up; rise to the occasion
   - Be innovative, be resourceful
   - Talk about it--have conversations and reassess the situation
   - Don't beat yourself up for 6 months when you start a new job - get your feet on the ground and get comfortable
   - You learn from failures in life
   - When you freak out, you paralyze yourself
   - Listen to intuition aka: your "gut"
   - Give yourself credit and be kinder to yourself
   - As women, it is natural for us to reflect inward; whereas men forge forward
   
3. Mentoring
   - Be open to learning
   - Don't be afraid to be creative
   - Follow your intuition: Use & Trust; Go with your gut!
   - Keep charging
   - You can be anything you want to be, as long as you are happy
   - Believe you can do it
   - Allow ourselves to use your natural gifts
   - Discover formal and informal mentors in life and decide which behaviors you want to emulate and others that you just observe
   - Take risks, be bold & think outside the box
   - Be mindful of your behavior
   - Be creative
   - Maintain level of integrity
   
4. Inspirational Life Mantras
   - Grass isn't always greener
   - Strive to do the best you can everyday
   - Be true to yourself
   - Define your own parameters
   - Embody a desire to learn
   - Have a path/idea of where you want to go
   - Sit & figure out what makes you special - what are you bringing to the table? What's your brand? Who am I? What do I want to be? What feeds your soul?
   - Take pause to figure out what you want to do
   - Ask questions & explore
   - Stay focused on who you want to be and be proud of who you are

On Nadine's reading list is Cathie Black's (President of Hearst Magazines) 2007 book: "Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life)."

Leadership Breakfast Series: Nadine McHugh

Our second Leadership Breakfast Series will feature Nadine McHugh, Managing Director, MindShare. Currently an AWNY member and a mentor, she will talk to us about her leadership philosophy and experience as it relates to mentoring:

Veteran strategic planner and manager, Nadine McHugh has spent the majority of her career at WPP companies; first at Ogilvy & Mather, and later at Mindshare, which she joined when the company’s U.S. operation was established in late 2000. Nadine is committed to training and raising the bar on communication planning. She is the Director of the M Academy, GroupM’s U.S. training program. As part of that commitment, she has created and directed several of Mindshare’s North American media workshops.

EVENT DETAILS:

• When: Thursday, October 15, 2009 from 7:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
  Breakfast served at 7:45 am, program starts promptly at 8:00 a.m.

• Location: Yahoo, Inc.
  1065 Avenue of the Americas, 12th floor (entrance is on West 40th Street)Times Square Conference Room

• RSVP: These exclusive events are complimentary, but by invitation only to all 2009 AWNY mentoring program participants. Due to strict security and space limitations, no walk-ins will be allowed. Please RSVP by replying to your email invitation or contacting Lynn at the AWNY office at 212-221-7969 by Tuesday, October 13th.

What are you interested to learn at this event? What questions would you want to ask Nadine McHugh? Post your thoughts now!

Special thanks to Yahoo, Inc.

Share: Fran Hauser answers more questions!

Fran Hauser graciously volunteered to answer a few questions after speaking at the Leadership Breakfast Series in June. The following are Fran's answers to two questions posted by our blog readers.

Q. As a woman with an impressive job who has climbed the career ladder to a spot that many of us aspire to reach someday, what do you see as your next steps? What are the next set of goals you'd like to achieve, either for yourself personally and/or your career?

A. I would like to run my own business one day. I think that would be an incredible next step in my career (although, I don't think I am quite there yet). I am still enjoying my current role too much. On the personal side of things, I would love to start a family.

Q. While managing 150 people at age 27 at Coca Cola, you obviously grasped some key principles of management at a young age. What are key pieces of advice for: 1) first-time managers and 2) young managers whosupervise older colleagues?

A. Key pieces of advice for first-time managers: learning how to delegate doesn't mean totally letting go (you still need to stay close enough to the situation to be aware of when you need to get involved). Remember that different people are motivated by different things (someby money, some by public recognition, some by being given exposure to senior management, etc..) so you need to adapt your style. Always take a step backand and revisit what success looks like for the business and/or for a specific project. Be specific with what your expectations are (especially with junior staff) sometimes to the point of working with them to sketch out a template of what the final product/presentation should look like.

Key pieces of advice for young managers who supervise older colleagues: identify what the older colleagues' strengths are that complement your "gaps" and let them know that you are really going to be relying on them for that. Do a lot of listening (make it clear that you respect their experience and their opinions) and earn their respect by delivering results.

Special thanks to Fran Hauser & Cheryl Darmanin.

Share: Fran Hauser at the Leadership Breakfast Series by Christa Babcock

Fran Hauser, President of Digital for the Time Inc. Style and Entertainment Group,was interviewed by Cheryl Darmanin, Sr. Director of Account Management at Yahoo, at Yahoo as the first speaker for an exclusive Mentors/Mentees breakfast meeting series at Yahoo on June 9th. Fran oversees all business, sales, product development and production functions for the digital products of the PEOPLE Brand, Entertainment Weekly, In Style and Essence. She joined PEOPLE Digital as General Manager in February 2006. She shared incredible insights into the life of a leader, and how one can grow into a leadership role, and answered questions from the floor. Below are questions and answers from the event. If you didn’t make it to the event and have questions for Fran, please blog them here. Fran has graciously volunteered to answer a few questions and the mentoring committee will make selections by Monday, June 22nd.

Q: I think a lot of people have parents that guide them into or away from certain careers. Tell me a little bit about your childhood, growing up and how that impacted your career today?

A: Growing up, I got great guidance right at home. My parents were actually both new to this country from Italy. They didn’t speak a word of English, so there I was as a child, making the phone calls if something needed to be fixed in the house, and helping to take on that more adult role. As for the career I chose, I remember in college that they were fine with me studying business and pursuing finance. They didn’t think it was a bad thing, at all. However, I also saw both of my parents work incredibly hard and despite the language barrier, I saw them succeed. Just watching them do that gave me huge motivation to succeed, as well.

Q: What do you look for in a leader – whether you are hiring externally or promoting from within? Why is that important to you?

A: At Time, all of the leaders have one characteristic in common; they exude a quiet confidence. As leaders, we ask ‘am I projecting confidence as a leader even during a tough time?’ Quiet confidence, not aggressive confidence. Watch people during difficult situations.

Q: How do you manage work/life balance?

A: Scheduling. I schedule time for philanthropy and for time for my family. Every Sunday to this day, I see my family. We spend time together. At first you say, ‘Oh. I’m going to get back on Monday and have 200 e-mails, so let me just get some of that done now.’ But then you realize that you get sucked into that and that it is, in fact, okay to wait until Monday. By scheduling that time, you can make sure that you fulfill your work life balance. It is important not to get sucked into the weeds.

Q: You are a board member of the Women’s Leadership Foundation. Tell me about that organization and why is it important to you?

A: The goal of The Women’s Leadership Foundation, which works primarily in New Jersey and New York City is to help girls in Urban areas, who wouldn’t otherwise be able to, get into college. We provide Financial Aid and Scholarships. When the Executive Director first met with me, she said it was important to make sure I was only on one Board and that this was it and I liked that. The girls who participate in this program would never have a chance to go to college. It makes me cry to think about it and it is amazing to see what they accomplish.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Thinking about building products that excite and delight in what consumers want!

Leadership Breakfast Series: Fran Hauser

The AWNY Mentoring Program is introducing the Leadership Breakfast Series! These new exclusive events will feature a distinguished guest who will come in to talk about their leadership philosophy and experience. The one hour sessions are a great opportunity to receive career advice from a professional, as well as to interact with others in the AWNY mentoring program.

Our first event will feature Fran Hauser:


Fran Hauser serves as President of Digital for the Time Inc. Style and Entertainment Group, overseeing all business, sales, product development and production functions for the digital products of the PEOPLE Brand, Entertainment Weekly, In Style and Essence. She joined PEOPLE Digital as General Manager in February 2006.

EVENT DETAILS:

• When: Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 from 7:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
  Breakfast served at 7:45 am, program starts promptly at 8:00 a.m.



• Location: Yahoo, Inc.
  1065 Avenue of the Americas, 12th floor (entrance is on West 40th Street)
  Times Square Conference Room



• RSVP: These exclusive events are complimentary, but by invitation only to all 2009 AWNY mentoring program participants. Due to strict security and space limitations, no walk-ins will be allowed. Please RSVP by replying to your email invitation or contacting Lynn at the AWNY office at 212-221-7969.
  

What are you interested to learn at this event? What questions would you want to ask Fran Hauser? Post your thoughts now and we will feature your comments with answers in a follow-up blog entry!

Special thanks to Yahoo, Inc.