Celebrate quiet strength, not loud achievement
If we want to evolve the industry and make it more inclusive, we need to change the narrative. Caroline Catterall, founder and CEO of Keep Left, explains.
I’m coming into the Campaign Brief brouhaha late and there’s a good reason for it.
I didn’t spend the back end of last week (or the weekend) hustling on LinkedIn. I spent it working with my team, driving kids to swimming lessons and hosting an 11-year-old birthday party at Bounce.
Unremarkable? Maybe. But it highlights the reality for so many working women. We’re making choices – balancing our careers with family and life’s demands.
Maybe that’s why fewer of us are on the Campaign Brief list or similar lists? Because while some are busy networking, a lot of women are busy living. Priorities might look different, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less committed or capable.
In my 25 years in business, I’ve observed a thing or two that highlights the subtle yet persistent barriers women face, as well as how our priorities differ.
Mates looking after mates
Even if it’s not malicious, there’s an exclusive inner circle where deals get done over beers, mates help mates get promotions, or a seat at the table, perpetuating the idea that men are the natural leaders in the industry.
This behaviour can keep women on the sidelines, and it means we face more obstacles. We have to work overtime to get opportunities and prove our worth. Some of us are mothers. Some of us aren’t. But almost all of us have mastered the art of juggling our professional ambition with the soft bigotry of lower expectations that exists.
And that shapes us differently. It has sharpened our instincts. It’s made us more inclusive, empathetic, and dynamic in how we lead but also resilient and determined to cut through. In place of a big swinging dick, we developed a big steel backbone.
We need to celebrate quiet strength
I’d love to see an industry list that celebrates the quiet achievers, the hard workers, the multi-taskers, the kind, empathetic people who make working in a creative environment a joy and possess the ability to lead with both heart and mind. If we want to evolve the industry and make it more inclusive, we need to change the narrative.
Men’s and women’s priorities look and play out differently, both at work and at home. This shouldn’t define our “success,” but it does because the qualities we bring to the table aren’t as widely celebrated, leaving men to get the attention and the applause.
We need to tip the balance unapologetically
Let’s be real – there’s a playbook that women in advertising and creative industries can steal from the boys if we want to level the playing field. Network more. Schedule more lunches. Give each other a leg up more often. And we need to be patted on the back for doing so, like our male counterparts do because it’s seen as ‘good business’, not socialising.
Call this controversial, but I’d love to see ‘jobs for the girls’ become a thing in the industry. Dare I say, one day it might require that same course correction as the ‘boys club’ mentality.
Let’s champion collaboration
Speaking of tipping the balance, in full disclosure, I run an agency where I’m proud to say our creative team is largely women. As in leadership – Managing Partner, Head of Account Management, Head of Planning and Performance, Head of Strategy, all women.
But here’s the thing – our Executive Creative Director is a man. The people on that Campaign Brief list are his peers and many, like him, are part of a wider team that is made up of bright and brilliant women. I’m not excusing the list. It absolutely should have more women on it but let’s remember, despite the often-reverential respect, ECDs don’t operate in a vacuum.
It’s also worth noting that our ECD Blair is a fantastic cheerleader for all the women in our business, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful. We need more men like him lifting working women because true progress is about collaboration, not division.
Caroline Catterall is the CEO of PR and creative agency Keep Left.
This really spoke to me! Thank you for your perspective.
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