USA TODAY Network’s Kelly Andresen: “Learning is a Two-Way Street!”

Mary Ellen Holden How did you get started in businessKelly Andresen My first job was for XM Satellite Radio as a planner I was also pursuing an MBA focused in marketing at the time I wanted to work on the consumer brand marketing team as I thought it was high profile amp160There werenamp8217t any openings on the marketing team so I accepted a planner role in ad sales amp8211 and I loved it The ad sales team was brand new and I was the second hire building media plans and crossplatform sponsorships for major entertainment sports news and lifestyle brandsamp160 It was an amazing opportunity for someone so early in their career to have so much responsibility and also the freedom to create new opportunities around premium contentMary Ellen What brought you to USA TODAY NetworkKelly I had launched a dedicated studio for The Washington Post in 2013amp160 It was an opportunity to focus on branded content and to build a team and an infrastructure from the ground upamp160 When I subsequently got the opportunity to join USA TODAY Network in 2015 I was excited by the prospect of building a new team product and infrastructure from scratch all over again but on a much bigger scale the USA TODAY Network reaches over 100 million monthly uniques across 109 sites and growingamp160 You can imagine the challenge of developing a system that brings assets across all of our sites together but I find it to be immensely gratifying Youamp8217ve got to enjoy the actual work of your jobamp160 Coming to USA TODAY Network gave me the opportunity to analyze the overall industry landscape and choose how to position our studio and leverage our strengths as in virtual realityamp160 I am extremely proud that we launched the GET Creative Studio running our first campaign in April 2016 and our first VR branded content campaigns in May 2016Mary Ellen Did you have a career mentorKelly I have had the great fortune of working for some great ad sales leaders all of whom happen to be men amp160I have not had a mentor in the formal sense of the word but I have had great bosses whom I have learned a lot from amp8211 everything from simply observing them in client or executive meetings What tone did they useamp160 What did their body language communicate to learning and practicing actual communication techniques How did they position the requestamp160 How did they respond to an objection amp160to their management style How did they address the individual human being and their feelings How did they respond to a problem amp8211 to their leadership style How did they address the team as a wholeamp160 How did they roll out a new initiativeamp160 What did they do to inspire the teamI ask a lot of questions and process the information internally and when needed seek out my manageramp8217s advice or coachingamp160 I think in many ways mentorship is greatly needed in the workplace but it is a fallacy to believe mentors are made or that you can simply ask someone to be your mentor and expect someone to say yesamp160 Instead I encourage people both men and women to be thoughtful about their careers and their roles as leaders and take the initiative and ownership to learn everything they can from great leaders around them even if they arenamp8217t your direct managers Seek out opportunities to be with them observe them practice what you learn from them and be ready to engage when you get the opportunity so you can ask for help when you need itLastly be open to feedback I think youamp8217ll find when you are focused on your own development and show initiative managers and executives will recognize it and start to give you feedback to help you develop even moreMary Ellen Is mentorship in this field a twoway streetKelly Learning is a twoway streetamp160 We can all learn from one another no matter what our age is I always say a good idea can come from anywhereamp160 As leaders we need to foster an environment where people are celebrated for speaking up and sharing ideas even when they contradict our own thoughtsMary Ellen How do you achieve a worklife balanceKelly This is a work in progress for me as I imagine it is for most peopleamp160 I thrive largely due to three main guidelinesClear prioritiesamp160 You need to be honest with yourself and identify what is most important to you amp160Consistently devote the most time and energy to those thingsExcellent time management skillsamp160 This is essential to support your prioritiesHelpamp160 You canamp8217t do amp8220itamp8221 life work family projects passions etc aloneamp160 You need help lots of it and together you can make amp8220itamp8221 workMary Ellen What advice do you have for the next generation of womenKelly Be open to seeing your career as a journeyamp160 The industry is moving so quicklyamp160 The convergence of technology advertising marketing content and entertainment is moving at such a rapid pace that I donamp8217t think anyone can predict exactly where they will land in 3510 years from nowamp160 Focus on your passionsamp160 You may need to experiment to discover your passions and to align them with where you think the future is goingThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160

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USA TODAY Network’s Kelly Andresen: “Learning is a Two-Way Street!”

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Mary Ellen Holden

Empowering Women in Media: Insights from Industry Leaders (Video) - By E.B. Moss

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USA TODAY Network’s Kelly Andresen: “Learning is a Two-Way Street!”

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