Perpectives - Sue Squillace at dentsu Media - Resilient, agile and supportive

By AdNews | 8 December 2021
 
Sue Squillace. Photo by Tim Levy.

 

AdNews is following the WFH Diaries with a series of Perspectives, asking two questions: What did you learn in 2021 and what are you looking forward to in 2022? We've also encouraged the industry to glam, dress for the best, and face next year with optimism.

This article first appeared in the November-December 2021 AdNews magazine.

Sue Squillace, CEO, dentsu Media ANZ:

For me the biggest challenge of 2021 was the rollercoaster of working conditions that our people and clients were faced with every day. On and off lockdowns, open and closed borders, no week was ever the same and every market we operated in was different. If you add in a never-before-seen talent shortage or “the war on talent” as we like to call it, then you are placing even more pressure on our people.

In saying that, I have been overwhelmed with how resilient, agile and supportive our teams and our clients have been through this year. I recall one afternoon in June when the Sydney team left the office at 3pm with one hour's notice for almost six months, and they did not skip a beat. I could not be prouder of the commitment to the company and to their clients.  The best part is our work, and collaboration has never been stronger!

Empathy is one the most important traits of leadership if not the most critical over the past two years. For me, my biggest learning has been the ability to understand other people's circumstances then adapt and support. This is something I will continue to draw upon throughout my career.

Restoration and growth, bringing our teams back together in ways that they need to be at their best. Listening to our people to design better experiences at work and for their careers. The war on talent is real, but it’s also a great opportunity for us to focus even harder on our people and create agency experiences that meet the needs of the new world we’re in. We have an opportunity now to take the best of what we have experienced and reimagine the office and work life after COVID-19. I am also really looking forward to some good old fashioned office banter and real-life conversations. As good as Teams and Zoom have been to keep us connected and functioning, there is nothing like human interaction within a dynamic team environment to bring the best out of our people.

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