Discussion with Sophie Devonshire: Guiding Leadership in Rapid Paces
Fresh Reinterpretation
Super Speed Leadership at Brand Week Istanbul
Last week (6-8 November), Brand Week Istanbul played host to a crowd of marketing whizzes from around the world. Among the industry bigwigs gracing the stage was Sophie Devonshire, CEO of The Marketing Society, who delivered an engaging panel on the 7th of November, titled 'Navigating the Era of Insane Speed.'
Upon the conclusion of her talk, our magazine's Content and Social Media Editor, Svilena Keane, had the opportunity to sit down with Devonshire and discuss the key insights from her talk and her book, Superfast: Pace Yourself to Success.
Hello, Sophie. Care to introduce yourself and walk us through your journey to becoming who you are today?
Hello there! I'm Sophie Devonshire, CEO of The Marketing Society, a network of change leaders in marketing who collaborate to excel in their careers and make a positive impact within their businesses. I started my career in marketing at Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola before embarking on my entrepreneurial journey. I've also worked extensively with leaders who strive to achieve the optimal pace in their endeavors. To satiate my passion for marketing, I've authored two books: LoveWork: The 7 Steps to Thrive at Work and Superfast: Pace Yourself to Success, which became a number-one Amazon best-seller.
In your session at Brand Week Istanbul, you orchestrated a creative networking exercise for the audience. Can you share some details about this exercise and its objectives?
Part of my mission at every event I attend is to ensure attendees enjoy a memorable experience while making new connections. So, before diving into my talk, I designed an engaging activity, which I called a ‘Speed Challenge.’ The goal was to prompt attendees to actively participate and reap the benefits of swift connections armed with a clear objective and framework.
In the space of just two minutes, participants were tasked with meeting a stranger and sharing their life story. This activity was a testament to the power of meaningful connections forged when one possesses a crystal-clear vision and a viable framework to execute their objectives.
Additionally, this exercise serves another purpose – fostering energy among the crowd, which is essential for creativity, commercial success, resilience, and the overall sustainability of our industry.
During your session, you highlighted several challenges CMOs are encountering today that you refer to as 'pandemics.' Explain these challenges.
The first pandemic operating in the marketing industry is 'Overwhelmitis.' With an unending to-do list and personal obligations to juggle, it is all too easy for individuals to feel overwhelmed and overburdened. In such a state, it isn't possible to enjoy the exciting nature of our profession.
The second challenge is 'Constant Impatience.' With breakout companies like Uber demonstrating lightning-fast growth, shareholders, bosses, customers, and employees alike demand immediate results. The relentless pressure to perform differently and move faster can be mentally and physically taxing.
You touch upon these challenges in your book, Superfast: Pace Yourself to Success, which was nominated for Best Leadership Book at the Business Book Awards. What does it mean to pace yourself for success, and how can this approach help tackle these challenges?
The whole concept of my book revolves around achieving success not by running faster, but by adjusting our speed to suit the pace of the world. Balancing variable speed settings is crucial for ensuring we put our best foot forward, whether it's slowing down to reflect and connect or speeding up to seize moments of opportunity. Speed without strategy is foolish; it's the right speed that sets us up for thriving, not just surviving.
You shared those three essential ingredients for determining the right pace in your session. Could you summarize them briefly?
Thrusting valuable nuggets of wisdom into a limited timeframe such as Brand Week Istanbul requires a strategic approach. I distilled three key themes from my work with many successful leaders to highlight during my talk.
ENERGY: Fully harnessing your energy is paramount to producing exceptional results. Discovering what energizes you the most and determining when you're at your best is a game-changer. Fundamental well-being essentials, like sleep, diet, hydration, and exercise, cannot be overlooked either.
EMPATHY: While technical skills are vital in marketing, emotional intelligence sets the most successful leaders apart. Understanding your customers and mastering the art of persuasion are key. Moreover, practising empathy for yourself is equally important in achieving self-awareness and understanding your own limitations.
EDITING: Focus is power. The ability to eliminate distractions and prioritize tasks is crucial for success. What you choose to disregard and concentrate on has a significant impact on your results. Streamlining your efforts and focusing on what truly matters can help you achieve greater results.
With the new year just around the corner, what piece of advice would you offer senior leaders to help them power through the upcoming challenges?
My top advice for senior leaders in the forthcoming year is to remember that you don't have to stand alone in your journey towards success. When we, as marketers, come together, share our experiences, uplift one another, and celebrate our achievements, we can accomplish much more together than apart. Leverage the immense global community of marketing leaders, join organizations like The Marketing Society, and embrace the valuable relationships and insights that come with being part of a thriving industry.
- Sophie Devonshire, renowned CEO of The Marketing Society, advocated for the importance of leadership in the era of fast-paced business, insightfully stating that it's about finding the right speed, not just running faster.
- Devonshire encouraged harnessing technology in marketing, emphasizing that it can lead to diverse and inclusive growth within the industry, as well as broader societal benefits such as positive lifestyles and fashion trends.
- In her session at Brand Week Istanbul, Devonshire brought attention to the challenges faced by CMOs today, such as 'Overwhelmitis' and 'Constant Impatience,' and suggested that finding the right pace, as discussed in her book Superfast: Pace Yourself to Success, can help tackle these issues.
- For senior leaders preparing for the new year, Devonshire offered advice on building resilience through collaboration, networking, and learning from one another through organizations like The Marketing Society, which fosters innovation and growth in the digital media, finance, entertainment, and book publishing sectors.
- Devonshire also advocated for empathy and energy management as crucial components of leadership, emphasizing that understanding customers (both internal and external) and taking care of oneself through self-awareness and well-being are essential for navigating the fast-paced business world.
- As we move forward, Devonshire pointed out the importance of prioritization and streamlining efforts—or "editing"—to achieve greater success in marketing and beyond, and encouraged leaders to embrace these strategies to help them power through the challenges of the upcoming year.
