How did Vicky think about her career that was different? We often talk about building a career which implies structure, but did that apply to Vicky? Was she an opportunist? Can you build a successful career by evaluating jobs as they happen to come to your attention? What do you think about the way she went about making decisions?  I don’t believe it was luck that she landed on her feet every time she decided it was time to make a change. To think about it further, in retrospect, she earned each promotion by succeeding in every job she took and being recognized for her accomplishments. That led to offers to consider new opportunities.

Up until now, we have followed the stories of successful “A” team executives who reached top jobs in the PR profession and then struck out in new directions. These leaders understood the path that would take them to their goal and pursued that direction purposefully. There is a very different story to tell about Vicky. She marched to her own tune to achieve success and never carved out a comprehensive, long-term plan.

Here is the link to the PDF with the 9-post article that tells Vicky’s story and how she followed her instincts to be in the best possible position to balance her work and home life.

Life After PR Series – “Vicky’s Story”

Here are the questions that were explored in each blog post with a link to the post.

• Introduction – Instead of following a structured long-term career plan, how was Vicky able to succeed? Did she wait to be asked to make a move? Can success be achieved by evaluating opportunities as they arise?
• How did Vicky’s background and early career contribute to her flexibility in making career decisions?
• How did Vicky’s corporate experience, starting from the ground up and managing a relocation within the company, build her skill-set for future positions?
• How did Vicky respond to the challenge of bringing in new accounts as she began a new role as Vice President for a global PR firm?
• What were Vicky’s innate talents that helped her succeed?
• How did Vicky’s role as Vice President for a global PR agency contribute to its growth?
• After rising to an EVP role in a top-tier PR agency, with a great deal of latitude to succeed on her own terms, what happened to disturb more than 10-years of stability? How did a change in leadership and the company’s priorities make a difference?
• What was Vicky’s plan for cutting ties, leaving the Agency, and choosing her next position? Did she have a strategy for the long-term?
• What was the interim solution that Vicky found in her job search and could that become permanent?
• What might the future hold for Vicky?

Judy

Judith Cushman & Associates