Cappaccinos and C*ckups

Female Leader Club newsletter

“So the best advice I can give a fifteen-year-old is: don’t rely on the adults too much. Most of them mean well, but they just don’t understand the world" - Yuval Noah Harari.

ONE: What’s the worst advice you’ve ever been given in your career, and why?

Be seen and not heard—To this day, it is the worst career advice ever. Being silent and not speaking my mind was torture.  Luckily for me, it went against the leadership style of my first boss, Dave Trott, who encouraged straight talking, truth, open communication, and strong self-expression. 

I may not cover myself in glory every time I speak up, but at least I am remembered and have helped to change the direction of travel, mostly for the better.

TWO: What’s your biggest ‘Cappuccino Career Cock-up’?

I was 15 years old, and my first job was as a market stall assistant in Petticoat Lane. It set me on the path to my career. It was a Sunday morning. I had just been paid and was walking to Liverpool Street Station,  in the days before mobile phones, with all my earnings in my hand. My entire life was snatched out of my hands. I knew a career in the Ad Industry was my future!

THREE: What were your lessons from that? (referencing to Q2)

Be a noticer. Spot things. Be aware. Watch out around you for the signs and clues that others aren’t seeing. Context is important, and being alert to it can save your life. The other side of the coin is there’s always someone trying to take advantage of the situation and you. Be ahead of their game, and you will survive. This is especially important in a large corporate enterprise.

FOUR: What is the importance of making mistakes when paving your career path?

There are plenty of obvious answers around learning, personal growth, and realising you are fallible like everyone else, but for me, mistakes gave rise to creativity and finding the road less travelled. Mistakes can be the mother of invention.

FIVE: Summary: As a leader, what advice would you ABSOLUTELY NOT give anyone now?

Easy. Trust Me.

Let me expand on that. People have given me advice throughout my career, and I am grateful for that. My advice to anyone on a similar path would be to listen to advice, unpick what it meant, extract the juice, and then apply it to my circumstances. The world is so different, and situations so unique that any advice is suspect. 

Yuval Noah Harari put it best - “So the best advice I can give a fifteen-year-old is: don’t rely on the adults too much. Most of them mean well, but they just don’t understand the world.

https://www.madfestlondon.com/female-leaders-club/articles/cappuccino-s-career-cock-ups-nicole-yershon-founder-the-ny-collective