Fresh from oOh!media’s Outfronts event at the start of the month, Cathy O’Connor sat down for a very swift conversation with Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham about tenure, high-performers and her time as a tea lady.
1. Over your career I have admired your loyalty, is loyalty an undervalued trait with industry churn and average tenures of two to three years?
I wouldn’t confuse tenure with loyalty. That’s an outdated concept. Younger people want experiences, in life and in their careers, and don’t necessarily separate the two. The job of a leader is to provide those experiences and that builds loyalty.
2. You have spearheaded major digital transformations in different media channels. What’s your key learning?
Not everything goes to plan. See a transformation as a series of “test and learns” that never stops. Give yourself permission to fail and when you do, dust yourself off and keep going. Quickly!
3. Outdoor more than ever does cool and innovative work, how do you ensure that innovation and high-performance mindsets are embedded in your oOh!media culture?
Invest in creativity. Our creative and innovation team, POLY, are a force in the business.
4. You constantly feature in B&T’s Women In Media Power lists, and you mentor and champion so many younger women. Why is this important to you?
I feel grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had in the industry and want to pay that back in any way I can.
5. On the flip side, who have been your mentors/champions that have influenced your career?
I have always had a great relationship with my direct bosses, without exception I have learned from all of them.
6. As an industry what’s one thing you would change to make us all better?
Less competitor focus, more customer focus. That’s how we all grow.
7. In the past you have been very open about learning from mistakes, why aren’t more leaders demonstrating vulnerability and sharing human truths?
Mistakes aren’t fun, but we all make them. I think most leaders struggle with the balance of letting people fail, but also holding them accountable to perform. Create the safety to let people fail – but be clear about what you expect next.
8. With the current economic headwinds are your shareholders/clients’ expectations for growth realistic?
Yes, in Out of Home’s case our shareholders expect nothing more than we expect of ourselves. This is our time and we’re confident we can take a larger share of the total media pie.
9. What’s one thing that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?
1980 – Tea Lady, Manly Vale Retirement Village.
10. Important last question, do your parents know what you do?
Yes! Once my titles became GM, MD or CEO, they knew that I ran a media business. Prior to that, when I was in media sales, they had absolutely no idea what I did, but were always enthusiastic!
