If you’re a CMO, chances are you’re stressed. Managing a global team, digital transformation, expectation from the top, and a smartphone that never lets you switch off means squeezing in the rest of your life can be tough.
It’s these pressures that have led many marketing leaders to re-evaluate their approach to the role – and their downtime. From flexible working that supports family commitments and side hustles, to starting out on your own, or switching between client-side and agency positions, there are many approaches to getting a life beyond the office. We spoke with three leaders who’ve gained a work-life balance on their own terms.
Motherhood and marketing
Iulia Balan, MD, head of product and account-based marketing at investment bank State Street, was forced to address her attitude towards work ahead of the birth of her daughter last year. She initially returned from a six-month maternity leave working three days a week for two months, and is now back to full-time.
Iulia described the shift as a huge adjustment. During her six months maternity leave many things changed within the company, including the arrival of a new CEO. Iulia’s responsibilities changed as a result of this wider transformation, allowing her a fresh challenge.
“When you’re focused on your career as I have been for many years, the break helps create balance. Returning to work made me appreciate my time at home, and being part-time at first made me realise how important work was,” Iulia explains.
Setting boundaries between work and time at home has meant a change in the way Iulia organises and prioritises. “I used to be the person checking my emails last thing before bed and first thing when I opened my eyes in the morning. That’s no longer possible because of my daughter, so I only check my email after I drop her off on my way into work.”
Planning and designated time has replaced an always-on approach to work – in particular keeping on top of emails from the US and Asia Pacific. “I plan time during the day to ensure I haven’t missed any emails overnight. The amount of planning I have to put into my day overall has increased tremendously since I’ve gone back to work.”
She’s also had to be strict about cutting down on things that soak up her time, namely meetings. While saying no is not always well-received, it’s been crucial to prioritise to avoid long hours.
“The other thing that’s helped is delegation,” she underlines. “I’m very lucky to have built a team I trusted before going on maternity leave. That forced me to think about people’s ownership of certain areas of work, which is good for their progression and good for my peace of mind, because I know things are getting done.”
Striking out on your own
Changes in life circumstances can prompt a change of pace. This was the case for Jarmila Yu, who took the decision in 2016 to improve her work-life balance. After 25 years working in client-side roles she set up her own business, YUnique Marketing.
“I had two young children and woke up one morning and thought now’s the time for a change,” she says. “I was never going to be a yoga instructor or have a complete career turnaround, I just tried to figure out how to deliver marketing on my terms.” Wanting to avoid the instability of freelance work, Jarmila decided running her own marketing consultancy was the right way to grant better control of her time.
Leaving the corporate rat race was the change she needed, but it was still a steep learning curve. “I thought I was at the top of my game and knew about marketing, but I didn’t know how to set up my own business. I had to learn from Google, books and other people’s mistakes.”
Despite this, she saw immediate benefits. Working from home means she’s more accessible for her children, and this flexibility quickly benefited her partner too. “My second employee was my husband, who’s also a director in the company. This means the children get to see a lot more of us and we can share school drop-offs and childcare.”
From client-side to agency, and back again
Ruth Connor, marketing director at Kalibrate, has spent more than 20 years working across client-side and agency roles. In 2018, Ruth decided a part-time role at the agency Earnest would allow her to pursue other interests, as well as the opportunity to work as a trainer.
“I realised at the mid-point in my career that I was going to be working for the next 25 years and didn’t want to work 10 or 11 hour days. I wanted to have a life outside of work,” she says.
The switch to part-time required a new way of working and a lot of discipline. “I’ve learnt from working mums who have gone down to four days a week, that they’re more productive because they’ve got fixed deadlines and they need to leave on time.”
During this time, Ruth was able to ramp up her passion for playing tennis. “If I could give a piece of advice to my 25-year-old self, I would say ‘get a hobby that you’re passionate about and will make you leave the office on time’.” After learning to play six years ago, Ruth joined a tennis club and used her time to practise, get onto a team and become captain. She now also runs the tennis committee.
Ruth credits tennis with giving her greater resilience and providing her with an ‘inner cheerleader’.“If I’m managing people now I always want to know what they do outside of work because something that they’re passionate about will inevitably help them develop skills or qualities they can bring back into the workplace,” she adds.
Ruth joined Kalibrate in April, and returning to a full-time marketing director role has been an adjustment. She has, however, stuck to her tennis commitments and is strict with her time. “I try to have balance over the course of the week,” she says, “I’ll get into work early but make sure I leave at 5.30pm, even if I then do an hour more at home.” While she might work late a couple of evenings a week, and the occasional hour at the weekend, she tries to break her day up so she knows she still has time for her family and is working in the most effective way. “With marketing, the to-do list is never done,” she explains, “If you try to achieve everything you’ll just drive yourself crazy.”
5 ways to avoid being stretched too thinFeel like butter over too much bread? Here are our leaders’ top tips to avoid the cycle of stress.Stay connected (without the tech). “There’s no app for efficiency, because there’s nothing that can replace human conversation,” explains Iulia. “I try to make sure I’m as connected with the team as possible, which means a meeting early on in the week and connecting directly over the phone.”Know the difference between good and bad stress. “Life always has a degree of stress, but watch whether it’s good – making you forge ahead and out of your comfort zone – or bad, eating away at you and giving you sleepless nights and indigestion,” warns Jarmila. “Focus on your vision and you’ll be driven by the good.”Make your time in the office count. “Don’t multi-task,” warns Ruth. “Find a technique that works for you and helps you get the most done. There’s a lot to be said for trying to be productive in normal working hours, and packing up your desk knowing you’ve done as much as you can.”Take a step back. “It helped to take time for myself and think about what I want to be doing in 20 years’ time, then think ahead to five years’ time,” says Iulia. “It’s easy to get dragged into survival mode when you’re worried about finances day-to-day, but hiring a career coach and finding an hour to sit and think about things was essential.”Have a passion that isn’t your job. “Have something outside of work that you want to get home for,” explains Ruth. “That could be family or hobbies, but it’s something that makes you leave the office on time.”
How to switch off from ‘always-on’
If you’re taking a more flexible approach, leisure and work time can quickly become blurred. The advent of the smartphone means it’s easier to work out of the office, but also means it’s much harder to switch off.
Iulia’s life changes mean she’s had to put her phone away. “The fact that I now get home and have to look after my daughter and put her to bed means I have to switch off quite a bit. It’s easy to log on in the evening after you’re done with parental duties, but I’ve got a different perspective now.”
While there is temptation to use your free time to catch up on the latest hot Netflix series, switching off from work might take the form of a new venture. “I do a lot of pro-bono work now, which I never had time for before,” Jarmila says. “I’ve got involved with the local business association, and was elected as a Parish counsellor. I’m on the board of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and the London School of Management, as well as supporting the local school and being a mentor for university students.” All of this philanthropy ties into a clear purpose; helping those that enter marketing map out their career.
None of this would have been possible in a full-time role. It was only stepping away that allowed her to think about what she could use the time for. It’s her purpose and vision that is ultimately ‘uplifting’, and if she ever feels stressed, it’s this she returns to.
Avoiding the busy trap
Working all hours of the day is not the answer, so a reduction in stress requires an increase in efficiency. While tennis has brought Ruth a focused and resilient approach to work, she’s also implemented other strategies to boost her productivity.
“I use what’s called the Pomodoro technique,” she explains. “You work in sprints of 25 minutes. You spend 25 minutes on one thing and then take a five minute break. You do that four times and then you take a 25 minute break. And then you do it again in the afternoon.”
This helps especially if you’re working at home or freelance, she says, breaks allow you to keep your concentration up. “I also don’t try to multi-task anymore,” she says, “You’re better off chunking up your day into similar tasks so you can wear the same hat. I’ll work on copywriting in a chunk if I’ve got my creative hat on, or budgets if I’ve got my numbers hat on.”
Modern life is hard, so it’s vital to find a method that works for you. “I’ve tried everything from productivity books to podcasts, but at 45 I’m probably not going to find a way of suddenly managing emails that I haven’t so far. I don’t think people should feel under pressure to try the latest app. Just find something that works for you.”
