"To stand up for my company and my staff's well-being, I was having difficult conversations with sometimes troublesome clients and even my senior management on setting future goals . . . these tough calls are essential for . . . success."

Gay Gaddis, president and CEO, T3







Blogs from the Corner Office
By Gay Gaddis, president and CEO, T3 (The Think Tank)

 

GLOBAL SUMMIT OF WOMEN: VIETNAM
Posted on July 23, 2008

 

After a truly inspiring experience at last year's Global Summit of Women in Berlin, Germany, where I also blogged for PINK, I was full of anticipation to participate again this year. Similar to the group that convened in Berlin, over 900 women business leaders from around the world came together to explore the major forces impacting the global marketplace. However, this time our backdrop was Hanoi, Vietnam, home to the country's government and a growing group of companies involved in foreign trade.

 

I traveled with my daughter Rebecca. In addition to coverage from the summit, I kept a travel journal so I could share those experiences. Here are some of my favorite moments.

 

Day One: Beep Beep

I can hear the loud Hanoi street sounds all the way up to my hotel room on the 14th floor. As I wake up early Friday morning, I wander sleepily over to see what has arrived under the door. It's Vietnam's daily newspaper, and the cover story is about the Global Summit. The article boasts the huge participation and mentions that Vietnam's prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, addressed the opening ceremonies last night.

 

Also, Irene Natividad, president of the Summit, announced this year's theme, "Women and Asia: Driving the Global Economy." The summit calls on working women to share solutions and strategies to accelerate women's economic progress globally. She points out that although women account for more than half of the labor force around the world, they are put at the greatest disadvantage, and many are victims of poverty and are unable to access loans.

 

Day One: Wherever there is a woman, there is music

Marilyn Johnson, IBM vice president of market development, kicks off a great luncheon panel, "Growing Enterprises in Asia: A Dialogue with Women Entrepreneurs." She says that not only is there music, but with more than 900 women gathered at the Summit, we are writing our own symphony. (Last night we received a message on our pillows: "Wherever there is a woman, there is music.")

 

I was instantly captivated by one of the panelists, Wendy Simpson, executive chairman of Westray Engineering. Based in Australia, Westray designs and supplies foundation bolts for railways, civil engineering projects and farm towers. As a little girl growing up in Australia, she never imagined she would run such a successful company. Her father's livelihood was hooking railroad cars together, one of the lowest-paying jobs in Australia. Wow.

 

Her parting advice was for women to grow businesses bigger and faster. She said, "Borrow millions, not thousands, of dollars."

 

Taking Risks

Patricia (Pat) Harris, vice president and chief global diversity officer for McDonald's, draws a crowd, along with Sungjoo Kim, CEO of Sungjoo International and MCM Inc. of Korea (I spoke on a panel with Sungjoo at last year's summit), and moderator Lisa Mitchell, vice president of international personal banking for Wells Fargo.

 


Gay with Pat Harris

 

Their panel, "Taking Risks: Building a Strategy Around Your Career," had some great takeaways.

 

Pat Harris advises the audience to do an honest self-assessment before taking a risk. She stresses the importance of building a strong support system to "watch your back."

 

Sungjoo Kim recalls something her daughter once said to her: "I have never seen you in daylight." She's now concentrating on spending more time with her daughter as she attends school in London. Sungjoo adds that the emergence of the "global knowledge worker" (someone connected by Internet, videoconferencing, etc.) has made it possible for her to expand global operations while still spending time with family.

 

Special Session: Youth Forum

On another noteworthy panel, Irene Natividad welcomes three panelists who have achieved tremendous success early on in their careers: Lynn Tan, vice president and general manager of McDonald's China; Vu My Lan, CEO of Aon Vietnam; and Marie Laure Charles, director general of Thales Co., Argentina, Chile and Peru.

 

Lynn Tan started her career at McDonald's behind the counter serving customers when she was a young woman, and now, 31 years later, she's leading the fast food chain's operations in China. Lynn believes women are more personable managers than men and that women can withstand pressure better.

 

Vu My Lan grew up in war-torn Vietnam. Her parents' primary concern was survival – not school, and definitely not college. However, just several years after finishing university and starting a job at Aon, she was promoted to CEO. Aon is the first international licensed insurance broker and consultancy in Vietnam. Her advice is to be passionate and bold. She emphasizes the importance of being yourself: "I am me."

 

Marie Laure Charles became head of Europe's largest electronic defense company at age 30. Marie describes how, when she was first starting out, she forced herself to learn every single detail about the company's products – engineering and planes.

 

There are so many interesting panels to attend throughout the day, it's hard to choose. Tonight we look forward to the big gala.

 

Tiffany's at the Gala

Tonight everyone dons their finest for the Global Women's Leadership Awards and Gala. I love seeing the colorful native dresses from the different countries. I look across the large ballroom and marvel at the happy crowd celebrating women's accomplishments from around the globe.

 

The event is sponsored by Deutsche Telekom, and we are welcomed by Maud Pagel, senior executive vice president and chief diversity officer of Deutsche Telekom of Germany.

 

My daughter and I are invited to sit at a table of distinguished women from Vietnam. Their bright silk outfits are exquisite. I also notice that these women are sporting some serious bling. I feel like I am in the private showroom at Tiffany's! We take pictures and laugh throughout our meal. Rarely have I felt so included and enthralled in the celebration of life.

 


Gay and Rebecca Gaddis with Vietnamese businesswomen

 

The big awards of the evening are given to a group of outstanding individuals who have been dedicated to promoting women's progress. The Global Women's Leadership Award goes to the prime minister of Mozambique, H.E. Luisa Diogo. Party general secretary of Vietnam, Nong Duc Manh, thanks her for the solidarity, friendship, support and cooperation between Mozambique and Vietnam. Mozambique is focusing on the development of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, pharmaceuticals, education, science, energy, tourism and the environment.

 

Diogo hopes to gain support and learn from dialogues at the conference to help her country with hunger eradication and poverty alleviation. I am continually amazed to see the incredible progress women have made in government on a global scale. The U.S. certainly has some catching up to do.

 

Day Two: I Saw Ho Chi Minh Today

Seriously. I visited his tomb in Hanoi this morning, along with thousands of people. The former leader of North Vietnam. Our former nemesis. Rebecca and I are taking a short jaunt from the conference this morning, before lunch and the afternoon programs, to go on a tour of Hanoi.

 

Our guide says, "He gets smaller every year." I am not sure if he means smaller in size or in importance, and I don't ask. He says most of the visitors to the tomb are from Vietnam's countryside, and they make the trip with their children. I ask our guide, who is 27, how he feels about Americans. He replied that the war was long ago and that only the older people still have pain and hurt from it.

 

Pfizer Takes a Look at Women's Health

In a crowded ballroom with standing room only, Leslie Mays, vice president of diversity for Pfizer USA, opens the luncheon discussion, "Consequences of Success: Impact on Women's Health."

 

She speaks of the worldwide initiatives to help screen, prevent and cure cervical cancer – the most dangerous disease among women globally. She is followed by other health experts. All say that more research is being devoted to women's health issues and that there are some interesting drugs in the pipeline that could have a huge impact on our viability and longevity.

 

Protecting Your Brand – and Closing Ceremony

My panel is up next. Our topic, "Protecting Your Brand: IT and Beyond," attracts a crowd. Many of the women in the room either own their own companies or are hoping to start a business in the near future. Others are governmental leaders or senior executives at large corporations.

 

 

Moderator Ann Sado, a global consultant for Agel of Tokyo and vice president of GEWEL, taps me to begin the discussion. First, it is important to give the facts surrounding Internet usage in this region.

 

Across Vietnam, there's about a 22 percent Internet penetration. And last year, 92 percent of businesses in Vietnam that had websites did not update them. This was an "aha" moment for me with regard to the benefits of extending brands online and the fierce competition, yet endless possibilities, in building businesses in today's world.

 

China boasts 210 million Internet users, but those users only yield an Internet penetration of 16 percent because it is so low in rural areas. Comparatively, China is more advanced than Vietnam in terms of video, blogging, search engines and e-commerce.

 

In contrast, Japan has an Internet penetration of 69 percent. South Korea is moving beyond 71 percent and has a tremendous online gaming population.

 

So, with these facts under my belt, I am ready to speak to the group about how to use the Internet to enhance and monetize a brand. (I will make sure to choose each word carefully, deliver it slowly and try not to stump the translators with some of my East Texas "sayings.")

 

During the session I focus on how to use the power of the Internet and emerging media to grow businesses as brands. I start off by giving a quick branding overview, telling the audience to think of their businesses as brands. The next important step is to think about brand management – meaning the things you do in marketing to amplify your brand promise and present a consistent image.

 

In today's media landscape, tools such as websites, search engines, blogs, video and online communities can be a real advantage for business owners. They can provide opportunities to create engaging content about brands and translate messages to connections, and marketing campaigns to conversations.

 

While many of these marketing tactics are starting to work their way into our own clients' strategies in the U.S., much of it is still new and untested ground in other countries. Government censorship in communist countries can also make some online tactics, like blogging, difficult. Barriers like this are important to understand as our businesses expand globally.

 

Despite each country's unique challenges, I emphasize how important it is to maintain a Web presence, treat your site as your virtual 24/7 global front door and incorporate search engine marketing strategies. I advise the audience to be disciplined in the information they present on their sites and update it frequently. On the Web, no one knows whether your business is operating out of a garage or a skyscraper. So invest in great design.

 

Remember that visibility is key if you're selling online. Make sure your site is programmed to be search-friendly so that your products and services are highly visible. There are also tremendous opportunities in mobile marketing. On a recent trip to Egypt, I was amazed that everyone from businessmen in suits crossing the street to farmers riding donkeys while hauling fresh fruit to the market carried cell phones. My BlackBerry even got service on a camel ride in the middle of the desert.

 

Next we greet panelist Katherine Bostick. She is the senior director of legal and corporate affairs for Microsoft (Asia Pacific, Greater China and Japan). She develops and implements Microsoft's Internet safety initiatives across these regions. She focuses on protecting the public from the growing Internet threats, including malicious code, botnets, spam, online fraud and other cyber attacks.

 

Bostick's expertise was a perfect follow-up to my comments about branding and the Internet. She gives some grave examples to illustrate how we can lose our brands and identities on the Net. She says that when strong brands are out there, there are going to be people that try to duplicate your products and steal your identity. She has so many horror stories. We should all be on guard and build tremendous firewalls to protect our brands.

 

The last panelist is Phan Thi Hoa, chairman and general director of the South Trading & Bridge Highway Building Construction Co. (Vietnam). Her words of wisdom are to always change to stay ahead of the competition and to keep them on guard. She is dedicated to testing products before going to market and talks about some tests lasting four years to ensure she has a winner with her target audience. She concludes by saying that, as an entrepreneur, you have to love what you do: "I love my work like a lover!"

 

I must have met at least 60 women during Q&A and after the panel who wanted to continue the discussions. I was glad that my daughter was there to listen to how worldwide entrepreneurs face so many common issues.

 

Tonight is the closing ceremony. Irene Natividad moderates a panel, "A Global Approach to Ending Cervical Cancer," where we hear from Vietnam's minister of health. We then salute the Hon. Laura Albornoz, minister for women from Chile. Looks like we will all meet in Chile in 2009 for the next summit.

 

On my way back to my room I reflect on the truly inspirational stories of each woman – their triumphs and perseverance amidst so many obstacles. That is the big takeaway from this event. We will continue to move forward as we share and grow from our individual experiences. The stories and learnings that we carry with us ensure that we "keep the faith" and power ahead.

 

Gay Gaddis is president and CEO of T3 (The Think Tank), the nation's largest independent advertising agency owned by a woman (t-3.com). With offices in Austin, New York and San Francisco, T3 works with clients including Marriott, JCPenney, JPMorgan Chase, Cisco, UPS, John Deere, Universal, Ingenix and Microsoft.

To comment on this blog, e-mail blog@pinkmagazine.com and enter "Gay Gaddis" in the subject line.

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DECIDE AGAINST FEAR

Posted on May 9, 2008

 

As I board the plane to St. Maarten for the Forbes Executive Leadership Conference, I'm looking forward to a quiet time free of e-mail interruption to catch up on my reading. I'm struck, although not surprised, by the number of headlines addressing our current economic state and the challenges businesses are facing.

 

While some headlines focus on "Charging Ahead" (PINK), "How Companies Thrive Year After Year" (Inc.) and how "Recession Can Be a Marketer's Friend" (Ad Age), most focus on the financial crisis and reflect the growing sense of uncertainty and fear in the air.

 

This got me thinking about the role fear can play in the decision-making process for senior executives. In times of fear, there's often an inclination to stop everything. There's less money to spend, so programs are cut and stagnant decision-making becomes commonplace.

 

Let's be honest: Decision-making really comes to a halt because people don't want to put their asses on the line. In my experience, now is actually the time to take some risks! With less money in the budget to spend, it's how you spend the money and demonstrate results that can make all the difference – now more than ever. Companies can and will grow despite cutbacks, but we have to allow new ways of thinking to lead the way.

 

In the Ad Age article mentioned above, I was reminded of many innovations emerged during past recessions. The 1970s energy crisis resulted in the beginning of fuel-efficient car imports. In 1981, during one of the most serious recessions since the Great Depression, IBM introduced the personal computer, and shortly after September 11, 2001, Apple's iPod was released.

 

So as much as there's a tendency right now to lead with fear, decide against it. Experiment with new technology, and invest in what works. Hire the best people you can find. Be relentless in measuring data, and go with your gut. Smart companies and measurable programs will rise up.

 

I founded T3 in 1989 in Austin, Texas, in the middle of an economic downturn. The oil bust, tax-law changes and the S&L crisis had wiped out the real estate market across the state. It was not the ideal time to start a business, and I knew the last thing the world needed was another ad agency. But I was passionate about my business plan and believed I could provide a service not yet seen in the industry.

 

Starting a business in this climate taught us to be cost-effective and efficient, to work hard and to never take things for granted. With this foundation, we can be fearless about where our business is going.

 

Gay Gaddis is president and CEO of T3 (The Think Tank), the nation's largest independent advertising agency owned by a woman (t-3.com). With offices in Austin, New York and San Francisco, T3 works with clients including Marriott, JCPenney, JPMorgan Chase, Cisco, UPS, John Deere, Universal, Ingenix and Microsoft.

To comment on this blog, e-mail blog@pinkmagazine.com and enter "Gay Gaddis" in the subject line.

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MAKE THE TOUGH CALL
Posted on March 11, 2008

When I started my business almost 19 years ago, I remember thinking that those first days, weeks and months would be packed with some of the hardest decisions I would ever make. And they were. Things like adding staff and investing in technology were hard to swallow, but I knew they were the right steps to move my company forward.

As my business grew and we added clients, employees and locations, the "yes" decisions that made me anxious before turned into even tougher "nos." To stand up for my company and my staff's well-being, I was having difficult conversations with sometimes troublesome clients and even my senior management on setting future goals. Not many of us can claim that we love confrontation; however, these tough calls are essential for any company's sustained success.

This theme actually came up during both of the women's business conferences I participated in last month. In sunny Miami, I spoke on a panel at the Women's Congress. During our session, "Cultivating a Creative Organization," we discussed how to support the creative intelligence of employees. Surprisingly, I found myself talking about the decisions I've made to take a stand against bad ideas, despite their potential for profit or prestige.

The following day, I traveled to a frigid Boston, delighted to return to participate in the entrepreneurship panel for Harvard's Dynamic Women in Business Conference. While the topic was "Mentoring Success: Building Mentorship into Your Career," much of the discussion focused on how we as women business owners have propelled our businesses forward despite the odds. I again referred to those tough calls and how they forced me to move forward and grow.

One example was deciding to open a second office in New York in the midst of a massive downsizing in the advertising industry and less than a year after September 11th. Despite the unpredictable economy, it was apparent to me that to meet our clients' needs we needed a stellar team in place at the forefront of media planning and buying. I decided to give the new office a year to make it into the black, and I'm proud to report they did it in 10 months. Today I have a thriving team of 50 (and growing) in our New York office.

Tough calls inspire my staff and energize them to reach even farther. My job is to go to bat every day to protect and uphold the sense of pride that we all feel in the organization. No matter how tough the call, it's worth it.

Gay Gaddis is president and CEO of T3 (The Think Tank), the nation's largest independent advertising agency owned by a woman (t-3.com). With offices in Austin, New York and San Francisco, T3 works with clients including Marriott, JCPenney, JPMorgan Chase, Cisco, UPS, John Deere, Universal, Ingenix and Microsoft.

To comment on this blog, e-mail blog@pinkmagazine.com and enter "Gay Gaddis" in the subject line.