Managing your career can take a lot of energy, particularly when you’re not sure on what you should be focusing. Victoria Jordan and Jade Martin have built successful careers in the media business and share keys that will help you navigate your career.
Victoria and Jade work at Urban One as branded entertainment producers, helping brands connect with African-American consumers. Check out these keys from their conversation with GHOGH podcast host Jamarlin Martin.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 40: Jade Martin & Victoria Jordan
Jamarlin talks to Jade Martin and Victoria Jordan, branded entertainment producers for Urban One (NASDAQ: UONEK). They discuss their work for Toyota, P&G and Coke, and the cultural impact of reality TV on Black America.
In order to attain an objective in your work, Victoria Jordan highlighted the importance of flexibility to make that happen. Particularly, in work involving clients, you’ve got to be able to “integrate their vision with your vision,” says Victoria. In being flexible, it is important to know the extent to which you can be flexible. “I do feel like it’s my responsibility to respectfully protect the platform that we’re putting this on. And I think, don’t be scared to do that.”
Looking to develop skills in being flexible while remaining firm on the core of your business? Here are resources to check out:
Thinking Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman
Developing a Growth Mindset – Carol Dweck
Jade stressed how important it is to make your presence known and not allow fear to keep you hidden. How can you sell your product if you or your product can’t be seen? “Everything comes out better because at the end of the day, this is your production, this is your project and your show. So you have to just say what you want to say,” Jade said.
Looking for insights on building courage? Here is a resource:
The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness – Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga
You never know when you’ll help in your work, which is one of many reasons it is important to remain in touch with the people who make up your network. As we get busy, it becomes all too easy to look up and realize you haven’t reached out to a particular person to see how they’re doing.
Looking for best practices on nurturing your network? Here are some resources:
The Network Man – Nicholas Lemann
The Right (and Wrong) Way to Network – Dorie Clark
While managing your career isn’t an easy task, the keys Victoria and Jade shared provide helpful guidance to keep you from wasting energy. Let’s GHOGH!
Kwame Som-Pimpong advises clients on incorporating human-centered design into their strategy development processes. He is also a writer covering business, technology, policy, and their intersections with black people. He earned a BA in Political Science from Davidson College and Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia. He can be reached at kwame.som.pimpong@gmail.com.
