Managing Up

Ever since my raise back in November and our annual kick-off meeting in January, my boss has been pushing the idea of ‘Managing Up’. Working in a small agency of less than a dozen staff, 6 at full-time status, bottlenecks are often created because everyone has to report to the CEO. She told us, “I can’t manage everything if I’m trying to get us new business. You’ve got to manage up. Tell me when things are due, advise me on the next step for clients, have reports ready and be proactive.”

Managing up is tough and rewarding at the same time because it’s like management training. You get in the mindset of your boss and client delivery is just that much quicker and efficient; both traits needed for agency work. Coming to Australia, my goal has always been to leave at management level, so I can return to the US and apply to be a manager. In 6 months, I’m just that much closer to achieving management status.

This week, the concept of ‘managing up’ turned into reality as I saw my rise at Taurus. With our former marketing manager returning to his homeland of France, we have been left without a marketing head for the past 3 months. During the last three months, most of our work has been dedicated to PR. As an integrated PR, marketing, creative and social media agency, we can tackle on client work of different natures. Also, client demands are cyclical. A client may approach us saying they need PR, but when we actually sit them down to talk through their needs and future goals, it turns out they actually need to work on their key messaging and change their marketing collateral. Later on, we can start doing some PR.

This has been the case in the last few weeks. I came to Taurus wanting very much to work on the PR side. As I was exposed to different projects, I found that I actually enjoy marketing strategies and creating brand collateral. Little by little, I have been able to take on marketing projects through the direction of my CEO and our part-time marketing director/ mum.

This month, much of our PR work has been exchanged for marketing work. I showed keen interest to work with the clients in need of marketing work to my CEO and marketing director, so the new marketing team was formed. My director oversaw projects and mentored me on how to use my marketing hat, a very different hat to the PR one. I’ve learned about the style and language used in marketing – very sales focused as opposed to PR, which only focuses on being newsworthy. This has been a great partnership over the past few weeks. However, she’s only part-time coming in only two half days per week leaving much of our correspondence happening over emails.

This past week, I received news that the marketing director had fallen ill. The already limited time she spent at the office would be turned into annual leave as she would need time to stay home and recuperate – perhaps for weeks. With this news, I took it upon myself to manage all the marketing projects. In addition to copy writing, I would be the contact person for the CEOs I’m dealing with. Talk about pressure! Never being the sole liaison between clients and my CEO, I felt a lot of pressure to deliver and make everyone feel good about the outcomes.

This week, I found myself scheduling in management meetings with my CEO, creating reports and schedules to show project tracking and even creating contracts and invoices – all sensitive stuff reserved usually for management, not me the little Account Executive.

One big feat for this week was writing a client’s company brochure. Knowing all along that this project would happen, we were surprised to know they needed it in a 24 hours! We had scheduled to do this in March sometime, but the client needed to supplement their proposal for tender. So on a Thursday morning, I received an email from the client’s business development manager asking for the 1000 word brochure in 24 hours, I freaked! Our CEO kept me calm and drew out plan that including messaging from previously drafted fact sheets and reports. All I had to do was pick out the best messaging and format it and edit the content to sound more salesy. With the help of an intern to gather all the information, I turned it around in 2.5 hours! Pat on the back.

Although I’m high stressed lately, this has been an awesome experience to really manage my own clients. I’ve found myself on top of things and necessarily organised. I’ve even taught the interns about ‘managing up’. Thankfully, my efforts have been recognised through approval of the marketing director verbalised to my CEO. Hopefully in May when my appraisal is on the table, I’ll reap monetary rewards and a new title.

First to New Year

Luna Park at Milson's Point

Sydney is fortunate enough to be one of the first cities in the world to reach the New Year and we were there to experience it. Like the pressure to experience New York City’s Times Square ball drop in your lifetime, we felt that we had to forget about expenses for once and enjoy fireworks the way Sydney-siders enjoy them. We bought pre-sale tickets for Luna Park (Sydney’s mini Six Flags with state fair type rides) at Milson’s Point – a $125 AUD investment to get the best view of the Sydney Harbour fireworks. With many of our Sydney friends away on their own adventures abroad, I hooked up with my colleague’s friend Lauren who had an apartment in Kirribilli, an area overlooking the harbour. Because Aussies plan way in advance for events, Lauren and I contacted everyone we knew still in the city for the holidays to purchase Luna Park tickets back in November! Unfortunately, most people had to work on New Year’s Eve – but who really works when it’s New Year’s Eve? Dave’s work let everyone out by 1pm and we went down to Surry Hills for the last step in our attempt at business visas in Oz – the health check. Afterwards, we went home and made breakfast wraps to bring to Lauren’s for some late night grub. What more could you want after a night of drinking? 

The Stage is Set...
Kirribilli, Across the Sydney CBD

Taking the train before the city shut down access at 4pm, we arrived in Kirribilli to meet Dave’s colleague Zachary. The rest of the evening was spent with beverages, a random assortment of chips, cheeses and dips a la Woolworth's and conversation on how Brits and Americans say things differently. Word of caution: if you’re ever in England, a ‘jap’s eye’ is not a Japanese person’s eye.

The Night View from Kirribilli

So Pumped for NYE and 2011

My NYE Date -  What a lucky guy!

Entrance to Luna Park

Sydney puts on two 15 minute shows; the first at 9pm for the young ones and of course a midnight viewing for the rest of the world. We got to experience the first viewing on Lauren’s rooftop overlooking Sydney Harbour. Afterwards, we walked over to Luna Park where we tapped into the child inside and rode roller coasters, the carousel, Ferris wheel, and something that reminded me of East Texas’ Forrest Festival’s The Zipper. 

Like Kids Again at the Fair

The View of Luna Park from the Ferris Wheel

Fifteen minutes before midnight, Dave and I had lost the group of 20. We began to make our way through the crowd to secure the ‘perfect spot’ along the edge of the boardwalk. We found most of our friends in the ‘perfect spot’ with exception to a pole in my sights and a crowd unwilling to budge. On my toes, I peered over inspecting the space just beyond my cluster. I found a spot and with Jedi mind tricks convinced Dave to move with me. It’s tough to use Jedi mind tricks with Dave who was way too focused on getting the right angle for the show. I then said, “Oooh! I see a spot!” In that moment, a couple next to me and the group of 'Jersey shore-like' girls in front of me said, “You have a really good spot. You’re not going to get any better.” I just wanted to slap the smugness right off their face. I’m not sure if it’s me, but since I’ve lived in Australia, I have noticed a condescending tone in Aussie-speak especially when Aussies are trying to instruct, give directions, or inform you on something – I’ve experienced this through security at Sydney Airport, a tour of the Parliament House, and basic conversation with strangers. This doesn’t happen though with my colleagues oddly enough. I could be totally wrong though.

Dave's Homemade Video
Combined Footage of Sydney Harbour Fireworks NYE

In total defiance and urge to piss of those around me, I grabbed Dave and walked through the couple and mean girls and found a quite open area to the ‘perfect spot’. Just in time, we watched the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge erupt with fireworks – even the tops of prominent buildings in the CBD shot off fireworks! The view was spectacular; although I’m not sure it’s worth $125. Nevertheless, Dave and I got to enjoy our first Sydney fireworks show, first New Year’s and first 6 months of living in a completely new city in a new country complete with jobs, an apartment, and friends. Can’t wait to see what 2011 has in store for us! 

My first taste of Vegemite

It tastes like soy sauce on toast! Eck!

I've lived Australia now for 238 days and I've avoided trying Vegemite like plague. It's the spread that Aussies have grown up with like we love peanut butter and jelly. In case you didn't know, Vegemite is a spread made from yeast extract. Every time I bust out the peanut butter at work, I get the evil eye from my Aussie colleagues like I'm putting crap on my toast. Well, I've had a taste of Vegemite and it tastes like crap on toast! Way salty and reminds me of soy sauce - however I love soy sauce, but not as a spread! My British colleagues are now trying to get me to try marmite - apparently a less salty British version of yeast extract spread. Gotta love being the token American in the office!

An Expat Christmas on the Beach

Expats Celebrating Christmas Day at Bronte Beach

I’m no stranger to a hot Christmas. In fact, last Christmas Dave and I spent the holidays in Koh Lanta, Thailand. This year, we’re in Sydney.

In Australia, the media shut down between mid-December and mid-January. So as a PR person, I too get a large break. Most of my colleagues left for London, Paris and even Singapore. So during the weeks prior to the holiday, I had very little to contribute to the conversation of “What are your holiday plans?” Despite not having exotic plans, being in Sydney was definitely different than the wintery cold Christmas’ we all know in the northern hemisphere.

On Christmas Eve, Dave and I were lucky enough to secure a new apartment in Potts Point. I had planned on focusing all my energy to apartment hunt for the break while my colleagues were off having adventures in other countries. The search thankfully ended prematurely and I was free to do whatever I wanted for the next few weeks!

The Orphans Gathered for Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve Casey and Luis, our American expat friends we had met through Meet Up, invited us to their house for festivities. These two had been in Sydney for a year completing their 1 year Masters in Cross-cultural Communications at University of Sydney. They had graduated in November and had their whole lives ahead of them not knowing exactly what they were doing, despite having a Masters degree and near 30! I’m a bit jealous of their lives in Sydney. They are in school with people from all over the world studying about different cultures, stressing about tests and partying so hard when finals finished – gosh I miss uni! I live vicariously through them because I miss that time in my life when I had graduated from Fordham with no job and no certainty. As you all know I ended up backpacking through South East Asia and teaching in South Korea for nearly 2 years and now I’m living in Sydney, Australia! Definitely didn’t plan that one!

Christmas Cracker Crowns

We had been to their house before and had met all their friends, so this Christmas Eve was not spent with a room full of strangers, but had a bit of familiarity. I brought Christmas crackers or ‘bon bons’ for everyone to pop. I had Luis try it first. He was so nervous holding his end thinking it was actually a firecracker. Despite his wincing, he liked it and everyone tried one too.

White Elephant Gift Exchange

How Did We End Up With the Hats?

After a few drinks and catch ups, we proceeded with a white elephant gift exchange. To play, everyone had to bring a wrapped gift under $10 – the silliest the better (Dave brought a stress ball in the shape of a boob and a wine opener and I brought a kangaroo coin purse, Australia flag tattoos and a 3D kangaroo puzzle). We each pulled a number out of a hat. The first person goes and picks a gift and unwraps it. The second person goes up and picks up a gift and unwraps it. The second person has the opportunity to keep the present or trade with the first person. The third person goes up, unwraps a present and then has the opportunity of keeping the present or trading with person 1 or 2. This went on for 12 people. I started with a salt and pepper shaker and ended up with a pirate hat! Dave started with an Australian flag umbrella hat and ended up with it too! With a party full of foreigners, I guess no one wanted to sport the Australian flag.

A 'Shave' Christmas

On Christmas Day, Dave and I began with a large breakfast of crumpets, eggs and bacon because for the rest of the day, we were going to be at Bronte Beach with slim possibilities of getting remotely close to the grills.

Our apartment on Victoria Street was a shoebox. We had no room for a Christmas tree, so we supplemented with dollar store bought stockings hanging from our closet door. For weeks, we concealed our presents and now we were finally opening them up! For our entire relationship, Dave has been awesome at gift-giving – always thoughtful and practical. This Christmas, we kept the budget to $100 each because we knew the new apartment would deplete our wallets. He got me my favourite perfume Michael by Michael Kors, a yoga mat, a riddle book and Lindt chocolate – all things I love! Since Dave is such an active guy, I got him a volleyball, a ball pump, new bathing suit and an assortment of Willy Wonka brand sour candies – his favourite junk food.

Passed Out Baking on Christmas Day at Bronte Beach

After unwrapping presents, we took a 25 minute bus ride to Bronte Beach and parked ourselves on sarongs all day. We would get up only to dip our feet in the very cold Pacific Ocean, stroll on the beach and watch the seagulls sipping water from the stream that ran down from the city to the ocean water. Every beach around Sydney was packed with sunbathers and Santa hats – a site uncommon to us Northern hemisphere folk! 

Reppin' Aussie Pride on Christmas Day

The New Look of Stick Figure Art
Don't Drink at the Beach!

Enjoying Christmas Bronte Beach 

With everything closed that day, Dave and I relived the film A Christmas Story by having dinner of Chinese food in Chinatown and it was delicious! Each bite of my sesame tofu reminded me that this Christmas although unconventional was special in its own right. We were lucky enough to be with friends, eating a warm meal and enjoying a city so amazing that celebrated Christmas too! We really missed our families back home and in Korea, but we weren’t alone this year – we had our family in Sydney.