A version of this story first appeared in Issue 88 (August 2022) of the Orient Magazine by the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore. Click here to read it.

5.30am

I wake naturally to the golden light of dawn, streaming through the open windows and kissing me gently on the cheek. There’s no better way to start a Monday morning – and seeing the brick rooftops of Holloway reminds me that I’m in dear old London for the next two weeks to set up Redhill’s new UK entity, which makes me pumped to roll out of my four-poster bed and tackle the day head-on.

6.30am

Arming myself with a huge cup of steaming hot tea, I mentally brace myself and confront my Outlook inbox. It’s overflowing with seven hours of missives from Southeast Asia (SEA), where my team and the Redhill HQ is based.

My routine is usually to have focus time in the mornings for big work, but while I’m in the UK, I only have a smaller window to speak to my team during working hours due to timezones – which means their needs come first. So I truck through the mountain of emails and sign not one, not two, but THREE contracts. Whew!

8am

I jump on a Teams call with some of the team to check on how they’re doing with two big pitches that are coming up in the next week. Emails and texts save time, but there’s nothing like real conversations for efficiency and to foster genuine connections.

I work closely with my Senior Account Managers in Thailand and Singapore to refine the deck and by the end of an hour’s hard work, everything looks great. Can’t wait for the presentation – they’re sure to kill it.

11am

Managed to put out some fires and get some planning work done before it was heels on and out the door to catch the Tube down to Soho for some meetings. Today I sat next to the only girl in a group of four that wasn’t wearing green, and sent them all into hysterics when I asked her if she was sitting next to me because she didn’t get the green memo. Interactions like these make my day.

11.30am

Comfortably ensconced in my favourite spot at the Blacks Club, which is a reciprocal club to Mandala Club in Singapore and has been my base of downtown operations for the past seven days.

Hospitality here has been sensational, and I have hosted divine reconnections with wonderful journalists and cracked on with my work at large whilst listening in to film deals being crunched and NFTs being sold.

Speaking of reconnecting, my lunch date – a highly talented freelance journalist – just showed up. Must remember to order the amazing fries for the table.

1.30pm

COVID-19 has made me realise how much of a luxury it is to be able to do in-person meetings again. There’s nothing like face-to-face connections – I had the best time speaking to my journalist friend over lunch, learning all about her content creation journey and discussing potential business opportunities from her network. This is how business is done the world over.

Said goodbye to her with many kisses and hugs, then popped my earphones in and hopped on to the global business unit head call. Had lots of exciting London updates to share with the rest of the Redhill leadership team.  

3pm

It’s strategy mode off, networking mode on as I pack up my things and Tube it across town to Andaz London, a beautiful Liverpool Street hotel where I’m supposed to meet my next appointment – a highly promising candidate to helm the UK office.

We’d spoken virtually while I was in Singapore, but connecting with him in person and exchanging stories about work, life and everything in between was a joy. We had tea, we had wine, we had chats, we had resonance. I’m incredibly inspired.

4.30pm

Climbed up to a rooftop warehouse in east London to poke my head in at a video shoot for an edgy, brilliant brand I’m starting to work with and was greeted by a tidal wave of exuberance and affection. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I tried.

Sat and watched creative geniuses at work bringing their visions to life, then caught up with old connections I hadn’t seen for years like it was just yesterday. There was definitely some London magic in the air.

7pm

Finally peeled myself away from Dalston and zipped back into Soho to meet a dear friend and sensational PR professional for some Japanese-Peruvian cuisine she’s been insisting I try.

The place is buzzing and conversation flows like dry reds into our glasses as we talk about writing, business, and her twin daughters over plates of fresh salmon sashimi. She’s an amazing writer and is definitely up for working with us, which I’m so excited for. Minutes, then hours tick by, but the atmosphere never gets less buzzy and neither do we.

10pm

After treating ourselves to a post-dinner jaunt in Selfridges and emerging with a haul of MAC makeup, it’s time to part ways and I find myself on the Tube for the last time tonight.

Signal’s not the best underground so I spend that time composing notes to myself on my phone for tomorrow and people-watching from my seat. Some well-dressed people chatter to each other about the actors and the theatre show they’ve obviously just come from, while others set their briefcases between their legs and lean tired heads against the window as our train rattles through the night.

I remember London’s end-of-day face well, and the sight is somehow comfortingly familiar.

10.30pm

Housemate’s still awake when I get home, so we have a 20-minute debrief of our respective days over a half bottle of a nice red before I say goodnight and head upstairs.

I scan a few quick emails, get in my 10-minute yoga session to de-kink my spine and go through my nightly routine – skincare is a must, everyone – before finally slipping in between comfy sheets and settling down to rest.

Goodnight, London. I can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow.

The post A day in the life of a PR Managing Director appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

A version of this story first appeared in Campaign Asia. Click here to read it.

Three years on and the coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, remains a constant, all-consuming presence in our lives. It has impacted each one of us professionally and personally. But while the virus has not been kind to us, there has been a silver lining.

COVID-19 has uncovered long-buried inefficiencies and vulnerabilities at work by forcing industries to relook pre-conceived notions, standards and expectations of and from us as working professionals. It made us accept and embrace change, which accelerated conversations and real action around work-life balance, mental health and wellness, leadership and culture. I consider this a blessing in disguise.

Even now, COVID-19 continues to have an unexpected impact on how both individuals and organisations view work and the workplace — and the communications, advertising and marketing industry is no exception. I had the opportunity to explore this and more from both an individual and a leader’s perspective during the Campaign Leading Change (CLC) workshop and conference in Singapore recently.

The conflict: picking up the reality check

Personally, COVID-19 hit me hard. The lockdowns, the isolation, the fear — all of it really affected my mental and emotional health, especially when I had to have emergency surgery at the height of the pandemic. But through it all, I kept working, convincing myself it was at least better than being bored sitting at home.

It was the wrong way to think. I ended up working myself into crippling burnout. But even though it became apparent that I wasn’t alone in this, I kept my burnout under wraps. I was unconsciously judging myself and was worried how my burnout would be perceived. Would it cast doubt on my abilities? Would it make my gender seem weak? Would my team and peers think less of me?

I embarked on a journey of self-reflection, seeking to understand myself as a female leader, a role model and simply as a working professional. In the process, I thought about how I felt in trying to tackle this issue. Despite having the office’s full support, I couldn’t shake how alone I felt — even though I knew I was not alone. Eventually, I learned that this was just how many of us were and are wired.

Even though it became apparent that I wasn’t alone, I kept my burnout under wraps. I was unconsciously judging myself and was worried how my burnout would be perceived.

It was not an easy process, but I eventually managed to overcome my doubts and fears. I thought about how others in similar situations as me might feel. I wanted them to know that they were not alone. So I decided to speak up and share my experiences with full honesty and vulnerability.

I am fortunate to be in a company where we started asking similar questions as an organisation. How can we support our people? How can we create a safe space and open culture? How can we assure our teams that it is okay to not be okay? How can we break biases and perceptions, many times our own, to truly create real change? And what can we do as leaders to make these changes?

The epiphany: leading the human-first revolution

Leadership is more important than ever in shaping the workplace, whether operationally or culturally. It is proven that change comes from the top. As leaders, we have to lead by example and be open to conversations and suggestions.

There is also a pressing need to lead with empathy and compassion, which can only be achieved with diversity and fair, representative leadership. Diversity is integral to organisation-wide understanding and tolerance. That is why it is so important to embrace and support more female leaders to narrow the gender gap.

Similarly, it is crucial to have leaders from all walks of life, who bring with them different perspectives and worldviews.

How leadership builds culture

So much has been said about culture, yet so much remains to be explored — especially in today’s fast-evolving workplace. As leaders, it is on us to create and maintain the culture we want for ourselves and our teams. No more lip service! We must walk the talk in everything we claim to offer and more.

To do so, however, we need to first identify and acknowledge our own biases and perceptions, whether unconscious or otherwise. We must also be critical of ourselves — both in individual and organisational terms. Only then can we even begin to see and tackle issues borne of bias such as unfair hiring practices, the reprioritisation of employee happiness and wellness, or even the absence of a caring and welcoming work culture.

A communicative workplace is a conducive workplace, and it is a leader’s job to facilitate that. I can’t stress enough how important it is for leaders to reach and connect with their people across backgrounds, seniority, sexes and socio-economic groups.

People want to be seen, heard, and to know that they matter. It’s easy to make general or token gestures, but what the industry really needs is genuine, tailored actions in response to real feedback. Something I know we can accomplish!

There is a pressing need to lead with empathy and compassion, which can only be achieved with diversity and fair, representative leadership. Diversity is integral to organisation-wide understanding and tolerance.

Leaders also need to be able to empower their employees by giving them a voice and creating safe spaces so that they can be heard without judgment.

Take imposter syndrome for example — it can badly cripple a person’s self-confidence, resulting in more stress, lower productivity and reduced opportunity for growth. But if leaders champion the creation of safe spaces at work where people can share their problems, this supportive environment will help accelerate their journey to overcoming it.

Last but not least, everyone is responsible for building a human-first workplace. Leaders can set the intention and path forward, but it is equally important to convince mid-level and junior staff to join the cause by leading through example. It is crucial to get everyone’s buy-in as we can all hold each other accountable and ultimately be part of the change.

The resolution: moving with the times

I love this amazing industry I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of for over 12 years, but it has not always been the easiest to work in and I want to change that. After I spoke at the CLC, I received a lot of positive feedback from attendees who resonated with my messages. It validated my personal choice to speak up, be candid, and most importantly — be human.

What is certain is that COVID-19 has set in motion an evolution of the workplace that has and will continue to change work as we know it. It taught us just how untenable and unsustainable some of our existing practices are. We must accept that lesson with humility and embrace the change necessary to improve — because whether we want it or not, change is coming.

As an industry, we need to do better, together — for everyone — to build a healthier workplace of tomorrow. Looking at how we have rallied and changed through the worst of COVID-19, I know we can do it. All it takes is for us to stay hungry to learn, adapt with the times, and remember that we are human first above all else.

The post COVID-19 taught us how to build real human-first workplaces appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

Over a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic brought uncertainty and ambiguity into our lives. As a team leader serving my colleagues and clients, I wondered how I could best navigate this new environment while keeping up with the pressure of juggling personal goals and added responsibilities.

My responsibilities as a manager aren’t exclusive to team supervision and project planning. A manager also has to be an efficient communicator, mentor, and decision maker, and I had to live up to all those expectations — especially during the pandemic.

Projects were already complex and hectic prior to the pandemic, but when we shifted to remote work, the challenges just kept escalating. As an organisation, Redhill was able to transition fairly rapidly to remote working, but I’ll admit that I struggled. It was tough to go from face-to-face interaction and instant communication to home confinement, emails, Google Suite collaboration and Zoom calls.

Having said that, every cloud has a silver lining. In the process of overcoming these struggles, I learned many key lessons and takeaways that ultimately made it a valuable experience. I have also been privileged to receive great advice from mentors and industry leaders in this time — virtually attending the Campaign Leading Change conference, in particular, made a significant impression on me. I’d like to pass them on to future leaders as we continue to find our footing in this ever-changing landscape.

Manage your expectations

At a dynamic PR agency like Redhill, things move quickly. Tight deadlines and concurrent assignments are often the norm as we try to deliver great work to clients to the best of our abilities. There’s no doubt that doing everything online is slower than being able to communicate and meet in person, and being completely technology-dependent would have greatly frustrated me prior to the pandemic.

However, it soon became clear to me that adapting to a new way of working also required a recalibration of expectations. I realised that some challenges (like connection issues) were out of my control, and ‘normal’ standards of work speeds could no longer apply due to these significantly different circumstances. This was very helpful for me to accept the new reality and manage my expectations.

“Self-awareness is not weakness” is a mantra that has been instrumental in helping me cope with changes. It made me realise that asking for help is okay — after all, we are all powering through the pandemic together. Experiencing the limitations of remote working myself helped me greatly empathise with the struggles my team was facing. Not only did it strengthen our bond, it also helped us work together to become even more efficient despite everything.

While rethinking my own expectations, I found that I also had to balance these with client expectations. Regardless of the whole WFH issue, clients still needed our help — especially to cope with the pandemic and in some cases, manage crises—and we still had to find ways to deliver fast. I’ve had to field a few crisis-related calls from clients by now.

Thankfully, the fast-paced nature of PR work had previously taught me to think on my feet in any situation and that came in very handy when trying to adapt. I had to be resourceful and work with my team to build a task force quickly and handle the issue even with the WFH limitations. High-stress situations like these showed that soft skills are just as important as hard skills, especially when there’s a lot at stake.

“Self-awareness is not weakness” is a mantra that has been instrumental in helping me cope with changes. It made me realise that asking for help is okay — after all, we are all powering through the pandemic together.

Build your confidence and visibility

Leaders need to both be confident and be able to project confidence. This reassures your team and helps keep them focused, which is even more important during a crisis when everything is haywire and uncertain. Consistent learning and practice are key to building rational confidence — I say rational because your confidence must be backed up by skill.

There are plenty of ways to practice your skills and maximise your learning experience. For one, you can take risks. Sure, that means you also put yourself at risk of failure, but sometimes the lessons you learn from those mistakes are the most valuable of all in terms of honing your skills — and it means you’re less likely to panic when you’re thrust into a crisis or unfamiliar situation.

During the pandemic, we had to communicate with clients and present pitches in completely new ways, primarily virtually. This was something I didn’t have much experience with, but I pivoted quickly and took every opportunity to develop new strategies and put them into practice while learning from my weaknesses and enhancing my knowledge bank. It was a challenge, but I could see my own improvement with every pitch and that experience gave me confidence. I was also able to use that experience to help other members of my team overcome the same issue.

Grow and leverage your network

If taking risks is not your forte, there are other means to boost your confidence. One that I’ve always carried with me to this day is network-building. The term “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” has never been more true. More accurately, I believe that who you know will greatly impact what you know.

In times of crisis, you look to those with experience for guidance. Besides the mentors who have guided and advised me, I was fortunate enough to be able to pick the brains of brilliant colleagues and industry peers within my network. These tidbits of knowledge and experience helped me make sure I was on the right track and gave me the confidence to lead. To date, they still go a long way in building my repertoire and confidence — so I highly recommend network-building to every person and leader that I meet.

To build a good network with knowledgeable people, you need to also show that you’re a worthwhile addition to their network by standing out. This requires improving your own knowledge and raising your own visibility — literally and figuratively. When most conversations now taking place on-screen, it’s worth putting in the effort to cut through the screen fatigue by projecting confidence in the way you talk, your grooming and the way you carry yourself.

Don’t be afraid to be vocal and have confidence in your knowledge and abilities, but also make sure that you’re adding something of value to the conversation. This is a definite way to prove your worth and make you memorable amongst your peers and contacts. It also gives your team more confidence in your leadership as they know you aren’t afraid to speak up.

Take risks. Sure, that means you also put yourself at risk of failure, but sometimes the lessons you learn from those mistakes are the most valuable of all.

Always take care of your mental health

Mental health has really come under the spotlight during the pandemic. Studies showed that the pandemic has resulted in a whopping 30 percent increase of adults experiencing bouts of anxiety and depression. We’re spending less (or no) time commuting but working longer hours than ever before. Boundaries are blurring as our homes are now the source of both work and play. We’re worried about/separated from our loved ones, always on high alert for the possibility of infection, and uncertain of the future.

While I think mental health should always be a priority in any facet of life, there’s no doubt that strong mental health also translates into better leadership ability. You’re less likely to be affected by things that don’t go to plan or worry about unfamiliar situations, which means you consistently do better work and make better decisions. Additionally, you’ll be able to steady and reassure others to keep team morale high.

It might seem like a small thing, but I think that it’s important for leaders to take care of their mental health first, especially during a crisis. If you burn yourself out or panic, your whole team will follow suit and/or lose confidence in you, and the issue still doesn’t get solved. By prioritising your mental health, you also set a good example for your team to follow, which leads to a more stable and productive team overall.

Boundaries are blurring as our homes are now the source of both work and play. We’re worried about/separated from our loved ones, always on high alert for the possibility of infection, and uncertain of the future.

The pandemic definitely took a toll on my mental health, but I actively chose to prioritise it. I found that the steps I took have always started small. Something as simple as planning days off for me-time helped me pace myself and recalibrate.

In addition to that, I was also lucky enough to be able to lean on a stable peer support network, which I highly recommend. Being in a safe place with the right people is a great source of much-needed mental support in these difficult times. Work will always be there and deadlines will always exist, but your mental health is difficult to recover once lost. It’s a lifelong matter to take care of.

When all is said and done, the ultimate lesson that I learned in my first leadership test is this: Good leadership during times of crisis is all about establishing a good balance — whether that be in your expectations, confidence, network or mental health. Find that balance within yourself, then help your team find it too. Stay strong, steady, confident and adaptable, and there’s no storm you and your team won’t be able to sail through.

The post What I’ve learned from my first test of leadership appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

How does one become a good manager? Or a good leader?

In university, they teach many theories and concepts on how to be both those things. I see the benefits of learning and knowing them, but I think that’s not all we need in the real world.

Personally, I’ve learned so much from keeping an open mind and being willing to try anything, as well as being blessed enough to have learned from some of the industry’s best. This has given me a well-rounded perspective and helped me slowly grow from simply following and executing directions to managing and teaching my team members.

It’s been a very interesting and fulfilling journey as I take my first steps towards becoming a better leader. Here’s what I’ve learned.

First, learn and adapt

Before you can lead, first you must learn. In a startup, everyone has to do everything. No matter how good we might be in a specific skillset, we all need to understand how the organisation works as a whole and have the basics required to finish a project down pat. Why? Because that helps us understand why things need to be done a certain way, how things should be communicated and where we fit into a project.

Being adaptable and having the right attitude will help a person go far here. We need to be observant, be open to learning, and be able to handle any challenges that are thrown at us. This will help us learn and develop many important skills over time that will serve us well in the long run. I believe in the importance of well-rounded staff, especially when it comes to working in a startup.

Manage through understanding

Being a leader isn’t about doing everything yourself, but empowering others to do their best work and achieve business goals. Teamwork is important.

Even if everyone can do everything, not everyone is best for the job, especially when it comes to crunch time. In PR, we need to be agile and understand how to best solve the problem within as little time as possible. This requires getting the right person for the job, and it’s a leader’s job to identify that person.

As a more experienced member of the team, I was familiar with most of the clients that we had. I also knew what my teammates were good at and enjoyed working on. I recognised their abilities and their pace of work. Matching my teammates’ capabilities and interests with the right clients thus came very naturally to me.

I believe this yielded better results all around as the servicing team was genuinely interested and excited about the work they were doing for the client, which translated into better work, better service — and happier clients.

Don’t make these mistakes

No one becomes a great leader overnight. Throughout this journey, I’ve also made many mistakes and learned many hard lessons. I’m sharing them here with other new managers so that you can avoid making these mistakes too.

1. Don’t make yourself the standard. I learned to understand and accept that each person has their own ways and pace of working. As long as they deliver as requested, I have to respect that and not spend too much time worrying over how fast or how well they work in comparison to myself.
2. Don’t doubt your teammates. It’s tempting to micromanage (as above) but it doesn’t feel good working under a micromanager. Be clear about the deadline. Trust them, guide them, and leave them room to breathe, learn and finish the task. Make sure they let you know when it’s done, then you take it from there. Give them your trust until they prove they deserve otherwise.
3. Know how to delegate. Don’t try to do everything yourself. As mentioned above, know who is best at what and know their pace, then delegate tasks to them with that in mind. Effective delegation frees up your time to work on and look at the bigger picture.
4. Communicate clearly and effectively. Be an active listener, share your thoughts proactively and encourage others to do the same. I find it really helps the workflow when everyone communicates openly. We stay on the same page, avoid misunderstandings and make better progress.
5. Be someone who inspires them. Show them what you got. Practice what you preach. You know what you’re doing, so be confident. But also lead them with kindness, patience and an open heart. Don’t be shy with praise when they do something good, but be fair with criticism if warranted (this reminds me of classical conditioning. It actually works!). Invest your time in connecting with them and set work boundaries. Authority is earned through respect, not demanded by fear.
6. Acknowledge your own mistakes and fix them. Don’t be afraid to apologise. We’re all human and make mistakes. People appreciate when you acknowledge them. However, you don’t need to be over-apologetic. Focus on keeping communication open, find a solution to the situation as soon as you can and move forward.
7. Take your emotions out of work. While this can apply to all employees, managers’ decisions have a bigger impact on others. It’s important that they don’t let emotions cloud their judgment and see problems for what they are. I’m friends with many of my colleagues, so I need to establish a boundary for myself so that I don’t take things that happen at work personally. I haven’t read about people having different personalities for the roles they play every day, but I’m sure it exists somewhere.
8. Always be prepared. As a manager, you can’t afford to not be well-prepared. Make a plan that will help your team run smoothly, even if you have to wake early or sleep late. You need to be capable of allocating the right work and set a realistic timeline for your team, as well as managing clients and other moving parts in the project — including any crisis that crops up.
9. Find the right balance between your team and the client’s needs. I’ve often tried too hard to impress the client and not been considerate enough of my team. This is very unfair to them as they are working hard and giving their best. However, I’m lucky to have a team that communicates when I push things too far. So, always be mindful of both sides. You are contract-bound to serve the client, but your team has been and will be in it all with you. Be nice and be wise.
10. Have fun with your team. The right team doesn’t just fall from the sky; it is made. Be the best version of yourself at work. Enjoy your work and your colleagues’ presence as much as you can. Create fun, happy memories. Build connections. These will make people want to stay longer in your team.

You don’t need a fancy degree from a big-name university to be a great manager. You don’t have to graduate on the honour roll to understand your clients’ needs and how each member of your team can work to achieve business goals. All it takes is a little adaptability, empathy, and understanding.

My journey towards leadership continues, and I’m enjoying it every step of the way — mistakes and all.

The post Key lessons I’ve learned about managing a team appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

Everyone’s familiar with corporate branding. Thanks to well-crafted branding campaigns, we now see Volvos as being synonymous with safety; Apple products remind us of innovation; and Nike evokes action and perseverance.

The basics of branding apply to individuals too. Luminaries like Oprah Winfrey, the late Steve Jobs and Queen Elizabeth exemplify strong personal brands. Over time, people have come to associate them with certain values and ideals, which becomes the source of their influence and is directly attributable to the strength of their personal brand.

We all already have our own brand. People already remember us for certain traits, skills and experience, characterised by the things we say and do. Taking charge of shaping that image can yield positive benefits for yourself and your business — and that’s where personal branding steps in.

What is personal branding?

Personal branding is all about storytelling, but in a way that highlights your unique combination of skills, experience and personality to your audience. Through it, you show the world your strengths, vision, mission and beliefs, and what sets you apart from others.

Tavy Cussinel, Managing Director at Redhill, notes that it can be hard for founders and leaders to talk about themselves without feeling like a braggart. While being humble is admirable, it shouldn’t detract from acknowledging your achievements.

“Founders often have imposter syndrome. Put it away. By celebrating your successes, you self-endorse and underline why you’ve earned your position. It validates your leadership and the trust that your followers have put in you”

Tavy Cussinel

It’s important not to confuse personal branding with narcissism. “A well-regarded leader generates positive public sentiment towards their business and will enhance their business brand. Your personal brand determines what you will be known for and is more than a reflection of who you are today — it’s the roadmap for where you want to be. It’s not just a vanity project,” she says.

Establishing authenticity

Authenticity is key to a personal brand; fakes are easy to spot and repercussions can be dire. “You don’t want to be caught in the messy web of cancel culture because you were trying to be someone you weren’t. Be genuine and let your personal branding journey be an amplification of who you really are,” says Natalie Chua, Deputy Managing Director at Redhill.

The first step is really understanding yourself. Identify your values, beliefs and skills. Write down your passions and your motivations. Be honest about who you are. Then once you’ve taken that good hard look in the mirror, think about who you want to be and what you want to say.

After that, walk your talk — every day. Authenticity is built through consistency. “You want your audience and your stakeholders to perceive you as someone who is consistent. People will start to trust what you stand for and understand the intrinsic value that you bring if they do business with you or have you in their circles,” says Jacob Puthenparambil, Founder and CEO at Redhill.

Practicing personal branding

The next step of your personal branding journey is refinement. Start paying attention to how you present yourself — from the way you write your emails to how you express views in meetings. One good exercise to stay focused, says Jacob, is to create different versions of a concise elevator pitch with proof points.

“When I tell Redhill’s story, I talk about constant growth. Our underdog story resonates with everyone, but I validate it with points such as being on the Enterprise 50 or The Straits Times’ list of Singapore’s fastest-growing companies,” he says. “Make a 15-second, 2-minute and 5-minute version. Once you have the story right, it’ll help you stand out.”

Take a leaf from the books of personalities like Tony Fernandes, AirAsia CEO. Jacob notes that he consistently references AirAsia’s origin story and weaves in memorable personal examples, local angles and anecdotes in all his communications.

“Quotes like ‘I knew Malaysians very well. If you put in a good deal, they’ll find a way to buy it. They’ll use their grandmother’s card in America, right?’ are catchy and keep people hooked onto the master narrative, as well as the messages he’s trying to convey,” he says.

According to Jacob, it’s also important not to neglect metacommunication as it can influence how others interpret your messages.

“Your actions, the way you dress, where you’re seen and who you spend time with — these are all metacommunication signals. Be aware of these aspects and make sure you stay consistent to strengthen them.”

Jacob Puthenparambil

Social media amplification

Social media is the obvious place to start amplifying your personal brand because it’s free and has a low entry barrier. But while some 82 percent of buyers are more trusting of a company whose leaders are on social media, many C-suite executives still don’t use it well. “Half-done profile, no photo, connected to the wrong company page — I’ve seen it all,” says Natalie.

First, choose your platform strategically. Know your audience and where they are. “Taking a spray-and-pray approach will only end up with sporadic, varied and ineffective results. Focus on a few appropriate platforms and keep your messaging on point. This will help you conserve your resources and produce more targeted results,” says Tavy.

LinkedIn and Twitter are currently the strongest and most popular platforms for professionals. Facebook is good at driving engagement and shares a backend with Instagram, which simplifies cross-platform management. Up-and-coming platforms like TikTok and Clubhouse are also seeing increased interest as a more intimate engagement channel.

Next, use social media actively. Natalie stresses that it’s not enough to just have a social media footprint — you have to invest time and effort into building your profile. Only then will you be able to grow your follower base over time.

“It’s not just about being present and accepting connections. Share your challenges as a startup founder and engage with other content that interests you. Don’t just use social media when you’re about to launch your company or product.”

Natalie Chua

Finally, make your opinions known. In a purpose-driven era, says Natalie, people want to know the public stance of brands and their leaders on important issues. This influences their decisions on whether or not to support them. “Think about 3–5 content pillars and narrow down your areas of interest besides your company. Consider what you stand for and what you want to say, then use social media as a platform to speak.”

Leveraging public relations

The likes and followers are growing. You’ve gotten off to a good start, but now it’s time to think about doing more. Public relations (PR) efforts can help maximise the reach and value of your personal brand, and PR can be more effective for branding than marketing as it’s inherently more authentic and holistic.

“Advertising is a booster shot of awareness and can be costly. But PR is a long-term play. It’s something that is deeply personal to a company and affects how they are perceived. In fact, Bill Gates once said, ‘If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on PR.’ That’s how much value it can create,” says Jacob.

Doing interviews, opinion pieces and conferences will help build thought leadership to place you top-of-mind in your chosen fields. This continuous narrative also creates organic, sustainable reputation growth that provides what Jacob calls “a good vaccination against crises”.

“Once you’ve built a relationship with your stakeholders, it will go a long way. You can fall back on those relationships in times of crisis to help you bounce back,” he says.

Ultimately, personal branding is about differentiating yourself and providing clarity and purpose for both you and your brand. Be authentic, consistent, narrative-driven and visible to establish yourself and get buy-in from your audience.

People do business with people. If done right, a strong personal brand can be a powerful force multiplier for your professional or entrepreneurial journey. In fact, we’d even go so far as to say that today, personal branding isn’t an option — it’s an expectation.

The post Why leaders shouldn’t neglect personal branding appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

Women have and continue to play an invaluable part in building the Redhill legacy. Our co-founder is a woman. Our first expansion to Europe was led by a woman. Over half of the global Redhill team are women, and so are three-quarters of our leadership team.

We know first-hand the incredible feats that women are capable of and Redhill would not be the organisation it is today without them. It’s inconceivable that, across the world, women are still paid less and still have to face widespread gender-based discrimination at work.

We’re a proud supporter of #ChooseToChallenge — the simple yet powerful campaign theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD). But what does it actually mean to make that choice? What can all of us do to take up the challenge?

Well, our Redhill women have a thing or two in mind.

So far, so good — but that’s not good enough

There’s no doubt that the last decade or so has been revolutionary for gender inclusion and female empowerment in the working world.

“I think we have seen a tremendous shift towards a more diverse workspace in the past 10 years or so. I see a lot of young women starting their own companies and holding senior-level positions. I am fortunate to say I haven’t personally experienced any disadvantages of being a woman in a leadership position at all,” says Tien Ma, Managing Partner (Germany).

“More and more organisations are taking active steps to eliminate bias and prejudice. Gender isn’t even brought up in conversations about professional competency among my own friends and colleagues,” says Ann-Marie Eu, Senior Director.

Despite this progress, gender inclusion is still far from gender equality. “In 2020, there was a record high of 37 female CEOs leading Fortune 500 companies. Do the math — it’s only 7.4 percent. Even the PR industry itself, while dominated by women, is still imbalanced when it comes to women in top leadership,” says Ann-Marie.

The numbers don’t lie. According to PayScale, women are still making less than men “due to no attributable reason other than gender”, which can translate to as much as US$80,000 lost over a 40-year career even after controlling for various compensable factors. COVID-19 has further exacerbated the situation; Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, wrote that women are 24 percent more vulnerable to losing their jobs than men and the gender pay gap has widened further due to the pandemic.

What progress has been made thus far is still far from universal, too. “We are seeing more empowerment for working women in advanced countries, but many women still struggle to maintain a work-life balance in patriarchal societies in developing countries. In many parts of Asia, women are expected to prioritise taking care of their children and husbands over career advancement,” says Marienelle Castelino, Interim Managing Director.

It’s all in the mind

Gender bias at the workplace can be encapsulated in one incisive observation, recently overheard: “Have you ever noticed that when people complain about a male leader, they never say ‘Oh, it’s a male boss’, but when it’s a woman, they’re automatically ‘that awful lady boss’?”

This inequality is a multifaceted product of hundreds of years of prejudices, stereotypes and varied gender norms. “Although this cultural legacy has been diluted over time, it persists at all levels, ranging from the government to the family unit. I have lived in both the East and the West; there remain many differences in what cultures consider as a woman’s ‘place’ in society and in the home despite more and more women taking ownership of their lives,” says Tavy Cussinel, Interim Managing Director.

Strong female leaders like Jacinda Ardern and Indira Nooyi prove that gender doesn’t affect an individual’s ability to do a job well. However, the stereotype of women being the ‘weaker sex’ remains obstinately entrenched. “People still think females are weak or emotional and cannot lead. This mindset or bias gets reflected — consciously or unconsciously — in hiring and promotions,” says Charu Srivastava, Senior Director of PR.

Changing these perennial misconceptions continues to be top priority in gender equality movements — and for good reason. Without a genuine mindset shift, workplace initiatives to eradicate gender bias often come off as token concessions for the sake of mandated compliance or positive PR. This does nothing to dispel negative preconceptions. In fact, people are then more likely to misconstrue female empowerment as a threat to patriarchal hierarchies and to traditional concepts of the ideal woman, causing them to dismiss or resent the achievements of successful women.

This phenomenon isn’t exclusive to men, either. “There seems to be a high level of competitive thinking from woman to woman. I still see a lot of hostility between female leaders and I’ve experienced women trying to belittle me or talk my achievements down,” says Tien.

Appearances are also still used as a weapon to belittle a woman’s success. “It’s a common assumption that successful women are successful because of their looks instead of their hard work, which is hurtful and slows down the progress we’ve made towards breaking negative stereotypes and improving the situation,” she says.

For gender equality to achieve any real momentum in wider society, women must stand united. “Women need to support other women. We need to create a supportive environment where we learn and seek counsel from each other, as well as help each other succeed all the way from the bottom. As women, we need to draw on our strengths as leaders, daughters and mothers to redefine expectations and succeed as effective female leaders,” says Marienelle.

Getting the other side of the story

A common refrain from women in these gender equality conversations is that they want to be heard. For them, equality isn’t about saying that they’re better than men — or anyone else, for that matter. It’s simply about reclaiming their voice and being able to tell their side of the story without it being filtered through a patriarchal lens.

Differences in how the genders communicate can pose a challenge for women to be heard. “Women are listeners. They give space to others to speak so that their stories can be told. Sometimes men can take advantage of that space and talk through the silence, or even over women, because women will stop talking as only one voice can be heard at a time,” notes Tavy. This disparity is even more obvious in the age of virtual meetings, with a US study revealing that 45 percent of women business leaders reported difficulties speaking up on virtual calls.

Speaking up at the workplace has been a longstanding issue for women. “There is an interesting study that looked at what deters women from leaning in and speaking up. They found that when it comes to confidence at work, the men excel while women hold back. ‘Women feel confident only when they are perfect.’,” says Ann-Marie.

This isn’t without good reason. Many women have faced backlash at the office for sharing their thoughts and opinions, especially on sensitive subjects, so it makes sense to build an ironclad argument before taking the risk. But the less you speak up, the less you’re heard.

Organisations, suggests Tien, can create safe spaces for women to voice their opinions. But she also advises women to simply take a deep breath and go for it. “Weigh up the advantages and disadvantages. What’s the best and the worst that could happen if you do speak up — or if you don’t? It’s likely that the advantages of speaking up and making your point outweigh any potential disadvantages. Keep reminding yourself why you’re doing what you do,” she says.

Women can take the lead in breaking the glass ceiling by shattering it in their own minds first. “There are inherent and structural biases that need to be overcome, but it’s also important for women to change their own mindsets,” says Natalie Chua, Deputy Managing Director.

“Many limitations and barriers to success are rooted in a woman’s own self-doubt and perception of expected bias, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. We need to reject the notion of the glass ceiling altogether so that we can think and act freely without the shadow of these actual or perceived barriers looming over us. Only then can we realise our full potential,” she says.

Taking #ChooseToChallenge one step further

Gender equality is a very timely and pertinent topic, but we at Redhill believe that it’s only the start of a much larger conversation that we need to be having about equality for all.

As an employer, having strong female representation in our workforce didn’t happen on purpose — it was simply the result of our merit-based hiring and promotion process. We want to build on that foundation and push the boundaries to normalise the absence of discrimination — not just for women, but for everyone.

Change starts with us as individuals. Better communication is crucial to broaden personal horizons and encourage more tolerance for differences. “Understanding how each gender communicates and learning inherent skills from each other will serve a better purpose than women ‘overcoming challenges’. Let’s reset the narrative to one of equality rather than women having to strive harder,” says Tavy.

It’s also important to be mindful of inherent bias. “We all think with stereotypes — biology hardwired us to do this to take some work off our brains. But we need to be more mindful when we meet other people and check to see if we are unconsciously projecting these stereotypes. Acknowledging and critically analysing them is crucial to fix these age-old problems,” says Tien.

In doing so, we become more aware of the impact of our words and actions, as well as the casual discrimination that they may unwittingly perpetuate. “Be alert towards actions and comments that may make others feel uncomfortable, even if they don’t say so. It’s easy to be dismissive and make excuses by saying ‘it was just a joke’ or ‘don’t be such a snowflake’, but even if the comment wasn’t made with malice, we can all do better to educate each other and eliminate discrimination around us,” says Ann-Marie.

Ultimately, the gauntlet being thrown down by IWD’s #ChooseToChallenge theme this year is for us all to acknowledge and address the existing imbalances in our world. It’s about coming to terms with the idea that we are equal as human beings and choosing to break down the barriers that prevent us from reaching our full potential — both as individuals and as a society.

When equality becomes the standard instead of the aspiration, that’s when we’ll know that we have achieved true success. Change is never easy, but we’re no strangers to challenges — and this is one challenge that we’re proud to take on.

The post Why we #ChooseToChallenge at Redhill appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

If you don’t let up on yourself and instead become comfortable always operating with some level of pain, you will evolve at a faster pace. That’s just the way it is. — Ray Dalio.

In 2013 I moved to Singapore to embark on an entrepreneurial dream and start a business. Within six years, we grew from a bootstrapped business with just $2,000 in hand to a firm that employs 84 people spread across offices in fourteen countries. While we had our fair share of challenges, we never experienced an economic downturn or recession.

We learnt through the pain points, and yes there were plenty of them. We had no funding and had a huge struggle to be cash positive from day one. We had to constantly chase collections from clients to pay salaries and expenses as almost every bank refused to give credit to a business that was under two years old. Sometimes, this meant not getting paid every month for the founders and the small team we started to hire.

The struggle and our journey

The memory of a particular day when my co-founder, Surekha, and I went to every major bank in the CBD area remains strong. The cycle of rejection and pain played out on repeat. Without success, we finally sat at the quayside steps facing the Asian Civilization Museum with our biggest purchase order to date and no options to discount it.

Ours is a business that depends heavily on getting the right people on board. But hiring was a pain. No one wanted to join an agency that they had not heard of. Our initial office at an attic on Boat Quay was quaint but without windows — not very inviting for someone who imagined to work on a lot of exciting and creative projects.

However, as we worked through these pain points, it started to feel a bit like being on the console of a video game. A task completed and a challenge overcome took us to the next level which came with yet more challenges but also more rewards. Even the last year, in which we saw exponential growth, came with a lot of pain.

As we opened new offices and established reach in Japan, Australia and Germany, my co-founder was diagnosed with stage four cancer. For those who have been in the process of building a company with a partner who brings complementarity, it would be easy to understand the level of pain such a situation can bring.

What now? How do we get to the next level? How do we keep growing? Are we ready to move forward?

And, just as we found new balance following the exit of a co-founder, we were confronted with the next level — the COVID-19 level.

Developing a strong DNA

Being a Singaporean enterprise, our DNA has always been to punch above our weight. A trait we were fortunate to imbibe by setting up shop here, and our aspirations reflect that as well. We want to be the DBS or Singapore Airlines of the communications industry. Singapore born, global agency with deep Asian roots.

In our core, each of these pain episodes from the past has made us tougher. This COVID-19 phase too will pass. This could take six months, a year or even two years to evolve into a new normal. To the class of 2020 and entrepreneurs who find themselves with impossible timing and the biggest challenge they have faced so far — I wish to share some lessons. Lessons that I learnt through overcoming pain, which ultimately made me stronger.

Camaraderie

Tough times build and reveal character. It is easy to state on our websites and go to town about how great our company culture is when the going is good. Now is the time to test the strength of that culture.

Are we going the extra mile? What sacrifices are leaders and their teams prepared to make? It has been said that it is through tough times that the true worth of a company culture reveals itself. When beanbags and fancy coffee machines mean little.

Now is the time to walk the talk. News reports now abound with unicorn startups (who were going on about work culture) having to slash their teams over Zoom! If you let people go because everyone else is doing it, you follow the herd. People will remember your behaviour through the bad times. Tough times don’t last forever — consider how you will be viewed as an employer once this period passes. Looking back at companies who have come through tough times, some of the most inspirational leadership and business decisions have come from those that start from the top, especially when it was voluntary.

Seizing opportunities

This crisis is a perfect time to self reflect, identify flaws and recognize opportunities in your organisation. Is there a software package that you decided to cut because you could do without the expense for now? Can you push yourselves to finding a more efficient system to create leads without travel? Can you critically review what your investors’ funding will be used for now?

Reflect, review, adapt.

What you get is a chance to explore operating in leaner and more efficient ways. For us, one of the unnecessary expenses we identified is office space. We were planning to double our office size in July. In the new normal, office space is overrated, a large office is a luxury we can live without.

Be nice, be grateful

It’s not the hunger games. Every little act of kindness, empathy and generosity goes a long way. Allow your character to reveal itself — people will remember this. Talk to your vendors, clients, peers, find out how you can help even if you are hurting.

And finally, be grateful. Be grateful for what you have going. Embrace the pain and be grateful for the learning. Every crisis presents an opportunity. Reflect, rest, get better, learn new things. Once this is over, there will be a lot of re-building to do. Take this time to prepare yourselves for the next level. It will undoubtedly come with challenges of its own, but my hunch is that it will get easier.

The post Growing your business through pain appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

The coronavirus had been on our collective radar since we first heard the stories coming out of Wuhan. We watched closely as it began to spread, unsure of what the future would bring.

Then the number of confirmed cases skyrocketed — seemingly overnight — into the thousands in Italy, Iran and South Korea.

Words like ‘social distancing’ and ‘contact tracing’ suddenly became commonplace in everyday conversations; face masks, in some countries, were the new must-have accessory. People ventured out less and stayed at home more. Anxiety was simmering beneath the surface, covered up by a facade of calm.

As the spread and daily number of cases continued to rise, so too did the number of countries under some form of movement restrictions. Companies that could support remote work found themselves having to transition quickly to a completely new normal, to varying degrees of success.

We at REDHILL had anticipated this seismic shift and prepared a plan that would allow us to protect and support our REDHILL family while doing our best to continue business as usual.

Preparing for WFH

Remote working was not new to REDHILL. We’ve always believed flexibility and efficiency is key to getting the best results, so our employees are allocated WFH days if they need them. And long-distance collaboration was already common between our international offices — made possible via tools such as Slack and Google’s G Suite.

Our initial plan was to initiate a “split-team” arrangement to keep the number of people in our offices to a minimum. Employees signed up for days/times in advance to avoid any scheduling issues. This plan was short-lived, however.

Malaysia was the first of our markets to implement severe movement restrictions, doing so on March 18th. We immediately shifted to a WFH arrangement there. We also knew that our other markets would quickly follow suit, so we encouraged our employees to WFH before restrictions took effect.

Sure enough, Sri Lanka imposed a nationwide curfew on March 20th, Germany and Thailand implemented movement restrictions on March 23rd, and Singapore initiated a “circuit breaker” on April 6th. In each market, our employees were prepared in advance for what has now become reality.

Coping with physical distancing

Despite our prior remote work experience, widespread movement restrictions and working full-time from home have still presented difficulties for our staff on both a personal and professional level.

As a company, we made it a core focus to facilitate the transition to remote work and alleviate the stress associated with movement restrictions and subsequent extensions. We employed several initiatives, including:

Workflow optimization

We know that WFH is difficult enough without inefficient processes causing further frustration. Therefore, we have streamlined our workflows to maximise efficiency and adapted our processes for a remote workforce. We increased our use of digital tools such as Google Forms, and introduced new platforms such as DocuSign. We re-evaluate these workflows and processes frequently and encourage feedback from our employees.

Helpful WFH tips

Within a week of the implementation of movement restrictions, our HR team had issued an internal memo to all REDHILL employees with tips and tricks on how to stay productive while WFH. Some of the suggestions included sticking to regular routines for work and sleep, using the extra time to indulge in activities like reading and meditating, turning the laptop camera on for calls, and encouraging employees to stay in close communication with one another.

Daily virtual meetings

To address the lack of face-to-face interactions and increase in distractions, our Business Unit Heads (BUHs) hold virtual morning meetings with their teams every day. Like conventional scrum meetings, these catch-ups are only 15 minutes long and allow teams to keep each other updated on any work or personal issues. They also provide a good excuse to socialize with colleagues and see familiar faces, especially for those who have been WFH for a long time. BUHs also hold training sessions to continue the knowledge transfer that existed prior.

Mental health as a priority

At the time of writing, some of our colleagues have been WFH for more than a month and a half. Many have reported struggles with stress and anxiety from a lack of social interaction, separation from loved ones, reduced physical activity, and a drop in motivation. Our BUHs have encouraged their team members to speak up about any issues they are facing in one-on-one or group sessions. Recently, we held a session for our employees in Singapore to share their frustrations and coping mechanisms, and we will soon do the same for our other employees around the world. It is important to us that our employees know that they are not alone and that we are ready to support them if they need it.

Increased employee engagement

To strengthen relationships, boost morale and reduce feelings of isolation, our teams have tried various forms of virtual engagement to create new shared experiences to bond over. We have had a Dalgona coffee challenge, done online puzzles together, rocked out in jam sessions, shared pictures of our culinary masterpieces, and organized after-work hangout sessions to catch up. These interactions are a nice reminder that there is so much more to our employees than just their jobs.

Customized work backgrounds for video conferencing

Separating professional and personal environments can be a challenge when conducting video calls. Luckily, Zoom allows users to set custom virtual backgrounds, and our designers were very quick to come up with a REDHILL-themed background. Not only does it help our employees maintain a professional image, it also protects them from whatever might be happening behind them.

Regular routines

We continue to observe our regular working hours and protocols to help employees maintain a sense of routine. Our virtual morning meetings are held at the same time every day and end as scheduled, lunch hours are respected, and staff are not required to work or answer work communications after closing hours.

The new normal?

Coronavirus has prompted the largest remote work experiment we have ever seen. As people and companies continue to adapt to this new reality, questions are being raised over what work will look like in a post-coronavirus world.

The headaches faced by businesses unable to operate during the pandemic suggest that things will not just go back to what they were before. WFH may very well be part of the ‘new normal’ and a key characteristic of a more resilient company.

Regardless of what the future looks like, one thing still holds true for REDHILL: our people are the heart of our organization. We firmly believe that it is the natural responsibility of any company to support its employees in times of crisis. We will continue to find ways to do so, whatever challenges may come our way.

The post Our story of working with the new normal appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

Working from home (WFH) is a new reality for a majority including me. I’ve been working from home for the past four weeks, give or take. The extra time at home combined with a limit on social interaction has given me plenty of time to muse. It has also been a time of reflection and recognition. I’ve put together five of my takeaways in this article.

1. Humans are social creatures

Interestingly I’ve observed the impact of social distancing in people who otherwise prefer staying home over meeting others. Given enough time, both introverts and extroverts crave social interaction and the company of others — albeit in different dynamics and numbers.

I’ve noticed my introverted friends who are struggling with the lack of socialising. I’ve been video chatting and playing online Scrabble with a very close friend who is not the biggest fan of socialising. A month into staying home, we’re now more in touch than we ever were — and we used to be housemates in Cardiff!

I’ve also received more SOS messages from friends and family who are struggling with their mental health as they stare down the nose of a seemingly never ending lockdown in their countries. Thoughts of panic filter in and out their minds as they contemplate social isolation even as the virus spreads at a frightening rate and countries extend their versions of lockdown.

2. Communicate, communicate, communicate

Following from point one, never has the importance of communication been more emphasised. Working from home has made me over communicate. I spend a lot more time on Slack, phone/ Whatsapp calls, Zoom meetings and even send more emails to ensure there is no miscommunication resulting from the lack of face-time. I used to dislike using video during conference calls but I’m all for it these days. Seeing the face of the person on the other end makes such a difference in our connection and conversation.

We now have daily meetings with video on for my team to catch-up with each other, and to flag any challenges they face either work-wise or personally as each of us adjusts to working remotely. I’m also doing far more 1-on-1 calls with my teams and clients to tackle the lack of in-person communications and any resulting miscommunication. It also helps with the challenge of “out of sight, out of mind”.

We even had a couple of virtual hangouts with team members across Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The joy of seeing faces, other than of those at home, is unparalleled.

3. Take care of your people

Internal communication is another aspect that has been highlighted by the remote working situation. We live in an era where people are the biggest assets for most companies and businesses. Sadly, very few companies get it right in taking care of their people, and the current situation has certainly made the distinction.

It is heartening to see clients asking us for internal communications guidance in their efforts to keep staff informed through various platforms. This is quite a departure from the days of an occasional memo being circulated.

It makes me proud that REDHILL has taken all measures to keep our global teams safe and comfortable. HR has played a huge part in making this happen, keeping on top of the fast-changing situation in different countries, taking timely decisions and, most importantly, communicating to the REDHILL family frequently and clearly. A huge shoutout to Ann Marie and Niharica for working relentlessly to ensure our welfare.

4. Technology makes the world go around

We are so lucky to have such a strong technological infrastructure to tide us through this unprecedented situation. None of the above points would be possible without technology. Countries and companies that have lagged in digital transformation are now feeling the pinch. Many are scrambling to equip themselves with the necessary technology to enable the largest work from home experiment the world over. Companies, majority of them start-ups and SMEs, are rising to the challenge. The industry disruption that was being frowned upon is now being welcomed with open and eager arms.

The rampant use and reliance on technology brings with it issues of cyber security. Zoom-bombing and increased system hacks are two such examples. It is a good reminder that as technology evolves, we need to always ensure security evolves to keep up with it. Cyber threats are not a matter of if, they are a matter of when, as we embrace technology in all aspects of our lives.

5. Stay grateful, stay humble

We are in a new decade, living in the best of the technological and research age. Yet we find ourselves in the throes of a pandemic. A pandemic that has brought our lives to a halt, regardless of religion, social class, education, wealth or geographic location. It’s a stark reminder that we are all the same at the core of it.

Personally, this experience has renewed a sense of gratitude for me. Never before has my privilege been so apparent as I sit in my air-conditioned room in a country where the WiFi never disappoints, typing my thoughts on a laptop while enjoying the warmth of my dog curled up against me. I am so grateful for all that I have even as the world is turned on its head –family, friends, a dog, a job I love, a wonderful team, food on the table, music, books, movies and so much more that I take for granted.

The post Sitting in, thinking out appeared first on Redhill | Global Communications Agency.

Never a week goes by without news of a major data breach: 60 million USPS users; 40 million credit cards used at Target stores; 500 million Marriott users. Gigabytes upon gigabytes of data dumped onto the internet for all to see. And these are just the ones you hear about.

The scale is rather astounding. A study by the Identity Theft Resource Center and Cyberscout published a report in which the number of data breaches in the U.S. alone reached 791 in the first half of this year. That’s more than 4 per day. Extrapolate that to the wider world and, well, you get the idea.

What gets lost is just how expensive these breaches are for the companies involved. A study by Ponemon put the average direct cost of a data breach at $3.26 million. Indirect costs like settling lawsuits and repairing technology increase that number further. And what they don’t have to pay in dollar terms, they pay for in loss of trust and reputation. You’d think companies would care enough about losing that kind of money to shore up their data security, but they apparently have better things to do.

If you’re wondering why these breaches are so common, it’s instructive to look at the value of the data being stolen. Credit card details are valuable, so are email/password combinations (because they can be used to attack high-value targets like your email and social media accounts). So if that data is relatively easy for an attacker to get at, chances are they will. This is what’s called “low-hanging fruit.”

There’s also the question of how these breaches happen in the first place. There isn’t one simple answer. Breaches are a result of a host of security flaws. But there is one that should be talked about a lot more than it currently is because it is one of the easiest ways to breach a company’s system: poor cybersecurity habits of employees.

Defence in Depth

One of the maxims of cybersecurity is that no one solution will protect you from all threats. Security, instead, must be designed in such a way that if one particular line of defence breaks, there will be another one acting as a backup. The assumption being that a line of defence will be breached at some point, so you better have a contingency plan. This concept is called “Defence in Depth.”

A simple example is how you choose to physically protect your mobile phone. That you carry it with you is the first line of defence. The second would be adding PIN-code protection (or fingerprint or pattern or password) so that if someone were to steal your phone, it would be a bit more difficult to access. The third would be a remote wipe function. Someone could steal your phone, crack your PIN-code, but not get access to any data. You can see that only carrying your phone with you leaves your device open for exploit if it were to be stolen.

Attackers, therefore, look for the weakest link in a system. There is no sense in trying to breach a strong defence if there is an unlocked back door that can be used. You can have all the firewalls and encryption you want, but if the password to your database server is 123456, then it renders your entire security plan useless.

Looking back at history, the Maginot Line comes to mind as the perfect metaphor. The French thought they had an impenetrable line that would thwart or deter a German attack. Sadly, the infamous line didn’t extend all the way to the English Channel — French and British forces were to be the barrier instead. The Germans, of course, found the weakest link and smashed through the French line at the Ardennes forest, rendering the entire Maginot Line useless.

It doesn’t matter how strong you think you are. You’re only as strong as your weakest link. The problem is that humans are almost always the weakest link.

The Weakest Link

The Target hack, if you would believe, happened because the computer of an employee at an HVAC company contracted to by Target was compromised. You see, the company had access to Target’s network so they could do remote HVAC maintenance. So when the computer was compromised, it was used by the attackers to access Target’s network. Malware was then installed on the PoS terminals at the stores, and the rest is history.

This scenario has played out a number of times. Attackers are quick to identify humans as the easiest targets. It’s no surprise why. We still continue to click links that we should find suspicious, we write our passwords in plain text in .txt files, we choose easy passwords like 123456 and repeat them across multiple services, and we generally understand very little about how to actually protect ourselves and, in turn, our companies. All an attacker needs to do is trick us once.

You’d think companies would be more attuned to this. Instead, they try to throw half-hearted security measures at the problem to try to make up for the fact that employees will be breached at some point. Rarely is it ever enough. It’s like putting a bandage on a broken leg. Other companies claim that they aren’t big or important enough to be attacked; that they have nothing of value to be stolen. The thing about that is that one day they might be. When that time comes, all those bad cybersecurity habits will be deeply ingrained.

And then there are those that say it’s too expensive to implement security measures. Security is much like insurance in that sense: you only need it when something bad happens. But oh how happy you are when lightning strikes and you do have it.

The sad thing is that teaching proper personal cybersecurity habits isn’t expensive or even time consuming. There’s really no excuse not to do it.

Convenience vs. Security

Humans search out convenience. We avoid taking proper security measures because they aren’t convenient. Remembering a 30-character password is hard, let alone a different one for each of a hundred online services. Same with checking the veracity of links or keeping software updated. If it’s too hard or takes too much time, people just won’t do it.

Product managers and software engineers have tried to make security more convenient. They’ve introduced thumbprint authentication, automatic updates, browser warnings for potentially malicious sites, and password managers. Some, like thumbprint authentication, have raised their own security concerns. The convenience of pressing your thumb against your home button is great, but what happens if your thumbprint gets stolen? It’s not something you can easily change, unlike a password.

Password managers, on the other hand, have been a boon for both security and convenience. The idea is that you can create unique, complex passwords (that you don’t need to remember) for all your services while only needing to remember one master password. In theory, people should have better luck remembering one difficult password, so password managers can be an effective tool. (If your master password is weak, however, then a password manager can be quite dangerous because that weak password provides access to all of your other passwords.)

What Can Companies Do?

Good company cybersecurity habits start with education. Employees need to know concepts like spearfishing and clickjacking. They need to learn how to spot malicious links, recognize phishing sites, and the importance of software updates and multi-factor authentication. Password managers should be mandatory to prevent password re-use and increase entropy, but that should also be paired with teaching how to use them properly.

None of these things requires even moderate technical knowledge, and they can be taught without the need for a cybersecurity expert. The internet has a plethora of resources that cover everything an employee needs to know in a way that is easy to understand. Those that want to go further will find plenty of useful content as well.

You will never be able to prevent 100% of attacks, but instilling good cybersecurity habits in your employees will move your “fruit” a little higher up the tree.

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