‘My biggest fear is inertia’: DDB’s Wendy Clark on having a doer mentality

Wendy Clark, CEO of DDB North America, has won many awards during her years of leadership in the agency world. For her, it boils down to being a doer — something that her upbringing and her love for volunteering at nonprofits have fostered. On this week’s Starting Out, Clark talks about growing up as a British-born American working hard and a plan for her second act.

Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS

I was born and raised in England. My father’s British; my mom is American. I lived there until I was 11, after which we moved to Florida. I was raised largely by my mother. In my 40s, I realized that I had gone to five different schools in five years. What I draw from that is I know how to enter a room without knowing anyone. You get survival skills.

My mom had an ambition for me. I always knew I was going to college, have a job and have a career. She’s been unequivocal about that. With a single mom and my 3.3 GPA, there wasn’t a rush of financial aid coming my way. I went to Florida State University. I was a creative writing major, and I wanted to write ads. One of the best gifts of life was leaving home, studying. I was super independent. I worked throughout college.

McDonald’s as formative training was incredible. At 16 years old, I was a shift manager. I had [to take care of] customer satisfaction, figure out supply and demand, employee insubordination, cash management, bank deposits. It was an immersive experience. I thought this is what business is like. I loved it. Now, my mind goes to the crew members because I’ve been that crew member. I have empathy for that person, and that is the gift — to remember that and think, “Are we making crew members’ lives easier or harder in our communications?”

My first professional job was as a receptionist at an ad agency. Agencies teach you. I like the prospect of going into an agency first rather than a marketer because I worked my ass off. I probably worked 70 hours a week. [Agencies give] you that opportunity. The more you’re willing to give, the more the agency will give you exposure. I have worked very, very hard. You hustle, and that will pull you to your next thing.

I think progress over perfection is what we have to do to move with the real-time marketplace. It comes back to the leadership perspective. You have to be able to make decisions, and you have to make it very quickly. And that is a doer mentality. I try very aggressively to make decisions at the speed that my organization needs it to be made. It’s way better than no decision.

https://digiday.com/?p=266582

More in Marketing

Digiday+ Research: Deloitte, Wrangler and other execs dig into holiday marketing strategies

As the holiday shopping season kicks off, Digiday+ Research sat down with brand and retail marketers to see how they’ve prepared for the season.

Brands prepare for more shoppers to buy from their phones this holiday season

A record 53% of holiday shopping is expected on mobile this year, and brands are readying their sites and socials to meet the demand.

Marketing Briefing: Understanding CMOs’ top priorities ahead of the next Trump presidency

CMOs and agency execs say brands need to listen to voter feedback to understand if they know what resonates with consumers.