From Touching and Improving Lives to Giving Power Back to Consumers
By: Jacob Wang
A few years ago when I was still at my previous job, I was having ice cream with my wife, her nephew and her niece when suddenly, between sloppy mouthfuls of Mango Alphonso sorbet, they asked, “Uncs, what do you do?”
I’d never thought to tell them as they had never asked me before (although they were both old enough at close to 10 years old back then).
As I was busy replying emails on my phone, my wife (always the better member of the family) tried to explain my job to the puzzled kids.
I started hearing “Oh, your uncle makes those ads you see on television,” accompanied by a jingle, which confused the kids even more.
“So he’s a TV director?”
Not quite right. A second attempt to explain a part of my work as a Brand Manager from Procter & Gamble ensued.
“Uncle also helps decide what color the boxes of stuff we buy in the supermarket are, and how they are sold.”
To my amusement, this was met with a quizzical “So he works in the supermarket?”
Eventually, they obtained some semblance of understanding, though I’m pretty sure neither of them were that impressed. What mattered to them was that their aunt and uncle were willing to take them out for movies and ice cream regularly.
It got me thinking about what I did every day and my ability to really communicate that purpose — first to myself, then, after internalizing it, perhaps to others.
P&G is one of the world’s oldest and most influential multi-national corporations in history, with a clear sense of purpose — touching and improving the lives of billions of consumers across the world every day. It is what I signed up for (other than the promise of being paid well to learn from some of the best brand builders in the world, of course).
This year, I took on a new mission: to give power back to consumers at Circles.Life. The job came with all the perks of a start-up job — the well-stocked pantry, bean bags, foosball table, ESOPs, and the works. I was pumped!
But I was also scared. A seemingly innocent and casual conversation with the kids reminded me of this fear. My nephew asked, “Why are you moving back to Singapore? I thought you liked living in Shanghai?”
It quickly became me asking myself some hard questions.
“Who’s going to help me spot mistakes made by me or the team? Do I even have a team, or will I need to do everything myself?”
“How am I going to get my timelines accelerated crazily without being able to negotiate on behalf of the world’s largest ad spender? Would I even have money to spend on media?”
And the biggest question of all: “What have I done? Did I really just give up everything I’ve worked for all these years for a start-up?”
A couple of months in, I can say that much like overcoming a fear of heights, the secret is to take the leap and everything will be alright (as long as you’re strapped to the right Rocketship).
What helped this transition was a good mix of:
a) Knowing your why. Knowing and believing the mission of the company on a personal level even before joining was critical. If this is off, then nothing will work.
b) Preparation — reading, listening, watching and talking to people who have gone through a similar journey in articles such as this, podcasts, YouTube videos, and good old fashioned coffee catch-ups.
c) Keeping an open mind going in. Your experience and skills are great, but if you stick to your old ways you’re going to see limited results. Being open to new ideas and integrating them is a useful skill in outsized outcomes.
d) People — the real magic sauce in making this work is in the people you will be working with. If you can understand each other and find a common purpose, the leap won’t be as hard as you fear.
While my nephew and niece may not fully understand the mission that takes me to work every day, I think they at least enjoy all the Roblox and Netflix that the unlimited data from Circles.Life brings — and that is at least two more consumers I have given power back to, daily.
Have your CV ready and prepared to launch your next adventure? We’re currently on the lookout for the brightest minds and most passionate souls to join our fast-growing rocketship, as we expand from Singapore to the world (including Australia, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines).
#CompleteTheCircles #InsideCirclesLife #CirclesLifers
