Things I’ve learnt: Shannon Pope-Ellis, MCM
In our recurring series, we chart the greatest lessons learnt by the industry’s leading lights.
With a 17-year career working in internal and external creative design agencies, Shannon has recently re-joined MCM as Managing Director. Most recently, Shannon led the growth and directing of an internal creative agency for the Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland, coordinating a team of highly talented creative designers and project managers to deliver an end-to-end service for all of the 25+ brands creative requirements.
10 years prior to this, Shannon worked for a variety of small- and large-scale commercial architecture firms globally, designing and delivering mixed use spaces for a number of clients, including HAVAS, Unilever, British Airways, Radisson and Pernod Ricard to name a few.
Throughout her career Shannon has developed valuable skills in communication and an understanding of people’s needs and energised creativity through designing solutions. Shannon’s role choices have always had a focus on innovative design, quality creativity and client relations, managing people and strategising for growing business – bringing to MCM a client-side perspective as well as a consumer and digital focused approach.
Here, Pope-Ellis shares her greatest lessons from a life in industry.
The greatest thing I have learned from my life in the industry is that hard work pays off and to always follow your gut.
From early on in my career, as a foreigner to the UK from South Africa, I always had a very driven approach to my work, balanced with key critical moments where I have appreciated that I needed to progress or be in other geographies. We are very blessed to now hopefully be facing a world that fully embraces a new world of work and not necessarily the necessity to be in the exact city to carry out innovative ground-breaking work.
Life and career is not a straight line, and that is ok.
Again, I have the pleasure of working cross-sector and client-side. Personally, I have not followed the norm and had what would be deemed a traditional life or career. Although at times, both have been uncomfortable in the moment – I reflect on how positive, strong and well-rounded an experience it has given my life and my work.
It is so important to be authentic and be you.
There have been times when I have assumed to have to know more or to lead in a different way in a particular role, I learnt very quickly that this does not work for me. I must always be true to my strengths and weaknesses and constantly learn from others – and most importantly, enjoy everything along the way otherwise what is the point!
Be resilient.
We have all learnt through the last 2 years that the only thing constant is change and working against it will only take more energy from you – embrace it! Life and work are a marathon and there is no point in burning yourself out in the first 100m. I learn to set daily and weekly goals that are small and build to longer term bigger goals. Most importantly I’ve learnt to be gentle with myself – as no one else will be!
Be kind.
If we can be anything in the world, we should always be kind. It takes effort to be empathetic and to understand that everyone is going through different moments and stages in life, but it is crucial. The effects of the world’s changes have impacted people immensely and we will be living through the effects of this for years to come. I think there is an assumption that leaders need to be tough, and I firmly believe that empathetic leaders are the strongest mentors and get the best out of their people!
