Sherin Mukhles, senior media planner at Initiative Cairo discusses her industry journey
During my four-year journey at Initiative, I’ve learned that the key to success can be summarised in a single word: Positivity. It is important to have a positive view on life. With a positive attitude you are able to build the passion within you and with that passion you can achieve your ultimate goals. Governed by a positive mindset, I found that there are four key focus areas which personally helped me grow: my career goals, my workplace, my relationships and my life.
MY CAREER GOALS: I make sure I have a long and medium-term vision. I also ensure my goals are realistic and measurable. I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to achieve my goals. When your vision is clear and your goals are measurable, you can see your progress towards achieving them and that alone is a great reason to never give up.
MY WORKPLACE: I’m the type of person who gets bored easily. If I don’t constantly change, I get demotivated, so it is important for me to look for ways to motivate myself. Making changes to my workspace helped me. Minor changes, like changing the position of my desk or rearranging my workspace, can make a huge difference and can re-trigger my mind to be creative.
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES: Relationships are the key to success. I treat my clients like friends and my colleagues like family. With that in mind, client requests are no longer stressful and I look forward to going to work every day. I love the Initiative team; we have developed great friendships over time, despite coming from diverse backgrounds. We offer a helping hand when needed instead of just wishing each other good luck. The best times are when different teams gather to work on one big pitch; we stay late working, discussing ideas and making the best time out of the pitch process. Our motto is: ‘It’s not about the destination, it’s about the blast we had during the ride.’
MY LIFE: Last but not least, my work-life balance is the cornerstone of my success. My life outside of work is the driver that keeps me going. I like to keep the balance between my work, my family, my friends and my activities. I make sure I take my vacation days, which keeps me energised. While at times the ball can slip, I like to remember the quote: “You will never feel truly satisfied with work until you are satisfied with life.”