The Marketing Society’s Annual Lecture: Amanda Blanc

Another excellent annual lecture from the The Marketing Society team at BAFTA HQ.

Amanda Blanc, Aviva CEO, was an inspiration with what she has achieved, the amount she does....and how she does it.

A highlight was the behaviours Amanda recognises in herself to be a successful leader and how to work best with your team.

Here are some of her points that stood out and we felt would be helpful for others:
1. "You have to be optimistic"
2. "Resilience is important. You have to bounce back. Don't mope around. Focus on what you are going to do to fix the situation"
3. "You have to be honest. People need to know if things are going well or not"
4. "Have integrity. Behave and act as you ask others to act"
5. "Learn from bad leaders you have experienced. Understanding what you shouldn't do is also very important "

Also...one insider tip from Amanda if you happen to have articles written about you in the Mail Online:
"Don't read the comments section if there is an article about you in the Mail Online...you need extremely thick skin for those!"

And finally, "be careful about the mood you are projecting...as there are people looking at you to define how they act"
We feel this is true all the way from family life to "being looked at in the lift arriving at work" as Amanda put it.