Long tenure at same company beneficial for career growth

Not so in my experience. Staying in one company has allowed me to grow and become hugely skilled in my field. To a certain extent I subscribe to Malcolm Gladwell’s 10 000-Hour Rule that if you dedicate time to doing something you become an expert at it. Surely one cannot claim to be experienced in something without going through the challenges of a task and finding solutions.

While I was at university, I joined The Creative Counsel where I started as a junior assistant. This allowed me a worm’s eye view into the agency. As I worked my way up, I gained more insight into every department in the company. Through questioning, senior guidance, making mistakes and working through problems I have honed my skills.

With my recent appointment as general manager for Africa I feel confident and qualified in my role. My years spent at each level in the business equipped me with the technical, human relations, and conceptual skills needed for this management position. Over the years, the myriad of clients from different sectors have given me invaluable experience in the marketing, advertising and communication industry.

The mentorship that I have received from the executive management team has been invaluable. I have been taught to have an entrepreneurial approach to running the departments and teams I have been in charge of. Conceptual and strategic thinking, networking, relationship building, business analysis are but many of the skills I have acquired along the way.

As the company has grown and expanded, so have I. When I started the company employed less than 100 staff and I had no sight of the turnover but at present the company turns over in excess of R600m annually and employs more than a thousand employees full time and thousands of part time employees depending on the campaigns running at the time. Working within my agency has given me the experience of working for a small, medium sized and large international company without leaving the organisation.

While I am not prescriptive in my advice of long tenure employment, I have seen the benefits in my personal career growth which I don’t think I would otherwise have achieved. It is possible to map out a successful career by staying with one organisation. It is important to read widely and keep an eye on what else is going on within your respective industry and I strongly believe in studying further.