For fathers across the media and marketing industry, the juggle between parenthood and agency work is a tumultuous one and one often overlooked.
Industry insiders say it has become more prevalent for fathers to take parental leave and spend more time at home with the children rather than being chained to the office desk.
AdNews spoke with fathers from across the industry on how they balance agency life with being a parent, and how fatherhood has further impacted career progression.
Ben McCallum, managing director of UM Sydney, says that being a dad and leading an agency can often be very much the same.
McCallum: “I find leading an agency very much like being a parent at times.
“The team needs you to be there to support them, to show them compassion, set an example, be reliable, trustworthy and assist with their own personal development. In the same way my daughters Sophia and Gabriella need me to do this in their lives. Although I’m not sure which is the most challenging, a teenage daughter or a media professional in their mid-20’s? It's a close call at times.
“As a leader I firmly believe in empowering your team, you must have faith and confidence that your team has the potential to be successful. You must give them the freedom to learn from their mistakes, they will make them and that’s completely fine. It’s about learning from these mistakes that matters most.
“Being a parent helps with this, when you take your children to the park and they play on the swings, slides and climbing frames. They will fall over sometimes and hurt themselves. It’s part of the learning process, you can’t prevent it as a parent. You can’t and should not prevent every little tumble because the child learns more from the experience than they would if you made it perfect every time.
UM’s managing director says that there is a particular challenge when both leading an agency and being a parent when it comes to finding the right balance between overstepping, and letting the kids/workers fly.
“The challenge is striking the right balance, to be there to catch them if they need you to but also letting them find their own way and test the boundaries to develop ways to push their capabilities.
"This is the same in the office, giving your team the freedom to push themselves even when you know they might get it wrong the first time. Being there to support and prevent a catastrophe but enabling them to learn. This, in my opinion, is how you create high performing teams that have the hunger to be better than they were the day before.”
Karl Bates, executive strategy officer at Enigma and father of three, says being a parent has helped him to adapt to linear progression of agency life and parenthood.
Bates: “I have 3 kids (15, 14, 11yrs). I’ve worked as a strategic planner in advertising for almost 3 decades (so half of my career has been as an ad-dad). The quick answer to the question is that our roles are changing all the time and we have to find a way to adapt with them in order to make them work.
“The toughest part is the trade-offs required along the way - in our roles as employees, as colleagues, as mates, as husbands and as fathers. It’s a challenge but it’s about playing the long game.
“Now for the longer answer. Let’s start with pre kids. As a London based strategic planner working my way up and around the network agencies, life and career moved fast. Really fast. And that’s got a lot to do with the intense level of commitment that I was able to give to it, without needing to consider the impact that this would have on raising a family. It was high-travel, high intensity and it was a buzz.
“As a planner, and as the voice of the consumer in an agency, we thrive on getting out there to experience the world through other people’s eyes. It made my role fascinating, and it no doubt accelerated my career trajectory.
“Fast forward 3 years and I was now an ad-dad with 2 boys under 2 years old. My wife had chosen to put her professional career on hold to focus full-time on raising the kids and I was focusing on my career. We were really fortunate - we were both doing what we wanted even though it came with trade-offs for both of us.
“Five years later (with the addition of child number 3) and it was time to redefine roles again. My wife was ready to get back to work and I wanted to be around the family more. Not just on weekends. Still collecting way too many air miles, I wanted to be way more present (or very close at least) to my family. This was part of the reason for us moving the family and our careers to Sydney: The pursuit of the improved work/life balance.”
The strategy officer speaks of the importance of planning and finding balance, but notes that it takes time, in his case, 2-3 years.
“But we were playing the long game. It took us 2 - 3 years before experiencing any sense of balance. Like anywhere else, the advertising industry here is demanding and we can work long hours and (pre covid at least) we’re hopping on and off planes at sparrows. But it’s to Melbourne not Mumbai. Critically, as a planner, I’m able to fully immerse myself in our clients’ businesses, audiences and cultures, Australia-wide, without having to make anywhere near the same trade-offs to my family.”
James Keeler, chief experience officer at whiteGREY, says that being a dad helped him professionally in ways in which he had never previously considered.
Keeler: “Being a Dad has helped me at work in ways I never considered prior to being a parent, particularly when it comes to soft skills.
“It has made me think differently about how I work with people and what I ask from them. It’s reinforced that different people learn in different ways, and if someone isn’t understanding something I’m trying to communicate, then it’s up to me to use a different approach. Communication is what the other person hears, not what I’m trying to say!
“It’s helped me be a more empathetic leader, and to create an environment where people are encouraged to make good decisions, and feel supported when doing so. It has also given me more confidence to trust in people’s ability to do their best and to find a way to get a great outcome. And it’s taught me a lot about resilience, balance, and prioritisation.
“On a personal level it’s helped me to put things into perspective, and not sweat the small stuff. It’s taught me the importance of having fun and celebrating little wins. Kids are at their best when they’re smiling and laughing, and I think teams generally do their best when they’re happy and having a good time working together.”
The chief experience officer credits the industry for never treating him differently after becoming a parent and notes that further opportunities have been offered to him since his son was born.
He said:” Being a parent has given me more life experiences, and has improved my soft skills, which can’t have hurt my career progression.
“When my son was 12 months old, work allowed me to take 2 months unpaid leave to look after him. That didn’t impact how people treated me, or the opportunities I was given. Since then, I’ve been promoted multiple times, been given increased leadership responsibilities and had the opportunity to travel for work and represent the business.
“Now my son is 10. He knows my boss, pops up on video calls when he can, and has appeared in marketing promotions for one of our NFP clients. I’m in an Exec team where everyone has young kids, so we all understand there will be times you need to drop the kids at school, or look after them, but that doesn’t impact your ability to do your job.
“That makes me feel valued, and because of that I’ll go out of my way to help work when I’m needed. It works both ways.”
Sam Geer, national managing director at Initiative, says that being a father has infinitely expanded his patience and empathy which he incorporates in his role at the agency, but also states that being a parent has not helped him in terms of career progression.
Geer: “Being a father has infinitely grown my patience, and empathy which has been invaluable in the role I am currently where I feel fortunate enough to help nurture nearly 200 brilliant employees. It’s given me perspective about what’s important, and what isn’t. What’s worth worrying about, and not.
“Something I believe our industry is rubbish at, as we all-too-frequently get in our own way with details and minutiae that have no bearing on the bigger picture.
“But has being a parent helped me progress my career? Absolutely not. My time is scarce, and my attention is divided. If I’m doing a good job of parenting I feel like I’m letting my colleagues down, and if I’m smashing work I feel like I’m a terrible father.
“This isn’t due to an unsupportive workplace, or unreasonable family demands, quite the opposite. In both respects I have their unbridled support, care and understanding.
“Initiative’s ‘Choice Charter’ program ensures I have clear boundaries that are respected by my colleagues, and I have the right to not have to choose between having a family and a career. It enables me to be 100% present when I’m in either environment which is something I’m eternally grateful for. But it doesn’t stop the guilt.”
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