Bossing It: Implementing Meritocracy with Faye Hawkins

Faye Hawkins leads Unlimited B2B team as managing director. Formerly chief revenue officer at UNLIMITED, Faye draws on over two decades’ experience agency-side and previously headed up TMW Business London. She started her career in PR with roles including a publicist at the BBC.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Faye> Back in the early 2000’s, during my new media publicist role at the BBC, I saw amazing potential for brands in the communications sector. New tech was emerging, and the internet’s potential was just starting to be realised. So, I decided to leave my role and founded a B2B PR agency.

It was a very exciting time and there were plenty of brands that need PR support, navigating the changing landscape. It was also the first time I faced the reality of leadership. Taking responsibility for people’s careers and the brands we worked with meant I quickly learnt how much you needed to put in. It was definitely a wakeup call.

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?

Faye> I prefer to be a collaborative leader – big decisions are much easier with consensus. However, I've also learnt the hard way that the toughest decisions are for leadership and leadership alone.

I know I always expect a lot from myself. Success isn’t just about inspiration and talent – it takes a lot of hard work as well.

Fairness is also important to me. I like to implement a meritocracy. I’ve worked in environments where you need to “do your time” in each role, but that can be such a slow way of progressing people, so I definitely work to identify those who have talent and drive and ensure they can always grow and progress quickly.

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?

Faye> My biggest lesson was also my hardest – having to make people redundant. We had three years of solid growth at the agency I founded, and then one of our biggest clients left unexpectedly. I needed to re-work the business and make some really, really tough decisions, quickly. I’m not sure I got everything right, but I definitely learnt for the future.

A great quote from a CEO I worked with has stayed with me: “Build the business rather than the organisation.” It’s essential that you build a profitable, well-functioning business first and foremost.

LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?

Faye> I always did know – it was probably partly down to a bit of impatience on my part! I always felt entrepreneurial – I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, so it didn’t even really feel like a risk starting my own venture – I always had that mentality. I thrive on responsibility and having to decide on business direction. Having said that, being responsible for others and their careers is never something I’ve taken lightly.

LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?

Faye> I think you have to have some personality traits to make you a good leader. You need good communication skills, good strategic vision and the ability to empower and motivate those around you. No leader has every skill – everyone has to learn something they’re not naturally good at. But leadership is not everyone’s ideal role.

LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?

Faye> I’ve had plenty of fails along the way – luckily not catastrophic, but you do need to understand why you’ve failed and what you’d do differently next time. I honestly think that if you don’t fail, you’re not trying hard enough. It’s OK to fail, as long as you always recognise how things could have gone better.

I personally value being courageous – putting yourself in situations where you feel uncomfortable. I’m not always one for confrontation, for example, so I’ve had to adapt my style. It’s important to make sure you back yourself in everything that you do.

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be as transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?

Faye> I always prefer transparency. Lack of transparency manifests in office politics and that can undermine teams and the work everyone’s doing. You need trust and openness to succeed. If you’re not being authentic, you’re not acting as a full-fledged member of the team.

That doesn’t mean you can always disclose everything to everyone, but if there are challenges it’s important to share them. There’s always value in being careful and considered and thinking about how information is shared.

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?

Faye> I’ve never had an assigned mentor, but I have learnt a lot from clients that I worked with along the way. Particularly talking to CEOs of organisations who have often been very generous with their time. Catching up over coffees and getting behind the scenes of a company and people offering to be sounding boards has been an invaluable part of my career journey. I’ve always appreciated input and other perspectives. It’s difficult to be a leader with no outside input.

LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?

Faye> Things always change. The market requires you to change and if you don’t change, you’re probably focussing too internally.

As a leader, it’s your job to say how you see things and how you can best navigate the change that’s required. It could actually be an opportunity. It’s useful to set a strategy and get consensus. Top-down leadership only is challenging. You need to work through details with your senior team and be ready to adapt – no plan is ever foolproof.

LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?

Faye> Through my career I’ve found the best approach is about openness and always starting with the right attitude. In a small organisation you need a diverse team around you to succeed – you can’t have carbon copies of yourself, and I’ve been lucky to work with talented teams over the years.

At UNLIMITED it’s something we take really seriously, and it starts with strategy and structure. UNLIMITED Voices is our internal DE&I Committee and they’re very active and are an important part of the business. DE&I runs across everything, from recruitment to training to initiatives in the workplace.

I’m also proud that 75% of our UNLIMITED Divisions are run by women, which is practically unheard of in our industry, and 49% of our combined leadership team across the business is female. That’s a great place to work from, and we’re constantly working to develop our talent mix.

LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with increases in remote and hybrid working patterns?

Faye> Our approach to hybrid working is that we’re focussed on our work – where and when it’s done doesn’t always matter – that’s representative of the senior leadership team’s attitude. We all have lives outside, and we all know what needs to be achieved inside work.

This isn’t just about remote and hybrid working – it’s having responsibility for your own role. Set your working patterns. It requires good communication, being transparent and being authentic.

LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?

Faye> I’m a big fan of McKinsey. I read a lot of things around business – they don’t always relate to B2B marketing. The Five Fifty – which gives a short debrief or longer deep dive – is a favourite. I also dip into the Economist, which is always enlightening.

I listen to podcasts when I can – I like The Melting Pot podcast by Dominic Monkhouse – we've worked together in the past and he always brings a fresh perspective.