Sherri-Lyn Brown, vice president and consumer lead at Agnostic, Toronto’s trailblazing PR and communications agency, embodies a powerful lesson in self-discovery and leadership. Her journey from a boutique shop to a global firm was marked by a realisation that success isn’t solely about hard work but also about visibility and authentic self-promotion. Early in her career, Sherri-Lyn grappled with the challenge of standing out without compromising her true self. After receiving advice from a senior team member, she was emboldened to reshape her approach, guiding her to embrace her unique style rather than conforming to others' methods.
Sherri-Lyn’s evolution teaches us that personal growth and leadership come from aligning with our genuine selves and celebrating collective achievements. She now champions this mindset, encouraging others to forge their own paths and highlight the successes of their teams. Her journey underscores a profound truth: the most impactful way to shine is through authentic self-expression and collaborative triumphs.
Do it your way…
I was always someone who thought that working hard and doing great things would lead to recognition and growth. Starting out in a boutique shop, this seemed to work. I never had to actively seek recognition or fight for a promotion. As my career progressed and I moved on to a global firm it became increasingly clear that simply doing great work wasn't enough. I needed the right people to be aware of my contributions and impact.
As a mid-level PR professional, I wasn't much for being the loudest voice in the room, and I certainly wasn’t naturally inclined to self-promote, which left me struggling with how to get the visibility I needed without feeling the ick I felt seeing others overtly flaunt their work.
It was over coffee with a senior leader where I received a piece of advice that opened my mind and changed my perspective: "Find a way that feels true to you."
In my younger years, there were a lot of things I thought just weren’t “me.” Being a brash self-promoter was one, along with being a confident presenter and leader, among other things. And while I was growing steadily in my career up until that point, I can recognise now how trying to avoid becoming a self promoter was actually a masterclass in self limitation.
Turns out I wasn’t the only one who had struggled in this way. It was through the advice I received that day that I realised there wasn’t one way of showing up, and really, I didn’t need to do anything in the same way others did. I could find my own way to build and manage client relationships, to show up in rooms and to show up as myself.
How many times have you thought “they are naturally good at that”. In truth my belief that certain things just came naturally to some people was allowing me to believe I was not one of them.
I think about it often when I’m confronted with something new, or uncomfortable and have given the same advice to others, encouraging them to embrace their own paths and find ways to shine that align with who they truly are.
And as it turns out, I learned the best way to show off your work is to show off the work of your team because our individual success is in what we achieve together.
