Award-winning PR professionals share their best career advice from resilience to mentoring

From handling setbacks to building a successful career, CIPR Excellence Award winners share the advice that has shaped them and the lessons they'd pass on to the next generation.

Having already explored creativity, inspiration, and what it takes to produce an award-winning PR campaign or team, for the third in our short series we asked this year's CIPR Excellence winners to reflect on the careers behind the campaigns.

From the best advice they've ever received to staying resilient when things don't go to plan, here's what they've learned along the way.

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received?

David Fraser, founder of Ready10: Very early in my PR career, I was fortunate to spend a few days with the cricketing legend Brian Lara, an incredibly inspirational guy. During a school visit, he was asked for his one piece of advice, and he said: "process, not proceeds." Meaning focus on the work, get better at your craft, do what you can to the best of your ability, and the money will follow, but keep it in that order. Prioritise your work and hold yourself to a high standard. Twenty years later, that still stays with me, and it's something I think about all the time.

Ritoók Teréz, PR team lead, Mediator: “Don't become an expert in communications. Become an expert in people." That advice has stayed with me throughout my career because communication is constantly evolving. Platforms change, technologies change, and audiences change. Human nature changes much more slowly. The better we understand people, the better equipped we are to communicate, whatever the platform or the technology.

Stephanie Dobbs, deputy head of external relations at Deloitte UK: Never stop learning - no matter how junior or senior you are in your career, you should always find time to reflect and seek development opportunities. The PR profession never stands still!

How do you stay resilient when things don’t go to plan?

Efetive Eguko, head of campaigns, Bank of England*: I focus on what can be learned rather than what went wrong. Every setback offers an opportunity to adapt, improve and come back stronger.

Oli Bradley, managing director and founding partner, Words+Pixels: I take things really personally when they don't go to plan. I've tried to train myself out of it, and it hasn't really worked - it's just who I am. So resilience is something I've had to build. And for me that comes from being healthy. Looking after myself - body and mind - and protecting the things I know I need to do to feel a certain way, if I'm going to be in any way tolerable.

This job hands out a lot of knocks, and they often arrive without warning. You can't stop those from happening, so the resilience has to come from your own foundations.

The other half of it goes back to networking. Have a group of people you can genuinely talk to who understand our world, and that you can just say "this is sh*t". Nine times out of ten they'll hand you back a decent perspective or give you a good reality check.

James Hawkins, director of communications and external affairs, BBPA: I have never worked on a campaign that step by step has gone according to plan – so adapt. The most successful campaigns have been a result of flexing to twists and turns that could not be foreseen and grabbing opportunities and playing smart with them. Resilience when things don’t go according to plan, or even turn hostile, is about keeping a level head, recalling similar situations and thinking through what is applicable and what needs fresh thinking.

Shona Mathew, business director, Kindred: A strong, high-trust team helps you to do this. Everyone can’t be positive and full of energy all the time, so build a team where you can tag-team this to bolster each other when needed. We end our weekly SMT meetings with a ‘one thing you are looking forward to this week’ so we leave on a high despite all the other stuff we might have on our plates, and so we can celebrate these moments with each other too.

Stephanie Dobbs, deputy head of external relations at Deloitte UK: Keeping calm and collected is sometimes easier said than done, but it’s always good to be confident and back yourself. Strong PR professionals have a gut instinct for what feels right and the confidence to listen to it."

Tony Garner, managing director, Viva PR*: Perspective helps. I often take a moment to reflect on times I've got through challenges in the past. When you've been around the block a few times, you recognise patterns — but you also realise you've probably faced a lot worse and got through it. That's what makes you strong.

Tim Reid, director and lead media trainer, Tim Reid Media: Keep calm, be flexible, think out of the box, keep plugging away, rethink and don’t give up.

Trevor Webb, associate creative director at 23red, part of Capgemini: I've become much better at keeping things in perspective. I've learned that resilience comes from treating setbacks as lessons rather than failures. The campaigns that ultimately succeed are rarely the ones that run perfectly from day one.

Will Holloway, creative director, Smarts*: I think the most important thing when things are going wrong at work is being able to step back a bit and take a break, rather than letting the negativity of the situation engulf you. Taking a bit of time away from your screen is a really good way of putting whatever minor inconvenience is happening into context. Being a parent has made this a lot easier because my toddler has no interest in my work dramas; he just wants biscuits and won't take no for an answer. Having someone literally dragging you away from your laptop is very helpful in that situation!

What advice would you give someone at the start of their career in public relations?

David Fraser, founder of Ready10: Be a sponge. Volunteer for everything, put your hand up and go for it. Put yourself in a position to do as much as you can, go into the office every day you're able to, work the events outside of work hours if you can. The first few years of your career should be treated as an investment. Lean into it, push, ask questions, be inquisitive, and enjoy it. It's an investment period for you and your career that pays dividends later.

Efetive Eguko, head of campaigns, Bank of England*: Stay curious, read widely and develop a deep understanding of your audience. The best communicators are those who never stop learning and are genuinely interested in people.

Gregor Hollerin, co-founder of Story Shop: I know this might be unfashionable, but spend as much time in the office as you can.

Being physically present leaves you more open to opportunities, learning and the informal conversations that help you develop. I often think about how many opportunities came my way simply because I was within shouting distance of the founders of the first agency I worked for. I was there to join brainstorms, asked to join in on pitches, bring ideas to life, collaborate in person and help get things done.

In PR, the most outsized impact often comes when ideas are developed and delivered at pace, and that is much easier when people are around each other. The quieter days, with fewer meetings, can also be the moments when senior people have more time to coach you and an idea can move from conception to reality.

Sara McCracken, founder, Sara McCracken Consulting: Enjoy every minute of it. PR is a brilliant profession to be part of. I’d also suggest getting a mentor so you can discuss ideas and challenges with a trusted confidante.

Stephanie Dobbs, deputy head of external relations at Deloitte UK: Ask as many questions as possible, really immerse yourself in the industry, and seek to learn as much as you can from others already working in the profession. Networking and finding a great mentor can be a very good way to start, but both are also incredibly important throughout your career.

Ritoók Teréz, PR team lead, Mediator: Learn to understand people before you try to influence them. Spend time reading psychology, sociology, behavioural science and journalism, not just communications. The better you understand how people think, make decisions and share stories, the better communicator you'll become. PR isn't just about telling stories. It's about recognising which stories are worth telling in the first place.

Oli Bradley, managing director and founding partner, Words+Pixels: Networking. It's become a bit of a dirty word, but everyone needs to get out there more. It doesn't have to mean dodgy networking events – it just means putting yourself in the room whenever the chance comes up. Meet people, take interviews with other agencies even when you're not desperate to move, meet your clients face to face, meet journalists face to face. Hell, meet your colleagues face to face.

We live in an incredibly accessible world of virtual calls, but real relationships aren't built through a screen – and that human element is becoming more valuable, not less. So take every opportunity you can to get in front of people, and keep doing it until it's simply a habit.

The thing that goes hand in hand with that is accepting that this often isn't a nine-to-five job. People rightly look for balance, and that's really important, but it's worth being honest that growing and getting ahead usually involves things that don't fit neatly into those hours.

Shona Mathew, business director, Kindred: Learn from other campaigns and agencies – what are they putting out there and why has it worked? What do you like about it? What can you take as a learning for something you do in the future? Start collecting all this inspiration early and refer back to it!

Trevor Webb, associate creative director at 23red, part of Capgemini: Remember that PR isn't really about communications, it's about people. The more interested you are in human behaviour, culture and what motivates people, the better you'll be at the job.

Will Holloway, creative director, Smarts*: Bring your passions and interests to work with you. Your passions are what make you interesting and can be a real asset if you use them to drive your work. The best creatives I've ever worked with all have a hobby or passion that they pursued outside of work that helped make their client work better.

During your career, what lessons have made you better at your job?

Gregor Hollerin, co-founder of Story Shop: My first job was at a local newspaper. At the time, I did not appreciate how much that experience would shape my career for the better.

I had the chance to fail in front of a relatively small readership and was given more creative control than I might have had at a national title. I had to create stories out of very little, and I got my 10,000 hours of writing.

I still think it is the best possible training ground for a career in PR or journalism.

Tim Reid, director and lead media trainer, Tim Reid Media: Bad bosses. They have made me a better leader. I endeavour to be the exact opposite of the terrible bosses that I’ve had through my career. I hope I’m a team player, that I reward success, that I give constructive feedback, support young team members, and give helpful tips, guidance and support.

How important is it for PR leaders to nurture talent through training?

Tony Garner, managing director, Viva PR*: What's the opposite of investing in training? Not investing in training – and to me that's madness. Most people in PR love to learn about new things. If you don't feed that, don't be surprised when they go and find someone else who will.

James Hawkins, director of communications and external affairs, BBPA: Any team leader is only as good as their team – forget that at your peril. It is important to know your strengths and weaknesses – both personally and when assessing your team – and make sure that any gaps are filled or weak points bolstered. I have always, always believed that you celebrate those team members who achieve the wins and have worked damn hard for you and the business. The worst leaders are those who hog success for themselves and don’t recognise a good team who have helped secure the win.