A Conversation between Director of Client Services Shelby Davisson and Associate Account Manager Lauren Somers
As we enter National Women’s History month, I reflect on ways female leaders at Brkthru support me in my professional journey. I sat down with one of our fearless leaders, Director of Client Services, Shelby Davisson, to discuss her experience as a woman in the advertising industry, and how she achieved success at Brkthru.
When I think about the women who have impacted me most over the past year, I think first of Shelby Davisson. Shelby started like me as an Account Manager, when Brkthru was a small group of passionate colleagues and she quickly grew into a supervisor role. She built trust between her growing team and created a sense of transparency between departments. Moving into a Director role, Shelby now supports the Client Services department, using advice she gained from her own female role models to think three steps ahead, and to deliver award-winning service for our clients.
In her current role, Shelby gives us the tools to succeed as Account Managers, and ensures this team finds their unique pathway to success at Brkthru. She thinks about ways to bridge the gap between where her AMs want to be and where they are now in their roles, and she continues to think three steps ahead. I asked Shelby if she had any advice for women trying to rise in the advertising industry, and she mirrored this practice, advising women to bridge the gap for themselves.
Many women in the workplace experience “imposter syndrome,” as do most professionals at some point, and Shelby urges her team and especially female colleagues, to think about why they feel that way. Looking inward to determine if that feeling comes from a lack of knowledge, and she encourages everyone ask questions. If this stems from a personal weakness, you can always find ways to improve. Shelby’s greatest piece of advice: trust yourself.
At Brkthru, our core values are Trust, Caring, Contribution, Communication and Positive Attitude. Trust is usually fulfilled by trusting your colleagues to perform their best without interference, a value that Shelby uses to lead our team to our goals. Sometimes we must trust in ourselves to exceed goals and take our future into our hands.
Shelby is a dynamic, compassionate, and thoughtful female leader for Brkthru, but she is also an incredible mother to two. With a family at home in Santa Fe, she is tasked to balance the life of a digital advertising Director with the most important role of all – motherhood. Shelby does these jobs with much grace and resilience, and she inspires us to work a little harder for our clients and ourselves. Her commitment to excellence and propelling all Brkthru employees to their highest potential has inspired me to work harder as an Associate Account Manager, to try to think three steps ahead, and to always start with a “Yes” for my clients, and my future.
Lauren Somers is a member of the Brkthru D & I team