Shonali Burke is a growth strategist who helps purpose-driven brands bring big ideas to life through Social PR. Over the past two decades, Shonali has worked with some of the most forward-thinking and innovative organizations in the world.
She’s also an adjunct faculty member in The Johns Hopkins University’s M.A./Communications program and is currently enrolled in Harvard’s Business Analytics Program so she can help organizations better leverage data in their marketing efforts
In this episode of the Look Left @ Marketing podcast, Bryan Scanlon talks with Shonali about lifelong learning, course corrections and how current events are affecting the way we all work.
Conversation highlights include:
- Why multitasking is overrated: "It’s a different thing to be able to manage multiple projects well, but you still have to prioritize your time, you still have to prioritize your attention and energy because you still want to deliver the best possible outcome that you can for your clients. And that is not going to happen if your attention is divided."
- The inability or unwillingness of many organizations to embrace flexibility drove Millennials to the “side hustle” mentality: “They just got so frustrated that they were like, ‘Fine, you’re not going to pay me enough or you’re not going to make it possible for me to do XYZ, I’ll just do it on my own.’ The Millennial generation is very, very interesting in their approach to the workplace. It is so diametrically different to Gen Xers, and they actually have a lot more in common with Boomers, I think, than they realize.”
- On how the coronavirus pandemic has fast tracked digital transformation for many businesses: “I’m very impressed with the way organizations have just been dealing with this. And honestly, with a lot of businesses who have been resisting digital transformation -- well guess what my friends? You have had no choice. You are either going to fail and succumb to technology, which is basically the history of innovation, or you’re going to adapt and figure out a way to survive.”
Listen to the podcast now and be sure to subscribe to catch each episode when they’re available. Have an idea for the Look Left @ Marketing Podcast? Drop us a note at hello@lookleftmarketing.com.
