As we finish one year and head into the next, I thought it would be appropriate to recognize some of the key mentors I have had that have shaped my career. So, this 4-part series focuses on those who have helped me along. A big thank you to each and every one of them.
The final bog is this series features my good friend Phil Stolberg.
When the Great Recession hit in 2007, my little company took it on the chin, and I had to close Analytical One and return to agency life for a season.
My charge at the new job was to build an analytics department from scratch. I was literally a VP with no staff.
Fortunately for me, my first day on the job entailed getting on a plane with Phil Stolberg to meet all of the agency’s analytics partners. Phil was kind enough to take me under his wing and teach me the ropes (both the ones to know and the ones to skip) working for a large, multi-office agency. He quickly became my confidant and mentor.
Over his agency career, Phil had seen it all. Good times and bad times. Incredible highs and mind-numbing lows. Through it all, Phil was a rock. Never getting too excited, nor getting very discouraged. Having such a steady influence in one’s career is super important because there are times in your career where everything seems to fall into place, and you can be tempted to believe it’s all because of your brilliance. Similarly, there are times when nothing works and everything you touch you break, which can make you feel like a fool. The truth, as Phil will tell you, is always somewhere in the middle of those two extreme realities. And Phil is the kind of person who will tell it to you straight. Sometimes when you most need to hear (but not always when you want to hear it).
Today, Phil is the General Manger of Brewer Direct in Monrovia, California.
Phil, I so appreciate your mentorship.
