As published in B&T.
Fresh from oOh!media’s Outfront’25 event at the start of the month, Cathy O’Connor sat down for a very swift conversation with Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham about tenure, high-performers and her time as a tea lady.
- Over your career I have admired your loyalty, is loyalty an undervalued trait with industry churn and average tenures of two to three years?
I wouldn’t confuse tenure with loyalty. That’s an outdated concept. Younger people want experiences, in life and in their careers, and don’t necessarily separate the two. The job of a leader is to provide those experiences and that builds loyalty.
- You have spearheaded major digital transformations in different media channels. What’s your key learning?
Not everything goes to plan. See a transformation as a series of “test and learns” that never stops. Give yourself permission to fail and when you do, dust yourself off and keep going. Quickly!
- Outdoor more than ever does cool and innovative work, how do you ensure that innovation and high-performance mindsets are embedded in your oOh!media culture?
Invest in creativity. Our creative and innovation team, POLY, are a force in the business.
- You constantly feature in B&T’s Women In Media Power lists, and you mentor and champion so many younger women. Why is this important to you?
I feel grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had in the industry and want to pay that back in any way I can.
- On the flip side, who have been your mentors/champions that have influenced your career?
I have always had a great relationship with my direct bosses, without exception I have learned from all of them.
- As an industry what’s one thing you would change to make us all better?
Less competitor focus, more customer focus. That’s how we all grow.
- In the past you have been very open about learning from mistakes, why aren’t more leaders demonstrating vulnerability and sharing human truths?
Mistakes aren’t fun, but we all make them. I think most leaders struggle with the balance of letting people fail, but also holding them accountable to perform. Create the safety to let people fail – but be clear about what you expect next.
- With the current economic headwinds are your shareholders/clients’ expectations for growth realistic?
Yes, in Out of Home’s case our shareholders expect nothing more than we expect of ourselves. This is our time and we’re confident we can take a larger share of the total media pie.
- What’s one thing that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?
1980 – Tea Lady, Manly Vale Retirement Village.
- Important last question, do your parents know what you do?
Yes! Once my titles became GM, MD or CEO, they knew that I ran a media business. Prior to that, when I was in media sales, they had absolutely no idea what I did, but were always enthusiastic!
