Digital Marketing Expert Sybil Grieb Proves Growth Mindset is the Key to Success

Sybil Grieb is a digital marketing master with over 15 years of experience in the field. She is the founder and CEO of 100Hats.co which focuses on brand strategy, social media, and influencer marketing strategy. Prior to founding her own company, she was the U.S. Head of Influencer Strategy at Edelman, a worldwide PR and marketing consultancy firm. Their clients include household names such as Paypal, Unilever, and HP.

ENTITY got the chance to chat with Grieb about the key moments, ideas, and people that helped her advance in her career.

What was your “Aha” moment in life? (i.e. what was the one moment you figured out what you really wanted to do). 

“I never wait for an “aha” moment. I look for the “hmm I wonder if…” moments. I find things I am curious or passionate about and jump in. Careers typically look well planned in hindsight, but often it is the interests, contacts, and curiosities that end up leading you down your unique path. Set your goals and the direction you want to go, but remain open to the opportunities that present themselves. I’ve found that often what comes up is far better than anything I was planning.”

What is the greatest challenge you faced and how did you overcome it? 

“Navigating company politics is my biggest challenge (Insert Game of Thrones theme song here). Many times in your career you will find that any success you have is seen as a threat to another person or department. To set yourself up with a strong foundation, keep in mind that the power is always shifting. There will be mergers, acquisitions, investors, and teams with individual goals and budgets. You need allies within your team and across different departments.

“Be a team player but also find three or more people that are senior to you, that you can update routinely on what you are working on, and your successes. Do anything you can to help them, and ask for their advice to keep growing your career. These relationships will help ensure your resilience in times of change and give you a broader understanding of how all pieces of the company work together and the opportunities at hand.”

How did you gain the confidence you need to advance your career the way you did?

“Growth mindset. The tipping point for me is when my excitement and enthusiasm for seeing what can be achieved, overrides any fear I have. If you keep your focus on potential growth and see the learning along the way as extremely valuable, you are in the right frame of mind. You can’t worry about failure. I don’t know anyone successful who has not failed, and typically the more successful the person, the bigger their past “failures” have been. If you want to learn and progress in life and in your career, you have to try things and take risks. Not everything will work, but it will lead you to the next thing. Know what you do well and keep that up and running, but on top of that try to add new things, bigger things. If you fail, doesn’t matter, you will have learned. Pivot, and try something else.”

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from someone else? 

“Decide what you want and find the situation (job/ friends/ schedule/ significant other) to support your goals.” Particularly as women we often seem to get pulled by what everyone else wants. Do whatever it takes to hear your own voice the loudest. Read and learn as much as you can. Have conversations, reflect, and get clear on your goals. Allow your goals to change as you grow, but always check in and know where you are and where you want to go. You have to put your goals first, because you are the only person that ever will. And then, work to find wonderful people and places that will support you on your journey.”

What is your secret to work-life balance (is there one)? 

“You will rarely maintain a perfect balance every day, but I believe in balance over time. Set your goals and decide which days/ weeks/ months you will focus more on work goals, and which you will focus more on life goals. Establish a few great habits in each area, and continue to hone them. I recommend reading “The Power of Habit”, it is one of my favorite business/ life books.”

What’s the key to being a good mentor?

“What I look for in my mentors is brutal honesty, because it cuts through the time it takes to learn from someone who is nice but vague. But for anyone just starting their career, you also need a mentor that is inspiring and nurturing, which, for me, is the best part of being a mentor. Giving my mentees courage to push themselves and see what they are capable of, knowing I’ve got their back. It’s very hard to do this for ourselves. Women especially seem to wait for permission. I give you permission! I encourage it! Go Do It! We’ve got this!”

What’s the key to being a good mentee?

“Drive. That is the one thing I can’t teach you. Everything else you can learn. 

Listening and asking questions is extremely important. Don’t be afraid your questions are dumb; your mentor needs to know how much you know and where the gaps are. Ask everything you can, watch your mentor in various situations, see how they handle them. Be respectful of the time you ask of them, but there is a lot you can do on your own time too. Reread their emails, listen to them in meetings. Ask yourself why they said certain things vs others. Show your appreciation for the time they give you. And share your successes, use these as opportunities to thank your mentor.” 

For more tips on business, digital marketing, and more, follow Sybil on:

Medium – https://medium.com/@sybil.grieb

Twitter – https://twitter.com/SybilGrieb

Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sybilgrieb/