JO BERTRAM, 34,
is Regional General Manager of UK, Ireland and the Nordics at Uber. After studying Physics at Cambridge and getting her MBA in Paris, she spent four years working in business consultancy
in Africa before joining Uber in 2013.
Getting plenty of sleep is vital for my happiness, as is disconnecting from work. I’m very ambitious, so when I’ve had a tough time with work-life balance in the past I’ve created a yearly bucket list of things that I then commit to making happen, such as going to a friend’s wedding or booking a holiday. I’m more resilient now after facing some big challenges at work, including vicious trolling that forced me to quit Twitter earlier this year. Unfortunately when you compete with an established industry like Uber has, there are some that will lash out and social media provides an easy platform. I used to personalise everything and get very upset if something went wrong, assuming it must be my fault. Now I focus on the bigger picture and realise it’s not about me. I spent a lot of time building up a picture of my dream job. I loved working in Africa as I saw the impact my business had. I’m a bit socially awkward and hate networking, so would instead ask everyone I knew out for coffee to discover what resonated about their jobs. The opportunity at Uber popped up when a friend contacted me via LinkedIn. I had never heard of the company, but the job matched my skills and it seemed like a dynamic business, so I jumped at it. I ask my team to rate their happiness at work out of 10 so I can get a clear picture. I’m an eight out of 10 (I’m British and cynical, so I doubt 10 is ever possible).
WORK IT
Jo’s path to career enlightenment
Have a f**k off fund.
If you end up in an awful job, savings give you the time to think about what you want. Don’t worry too much about a plan. Make decisions based on whether you’ll enjoy the challenge, not if
they’ll look good on your CV. Arrange social events after work.
I don’t like letting people down, so saying I’ll meet a friend at 7.30pm means I can’t work late.
Seek advice.
I wouldn’t find my job description as exciting as the role actually is, so talk to someone doing the type of job you’re interested in.