EVERYONE NEEDS A ROLE MODEL (OR THREE)

Alice Olins shares her career advice

Do you daydream about how life would be better if you could be more like X, Y or Z? You know, your most chic friend, a successful work colleague or that celeb who has life nailed? Do you also find you’re riddled with guilt for coveting what you don’t have? Welcome to being human.

Despite being hardwired to look to others for inspiration, there is an undercurrent to life that tells us this is somehow bad or weak. Well, I’ll let you in on a secret: having positive role models will make you into a more fulfilled and rounded woman. Role models inspire us: someone who behaves in a way we admire helps us to recognise areas in ourselves that we want to upgrade.

Just shy of 20 years ago, I was fresh out of uni with big journalism dreams. Amazingly, with zero writing experience under my belt, I landed a job at a well-known broadsheet newspaper. My boss was fashion journalist Lisa Armstrong, who just happens to be at the top of her field. I looked to her for inspiration on how to become a great writer. I would pick through her work, ask trillions of questions and try to emulate her ease with words and ability to weave serious current affairs into readable fashion copy. In my head, she’s still my boss, and I can hear her critiquing my work all these years later. But Lisa alone doesn’t offer me all I need.

You see, role models don’t have to be perfect success stories. Someone who’s struggled to get to the top can be as useful to you as an effortless high-flyer. And if there’s one thing you admire in your role model and another thing you don’t, that’s okay, too. The point is to take inspiration from the elements of each of your role models that you want to strengthen in yourself.

Role models can also be people you know well. I look to my dad for inspiration of a different sort. The world’s most natural networker, he inspires me to be more open and to constantly broaden my network – something that doesn’t come naturally to me. He also mentors young entrepreneurs, and his generosity of knowledge is something I draw on in my coaching. Without wanting to state the obvious, my dad is also a man. Difference is an advantage in this role-modelling game; a cross-pollination of skills and ideas enriches us all. It will help broaden your thinking and approach, both of which will pay dividends at work.

I have plenty more where Lisa and my dad came from, but this column isn’t about my list – it’s about yours. Finding influential role models takes time, but before you even look to others, have some conversations with yourself. Having the self-awareness to see where you need to develop is key to a powerful role-model relationship.

So there you have it: a whistle-stop tour of my sources of inspiration, and a guide for you, too. Remember: your role-model list will ebb and flow. One person might feel relevant at a certain point in your career, but less so as time moves on. Keep your role models fresh, and don’t feel bad about aspiring towards someone else’s success. Here’s to embracing shared inspiration.