Typically, executives have more responsibilities than others; however, what are they? Unlike describing an administrator’s or copyeditor’s responsibilities, which are specific to their job-title, the responsibilities of an executive vary depending on their field of interest. For instance, a VP of an HR firm will have different job responsibilities than a president of an advertising agency.
So where do we get started? Below, you’ll read four mini-stories about executives whom I’ve interviewed in the past. Learn what their responsibilities are, what they enjoy most about their jobs, and the challenges they face at their companies.
Senior Vice President of Research at HR Firm i4cp: Jay Jamrog
''[i4cp] produces about 10,000 pages of research a year,'' says Jay Jamrog, vice president of i4cp. ''I supervise a staff of analysts—20 something—who are constantly looking at about 150 issues and 65 knowledge centers. Officially we do secondary and primary research projects looking at all the issues that could impact human capital in organizations and impact the productivity of course.
''I supervise all those projects, and I supervise the team. We’re the research arm for ASTD, American management association; so we do a lot of projects for them—leader projects. We also produce a lot of other documents. We do a survey a week it seems on all kinds of human capital issues.''
But with all the responsibilities of an HR executive, what does Jamrog enjoy most about his job?
''The thing I like about it is it’s intellectually challenging. I’m curious by nature and so we’re futurist here,'' he says. ''[I’m curious] about what’s happening today, what’s going to be in the future, what are the implications for the future, what assumptions are coming together.…And I like surrounding myself with very smart people. We have a lot of analyst here. And since I don’t do consulting, I get to talk to a lot of very heady practitioners who tell me about their problems…and I’m very confidential. So I get to talk to a lot of pretty good practitioners. I like it. It’s not boring.''
As for the Challenges, he says, ''The challenge right now is all the work because we’ve got a reputation as a good research institute and doing good research is a hard thing for most organizations to start up. So, we’ve got too many people who want us to do research for them. We have to turn it away because it’s just too much. We’ve got a little under a hundred of the fortune 200 who are members and we’re constantly getting requests for them to do specialized stuff from them too.''
''My title is ‘President.’ I’m also the head designer. My responsibilities are too much to list. In a single day I’ll do design, creative direction, copy writing, accounting…whatever it takes.''
But what lead Hernandez to be president of his own company?
''During my time with my last employer, there were many instances where I was not permitted to present certain ideas which were clearly the best solutions for that client. It really bothered me that I was being limited. I felt held back at times, and as time passed, this began to have a profound effect on new work, i.e. you become ‘gun-shy’ with new concepts.''
So when his tenure ended, he ventured off with a handful of clients. He took his passion for design, his talent for illustration, and his brilliance for advertising and, in December 2003, started iH Design.
When asked what he enjoys most about his job, Hernandez admits, ''I enjoy the fact that I can do whatever I like – conceptually. There are no committees ore opinionated owners to get in the way of what’s best for the clients.''
And the challenges? ''Maintaining the high quality of the work and fulfilling expectations. This becomes more difficult as more jobs come in. Also, managing growth.''
As the executive vice president and managing director of ad agency Draftfcb Chicago, Karen Sauder says this about her responsibilities: ''[They] include everything from making sure we have the best people creating the best work for our clients, to finance and operations. I am particularly focused on integration and further bringing to life the new Draftfcb model. We are building an agency of the future, one that works seamlessly across all media for the benefit of our clients.''
''I am president of our firm, Workplaces That Work, which provides consulting services, speaking, workshops, evaluations and investigations on HR related subjects such as employee relations, leadership, executive and management development, diversity, and conflict,'' says Eisaguirre. Her greatest job joys? Teaching, writing, and working with other HR professionals. However, as with most jobs, there are aspects to her job as president that are challenging.
Specifically, she says, ''dealing with the lack of support many HR professionals have in their organizations.'' And she includes, ''[Trying] to persuade upper management about the value HR adds to the organization.''
Final Thoughts on Executives in the HR and Advertising Industries
While Jay Jamrog, Ignacio Hernandez, Karen Sauder, and Lynne Eisaguirre are executives and have been for several years, they all face challenges in their jobs—relating with difficult people, sorting through piles of work, running a company. However, with the challenges come rewards, and for all of these executives, may they work in HR or advertising, the rewards make everything well worth it.
