Thedrum

For Mary Nichols, account director at Murmur Creative in Portland, the past is filled with learning — especially in this industry. Growing up outside of Chicago, her father was general counsel for Leo Burnett and at any opportunity, she was at his side at the agency. “Our clients are putting you through college,” she mentioned her father saying. That was the first initiation into the importance of connection and loyalty to clients. But in her second job, working for Coors in Colorado, another, more important lesson emerged — to be herself — and it came from criticism. Playing into the “old boys” network way of thinking, Nichols veered from her own way of presenting, trying to be “cute” and fit the audience. Her boss said simply that there was never any reason for that. “You are smart. You're accomplished. You're strong. You just need to be you. Don't throw the woman card out there when you're presenting, just throw the Mary card out there,” he said. Sage advice and a great foundation from which to wo