Name: Fran Hauser
Job Title and Description: Digital President of Time Inc.’s Style & Entertainment Group
College/Major: Pace University /BBA and MBA in Business Administration
Twitter Handle: @Fran_Hauser
What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
Fran Hauser: As Digital President of Time Inc.’s Style & Entertainment group, I oversee the digital extensions of some of the publishing industry’s biggest and most popular brands—PEOPLE, InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, Essence and PEOPLE en Espanol—to over 27 million people across platforms and more than 22 million on social media.
With my role, there really is no such thing as a typical day. I spend a lot of time meeting with potential partners (which can range anywhere from startups to more established digital properties), hosting strategic planning/product roadmap sessions with my team or reviewing financial performance. I make time almost every day for networking meetings to stay connected with folks in the industry. For me, these are best done over lunch or coffee, where a casual setting allows you to connect and learn so much more about each other professionally and personally.
What is the best part of your job?
FH: Because my job has a large scope, it’s hard to pinpoint the “best” part, but I do love being exposed to all of the creative work that is happening in the NYC and Silicon Valley tech community. I am constantly trying to figure out ways to integrate new capabilities into our own digital properties. For example, last year I had a great meeting with Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, founder of video e-commerce platform Joyus, as they were first launching. I fell in love with their business proposition and introduced them to Liz White, [who is the] GM for PEOPLE.com. Now, Joyus is successfully powering video e-commerce for the site.
Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
FH: My first child! You would think that it would be the opposite—that having a child would make my professional life harder. Is it more complicated? Yes, but in actuality, I became ruthless about prioritizing and focusing on the things that make a difference and truly add value. I want to spend as much time as possible with him (and now my second son!), so I’ve forced myself to look at my work differently.
You’re also a family woman! What are some tips for balancing your career and personal life?
FH: There really is no such thing as a perfect balance. My friend told me the other day that as soon as you become a mom, “guilt” becomes your middle name. You feel guilty that you aren’t spending enough time with the kids or guilty that something is slipping through the cracks at work. There is a lot of truth to this, but there are ways to make it simpler.
In my personal life, I’ve found that enlisting help where I can enables me to spend more time with my kids. It is sometimes hard to let go of things at home, but doing so gives me more quality time with my family, which is a priority.
At work, I try to create policies for myself to help determine where I need to be. I’ve set criteria for which meetings to take and which projects to participate in. This helps me decide when I should delegate the opportunity to someone else on my team or suggest a different path.
I also know what my limits are when it comes to my non-profit work. To do that work justice, I know I should sit on no more than two boards at one time. I have found it extremely helpful for me to create these frameworks. I am able to look at situations objectively, and as a result, end up spending more time where I should and want to be. Currently, I am the chair of the board for Global Giving, a non-profit that connects donors to grassroots projects around the world to make an impact.
What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
FH: In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg talks about how “done is better than perfect.” I don’t think I realized this until I was 15 years into my career, and I wish someone had said that to me earlier. There is a constant tradeoff between speed and quality that I think many of us struggle with. For example, looking back on the earlier part of my career, I would say that I spent way too much time on form. I wanted everything to look perfect, whether it was a PowerPoint presentation or an agenda. And then I came to the realization that as long as the content/substance is there, it doesn’t need to be packaged beautifully. It just needs to be presented in a clear, easy-to-digest format. Also, given the impact that technology has today on most work environments, I think it’s more important to move quickly and execute than to try to get it 100% right.
As President of Digital, you oversee a bevy of different media outlets and aspects of Time Inc. What are some productivity tips you can share?
FH: I am very lucky to have the most incredible executive coach who has shared many productivity tips with me over the years. One tip that I have found to be really helpful is taking 15 minutes every Friday to review your calendar for the upcoming week. She refers to this as an “airplane view.” The idea is to make sure that you are spending the majority of your time working on things that are important and that will truly add value. It also gives you the opportunity to reschedule meetings if you feel you don’t have enough time blocked out to do creative thinking. I do this religiously every Friday (usually during my morning commute) and it’s been a lifesaver.
The other practice I would recommend, related to this, is to block off one or two hours in the morning (which is the most effective thinking time…before you flood your brain with email and meetings) and use this time to actually do work where you are creating/developing new ideas or solving problems.
What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
FH: In the early part of my career, I hired a few people who I connected with so deeply on a personal level that I didn’t spend enough time checking references and really digging into their skill sets and experience. I hired them because I “really liked them” and could see them fitting in with the team. Of course, personality is very important for workplace culture and collaboration, but it’s obviously not the full picture for a candidate.
What do you look for when considering hiring someone?
FH: The most important things I look for, regardless of the level, is what concrete successes they have experienced in their past. And I want to understand the specific role they played in those successes. I also want to understand their ability to think critically and solve problems. I consider how likely they will be able to fit into the culture, and look for people who have strong colleagues and relationships outside of the company to leverage those relationships for potential deals and partnerships. For entry-level folks, it’s critical that they come prepared, that they have done research on the company and are inquisitive about what they find in their research.
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
FH: No matter what field you are looking to break into, the most important thing to do is to immerse yourself in that world. If you want to get into media, say as an editor, write—a lot! Start a blog on WordPress or Tumblr and be really strategic about how you market your writing from a social media standpoint. I also encourage people starting out to consider taking administrative assistant positions. These positions allow you to build key relationships and opportunities to prove you can be a valuable part of the team. The vast majority of my assistants over the years were promoted after working with me for a year. Another option—and one to consider given how competitive digital is now—is to take time to volunteer or intern at a startup you are passionate about. It will get your feet wet and show that you are flexible and committed to learning.
Also, start networking as soon as possible. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your parents’ friends, to professors, to friends of friends. Think about everyone in your network. It could be that someone who you worked with at a coffee shop has a sister-in-law who works at that magazine you love is and is looking to hire a reporter. Map out your network and highlight anyone who you think can help!