Publisher of Maclean’s Penny Hicks Shares 6 Ways You Can Stand Out in Your Company

If you want more from your employer — more responsibility, more recognition, more money — you need to get noticed. This young magazine publisher knows how it’s done.

By: Heather Pengelley

You’re the publisher of Maclean’s?” Penny Hicks, 39, fields that question a lot. “I don’t know if it’s the combination of being a woman and being younger,” she says, “but people often ask me how I got the job.”

Until recently, only men had occupied that role at the 108-year-old magazine. Hicks follows Julie Osborne, a former deputy publisher who held the position for a short time before her promotion to Rogers’ executive team. The glass ceiling had split open, but how did Hicks get through?

The short answer is hard work, consistency and persistence. The long answer is more complex. “Life isn’t a straight line and neither is your career,” says Hicks, a mom of two who credits a 12-minute commute between her home and office as part of the secret to staying on top of it all.

Whether you’re in sales or science, finance or forestry, if you want to rise through the ranks, steal these moves from Hicks.

KEEP MOVING
Staying in the same job, hoping for recognition, won’t get you anywhere.

Hicks started in digital advertising sales in 1998 and joined Rogers in 2003 as an account manager. She held seven titles over the following 10 years. The first years included sales roles at the News and Business Group, Marketing Solutions, and various print publications. In 2006, Hicks moved to Maclean’s as an account manager, and then to Manager, Business Development and Sponsorship, before becoming advertising director in 2010 and publisher in 2011.

I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t had exposure to more people, more teams and more bosses. Moving around the company gave me opportunities to build relationships.

DO SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
At her first Rogers sales conference, “I was neither confident nor comfortable with public speaking, but I pushed myself to lead a sales presentation.” It was her first opportunity to be recognized by her peers. “I remember a veteran Maclean’s account manager stood up and said how impressed he was with the new, younger talent at the meeting. He looked directly at me.”

GET NOTICED
Hicks made no secret about the fact that she wanted the publisher’s job, but when the position became available, it wasn’t handed to her: she had to submit a strategic plan for the news-magazine as part of an intensive interview process.

“I pulled off a series of all-nighters, researching areas of business where I lacked experience, analyzing the competitive landscape, and identifying readership and circulation trends.” People within her network helped her interpret the information.

SPEAK
When you notice problems, bring them forward but “make sure that you bring solutions to the table,” says Hicks. “They don’t have to be the right ones — you just have to show that you’re thinking about the issues and how you can be part of solving them.”

BE KNOWN FOR INTEGRITY
Build relationships with bosses and coworkers by giving credit where it’s due. “You don’t achieve results on your own. You have to appreciate and manage your internal relationships to do your job well every day. I openly recognize anyone who contributes a good idea at team, town hall and management meetings — even when the person isn’t in the room.”

FIND EXTERNAL MOTIVATION
Have specific career goals — and the courage to articulate them to bosses and coworkers — but identify life goals, too.

Hicks found it tough to stay motivated when her career stalled in sales at Rogers. She used that period to re-evaluate goals and find opportunities to grow outside the office. For a few years, she rehearsed the French horn in the evenings and performed on weekends with the North York Concert Orchestra. At the same time, she took evening courses to earn a Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution at the University of Toronto. Both kept her motivated and engaged — requirements for any career.