An In-Depth Interview with Kristin Longley

Personal Branding and a Strong Network Can Help Us Adapt

By Kolleen Edwards Chesley with Photography by Salz Studio

Kristin Longley reflects on the first time she remembers a real change in her path. As a young woman, she aspired to be Barbara Walters, the image of a successful female broadcast journalist. Kristin would intently watch Barbara’s respected interviewing ability and popularity with viewers and would enhance her own writing, hoping one day to be that woman on TV broadcasting the news.

Kristin was on her path. She was in journalism school at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and learning broadcast journalism, while covering floods and local stories. She was at the studio at 4 am, recording promo spots and writing stories for noon newscasts. She quickly realized there was much more to this role than the final product she saw on TV.

She asked herself if this was for her, and rethought her plan. “I’m not sure if this is exactly what I envisioned,” Kristin admits. She knew she was close, and asked herself, “well if THIS is not exactly it, what does IT look like?”

That was the first time she remembers making a real change in her career path. Instead of starting from scratch, she asked, “How can I use my journalism skills, which are basic questioning, leadership, writing, and communication skills to do what I want to do future tense.” She knocked on a door and asked about an intern position at the TV station promotions department while she continued journalism school. A year later, she knocked on another door and ended up working at a top 25 TV station in San Diego. She might not have had that opportunity if she was still doing broadcast journalism.

Kristin is now Director of Public Affairs for Cox Communications in the Southeast Region. She oversees external media relations, community affairs, and strategic partnerships to drive business development. She has worked in media for over 25 years in Pensacola, Atlanta, and San Diego.

It took a lot of pivoting to get to where she is now. At Cox, she started in media research and quickly evolved to marketing, public affairs, and communication. She appreciates the opportunities of being at a larger company that has a lot of job variety and flexibility. "But sometimes," she says, "you have to create that yourself." She encourages to “see how the trends are going and adjust on a personal level."

Referring to the well-known Wayne Gretzky quote, “Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been,” she advises, “You have to think about where you see the puck going. I’ve constantly challenged myself to do that.” But she admits, that is not always easy.

Salz Studio

Salz Studio

She credits two consistent areas that helped her shift and pivot as elements changed around her – personal branding and building strong relationships. “These are key concepts no matter where you are in your career,” says Kristin, and are internal elements you can enhance no matter the outer circumstances.

Personal branding is your strongest asset, whether you have considered it or not, it is how others perceive you. Like how body language speaks for you when you are not talking, personal branding speaks volumes even when you are not physically speaking.

How does branding help someone accelerate career progression?

Kristin says it starts with trusting behaviors. “Your brand is all about people being able to trust you to do what you say you will do, lead people or lead projects in a way that’s going to deliver results. But also, do it in a way that’s energetic and enthusiastic, so that people want to be part of that process.”

“For me personally, the things I most like to do are to make a difference, see projects over the finish line and ensure that we are delivering on goals.”

She credits collaboration as her go-to tool. “I am of the mindset that more heads are better than one and I know that I don’t have the right answer to every single question, but I know if I pull in enough folks, that a collaborative approach can get us to the right answer.” And then be prepared as things change to get new answers to new questions.

Being able to demonstrate these skills has enabled Kristin continued success and longevity with a company that has gone through a lot of change over many years. “Cox, started as a cable company and has evolved into a broadband communication technology company now. Technology companies typically are changing every six to nine months and to stay ahead and succeed you have to demonstrate that you can change every six to nine months and make those pivots when necessary.”

One of those critical points was when her HR Vice President asked her to teach a class called Brand Me to the staff. At first, she was confused. She had not done educational training before in her role. She got answers and did the training, not realizing how impactful it would be for her. “This was a blessing in disguise because it gave me a chance to dive into the deep end into personal branding,” says Kristin. The leadership course taught the ins and outs of personal branding, some of which are intuitive, others were an important lesson, but the biggest gain was on exactly how important branding can be for career advancement. She reflects on the changes she has experienced in her career and encourages, "If your brand is not strong, you are really fighting an uphill battle.” However, if you have a strong brand and you can demonstrate your ability to drive results and lead changes, that resonates loudly.

Salz Studio

A strong personal brand is one part. Kristin encourages to also pair it up with a good network.

Whether it is on zoom, over coffee, or a more formal meeting, it is important to build your connections and constantly learn about trends in the market so you can tell where the puck is going. “This is why networking is so important,” she says. If your view is too narrow and focused, you might miss those trends.

Kristin encourages early in a career to become good at problem-solving and she appreciates being able to turn to her network to find solutions. If you have a problem, become good at finding out who might have an answer to help you solve this problem. Instead of who you know, it might be more of knowing who knows what. The more you are connected deeply with your network, the more opportunity for solutions within your network.

She is also a resource for her connections and loves to help them find answers when they are stuck. She admits the last months since the pandemic have not been easy. "It's a lot. As each of us helps our neighbor, our friend, our coworkers each manage through it, it is important to maintain a really encouraging disposition. We will all have bumps

in the road and that’s ok. But helping each other get through to the other side is really important. There is so much ambiguity in the world, if we can help each other navigate that, I think that’s a really important skill as well,” Kristin encourages.

This is a perfect time to check in with your network and see how they are doing. We are missing the human element. “We can only deal with so much change and so much ambiguity. The more we can bring people along with ‘here’s what we know’ and celebrate and be thankful for, it helps. And yes, there are a lot of things we may not like or may not appreciate, but let’s get through them together.”

We know that our worlds will change again. Our careers and businesses will change. And we will need to adapt again. Even in the middle of a pandemic where so much of the future is uncertain, you can work on knowing yourself and knowing your brand. If you are in a spot you don't want to be in, for instance, the pandemic has displaced you, affected your business, you are a graduating senior and not sure now what to do, "You can focus on what's in your control. You can be thinking of how you can pivot, work on building skills, and building your network," says Kristin. It is always a good time to look at the trends and be ready to skate in a different direction if needed.

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