FHA’s Fiona Hutton: ‘Don’t kick up and don’t kick down’

When talking to agency leaders, a common refrain is how difficult the shift is from focusing on clients to focusing on internal stakeholders.

It’s a subtle concept: Agency leaders still have to drive value for their clients and do plenty of handholding to preserve bottom line profits. However, they have a new stakeholder they must prioritize: the team.

For Fiona Hutton, CEO and founder of Fiona Hutton & Associates, this shift was one of the trickiest lessons to learn in her career. We caught up with her recently as part of our “Day in the Life” series and this is what she had to say:

 1. What’s your favorite part of your morning routine?

Hutton: I’m a first-generation Brit so tea. Not green tea. Not mint tea. But good old-fashioned PG Tips with a little milk and sugar. My husband, Gene, has been bringing it to me every single morning for 25+ years.

I literally can’t stand up, talk or look at my iPhone without those first few sips. It’s an interesting take on rituals and how important they are to our well-being and focus.