Alex Williams describes herself as equal parts Type A and Type B. Which is part of the reason she drives herself a little crazy.
“I can come across as very laid back, but internally I’m constantly trying to control things. I’m an overthinker—I’m always trying to figure out solutions, but never just to one problem,” Alex said. “My thoughts are like a bowl of spaghetti: Everything is overlapping and interconnected. So I find myself looking for multiple solutions at a time.”
Which might explain why Well Done just hired her as our new account coordinator. The ability to juggle multiple client projects, stay in control, and not lose her cool will serve her well in a role that requires some serious multitasking. And, as we learned in the interview below, Alex’s discipline was ingrained in her at an early age.
So your dad was in the army when you were growing up, and now you’re an accounts coordinator. Is there some kind of connection there? Because you seem to be a pretty disciplined person.
I grew up learning the Six Ps: Prior planning prevents piss-poor performance. This was hammered into me and my siblings from the time I was five years old. So I feel like that’s created a mentality in me of always thinking at least one step ahead, which transfers well to something like account service. In this role, you’re always trying to stay ahead of a project to make sure you and your team have all the information and resources you need to be successful.
What got you interested in marketing as a profession?
Originally, I went to school for hospitality and tourism. My mother was in the hospitality industry, and I wanted to emulate her success. She started from the ground up, and worked her way to being the vice president of a hospitality ownership group. I admire her very much, and wanted to follow in her footsteps.
At a certain point, though, I realized it was time to follow my own dreams. I took a step back and thought about what I was interested in, and ultimately switched my major over to marketing at the Kelley School of Business.
But you did work for a while in hotels as well. Did you ever find those jobs stressful?
The very first truly stressful experience was a guy who came to the front desk looking for his wife. He claimed she forgot her medicine, but it was pretty clear what the situation was. I explained to him I couldn’t just give out that information, and he asked to speak to a manager. As soon as I left, he jumped over the desk and started searching for her information in our computer system.
We ended up calling 911, but that was a pretty stressful experience at 18 years old.
Holy moly.
Yeah…
By comparison, dealing with the creative team should be a piece of cake.
Well, and I’m really here to provide support to them, too. I think it’s important to find that balance between the internal team and the client. You want to be the maestro, achieving the best results for your client while also giving to the team however you can. It can be a fine line to walk, but I think by being open and honest, and also open-minded, I’m able to keep that balance.
What are you hoping to learn here at Well Done?
I loved my previous job as an experiential marketer, but it was very niche. Here I’m excited to be able to touch different components of advertising, and get involved in things like social, digital, and print. That’s something I’m hoping to grow my expertise in.
But beyond my career, I want to grow as a person as well. I really like that there’s intention behind the clients Well Done chooses to work with, and the people that you bring on your team. Everybody here is very kind and welcoming, and those are the people I want to surround myself with. It’s the kind of person I would like to be.