Career Arc Stories, A Conversation with Jade Juma

I had the good fortune of working with Jade Juma, being her mentor, and calling her a friend. What’s most striking about Jade (even if you’ve only interacted with her for a few minutes) is her natural ability to connect with the human being beneath the surface, see the positive side of any situation she finds herself in, and how she remains steadfast in the core values she holds close to her heart. 

During our conversation she shared how her family raised her to believe that hard work, respect, and a sense of community are essential to be successful in any industry, at any level. She brought this foundation into her career, enabling her to achieve professional success and the confidence to constantly pursue new opportunities. 

Did you choose your career or did your career choose you?

Honestly, it's been a combination of both. I was introduced to digital advertising through my extended network. To be transparent, it was actually my sister. Her old college roommate posted a job description and sent it to me because she thought that it would be something I would be really good at. She knew that I was always interested in advertising, and through internships, I started to really get interested in how technology could fuel a product. 

I got started initially as a Trader. A Trader is someone who, on behalf of brands, sets up campaigns, delivers budgets in full, and exceeds performance goals by implementing analytic optimization in the DSP or a buying platform. I showed initial success by collaborating with partners and internal colleagues to fine-tune my foundational trading and programmatic knowledge and put what I learned into practice. 

Once I had a solid foundation in my day-to-day responsibilities, I was able to broaden my scope by being a part of, or taking on, side projects or business initiatives.  These projects were essential to my career development, as these projects gave me exposure to other facets of the business and leaders that I would have never interacted with.  

So, I went from being a Trader to a people manager to being an individual contributor of a department created for me based on my skill set and business needs. My major responsibilities include educating, creating data-driven stories and insights, innovating and streamlining processes across the organization.

I think my journey highlights that career development is not stagnant. It's ongoing. It's not linear. 

I would love to hear more about your current role, individual contributor of this new department. The one that was created based on your skills and business needs. How did that opportunity develop?

I think I was super fortunate to have managers who always wanted to have career path conversations with me and were curious to learn what I was interested in. As well as leaders who understood my value. They wanted to challenge me. They thought I was the person for it (this position). 

To be completely honest, I kind of hate the word individual contributor. I think sometimes people view that as a weakness. I'm a firm believer that everybody needs doers within an organization.  To be an effective individual contributor, you need to have strong partnerships, work across many different teams, be organized, solutions-oriented, and data-driven. Those are all qualities that are respected. 

Additionally, I think there is a misconception that I am not interested in other people's success and growth because I'm an individual contributor. That's false.  I feel like sometimes there's a bias towards individual contributors.  Typically, they aren't seen as a vital and a valuable part of a company's success, but I think I'm a pure example that that's not the case. 

It's important to highlight that you had the experience of being an individual contributor and people manager because so many readers may be at that point in their career where they think about what track to pursue. What was your experience like in both of those roles?

The one thing I will say is that just because you shift into being an individual contributor to a people manager, or in my case, a people manager to an individual contributor, it doesn't mean that you can't go back. You have transferrable skills; they are just applied differently within these roles. For example, as an individual contributor, I have to partner with teams, provide and receive feedback, put together processes, and pull data to hold people accountable to understand adoption. Those are very similar characteristics that managers, people managers, have to drive change.   Another example is being a good listener. As a manager to understand the direct report's motivations and then advocate on their behalf. These are qualities that an individual contributor must have to gain buy-in and push initiatives through.  

As an individual contributor and people manager, you have to find opportunities for people. I do that all the time. I like to create opportunities for people to work on initiatives with me, as  I think it's an additional option for people to learn and grow while accomplishing their goals.  That's what was given to me, so why wouldn't I want to do that for somebody else?

I will say, no matter if you're an individual contributor or people manager,  I am a firm believer, to be successful, you always need to be willing to learn, reflect, and implement differences to fine-tune your skills.  

How did your personal experience or upbringing influence your professional career? 

I was raised to believe that hard work, respect, and a sense of community are essential to be successful in any industry, at any level. I'm grateful that those values were instilled in me, through my family, especially my parents. It helped me define myself professionally. For example, I think through my involvement with those community activities from an early age, I learned the importance of organization, planning, logistics, and attention to detail. 

My family and I would all volunteer together. Sometimes we would clean up highways for a larger beautification initiative in my hometown. We participated in food drives. Set up car washes for the girl's swim team (that I was a part of) so we could purchase new team swimsuits for the upcoming season. I think the ability to be engaged with all those different types of activities and events, taught me a few things. One, that good ideas can come from any place. Two, the importance of teamwork. Three, I learned how to hone my creativity and be able to translate that into a successful execution. I think those were some things that were instilled in a very early age. 

When it comes to hard work and respect, I know that may seem like obvious answers to be successful.  However, I feel like people define these words differently.   I define hard work as being solutions-oriented and results-driven. I also cannot express how essential respect is. I was raised in a diverse community. I had family members that we would say, "we're related by heart, instead of blood" from all different backgrounds. 

Again, at a very early age, I think this instilled in me the importance of working with people of all different cultures and perspectives is incredibly valuable in life and in a professional environment.   

I have my parents to thank for shaping me. It has impacted me so much. In the values I look for in a company culture.  How I shape teams.  How I mentor people. I think that's how my upbringing has influenced me.

What was a game changing move you made that transformed your career?

I realized that there were a couple of moments that built upon each other, and if I wouldn't have had those experiences, I wouldn't be where I am. Even though it sounds like super cliché. I think there are always lessons learned, not failures. If it wasn't through every experience I went through, I wouldn't be where I'm sitting now. I'm just really grateful for all opportunities that I have ever had and for people taking me under their wings. 

I remember one pivotal point that accelerated my career path was when the viewability, or an ad being in-view for a particular length of time. Essentially, there are two standards. One is way more stringent than the other. At the time, current technology wasn't as robust or developed as it is today; and data-sets were siloed. To yield any type of viewability results at scale, it felt like you were trying to solve a really complex puzzle. And although there were different tests being conducted at the time, nothing seemed to work. I remember I had a concept that I thought could operationalize process,  but I wasn't sure how to bring it to fruition. I was stuck. Even though the idea wasn't fully built out or polished, I fearfully approached my boss, and he asked me to walk him through my idea further. I did. At the end of the conversation, he casually asked me about what I was interested in and where I thought my career could lead. 

To my surprise, the next day he actually brought in a prototype of my idea! After completing a couple of tests, we learned that the solution worked. However, it wasn't a long-term solution. We needed something automated. 

That was when I started to gain exposure in a way that I never had before. He included me in conversations around building out products and automating processes because he knew it aligned with my interest. This experience ultimately is what shifted my career. I learned that I could apply my skill sets and problem-solving in a strategic way, and I also learned the importance of rethinking problems and then trying to think of other solutions for the long term. More importantly, the value of giving other people the opportunity to learn and grow with you. To this day, I'm so appreciative of that experience. He's now one of my mentors. I don't think that he fully understands what an impact he had on my career. 

What was the best career advice you ever received? 

Don't fall in love with the solution; fall in love with the problem. 

I'm going to let that sink in. 

I thought that was profound and can be applied to someone's personal and professional life. 

Sometimes, people fall in love and get attached to the solutions they create. They lose track of the vision and follow through with solutions/ideas/initiatives that ultimately do not solve the problem.  Upon implementation, these solutions will fall flat and not be successful.  I always say there is a minimum of three different ways to solve a problem.  So fall in love with the problem; it will empower you to be objective, think of potential solutions, gain feedback, and make sure that you're solving issues at large. 

What advice would you give your younger self?

Enjoy the process and remember you don't need to be fully polished to present an idea or concept. The second piece of advice is, don't assume that you know the answers or outcomes. Always ask questions. By doing so, you build your brain and your brand.

What role did networking play in your career success?

Every engagement you have, whether you realize it or not, shapes your network or brand. You are as strong as your network. Staying in touch with people, is key.

Since I was 13 years old, every job I've had has been through my network, people I know who vouched for me. However, I think when people hear 'network' they think of career changes, new business, clients, or job opportunities. That is not the case. For example, to push initiatives through and to be successful in my role, I consistently partner with people that I have pre-existing relationships with because it takes a team to be successful. Your network is your team.

Honestly, especially during the pandemic, I've realized the importance of staying in touch with people in different ways. I think that's key. 

What is your personal brand in 10 words or less?

I translate ideas into execution through analysis, education, and partnership.

More About Jade Juma 

As a programmatic advertising leader, Jade Juma turns strategies into seamless executions to drive growth and efficiencies by understanding the digital landscape, client and business needs, and deep knowledge of buying platform toolsets and how they can be utilized.   She manages change through evaluating and analysis, creating meaningful partnerships, and being solutions-oriented. Jade is passionate about operational excellence, mentoring talent, and promoting others who may not have a voice.  Want to chat with Jade?  Reach out via LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadejuma/