Enjoy this month’s Employee Spotlight with Steve Habbi from our Calgary office.
1. What is your role at CM? How do you spend your days?
As as Senior Planner on the Nissan USA account I spend my days thinking about video games, race cars, tuners and the occasional mini van…I am being serious. I try to think like the consumer and create experiences that I wish were served up to me. I ground my insights on solid research foundations and rigorous debate with creative and tech folks (and sometimes clients). I also apply common sense to planning and ask “So What?” as often as possible. I believe our job is to create value for our clients and therefore consumers, so if ideas don’t pass the “So What?” and common sense test it’ll probably get cut.
2. What is the greatest thing about CM culture?
CM culture is refreshing and invigorating. I truly mean that. Having worked as a freelancer before coming here, my day-time social life was a bit lacking. I often describe CM as being much like life at university; that being a casual place where ambitious and intelligent people gather to work hard, create, collaborate, have a good laugh then head over to the pub.
3. What drives you? What are you inspired by?
I’m driven to do the best work I can. I try to make a big impression and hope to be sought out to work on even better and more exciting projects. Life just isn’t that exciting when I’m not challenged and can’t see the bigger opportunity up ahead. Fortunately, CM provides that environment and I try to take full advantage.
4. What was your greatest accomplishment of the past year?
On paper my biggest accomplishment was getting promoted to Senior Planner. In reality it was the positive reviews from my peers that made that promotion possible. Knowing my colleagues had confidence in me was very rewarding.
5. What are your passions/interests outside of the workplace?
My biggest passion this year has been watching my sweet baby Soleil grow and reach her first birthday. She is so full of life and energy and it has been truly infectious. My other passions are soccer, fishing, snowboarding, food, growing vegetables and travel. I’m done with home renos; that’s a sucker’s game. I’ve worked hard to maintain work life balance and feel it’s essential to a healthy and happy life. 
6. Who do you most admire?
While my parents are certainly up there, I believe my grandmother made a significant impact on me. She came from very modest beginnings and was dealt a a few bad hands thereafter yet always treated people around her with the utmost respect and dignity, regardless of her or their station. I guess she set the gold standard for me. A more well known example would be Nelson Mandela. His autobiography Long Walk to Freedom was one of the most inspiring stories I have ever read. I suppose what I admired most was his undying commitment to his values, vision and beliefs despite incredible sacrifice.
7. Any interesting Steve-isms?
I don’t have too many Steve-isms but I try to peddle common sense as much as possible. Maybe people can find sage advice from some of my beliefs: always try new things, put yourself in uncomfortable situations and they will become comfortable, travel light, stay physically active, look for opportunities to compete physically and mentally, treat others as you would have them treat you, recognize that things could be much worse. Finally, when life is good stop and actually say “today was a good day.” I say it whenever possible.
8. What is your favorite CM memory?
Summer event was a blast. Getting cowboyed up and Stampeding was a lot of fun.
9. How long have you been at CM?
Just over 1 year.
10. The centering point for the CM brand is extraordinary experiences. What does extraordinary mean to you?
Experiences that are interesting, memorable, unique and worth sharing. An extraordinary experience is one that is hard to find and even harder to repeat. They make you stop and think, “Wow, did that really just happen?” Like the day my daughter being born. It was a great day.
-
Chrissie
