Anisha Obeng on Why Respect and Competency Win over False Confidence Every Time

Anisha Obeng is client partner at 20(SOMETHING), the independent London-based creative studio. Joining in 2021, she sits on the operational board and oversees the studio’s client relationships and workstream experiences.

Previously, she has led partnerships for organisations like wool retailer The Woolmark Company, cyber-security brand Bitdefender, fintech house Allica Bank, philanthropic investment firm Omidyar Network, EA, Puma, crypto company token.com, and most recently, sustainable fashion brand Armedangels.

With 15 years in the industry, Anisha’s path has taken her from early production roles to account management at networks like Ogilvy, and indies like 18 Feet & Rising.

She reflects on what those years taught her about staying curious, calm and collaborative rather than pretending to know it all.

At the beginning of my career and after lots of rejection, I experienced a palpable sense of inadequacy. I was determined to get into the advertising industry by either being in production or account management, so when an opportunity came up to start as a team assistant at a network agency I jumped at it – even though it felt like going through the backdoor. I was learning and grinding from the bottom up. It was a vital lesson in understanding how work gets made, how departments communicate, and how clients receive and react to work.

At the time, starting this way felt pretty unconventional. I hadn't come across many people who started like this. I felt that most people had come through the prestige route of a grad scheme, or they were hired directly into account executive positions. With that came a persistent anxiety: that I didn't know enough, that I wasn't equipped enough, that everyone else had something figured out that I was still scrambling to understand. I was required to do an extra lap of acclimatisation but it made me realise that career paths don’t run in straight lines.

As I spent more time in the industry, my exposure as an ’account man’ evolved. The valiant team I had become a part of prioritised excellence, collaboration, and sweating the small stuff. The really small stuff. I saw the brilliance of teamwork and collaboration, and noticed that, when honed, this stuff works as a multiplier. When it’s done in perfect harmony, incredible work and relationships can happen. I've taken this into every role since, truly respecting the time it takes to nurture teams and relationships and to find the space for good work to be realised.

But there was something else I observed in those early years, though I didn't quite know it yet. I watched senior leaders field difficult questions from clients. I saw strategy and creative directors navigate pivots no one had anticipated. I witnessed leaders handle crises and find ways to persevere while retaining the integrity of the relationship (mostly!). At the time, I assumed they simply knew more than I did and eventually, with enough experience, I'd reach that level of confidence, clarity and certainty.

Working in a nimble indie agency brought a new perspective. The landscape had shifted entirely. The teams were lean, which meant they were constantly stretched up and down. There were no team layers or places to hide . The fast-paced, scrappy nature of an indie agency meant you had to make decisions and move on, which equated to more accountability and exposure at every point.

And that's when it clicked. The truth became clearer: there’s no playbook, nobody holds all the answers, and there’s no set way to deal with complexity and crises.

I remember early meetings as an account director where my team would look to me for answers I simply didn't have and panic would set in – am I really cut out for this? Does being the loudest in the room get you further? Then I began to realise I had a choice: continue to panic and pretend, or do what I'd seen my good leaders do for years. My job was not to hold every answer for every eventuality. My job was to know where to look.

The leaders I'd been in awe of weren't operating from a place of complete certainty. They were doing exactly what I was now learning to do. They stayed calm, asked the right questions, knew who to bring in and understood what needed to be figured out versus what needed to be decided immediately.

I’ve learned that respect and competency win over false confidence every time. And it's perfectly fine for knowledge to be built over time. For me, there hasn’t been a single source of wisdom or an aha moment that’s got me through. Lessons have been revealed through years of observing others and with the realisation that nobody has all the answers.

So, I’ve realised, stumbling is OK too. Getting up and putting everything into practice that I’ve learned is what helps me to keep moving forward.