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one point I was shown a picture of a cornfield and asked what I saw. ‘A cornfield?’ was my blunt reply. Then they showed me a picture of a cornfield in blue, and asked me again what I saw. ‘A blue cornfield.’ When they showed me the same picture in red, I knew what they were expecting – some arty-farty interpretation, which I could have waffled on about – but instead I said the opposite: ‘This is a red cornfield.’

      And while I can see how you might explain this to a client as something deep and meaningful, which communicates their brand in an imaginative way, I think it’s important that the staff at any organisation are allowed to see things logically and are not afraid to call things as they see them – internally, at least. We’re not all Picassos, and that’s fine.

      As it was, the creative director interviewing me laughed and asked me a final question: ‘If you had to choose between an Yves Saint Laurent coat and a Marks & Spencer’s coat, which would you choose?’

      Well, I pondered, and replied: ‘It depends on who’s paying.’

      That was on the Friday and I started work on the Monday. What I drew from that was that my interviewers had understood I was different, that I had spoken up for myself, and that I would stand out. I was not creative – I can’t even draw a stick man – but I had something else to offer: I was professional, direct and mature. Far more mature than any other 18-year-old they had met. And I had left a lasting impression, which was ultimately more useful to me than being able to talk convincingly about the meaning of some blue corn. Just as well, because that was not me.

      Yes, I was a teenager, but they saw that I wanted to go places. I had incredible energy and strength of character, which came from my confidence, and I wasn’t afraid of anything. That meant that when I started work I threw myself into every aspect of life at the company.

      And I was happy to do so. It amazes me that people spend tens of thousands of pounds on working hard at university but when they’re being paid tens of thousands of pounds by an employer they begrudge the hard work and dedication it takes to get what you want.

      On one occasion, someone asked me if I played tennis, as one of the Mr Saatchis was having a tournament at his house and someone on the team had gone sick. I was county level, I said, when the truth, of course, was that I was the least sporty person I knew. I went anyway and established myself with the people who mattered. I grasped every opportunity to get my face known in that organisation, matching my ambition with an outward presence. It gave them confidence in me, and my age was irrelevant.

      Making sure I looked the part, spoke the part, read every piece of material about the company, understood what every department within it did, meant that, while I was not creative in an artistic sense, I could communicate, give opinions and talk about any aspect of the company. I read about our clients, understood their businesses and made myself a valuable and indispensable member of a team. I was loyal and dedicated to the company. People knew from my attitude that I would never let them down, even at 18. There were plenty of people at Saatchi’s with degrees in business, art, design and technology. But I had things they did not have: personality, drive and a relentless energy.

      That’s why I know that the person you are and your mind-set are at least as important as qualifications or background in relation to how successful you will be. Other than O and A levels, I don’t have any qualifications. Instead I put my success down to certain qualities. Some I was born with, some are a product of different influences, and some I have had to work to develop. Another person will have different strengths and different skills that they can develop.

      That said, certain traits have been invaluable to me in my working life. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: confidence is always key. I have never let people put me down, make me feel inferior or say that I wasn’t good at something. It’s about being able to say, ‘I’m sorry, you may think that’s acceptable behaviour, but I don’t.’ I think that comes from that inner belief in myself – I have a very a strong core. To a certain extent I believe I was born with that, and I realise others will not feel the same, but it also came from a good basic education and the independence that boarding school gave me. It was there that I really learnt to rely on myself. Others will face different challenges in which they can begin to develop that self-reliance.

      Tied to confidence, for me, is the ability to stand up for myself and to say what I think. I have never been particularly worried about offending people. When I was younger, people used to say to me, ‘Sometimes it’s easier to keep your mouth shut and get on with it,’ but I didn’t want to because I knew that then I’d lie in bed all night, thinking, I wish I’d said something. Other people might not be quite so outspoken – and it would be a boring world if we were all the same – but I do think that in life you regret what you didn’t do far more than what you did. You’ll always kick yourself for not saying what you thought at certain times and it can play on your mind for years. It’s not just the quick reply you wish you’d made – though of course that can be deeply satisfying! – it’s about making your mark, standing up for what you believe.

      Even I have not always done this, and one occasion still rankles with me. I was in a meeting with the representative of a shopping centre where West Ham United had a shop with a two-year lease that could not be broken. I had been brought into the club as vice-chairman after David Sullivan and David Gold, who owns the high-street chain Ann Summers, took control in 2010.

      My team was trying to do a deal to extend the lease for a much longer term but on a reduced rent – an offer that meant all parties had to compromise. But the person on the other side was so disgracefully rude to me and my staff that at one point I pushed the chair back, ready to get up and storm out.

      Yet I didn’t walk away as, at the time, I didn’t think it would resolve anything. Looking back, nothing was resolved anyway, so I bitterly regret not telling the bloke to shove it. On the other hand, I’ve walked out on football deals, thrown agents out of my office, put my foot down and, ultimately, got what I wanted. There’s no need to be rude but sometimes plain speaking is the only answer. Of course, it’s easier to say what you think when it feels like there’s less on the line. That’s why I find that the deals in which you’re less tied to a certain outcome are the best deals you do – you tend to push harder. And there’s a lesson in that.

      The twin sister of confidence is self-esteem. Self-esteem eliminates fear. There are a lot of people who would love to do something but they’re too frightened it won’t work, or that if it does work, they won’t be able to cope with it. I am one of those people who always says yes, and then works out how it all fits in. I think I get that attitude directly from my father.

      Yet self-esteem is an issue for many women, and I honestly don’t know why. I don’t know if it’s about education – whether there isn’t enough emphasis in schools on girls taking risks and pushing themselves forward. I’ve always had to make up for my lack of intellect with my drive, my work ethic and my personality. I think that if you do really well at school, you grow up believing things will come to you naturally because they always have. Then when you get out into the world and you’re not automatically the best at everything, and things don’t always go your way, it’s much more difficult to cope. If you’re always in the bottom half of the table, and you have ambition, you have to develop other skills to compensate.

      I should add that what I see as self-esteem is predominantly about valuing yourself and your opinions, and not being afraid to voice them. When I was much younger, the ways in which I expressed – and developed – my self-esteem was by dressing well and sitting in the front row at any company meeting. When I spoke up, I ensured that I made a valuable and interesting contribution, which is vastly different from talking for the sake of it. I learnt never to belittle my contributions, and to say thank you when people paid me a compliment about my work. I didn’t say, ‘It’s nothing,’ because it wasn’t nothing. And if I didn’t value it, who would?

      Never confuse self-esteem with being cocky, though. A know-all is worse than a know-nothing. But if you have knowledge of a subject you can voice an opinion confidently and make people start listening. You’ll start to form your reputation within an organisation. Being well-read, considered in your approach and making points

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