Fearless Creative Leadership

Why do people follow you? In the last month, my mother died and the mother of my country died.   Loss makes us look back. And look forward. It's encouraged me to ask two questions.   What made me who I am?   And who do I want to be going forward?

Who do you want to be? And what are you waiting for? I say all the time on this podcast and in my work, we do not have to be defined by the past or the expectations of others. We can all decide who we want to be and act with intention to be that person. Too often we got stuck by an imperfect view of who we are and why we are that way. Frozen by fear of change, or the truth or an excuse without rea...

How much do you know about what's happening at your company?  Mark Read is the CEO of WPP . At last month's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, WPP was named the most Creative Company of the Year. Mark took over the role in 2018 from WPP's founder, Sir Martin Sorrell. It was one of the most publicized and dramatic changes in leadership that the advertising and marketing industries h...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How much do you know about what's happening at your company?  Mark Read is the CEO of  WPP . At last month's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, WPP was named the most Creative Company of the Year. Mark took over the role in 2018 from WPP's founder, Sir Martin Sorrell. It was one of the most publicized and dramatic changes in leadership th...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How much do you know about what's happening at your company?  Mark Read is the CEO of  WPP . At last month's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, WPP was named the most Creative Company of the Year. Mark took over the role in 2018 from WPP's founder, Sir Martin Sorrell. It was one of the most publicized and dramatic changes in leadership th...

How have you been changed by the last two years?  Simon Cook is the CEO of Cannes Lions .  Cannes is an institution. One built on in-person connections. Like many organizations dependent on human contact, it has struggled in the face of a two year long, global pandemic. Organizations reflect their leaders. Style. Sensibilities. Ethics. Values. Priorities and Intention. All of these come from or ar...

What questions are you asking? Gareth Kay is the SVP of Brand at  Happify Health . Before that, he's been the Head of Strategy at Goodby Silverstein, and the Founding Partner at Chapter Creative Studios. Gareth is a relentlessly curious soul. And that has made him one of the best thinkers in the world about creativity and innovation. When all the answers are out of date, or from a different realit...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. What questions are you asking? Gareth Kay is the SVP of Brand at  Happify Health . Before that, he's been the Head of Strategy at Goodby Silverstein, and the Founding Partner at Chapter Creative Studios. Gareth is a relentlessly curious soul. And that has made him one of the best thinkers in the world about creativity and innovation. When all the answers...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. What questions are you asking? Gareth Kay is the SVP of Brand at  Happify Health . Before that, he's been the Head of Strategy at Goodby Silverstein, and the Founding Partner at Chapter Creative Studios. Gareth is a relentlessly curious soul. And that has made him one of the best thinkers in the world about creativity and innovation. When all the answers...

What kind of company are you building? Karl Lieberman and Neal Arthur are respectively the Global Chief Creative Officer and Global Chief Operating Officer of  Wieden + Kennedy . Few companies have reached the creative heights of Wieden + Kennedy. None, that I can think of, have sustained those heights for most of the last forty years. Karl and Neal stepped into their global roles seven months aft...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. What kind of company are you building? Karl Lieberman and Neal Arthur are respectively the Global Chief Creative Officer and Global Chief Operating Officer of  Wieden + Kennedy . Few companies have reached the creative heights of Wieden + Kennedy. None, that I can think of, have sustained those heights for most of the last forty years. Karl and Neal step...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. What kind of company are you building? Karl Lieberman and Neal Arthur are respectively the Global Chief Creative Officer and Global Chief Operating Officer of  Wieden + Kennedy . Few companies have reached the creative heights of Wieden + Kennedy. None, that I can think of, have sustained those heights for most of the last forty years. Karl and Neal step...

Are you taking care of yourself? Antonio Lucio 's bio is extraordinary. He was the first Global Marketing and Communication Officer at Visa. The first Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at HP. He was Facebook's first Chief Marketing Officer. And he left there to become the Founder and Principal of 5S Diversity . They describe their mission as accelerating the leadership journey of d...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Are you taking care of yourself? Antonio Lucio 's bio is extraordinary. He was the first Global Marketing and Communication Officer at Visa. The first Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at HP. He was Facebook's first Chief Marketing Officer. And he left there to become the Founder and Principal of  5S Diversity . They describe their missio...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Are you taking care of yourself? Antonio Lucio 's bio is extraordinary. He was the first Global Marketing and Communication Officer at Visa. The first Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at HP. He was Facebook's first Chief Marketing Officer. And he left there to become the Founder and Principal of  5S Diversity . They describe their missio...

When you're the leader, where does your impact end? Laurie Howell and Toby Treyer-Evans are Executive Creative Directors at  Droga5 in New York and have been partners for a very long time. They have also been responsible for important and extremely impactful work, including the New York Times campaign called The Truth Is Worth It .  But as their careers evolve and the world changes, it is their im...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. When you're the leader, where does your impact end? Laurie Howell and Toby Treyer-Evans are Executive Creative Directors at  Droga5 in New York and have been partners for a very long time. They have also been responsible for important and extremely impactful work, including the New York Times campaign called The Truth Is Worth It .  But as their careers...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. When you're the leader, where does your impact end? Laurie Howell and Toby Treyer-Evans are Executive Creative Directors at  Droga5 in New York and have been partners for a very long time. They have also been responsible for important and extremely impactful work, including the New York Times campaign called The Truth Is Worth It .  But as their careers...

How does your company fit into your story? Rishad Tobaccowala  is a thought leader, author and one of the great provocative thinkers. His insights are drawn from his many years spent as the Global Strategist and Chief Growth Officer of Publicis Groupe and now from his work as an independent advisor to businesses across the world. We all have a story we want to tell about our lives. Our answer to w...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How does your company fit into your story? Rishad Tobaccowala is a thought leader, author and one of the great provocative thinkers. His insights are drawn from his many years spent as the Global Strategist and Chief Growth Officer of Publicis Groupe and now from his work as an independent advisor to businesses across the world. We all have a story we wa...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How does your company fit into your story? Rishad Tobaccowala is a thought leader, author and one of the great provocative thinkers. His insights are drawn from his many years spent as the Global Strategist and Chief Growth Officer of Publicis Groupe and now from his work as an independent advisor to businesses across the world. We all have a story we wa...

How do you see yourself? Daniella Pierson is the Founder and CEO of  The Newsette . And the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Wondermind . She and her story are extraordinary. Daniella started The Newsette seven years ago, at the age of 19. Last year, the company generated $40 million in revenue. She and her mother are the only shareholders. She has done this in the face of being told, in so many ways, tha...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How do you see yourself? Daniella Pierson is the Founder and CEO of  The Newsette . And the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Wondermind . She and her story are extraordinary. Daniella started The Newsette seven years ago, at the age of 19. Last year, the company generated $40 million in revenue. She and her mother are the only shareholders. She has done this in...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How do you see yourself? Daniella Pierson is the Founder and CEO of The Newsette . And the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Wondermind . She and her story are extraordinary. Daniella started The Newsette seven years ago, at the age of 19. Last year, the company generated $40 million in revenue. She and her mother are the only shareholders. She has done this in t...

How do you greet change? Evin Shutt is the Chief Executive Officer of  72andSunny , a role she took on in March of 2020. Taking on the senior leadership position of one of the world's most creative and innovative companies, at the very moment the world is shutting down, will instantly reveal your relationship with change. Do you look for it and high five it? Or work to minimize it? During the mont...