5 Questions Every Creative Pro Should Be Asking

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Nov 18, 2025

Creative leaders face a unique challenge: the risk of losing purpose amidst apparent success. Key topics include the danger of echo chambers and the need for honest feedback to encourage genuine dialogue. Todd highlights how fear of embarrassment can stifle innovation and creates a tension between ego-driven systems and mission-driven work. He also discusses the delicate balance between providing stability and fostering a challenging environment for teams. Ultimately, listeners are urged to reflect on their leadership practices and motivations.

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INSIGHT

Success Can Mask Misalignment

Hitting metrics can still mean you're failing if they pull you away from purpose.
Ask what you're optimizing for: external metrics or meaningful impact.

ANECDOTE

Growth That Lost Its Why

A fast-growing company hit revenue and awards but lost track of what they made.
The leader admitted he no longer knew the core purpose of their work.

INSIGHT

Honest Mirrors Are Rare But Necessary

Leadership creates distance that makes people edit their feedback around you.
Without intentional invitations for honest feedback you risk confusing compliance with alignment.

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In this episode, we take a step back from our typical interview format to reflect on something many creative leaders are feeling right now: a subtle but persistent sense of drift amidst uncertainty. Drawing from recent conversations with leaders worldwide, Todd Henry digs into the changing dynamics of organizations, shifting marketplaces, and the unique challenges and numbness that come with these times.

Instead of providing easy answers, Todd shares five uncomfortable—but essential—questions designed to provoke deep reflection for anyone with influence, whether you lead a team, guide clients, or simply shape decisions in your organization. He explores how apparent success can mask underlying misalignment, the dangers of leading from within an echo chamber, the paralyzing fear of looking foolish, the temptation of ego-driven systems, and the fine line between creating stability and fostering complacency in teams.

This episode is an invitation to wrestle with the deeper work of leadership, sense-check our motives, and create environments where honest conversations and breakthrough ideas can flourish.

Five Key Learnings:

Success Can Be a Trap: Achieving goals and hitting metrics doesn’t always equate to true progress if we lose sight of our original purpose. We must vigilantly check what we’re really optimizing for.
Truth-Telling is Essential: Leadership naturally creates distance. If we don’t intentionally invite honest feedback (even if it stings), we risk operating in a false sense of alignment.
Risking Embarrassment Fosters Innovation: Many great ideas die because we’re afraid to look foolish. Innovation demands courage, and that courage is strengthened by sharing bold ideas in safe, trusted circles.
Ego vs. Mission: It’s easy to unconsciously build systems that feed our ego under the guise of excellence or mission. The real test: Would we do the work if nobody noticed?
Stability Isn’t Safety: Teams crave both challenge and stability, but protecting them too much can lead to complacency. The goal is to create security so that bold, meaningful risks—and growth—are possible.

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