Ep 183: Judy Jackson - In 15

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

Judy Jackson is the Global Head of Culture at WPP which makes her responsible for providing the vision and strategy for building a culture that embraces 100,000 people.

There’s no one size fits all approach that satisfies that brief. It’s a role that requires a three dimensional view of human beings. 

Leaders aren’t particularly fond of displaying their weaknesses and vulnerabilities. After all, it takes time, work and a lot of sacrifice to reach a position of power. Why would you give someone the ammunition to knock you off that perch?

How very 2019 of me.

Leaders are going to have to get used to showing up as fully formed human beings - flaws and all. Because the pandemic has made us all more conscious of who we want to spend time with. Who we trust and who gives us hope.

It’s also forced us - or perhaps better said - allowed us to show each other who we really are. Not the bib and tuckered, booted and polished professionals who think strategically and execute unerringly. But the harried humans who wear blue fuzzy Birkenstocks, whose offices are squeezed into the corner of their bedrooms and whose families don’t always provide the cathedral-esque silence appropriate for the seriousness of the Zoom call we’re participating in.

If, after all of that, you think Judy’s wrong and you’re going to go back to showing the people the work for you only the good of you, you’re going to miss out on a couple of important opportunities.

The chance to unlock your full potential. And the chance to help others unlock theirs.