Fearless Creative Leadership

How fast are you going? Andréa Mallard is the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of Pinterest. I interviewed Andréa at Cannes, in the lobby of the Majestic Hotel. Her energy struck me, the moment she arrived. Her perspectives about her life and her leadership have stayed with me, long after we said goodbye. Leadership is a forcing function for the forces of physics. Which direction are you going and how fast are you moving are determined entirely by the leader. Those two factors are affected directly and acutely by the leaders’ willingness to challenge the status quo. To take off the handbrake that the unasked question leaves in place. There are some leaders for whom disruption is the fuel that gets them up in the morning. But for many, the fear of confrontation provides a natural suppression of the instinct to ask the difficult questions. That fear helps them ignore the rising temperature of the water that they and their company are sitting in. And when the future suddenly arrives, and stares us in the face, we find that all those unasked questions, all those moments when we avoided the hard conversation, suddenly come with a heavy cost. Or worse. Leadership asks that we overcome our fears in order to help others with theirs. It asks us to be status quo shakers and rule breakers. It asks us to search for the invisible anchors on our businesses and release them so we can meet the future - on our terms. I heard - or perhaps dreamt - a quote the other day. In any case, I can’t find it on Google so maybe this is an original thought. Either way, it strikes me as true. You may not be interested in the future. But the future is interested in you. Ask the questions you didn’t ask yesterday. Feel the temperature of the water around you. Meet the future on your terms. As fast as you can.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How fast are you going? Andréa Mallard is the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of Pinterest. I interviewed Andréa at Cannes, in the lobby of the Majestic Hotel. Her energy struck me, the moment she arrived. Her perspectives about her life and her leadership have stayed with me, long after we said goodbye. Leadership is a forcing function for the forces of physics. Which direction are you going and how fast are you moving are determined entirely by the leader. Those two factors are affected directly and acutely by the leaders’ willingness to challenge the status quo. To take off the handbrake that the unasked question leaves in place. There are some leaders for whom disruption is the fuel that gets them up in the morning. But for many, the fear of confrontation provides a natural suppression of the instinct to ask the difficult questions. That fear helps them ignore the rising temperature of the water that they and their company are sitting in. And when the future suddenly arrives, and stares us in the face, we find that all those unasked questions, all those moments when we avoided the hard conversation, suddenly come with a heavy cost. Or worse. Leadership asks that we overcome our fears in order to help others with theirs. It asks us to be status quo shakers and rule breakers. It asks us to search for the invisible anchors on our businesses and release them so we can meet the future - on our terms. I heard - or perhaps dreamt - a quote the other day. In any case, I can’t find it on Google so maybe this is an original thought. Either way, it strikes me as true. You may not be interested in the future. But the future is interested in you. Ask the questions you didn’t ask yesterday. Feel the temperature of the water around you. Meet the future on your terms. As fast as you can.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How fast are you going? Andréa Mallard is the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of Pinterest. I interviewed Andréa at Cannes, in the lobby of the Majestic Hotel. Her energy struck me, the moment she arrived. Her perspectives about her life and her leadership have stayed with me, long after we said goodbye. Leadership is a forcing function for the forces of physics. Which direction are you going and how fast are you moving are determined entirely by the leader. Those two factors are affected directly and acutely by the leaders’ willingness to challenge the status quo. To take off the handbrake that the unasked question leaves in place. There are some leaders for whom disruption is the fuel that gets them up in the morning. But for many, the fear of confrontation provides a natural suppression of the instinct to ask the difficult questions. That fear helps them ignore the rising temperature of the water that they and their company are sitting in. And when the future suddenly arrives, and stares us in the face, we find that all those unasked questions, all those moments when we avoided the hard conversation, suddenly come with a heavy cost. Or worse. Leadership asks that we overcome our fears in order to help others with theirs. It asks us to be status quo shakers and rule breakers. It asks us to search for the invisible anchors on our businesses and release them so we can meet the future - on our terms. I heard - or perhaps dreamt - a quote the other day. In any case, I can’t find it on Google so maybe this is an original thought. Either way, it strikes me as true. You may not be interested in the future. But the future is interested in you. Ask the questions you didn’t ask yesterday. Feel the temperature of the water around you. Meet the future on your terms. As fast as you can.

How do you feel? Tim Mapes is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Delta Airlines.  Delta employs over 90,000 people and puts 4,000 flights into the air every day. As Tim points out, a Delta plane is in the air every second. It is a high-pressure, highly visible job. Behind that job, is a person.  Early in our conversation, it became obvious that Tim is very willing to look at himself honestly and at his own behavior with self awareness.  I asked him where that came from. And he said, simply, counseling. Invariably, in my experience, it ties back to an experience you had as a child that is being triggered by something in adult life, but it's evocative of a feeling that you either liked or didn't like or were scared of as a child. Leaders are human too.  It’s easy to forget that simple truth in a world in which leadership itself is too often deified. The more impressive the title, the more we imbue that person with mystical powers of knowledge and wisdom. Leaders need to earn the respect of the people that choose to work for them. And re-earn it on a regular basis.  The problem is that over time, successful leaders often tend to create a one way mirror that shows them the world they want to see. And the people that work for those leaders quickly learn that challenging that image is a ticket to nowhere. The act of building that mirror is usually not one of arrogance or hubris. More often, much more often, it comes from a need to protect ourselves from a feeling that is too difficult to confront. The willingness to ask ourselves how we really feel, and the courage to explore that question honestly, is the beginning of a journey that replaces the mirror with a window into the lives and feelings of others. And from that beginning, anything is possible.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How do you feel? Tim Mapes is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Delta Airlines.  Delta employs over 90,000 people and puts 4,000 flights into the air every day. As Tim points out, a Delta plane is in the air every second. It is a high-pressure, highly visible job. Behind that job, is a person.  Early in our conversation, it became obvious that Tim is very willing to look at himself honestly and at his own behavior with self awareness.  I asked him where that came from. And he said, simply, counseling. Invariably, in my experience, it ties back to an experience you had as a child that is being triggered by something in adult life, but it's evocative of a feeling that you either liked or didn't like or were scared of as a child. Leaders are human too.  It’s easy to forget that simple truth in a world in which leadership itself is too often deified. The more impressive the title, the more we imbue that person with mystical powers of knowledge and wisdom. Leaders need to earn the respect of the people that choose to work for them. And re-earn it on a regular basis.  The problem is that over time, successful leaders often tend to create a one way mirror that shows them the world they want to see. And the people that work for those leaders quickly learn that challenging that image is a ticket to nowhere. The act of building that mirror is usually not one of arrogance or hubris. More often, much more often, it comes from a need to protect ourselves from a feeling that is too difficult to confront. The willingness to ask ourselves how we really feel, and the courage to explore that question honestly, is the beginning of a journey that replaces the mirror with a window into the lives and feelings of others. And from that beginning, anything is possible.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How do you feel? Tim Mapes is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Delta Airlines.  Delta employs over 90,000 people and puts 4,000 flights into the air every day. As Tim points out, a Delta plane is in the air every second. It is a high-pressure, highly visible job. Behind that job, is a person.  Early in our conversation, it became obvious that Tim is very willing to look at himself honestly and at his own behavior with self awareness.  I asked him where that came from. And he said, simply, counseling. Invariably, in my experience, it ties back to an experience you had as a child that is being triggered by something in adult life, but it's evocative of a feeling that you either liked or didn't like or were scared of as a child. Leaders are human too.  It’s easy to forget that simple truth in a world in which leadership itself is too often deified. The more impressive the title, the more we imbue that person with mystical powers of knowledge and wisdom. Leaders need to earn the respect of the people that choose to work for them. And re-earn it on a regular basis.  The problem is that over time, successful leaders often tend to create a one way mirror that shows them the world they want to see. And the people that work for those leaders quickly learn that challenging that image is a ticket to nowhere. The act of building that mirror is usually not one of arrogance or hubris. More often, much more often, it comes from a need to protect ourselves from a feeling that is too difficult to confront. The willingness to ask ourselves how we really feel, and the courage to explore that question honestly, is the beginning of a journey that replaces the mirror with a window into the lives and feelings of others. And from that beginning, anything is possible.

What terrifies you? This episode marks a couple of important moments.  It’s the first of a series that I recorded last week at the Cannes Lions festival of creativity.  I have come to learn that Cannes is invaluable on two levels. First, for the people you meet and the relationships you build and develop. Many of the most important and meaningful relationships in my life have been forged and developed over the years at Cannes. And second, because Cannes, in my experience, is where the future first appears. Not on the main stages, but in the whispy smoke of quiet conversations and afterthoughts that happen away from the spotlight, and that, if you’re paying attention, tell you that something is changing.   In the months leading up to this years festival, in a series of conversations that I had with Simon Cook - the CEO of Cannes - he and I came to learn that there are two things we both want to change.  We want to change the expectations and structure of modern leadership.  And we both want to change ourselves. Simon is rare. A leader in a highly visible position, unafraid to show who he really is. Together, we agreed that this year, we would share a stage at Cannes to discuss our own, very personal journeys and why we think they are reflective of a still quiet but rapidly emerging new form of leadership. One in which vulnerability is an expectation. Here’s a question. What terrifies you? Today’s episode was recorded last week at Cannes in front of a group of 37 young creatives from 29 countries who had won places to the Roger Hatchuel Student Academy. It’s the most intimate expression that Simon or I have ever shared publicly of who we are. Our hope is that this helps to catalyze a shift across the creative industries of how leadership is evaluated and what it is fair to expect of each other - and ourselves. 

Keith Cartwright, Founder and CCO of CARTWRIGHT, discusses the importance of forward thinking and leadership in the creative industry. He shares his childhood passion for art and explores the connection between creativity and entrepreneurship. The podcast also delves into the challenges of branding in a changing world and the need for leading with love and demonstrating care.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Are you looking backwards or forwards? Keith Cartwright is the Founder and CCO of CARTWRIGHT, an agency built on the principle of Creative Audacity. He is also Co-Founder of SATURDAY MORNING, an organization built on using creativity to shift negative perceptions in the African American community. Keith was named one the 50 Top Creatives in the Business by Adweek Magazine, and by Campaign Magazine as Top 10 Most Influential People in Advertising. The world is complicated. Perhaps more today than ever before. The journey to the future is not clear. What will be true when we get there? When our children get there? And who will we be when the future arrives? We are complex beings. Drawn to look forward. Built to dream. But influenced by our past more than we sometimes care to admit. And much more than we know. Leadership provides the light to the future for all of us. Creativity the fuel. The combination offers limitless potential. Unlocking that potential, unleashing our full impact during the time we are here, either in this job or in this life, happens when we can bring ourself - our whole self - to every moment. When we understand the journey and the influences that have brought us to this moment, when we know where we want to go, and we are clear and conscious about the obstacles and limitations and beliefs that we place in our own way, then we become a rare and powerful force. We become a Whole Leader. Where are you on that journey?

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Are you looking backwards or forwards? Keith Cartwright is the Founder and CCO of CARTWRIGHT, an agency built on the principle of Creative Audacity. He is also Co-Founder of SATURDAY MORNING, an organization built on using creativity to shift negative perceptions in the African American community. Keith was named one the 50 Top Creatives in the Business by Adweek Magazine, and by Campaign Magazine as Top 10 Most Influential People in Advertising. The world is complicated. Perhaps more today than ever before. The journey to the future is not clear. What will be true when we get there? When our children get there? And who will we be when the future arrives? We are complex beings. Drawn to look forward. Built to dream. But influenced by our past more than we sometimes care to admit. And much more than we know. Leadership provides the light to the future for all of us. Creativity the fuel. The combination offers limitless potential. Unlocking that potential, unleashing our full impact during the time we are here, either in this job or in this life, happens when we can bring ourself - our whole self - to every moment. When we understand the journey and the influences that have brought us to this moment, when we know where we want to go, and we are clear and conscious about the obstacles and limitations and beliefs that we place in our own way, then we become a rare and powerful force. We become a Whole Leader. Where are you on that journey?