Fearless Creative Leadership

Explore improving leadership skills in 2023 with insights from creative leaders. Topics include the impact of recent years, the threat to democracy, fear in the workplace, the power of optimism and art, transforming priorities, unlocking potential, being rooted in reality, and the importance of self-reflection and authenticity in leadership.

What's your big goal? Carl Johnson is the Executive Chairman and one of the founding partners at Anomaly. If you go to the company's website, it says, in block capitals, "A DEVIATION OR DEPARTURE FROM THE NORMAL OR COMMON ORDER, FORM OR RULE." In Anomaly's case, this is not hyperbole. The company pushes boundaries and defies norms all the time. It's one of the reasons that yesterday Adweek named Anomaly the US Agency of the Year. Carl Johnson is an iconoclast. Meet him once and you'll remember him. This is actually the third time he's been on this podcast. His first appearance was in my second episode and that conversation set the tone for the kinds of insights I wanted listeners to benefit from. He was candid. Honest. And human. This conversation breaks new ground. It's a case study on building a world-class, creativity driven business. So where does Anomaly go now? There are two parts to the Anomaly leadership story that are worth paying attention to. The obvious one is the boldness of their ambition. They set big goals. And they are unrelenting in pursuing them. But the second and, I think, equally influential component of their story is one that doesn't get talked about very often - their consistency. If you go back and listen to my previous conversations with Carl - the first of which was almost six years ago - you'll hear him talking about many of the same things in the same ways. That consistency engenders trust - from employees and clients and from prospective members of both those groups. Trust gets people to invest emotionally and take risks. Trust produces better questions and better answers. Trust builds foundations that give you the confidence to define goals that are so audacious it will make even you gasp. And that attracts world-class talent and makes them want to stick around. So set big goals. But then behave with consistency so that people want to take the risks necessary to achieve them.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. What's your big goal? Carl Johnson is the Executive Chairman and one of the founding partners at Anomaly. If you go to the company's website, it says, in block capitals, "A DEVIATION OR DEPARTURE FROM THE NORMAL OR COMMON ORDER, FORM OR RULE." In Anomaly's case, this is not hyperbole. The company pushes boundaries and defies norms all the time. It's one of the reasons that yesterday Adweek named Anomaly the US Agency of the Year. Carl Johnson is an iconoclast. Meet him once and you'll remember him. This is actually the third time he's been on this podcast. His first appearance was in my second episode and that conversation set the tone for the kinds of insights I wanted listeners to benefit from. He was candid. Honest. And human. This conversation breaks new ground. It's a case study on building a world-class, creativity driven business. So where does Anomaly go now? There are two parts to the Anomaly leadership story that are worth paying attention to. The obvious one is the boldness of their ambition. They set big goals. And they are unrelenting in pursuing them. But the second and, I think, equally influential component of their story is one that doesn't get talked about very often - their consistency. If you go back and listen to my previous conversations with Carl - the first of which was almost six years ago - you'll hear him talking about many of the same things in the same ways. That consistency engenders trust - from employees and clients and from prospective members of both those groups. Trust gets people to invest emotionally and take risks. Trust produces better questions and better answers. Trust builds foundations that give you the confidence to define goals that are so audacious it will make even you gasp. And that attracts world-class talent and makes them want to stick around. So set big goals. But then behave with consistency so that people want to take the risks necessary to achieve them.

How do you find the right people? Nick Law is the Global Lead for Design and Creative Tech at Accenture Song. Nick has had a storied career. He was Global Chief Creative Officer at R/GA. Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe. And the VP, Marcom Integration at Apple, before joining Accenture Song in early 2022. He has led and unlocked creativity across thousands of people. He's seen what works. And what doesn't. In my experience, the very best leaders understand three things. Their business, their people and themselves. But not in that order. Most leaders prioritize their understanding of the business. After all, it's the reference point that most people use when measuring the success or otherwise of an individual leader. So, leaders rightly worry about the vision, the strategy, the execution and the performance of the organization. They pour themselves into KPIs and P&Ls. But getting those numbers to sing, to really sing, is the consequences of two things. How well you understand your people. And how well you understand yourself. The creative thinking and innovation that every modern business depends on is amplified a thousand fold when its people trust and believe in the leaders of that business. Better visions, better strategies, better systems will move the needle a bit by themselves. But only a bit. And nothing like as far as when your people believe in you. And what drives that belief? Your courage, your confidence, your consistency. And your humanity. And all of those depend on how well you understand yourself. So if you're struggling to find the right people, start by finding yourself and deciding what really matters to you. And then say it out loud so that your people can find you.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How do you find the right people? Nick Law is the Global Lead for Design and Creative Tech at Accenture Song. Nick has had a storied career. He was Global Chief Creative Officer at R/GA. Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe. And the VP, Marcom Integration at Apple, before joining Accenture Song in early 2022. He has led and unlocked creativity across thousands of people. He's seen what works. And what doesn't. In my experience, the very best leaders understand three things. Their business, their people and themselves. But not in that order. Most leaders prioritize their understanding of the business. After all, it's the reference point that most people use when measuring the success or otherwise of an individual leader. So, leaders rightly worry about the vision, the strategy, the execution and the performance of the organization. They pour themselves into KPIs and P&Ls. But getting those numbers to sing, to really sing, is the consequences of two things. How well you understand your people. And how well you understand yourself. The creative thinking and innovation that every modern business depends on is amplified a thousand fold when its people trust and believe in the leaders of that business. Better visions, better strategies, better systems will move the needle a bit by themselves. But only a bit. And nothing like as far as when your people believe in you. And what drives that belief? Your courage, your confidence, your consistency. And your humanity. And all of those depend on how well you understand yourself. So if you're struggling to find the right people, start by finding yourself and deciding what really matters to you. And then say it out loud so that your people can find you.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How do you find the right people? Nick Law is the Global Lead for Design and Creative Tech at Accenture Song. Nick has had a storied career. He was Global Chief Creative Officer at R/GA. Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe. And the VP, Marcom Integration at Apple, before joining Accenture Song in early 2022. He has led and unlocked creativity across thousands of people. He's seen what works. And what doesn't. In my experience, the very best leaders understand three things. Their business, their people and themselves. But not in that order. Most leaders prioritize their understanding of the business. After all, it's the reference point that most people use when measuring the success or otherwise of an individual leader. So, leaders rightly worry about the vision, the strategy, the execution and the performance of the organization. They pour themselves into KPIs and P&Ls. But getting those numbers to sing, to really sing, is the consequences of two things. How well you understand your people. And how well you understand yourself. The creative thinking and innovation that every modern business depends on is amplified a thousand fold when its people trust and believe in the leaders of that business. Better visions, better strategies, better systems will move the needle a bit by themselves. But only a bit. And nothing like as far as when your people believe in you. And what drives that belief? Your courage, your confidence, your consistency. And your humanity. And all of those depend on how well you understand yourself. So if you're struggling to find the right people, start by finding yourself and deciding what really matters to you. And then say it out loud so that your people can find you.

Has leadership changed you? Or the people around you? Philippe Krakowsky is the CEO of IPG. He runs a company of 58,000 people across more than 100 businesses. He worked at IPG for almost two decades before taking on the role in January 2021. He was known as the corporate shrink and the plumber. Deutsch New York even made a bumper sticker once with his photograph on it that read, "1-800-CALL-KRAKOWSKY. Got a problem? Call Philippe." Despite all this, despite knowing and being known by almost everyone, when he took the job of CEO, he noticed that some people suddenly changed around him. Philippe, as you'll hear, is human and a realist. His mantra, 'Hey, show up with reality and we'll figure it out," struck a chord with me. Too often, leaders over-complicate. Sometimes, the situation. Sometimes, themselves. That's not surprising. Leadership is complicated at the best of times. And it's really easy to lose perspective. Step into a highly visible leadership role, and you are rare indeed if you are can hold on to a clear understanding of your strengths during the first few months. Typically, you become hyper aware of your perceived weaknesses, and it can take a long time to regain your self awareness and confidence that got you the job in the first place. But, even more challenging is what often happens to those around you when your new role suddenly changes your org chart relationship to them. When you now hold the power. That's when your ability to overcome your own uncertainty becomes critical so that you can evaluate their behavior towards you objectively. Only then can you hold them to account. Only then will you have the confidence to ensure that they speak their truth to your power. How do you do that? How do you make sure you're focused on their performance and not yours? Well, having a leadership philosophy goes a long way. Looking for an example? "Hey, show up with reality and we'll figure it out," is a pretty good place to start.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Has leadership changed you? Or the people around you? Philippe Krakowsky is the CEO of IPG. He runs a company of 58,000 people across more than 100 businesses. He worked at IPG for almost two decades before taking on the role in January 2021. He was known as the corporate shrink and the plumber. Deutsch New York even made a bumper sticker once with his photograph on it that read, "1-800-CALL-KRAKOWSKY. Got a problem? Call Philippe." Despite all this, despite knowing and being known by almost everyone, when he took the job of CEO, he noticed that some people suddenly changed around him. Philippe, as you'll hear, is human and a realist. His mantra, 'Hey, show up with reality and we'll figure it out," struck a chord with me. Too often, leaders over-complicate. Sometimes, the situation. Sometimes, themselves. That's not surprising. Leadership is complicated at the best of times. And it's really easy to lose perspective. Step into a highly visible leadership role, and you are rare indeed if you are can hold on to a clear understanding of your strengths during the first few months. Typically, you become hyper aware of your perceived weaknesses, and it can take a long time to regain your self awareness and confidence that got you the job in the first place. But, even more challenging is what often happens to those around you when your new role suddenly changes your org chart relationship to them. When you now hold the power. That's when your ability to overcome your own uncertainty becomes critical so that you can evaluate their behavior towards you objectively. Only then can you hold them to account. Only then will you have the confidence to ensure that they speak their truth to your power. How do you do that? How do you make sure you're focused on their performance and not yours? Well, having a leadership philosophy goes a long way. Looking for an example? "Hey, show up with reality and we'll figure it out," is a pretty good place to start.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Has leadership changed you? Or the people around you? Philippe Krakowsky is the CEO of IPG. He runs a company of 58,000 people across more than 100 businesses. He worked at IPG for almost two decades before taking on the role in January 2021. He was known as the corporate shrink and the plumber. Deutsch New York even made a bumper sticker once with his photograph on it that read, "1-800-CALL-KRAKOWSKY. Got a problem? Call Philippe." Despite all this, despite knowing and being known by almost everyone, when he took the job of CEO, he noticed that some people suddenly changed around him. Philippe, as you'll hear, is human and a realist. His mantra, 'Hey, show up with reality and we'll figure it out," struck a chord with me. Too often, leaders over-complicate. Sometimes, the situation. Sometimes, themselves. That's not surprising. Leadership is complicated at the best of times. And it's really easy to lose perspective. Step into a highly visible leadership role, and you are rare indeed if you are can hold on to a clear understanding of your strengths during the first few months. Typically, you become hyper aware of your perceived weaknesses, and it can take a long time to regain your self awareness and confidence that got you the job in the first place. But, even more challenging is what often happens to those around you when your new role suddenly changes your org chart relationship to them. When you now hold the power. That's when your ability to overcome your own uncertainty becomes critical so that you can evaluate their behavior towards you objectively. Only then can you hold them to account. Only then will you have the confidence to ensure that they speak their truth to your power. How do you do that? How do you make sure you're focused on their performance and not yours? Well, having a leadership philosophy goes a long way. Looking for an example? "Hey, show up with reality and we'll figure it out," is a pretty good place to start.

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?