Fearless Creative Leadership

Lisa Clunie and Jaime Robinson are the Co-Founders of JOAN Creative - a 4 year-old independent creative company. I knew Lisa and Jaime before they knew each other. When they finally met, they each asked me to work with them to decide if they would be good partners for each other. As you'll hear, their chemistry was obvious immediately. If you've listened to the podcast much, you'll know I'm an advocate for women ruling the world. And for the qualities that women leaders bring. This conversation and my recent episode with Gina Hadley of the Second Shift highlight an obvious truth. Working from home is no longer a compromise. And can never be seen as one again. Which means the disruption caused by this pandemic has created a unique opportunity for us to reinvent businesses so that they work for everyone. So that women can play much bigger and more significant roles in their companies AND in their families. Now, perhaps, finally, there is a way to design businesses so that women do not feel the need to compromise. The plans are being drawn, the cement is being poured. Now is the time for women and their supporters to design and build the companies of the future. What role do you want to play in that?

This episode is part of Season 2 - which we've sub-titled, "Leading In The Time Of Virus". In these conversations we discover how some of the world's most innovative and creative leaders are adapting their leadership to our new reality. These people are among the world's best problem solvers. Gina Hadley is the Co-Founder of The Second Shift. In their words, they are on a mission to connect empowered women with companies who need their skills, their talent, and their voices. The pandemic is accelerating change across society. I personally hope that the Second Shift will help to bring about one of the most meaningful changes that could come from all this. Namely, the ability to connect companies with talented women who want to work on a more flexible basis. Gina talked about how to fully understand what your employees need, about the benefits of real empowerment of your employees, and about the personal challenge of living in the moment.

Simon Cook is the Managing Director of Cannes Lions. The focus of the Lions is to explore, provoke and celebrate the power of creativity and innovation in the business world. The annual Cannes Lions festival is formed by 20,000+ people coming together every June in the south of France and all that goes with that. Except this year. When for the first time in almost 70 years, there will be no physical festival. Simon talked about how to adapt an organization that was built for one reality into one that delivers value to its community even in an entirely different set of circumstances, about the need to eradicate assumed knowledge, and about why walking in London is so important to him.

This episode is our eleventh of Season 2 - which we've sub-titled, "Leading In The Time Of Virus". In these conversations we discover how some of the world's most innovative and creative leaders are adapting their leadership to our new reality. These people are among the world's best problem solvers. John Boiler, Glenn Cole, Matt Jarvis and Evin Shutt are the leaders of 72andSunny. Partnerships are hard. In some cases they're destructive. This partnership is one of the best I've ever seen. We talked about connecting and reconnecting, about resilience, and about reimagining the future.

This episode marks the three year anniversary of Fearless. When we started this podcast in 2017, none of could have forecast the state of the world three years later. One thing has become obvious - creative and innovative thinking has become even more critical as we start to build a new future. And leaders who can unlock creativity and innovation will be the most valuable and sought after resource for every business. This episode is our tenth of Season 2 - which we've sub-titled, "Leading In The Time Of Virus". These people are among the world's best problem solvers. Rosemarie Ryan is the Co-Founder of CO: Collective. CO describes themselves as a creative and strategic transformation partner for purpose-led businesses. They are some of the best strategic problem solvers and business builders I know. Rose talked about creating a sense of community within your company, about being willing to confront your company's biggest problems out loud, and explains why listening is the most important leadership attribute.

This episode is our ninth of Season 2 - which we've sub-titled, "Leading In The Time Of Virus". In these conversations we discover how some of the world's most innovative and creative leaders are adapting their leadership to our new reality. These people are among the world's best problem solvers. Emma Cookson is a partner at You & Mr Jones, which describes itself as the 'world's first Brandtech group' working to disrupt the world of traditional marketing and advertising. Before that, Emma was the chairman of BBH New York. She's one of the clearest thinkers that I know. Emma talked about the need to focus on the important, not just the urgent, about assigning different groups to look at distinctive time horizons, and about the opportunity to forge more respectful relationships.

This episode is our eighth of Season 2 - which we've sub-titled, "Leading In The Time Of Virus". In these conversations we discover how some of the world's most innovative and creative leaders are adapting their leadership to our new reality. These people are among the world's best problem solvers. Greg Hahn was, until recently, the Creative Vice Chairman of BBDO Worldwide, and the Chief Creative Officer of BBDO New York. A few days ago, Greg was let go by BBDO. He is not the first leader to lose their job as a result of the pandemic, and he will not be the last. Within the advertising world, however, this was a significant moment as the industry struggles to redefine itself. Greg talked about the shock of getting fired, about how he unlocks creativity in others and about how he's looking at the future.

This episode is our seventh of Season 2 - which we've sub-titled, "Leading In The Time Of Virus". These are shorter, focused conversations in which we discover how some of the world's most innovative and creative leaders are adapting their leadership to our new reality. These people are among the world's best problem solvers. David Lee is the Chief Creative Officer of Squarespace. David talked about the importance of creating opportunities for spontaneity, about getting away from a meeting culture, and about where ideas come from.

This episode is our sixth of Season 2, which we've sub-titled, "Leading In The Time Of Virus". These are shorter, focused conversations in which we discover how some of the world's most innovative and creative leaders are adapting their leadership to our new reality. These people are among the world's best problem solvers. Jonathan Mildenhall is the Founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and the former CMO of Airbnb. Jonathan talked about the enormous difficulties of navigating a young business through these extraordinary times, about how brands need to come together to be relevant in the new society, and about why leaders need to take care of themselves as well as everyone else.

This episode is our fifth of Season 2, which we've sub-titled, "Leading In the Time of Virus". These are shorter, focused conversations in which we discover how some of the world's most innovative and creative leaders are adapting their leadership to our new reality. These people are among the world's best problem solvers. Susan Credle is the Global Chief Creative Officer of FCB. Susan is not only one of the most creative thinkers that I know, she also has a rare ability to create practices that unlock creativity across diverse clients and multiple offices and cultures. Susan talks about why she sees people taking more chances, about the importance of setting some structure to each day and about why a generous mindset matters more than ever.