Fearless Creative Leadership

"The Listening Leader". Carter Murray is the global CEO of FCB. He is 6'7" and shows up larger than that. In his own words, he lives on the front foot, charging forward. But the truth is more complex. When he took the job 7 years ago, the agency was named DraftFCB and was seen by most observers as a turnaround. Others wondered if the world needed FCB anymore. But some people had a different view. The people that still worked there.

"The Listening Leader". 15 minute edited highlight of our full conversation. Carter Murray is the global CEO of FCB. He is 6'7" and shows up larger than that. In his own words, he lives on the front foot, charging forward. But the truth is more complex. When he took the job 7 years ago, the agency was named DraftFCB and was seen by most observers as a turnaround. Others wondered if the world needed FCB anymore. But some people had a different view. The people that still worked there.

"The 'Do You, Boo' Leader". Sarah Moffat is the Global Chief Creative Officer of Turner Duckworth - a design company that was formed in London in 1992 by David Turner and Bruce Duckworth. Bruce and David are still around, but they don't run the business any more. In late 2018 they handed over the reins to two long-term employees - Joanne Chan who became CEO and to Sarah. New title, new responsibilities, new expectations. How do you make that transition successfully?

"The 'Do You, Boo' Leader". 15 minute edited highlight of our full conversation. Sarah Moffat is the Global Chief Creative Officer of Turner Duckworth - a design company that was formed in London in 1992 by David Turner and Bruce Duckworth. Bruce and David are still around, but they don't run the business any more. In late 2018 they handed over the reins to two long-term employees - Joanne Chan who became CEO and to Sarah. New title, new responsibilities, new expectations. How do you make that transition successfully?

"The Fear Seeker". Brad Hiranaga is a disruptor. Working inside one of the world's most storied and established companies, he is bringing about systemic change to the way General Mills shows up in the world. Unlocking creative and innovative thinking at scale requires not just an ability to take risks but a willingness to search for them.

"The Fear Seeker". 15 minute edited highlight of our full conversation. Brad Hiranaga is a disruptor and a change agent. Working inside one of the world's most storied and established companies, he is bringing about systemic change to the way General Mills shows up in the world. Unlocking creative and innovative thinking at scale requires not just an ability to take risks but a willingness to search for them.

"The Trust Maker". Marc Maltz describes himself as an organizational clinician, and he's brilliant at getting the CEOs of tech companies and their senior teams to work together more effectively. Marc has become a good friend and I have huge respect for his work and how he does it and I thought it would be invaluable to hear his thinking on some of the issues I see every day in my own work. Whether you're writing code or ads, whether you're building platforms or teams, the need to unlock creative and innovative thinking sits at the heart of the world's most valuable businesses. And what makes that heart beat is trust. This episode is called "The Trust Maker."

"The Trust Maker". 15 minute edited highlight of our full conversation. Marc Maltz is an organizational clinician, and he's brilliant at getting the CEOs of tech companies and their senior teams to work together more effectively. I have huge respect for his work and I thought it would be invaluable to hear his thinking on some of the issues I see every day in my own work. Whether you're writing code or ads, whether you're building platforms or teams, the need to unlock creative and innovative thinking sits at the heart of the world's most valuable businesses. And what makes that heart beat is trust.

"The Less-Is-More Leader". This podcast has listeners in 84 countries. Most of those are pretty open, democratic societies where freedom of thought and movement are both expectations and rights. Born and raised in Russia, Leonid Sudakov had neither in his formative years. His father was not allowed a passport until he was 50. Leonid didn't meet a foreigner until he was 16, when he moved to Moscow carrying with him a bag of potatoes and his wits. From these beginnings he has become an exceptionally creative and thoughtful leader, unlocking innovative and creative thinking at every stop, including 3 years as the global CMO for Mars Petcare, a $20 billion global business. We are all heavily influenced by our upbringing. Whether we use those experiences as catalysts or obstacles depends on how we see them.

"The Unreasonable Man". I've learned a lot in the three years since I started this podcast. Carl Johnson was my second interview. I was re-reading the transcript the other day and was struck by the fact that so much of what Carl said was timeless. The insights and understanding he offered haven't decayed. In fact, I find that they are more valuable than ever. So I'm going to replay that interview. Whether you've listened to it before or not, I'd encourage you to hear what he has to say.