Fearless Creative Leadership

"The Inner Voice". David Lee is the CCO of Squarespace. He is thoughtful, self-aware and restless. As you'll hear, he's allergic to the status quo. Which makes David and Squarespace a good fit. In many ways, Squarespace have been at the heart of the democratization of the internet. Unleashing creativity for millions of people who suddenly found they could be the designer of their own web presence. As a species, human beings crave control. With control, we can take care of the bottom two layers of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Without it, everything else that we aspire to and yearn for is hopelessly out of reach with the emphasis on the hopeless. This week's theme is listening.

"The Inner Voice". A 15 minute edit of our full-length conversation David Lee is the CCO of Squarespace. He is thoughtful, self-aware and restless. As you'll hear, he's allergic to the status quo. Which makes David and Squarespace a good fit. In many ways, Squarespace have been at the heart of the democratisation of the internet. Unleashing creativity for millions of people who suddenly found they could be the designer of their own web presence. As a species, human beings crave control. With control, we can take care of the bottom two layers of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Without it, everything else that we aspire to and yearn for is hopelessly out of reach with the emphasis on the hopeless. This week's theme is listening.

"The Difference Seeker". Dan Gardner is the co-founder of Code and Theory - a creatively-led company that creates products, content and campaigns across physical and digital worlds. They have four offices across three continents and a statement on the website that says, "We are always looking for motivated, multi-talented, and organized people to join our diverse team." Dan has an open-heart, an open-mind and a conscience. He wants to make a difference, and wants to build a company that lets other people contribute. This week's theme on Fearless is Diversity.

"The Difference Seeker". This is a 15 minute edited version of our full conversation. Dan Gardner is the co-founder of Code and Theory - a creatively-led company that creates products, content and campaigns across physical and digital worlds. They have five offices across three continents and a statement on the website that says, "We are always looking for motivated, multi-talented, and organized people to join our diverse team." Dan has an open-heart, an open-mind and a conscience. He wants to make a difference, and wants to build a company that lets other people contribute. This week's theme on Fearless is Diversity.

"The Results Driver". Nathalie Molina Niño is the CEO of BRAVA Investments and the author of LEAPFROG, which she wrote as a guide to help Women Entrepreneurs succeed. She's a technologist, a coder, and a business builder. She also describes herself as a storyteller at her heart. She founded Brava Investments on the basis of delivering returns to investors while making a catalytic impact on women in the world. Impact is one of the 13 themes we've seen show up regularly in these conversations with the best creative leaders and Impact is this week's theme on Fearless. You'll find more of our thinking on Impact on the Fearless Creative Leadership website.

"The Humanist". Jonathan Mildenhall is the founder of 21st Century Brand, and the former CMO of AirBNB. The launch of his new marketing practice has generated a lot of attention across the creative industries. That's not a surprise - his reputation as a leader of rare influence precedes him. Jonathan wears his heart on his sleeve. And draws you towards him. The first time we ever spoke was a year ago when I asked him to come on this show. He not only said, yes. He gave me a way to think about Fearless that raised my own ambitions for what the show could become. His openness during that first conversation has stayed with me. It is a characteristic you find in some of the most Fearless creative leaders. Which is why this week's theme is Vulnerability. You'll find more on Vulnerability on the Fearless Creative Leadership podcast website, and read more about The Power of Vulnerability here. Here's Jonathan Mildenhall.

"The Magnetic Leader". Paul Venables is the co-founder of Venables, Bell and Partners. A San Francisco ad agency with self described 'good intentions.' Last year, VB+P, was named one of Fast Company's most innovative companies and one of the top ten companies in media and advertising. So having good intentions is clearly working for them. Which makes you wonder why more companies wouldn't claim such apparently low hanging fruit. After all, it's easy to claim 'good intentions' as your operating principle. Easy in the sense that no one knows what's really in your heart -as a company or as a leader - except you. Or do they? Which is why this week's theme is Leadership Values. You can read more about Leadership Values here.

'The Pressure Valve Leaders' Jaime Robinson and Lisa Clunie are the founders of the New York agency, Joan Creative. These two women are building a company on their terms and establishing new ways to get the best out of the people that work for them. This week's theme on Fearless is 'team-building' and you'll hear examples of how Joan brings people together - clients and employees - to unlock new possibilities. You'll also hear why their partnership surprised them both when it started and how it has quickly evolved into a relationship that brings out the best of both of them. You can read more about team building here.

'The Sensitive Leader'. We've added a weekly theme focus. This week we're looking at Empathy. You'll find more of our thinking on empathy here. This episode is my conversation with Alain Sylvain - the founder of Sylvain Labs - an innovation and brand design consultancy. Sylvain Labs is 8 years old and describe their tools as science and whimsy. Their client roster is diverse, from Google to Nike. From Chobani to GM. Before starting his own company, Alain was the managing director of Redscout and a lead strategist at Mother New York. He creates and invests in new products, works closely with HELP, a merit- and needs-based scholarship program, the Global Poverty Project and the Lower East Side Girls Club. And sits on the board of VCU's Brandcenter. And he thinks deeply about how the work he does affects the people that make it and the people that experience it.

'The Explosion Expert'. This is my conversation with David Abraham of Wonderhood Studios in which we talk about taking calculated risks. Wonderhood is a startup - a modern media company built around a content and programming studio and a full-strength creative agency for major brands. David's experience comes first from the London creative agency world of CDP and Chiat / Day. And most recently from seven years running Channel Four in the UK.