What do you know about who you want to be? Rick Brim is the Global Chief Creative Officer at adam&eveDDB. Rick was on the podcast four and half years ago in early 2019. I called that episode, “The ‘I Don’t Know’ Leader”, to highlight Rick’s point that it’s okay for leaders not to know the answer every time. I suspect, if you asked him today, he’d feel the same way. As would I. Leaders are not supposed to have all the answers. But Rick has been changed by the last four years. The leadership journey is personal. And complicated, because it involves other people. And sometimes it’s overwhelming, because all the gaps in your leadership are filled with emotion. And a lot of that is the emotion that comes in the middle-of-the-night darkness that keeps us all awake. The last four years have brought most of us a hosepipe full of emotions. And every day the news adds more angst and anxiety and uncertainty to that drink. For some people, the answer is to meet that with a determination to focus on the task in front of them. To get back to work and to deliver results, come what may. That comes, inevitably and eventually, with a heavy price - for them and the people around them. But for others, the last four years and the maelstrom we live in today have given them the chance to learn about themselves. What matters and what else they are capable of. They have discovered, to use Rick’s words, a clearer perspective of the person they want to be. They know that. And that, I promise you from the bottom of my heart, is the beginning of everything. What do you know about who you want to be? What questions are you asking of yourself and about yourself?

What makes great happen? Robert Brunner was the Director of Industrial Design for Apple, a Partner at Pentagram and the Chief Designer of Beats by Dr. Dre, before becoming the Founder of Ammunition. They describe themselves as a design studio dedicated to bringing products and services that matter to market. He was named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business,” and his work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Design is the art and science of knowing what to start and when to stop. In that respect, it’s very much like leadership. There are best practices but no absolute rules. Imagining and re-imagining what’s possible is where it gets its fuel. Leadership is a position of staggering opportunity. And yet, I’m constantly reminded of how few people fully appreciate the potential of the position they hold. How restricted they seem in their imagination of what is possible. I’ve come to realize that this is not caused by a lack of ambition or interest. It is caused by a lack of awareness and understanding. Understanding of the power of leadership. Awareness of their own potential. And their impact. I’m fortunate to work in industries and with companies that are populated, almost exclusively with kind and thoughtful people. They don’t all, always act that way, but when they don’t it tends to be from insecurity or self doubt or personal trauma. These things can hold all of us back. I speak from deep experience. Both of others, and of myself. When you step into a leadership position, you have the power to change the world. Perhaps a small corner of it. Perhaps more than that. It is the part of your life in which you can make the biggest difference in the life of others and learn more about yourself than at any other time. Do not let that go by without self exploration. What do you want to do with this opportunity? What do you want to make of it and with it? What would great look like? And, crucially, what is stopping you from achieving all that? What do you think and feel about yourself that is going to get in the way. Imagine your future. Design it. Then go and lead it. I promise you one thing. You’re already better than you know.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. What makes great happen? Robert Brunner was the Director of Industrial Design for Apple, a Partner at Pentagram and the Chief Designer of Beats by Dr. Dre, before becoming the Founder of Ammunition. They describe themselves as a design studio dedicated to bringing products and services that matter to market. He was named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business,” and his work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Design is the art and science of knowing what to start and when to stop. In that respect, it’s very much like leadership. There are best practices but no absolute rules. Imagining and re-imagining what’s possible is where it gets its fuel. Leadership is a position of staggering opportunity. And yet, I’m constantly reminded of how few people fully appreciate the potential of the position they hold. How restricted they seem in their imagination of what is possible. I’ve come to realize that this is not caused by a lack of ambition or interest. It is caused by a lack of awareness and understanding. Understanding of the power of leadership. Awareness of their own potential. And their impact. I’m fortunate to work in industries and with companies that are populated, almost exclusively with kind and thoughtful people. They don’t all, always act that way, but when they don’t it tends to be from insecurity or self doubt or personal trauma. These things can hold all of us back. I speak from deep experience. Both of others, and of myself. When you step into a leadership position, you have the power to change the world. Perhaps a small corner of it. Perhaps more than that. It is the part of your life in which you can make the biggest difference in the life of others and learn more about yourself than at any other time. Do not let that go by without self exploration. What do you want to do with this opportunity? What do you want to make of it and with it? What would great look like? And, crucially, what is stopping you from achieving all that? What do you think and feel about yourself that is going to get in the way. Imagine your future. Design it. Then go and lead it. I promise you one thing. You’re already better than you know.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. What makes great happen? Robert Brunner was the Director of Industrial Design for Apple, a Partner at Pentagram and the Chief Designer of Beats by Dr. Dre, before becoming the Founder of Ammunition. They describe themselves as a design studio dedicated to bringing products and services that matter to market. He was named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business,” and his work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Design is the art and science of knowing what to start and when to stop. In that respect, it’s very much like leadership. There are best practices but no absolute rules. Imagining and re-imagining what’s possible is where it gets its fuel. Leadership is a position of staggering opportunity. And yet, I’m constantly reminded of how few people fully appreciate the potential of the position they hold. How restricted they seem in their imagination of what is possible. I’ve come to realize that this is not caused by a lack of ambition or interest. It is caused by a lack of awareness and understanding. Understanding of the power of leadership. Awareness of their own potential. And their impact. I’m fortunate to work in industries and with companies that are populated, almost exclusively with kind and thoughtful people. They don’t all, always act that way, but when they don’t it tends to be from insecurity or self doubt or personal trauma. These things can hold all of us back. I speak from deep experience. Both of others, and of myself. When you step into a leadership position, you have the power to change the world. Perhaps a small corner of it. Perhaps more than that. It is the part of your life in which you can make the biggest difference in the life of others and learn more about yourself than at any other time. Do not let that go by without self exploration. What do you want to do with this opportunity? What do you want to make of it and with it? What would great look like? And, crucially, what is stopping you from achieving all that? What do you think and feel about yourself that is going to get in the way. Imagine your future. Design it. Then go and lead it. I promise you one thing. You’re already better than you know.

How do your people know you’re here for them? Yves Briantais is the VP of Marketing Asia-Pacific for Colgate-Palmolive. We recorded this interview at the end of a long week at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. There are a number of areas that I could have focused on for this introduction. But the one I want to highlight is an issue that I hear about from so many leaders today. Where they lead from. For businesses that depend on unlocking creativity and innovation, the era of top down leadership is ending. And faster than many companies - most companies - realize. Servant leadership is the popular replacement. Popular in that many people talk about it, very few have fully understood it, and almost no one actually practices it. Quarterly financial targets have a habit of getting in the way of good intentions. Leading from behind is a thoughtful and honorable desire to get away from command and control leadership, and instead create a different kind of relationship with your team. One in which they know you’re there for them, while giving them room to grow. But it doesn’t quite go far enough - in my opinion. The challenge for leaders is that today, leadership requires so many different styles of relationship with your teams, depending on the situation. Collaboration. Subordination. Integration. Provocation. Expectation. And, when the heat is on, Protection. A friend and I are working on a new leadership paradigm, one designed from vast experience both inside and outside complex, highly creative and innovative businesses. One built for the reality of the world and society in which we live and for the people that we want to be. We’ll have much more on this over the next few weeks. In the meantime, this conversation is invaluable for Yves’ insights on empathy, intention, and co-creation.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How do your people know you’re here for them? Yves Briantais is the VP of Marketing Asia-Pacific for Colgate-Palmolive. We recorded this interview at the end of a long week at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. There are a number of areas that I could have focused on for this introduction. But the one I want to highlight is an issue that I hear about from so many leaders today. Where they lead from. For businesses that depend on unlocking creativity and innovation, the era of top down leadership is ending. And faster than many companies - most companies - realize. Servant leadership is the popular replacement. Popular in that many people talk about it, very few have fully understood it, and almost no one actually practices it. Quarterly financial targets have a habit of getting in the way of good intentions. Leading from behind is a thoughtful and honorable desire to get away from command and control leadership, and instead create a different kind of relationship with your team. One in which they know you’re there for them, while giving them room to grow. But it doesn’t quite go far enough - in my opinion. The challenge for leaders is that today, leadership requires so many different styles of relationship with your teams, depending on the situation. Collaboration. Subordination. Integration. Provocation. Expectation. And, when the heat is on, Protection. A friend and I are working on a new leadership paradigm, one designed from vast experience both inside and outside complex, highly creative and innovative businesses. One built for the reality of the world and society in which we live and for the people that we want to be. We’ll have much more on this over the next few weeks. In the meantime, this conversation is invaluable for Yves’ insights on empathy, intention, and co-creation.

How much of your real self are you showing? DJ Jackson is the Vice President of Brand at EA Sports. They’re a division of Electronic Arts and one of the world’s largest developers and publishers of sports video games. Their slogan, “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game,” has become a reference point for judging the authenticity of their games. Leading a business that exists in the digital world means straddling artificiality and reality. Information and emotion. Which is a lot like leadership. Leadership has gone through a generational shift in the least three years. Leadership as a performance, which worked for more than half a century, has been made extinct overnight. Human leadership is the complicated, contradictory path to success - both professionally and personally. That creates a challenge for most of us. How much of ourselves do we want to show the world? And how much do we want to keep behind the curtain? But even that has become complex. Because today’s world class talent aren’t willing to accept whatever you’re willing to give. They have their own needs and expectations, too. First among which is they want to work for fully formed human beings. People with feelings, who don’t always have all the answers. There’s a fine line balancing the confidence that all leaders need to project, with the vulnerability that comes from being a self-aware human. Where are you on that continuum? How much of your real self are you showing?

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How much of your real self are you showing? DJ Jackson is the Vice President of Brand at EA Sports. They’re a division of Electronic Arts and one of the world’s largest developers and publishers of sports video games. Their slogan, “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game,” has become a reference point for judging the authenticity of their games. Leading a business that exists in the digital world means straddling artificiality and reality. Information and emotion. Which is a lot like leadership. Leadership has gone through a generational shift in the least three years. Leadership as a performance, which worked for more than half a century, has been made extinct overnight. Human leadership is the complicated, contradictory path to success - both professionally and personally. That creates a challenge for most of us. How much of ourselves do we want to show the world? And how much do we want to keep behind the curtain? But even that has become complex. Because today’s world class talent aren’t willing to accept whatever you’re willing to give. They have their own needs and expectations, too. First among which is they want to work for fully formed human beings. People with feelings, who don’t always have all the answers. There’s a fine line balancing the confidence that all leaders need to project, with the vulnerability that comes from being a self-aware human. Where are you on that continuum? How much of your real self are you showing?

Edited highlights of our full conversation. How much of your real self are you showing? DJ Jackson is the Vice President of Brand at EA Sports. They’re a division of Electronic Arts and one of the world’s largest developers and publishers of sports video games. Their slogan, “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game,” has become a reference point for judging the authenticity of their games. Leading a business that exists in the digital world means straddling artificiality and reality. Information and emotion. Which is a lot like leadership. Leadership has gone through a generational shift in the least three years. Leadership as a performance, which worked for more than half a century, has been made extinct overnight. Human leadership is the complicated, contradictory path to success - both professionally and personally. That creates a challenge for most of us. How much of ourselves do we want to show the world? And how much do we want to keep behind the curtain? But even that has become complex. Because today’s world class talent aren’t willing to accept whatever you’re willing to give. They have their own needs and expectations, too. First among which is they want to work for fully formed human beings. People with feelings, who don’t always have all the answers. There’s a fine line balancing the confidence that all leaders need to project, with the vulnerability that comes from being a self-aware human. Where are you on that continuum? How much of your real self are you showing?

Who is helping you be you? Liz Taylor is the Global Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy. Everyone has a story. Liz’s story, as you’ll hear, has a traumatic beginning. She grew up with an abusive father in a home in which there was always a loaded gun. The police were called often. She and her mother and brother and sister would sometimes have to leave in the middle of the night. That kind of start to life leaves a mark. We are shaped by our past, consciously or unconsciously. Which means the person we become can be defined by circumstance. Or by choice. Sometimes these choices are informed by the presence of a powerful partner in our lives. For Liz, that partner, as you’ll hear, was her mother. Today, Liz's ability to so clearly and powerfully declare the kind of environment she is determined to provide as a leader, is influenced by the protection and the support that her mother provided her. But sometimes, the choice of who we want to be does not come from the example set by someone else. Sometimes, all we have to work with are circumstances in which we were left alone to figure it out for ourselves. Circumstances in which there was no one we could trust. That can be a lonely place. One in which it can be overwhelming to ask ourselves honestly, is this who I really want to be? But I know this to be true beyond a shadow of a doubt. There are people around you who care. People who want to support you on your journey. People who will help you find your better angels and hold on to them. Our past shapes us. But it need not define us. Only we do that. We just have to ask for help.