Here’s a question. Are you taking care of yourself? This week’s guest is Nancy Hill. She’s the CEO of Marcus Thomas, and the former CEO of the 4As. She was named by Advertising Age as one of the ‘100 Most Influential Women in Advertising History’. Nancy recently wrote an article for AdAge. The link is in the show notes for this episode. In the piece, she describes discovering that she was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Leadership is lonely. I’m hoping that we can change...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. Are you taking care of yourself? This week’s guest is Nancy Hill. She’s the CEO of Marcus Thomas, and the former CEO of the 4As. She was named by Advertising Age as one of the ‘100 Most Influential Women in Advertising History’. Nancy recently wrote an article for AdAge. The link is in the show notes for this episode. In the piece, she describes discovering that she was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. ...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. Are you taking care of yourself? This week’s guest is Nancy Hill. She’s the CEO of Marcus Thomas, and the former CEO of the 4As. She was named by Advertising Age as one of the ‘100 Most Influential Women in Advertising History’. Nancy recently wrote an article for AdAge. The link is in the show notes for this episode. In the piece, she describes discovering that she was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. ...

Here’s a question. What triggers you? This week’s guest is Kate Rouch. She’s the Chief Marketing Officer at Coinbase. October was Mental Health Month. But the truth is, every month should be. And when you’re the leader, every month is. Leadership, at its best, is a selfless act. A desire to help others reach a future that is better than the present. Many, many things can get in the way. Most of them we know about before we start. A few others show up along the way. But the one that we...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. What triggers you? This week’s guest is Kate Rouch. She’s the Chief Marketing Officer at Coinbase. October was Mental Health Month. But the truth is, every month should be. And when you’re the leader, every month is. Leadership, at its best, is a selfless act. A desire to help others reach a future that is better than the present. Many, many things can get in the way. Most of them we know about before we start. A few others...

This week, we’re re-airing a conversation I had with Tiffany Rolfe early in 2022. In the eighteen months since we published this episode, the world has grown even more complicated and uncertain. And the line between work and home even more blurred.  Tiffany has added the responsibilities of Global Chair of R/GA to her Global Chief Creative Officer role.   What we need from our leaders is increasing all the time. As Tiffany asks, “How do you make sure you’re taking care of yourself in all...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. This week, we’re re-airing a conversation I had with Tiffany Rolfe early in 2022. In the eighteen months since we published this episode, the world has grown even more complicated and uncertain. And the line between work and home even more blurred.  Tiffany has added the responsibilities of Global Chair of R/GA to her Global Chief Creative Officer role.   What we need from our leaders is increasing all the time. As Tiffany asks, “How do you...

Here’s a question. What do you know about who you want to be? This week’s guest is Rick Brim. He’s 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...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. What do you know about who you want to be? This week’s guest is Rick Brim. He’s 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...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. What do you know about who you want to be? This week’s guest is Rick Brim. He’s 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...

Here’s a question. What makes great happen? This week’s guest is Robert Brunner. He 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...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. What makes great happen? This week’s guest is Robert Brunner. He 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...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. What makes great happen? This week’s guest is Robert Brunner. He 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...

Here’s a question. How do your people know you’re here for them? This week’s guest is Yves Briantais. He’s 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...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. How do your people know you’re here for them? This week’s guest is Yves Briantais. He’s 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...

Here’s a question. How much of your real self are you showing? This week’s guest is DJ Jackson. He’s 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....

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. How much of your real self are you showing? This week’s guest is DJ Jackson. He’s 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...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. How much of your real self are you showing? This week’s guest is DJ Jackson. He’s 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...

Here’s a question. Who is helping you be you? This week’s guest is Liz Taylor. She’s 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,...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. Who is helping you be you? This week’s guest is Liz Taylor. She’s 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...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. Who is helping you be you? This week’s guest is Liz Taylor. She’s 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...

Here’s a question. How does your leadership make people feel? This week’s guest is Ajaz Ahmed, the Founder and CEO of AKQA. They describe themselves as an ideas and innovation company. AKQA employs 6,500 people around the world and receives about 80,000 job applications a year. The most creative and innovative companies in the world thrive when they build environments that their people trust and cultures that absorb new blood of every type, willingly and happily. Developing a truly diverse...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. How does your leadership make people feel? This week’s guest is Ajaz Ahmed, the Founder and CEO of AKQA. They describe themselves as an ideas and innovation company. AKQA employs 6,500 people around the world and receives about 80,000 job applications a year. The most creative and innovative companies in the world thrive when they build environments that their people trust and cultures that absorb new blood of every type,...

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here’s a question. How does your leadership make people feel? This week’s guest is Ajaz Ahmed, the Founder and CEO of AKQA. They describe themselves as an ideas and innovation company. AKQA employs 6,500 people around the world and receives about 80,000 job applications a year. The most creative and innovative companies in the world thrive when they build environments that their people trust and cultures that absorb new blood of every type,...

Here’s a question. Do your weaknesses shape you or stop you? This week’s guest is James Townsend. He’s the Global CEO of Stagwell Brand X Performance Network and the Global CEO at Assembly. We recorded this conversation in the lobby of the Majestic Hotel during the Cannes Lions Festival. In a week known for its energy, James’s own energy stands out. So does his self awareness. The art of leadership is becoming more nuanced every day. There is no one-size-fits-all approach any more. What...