Are you centered?

Kerry Sulkowicz is the Past-President of the American Psychoanalytic Association, and the Founder and Managing Principal of Boswell Group. They provide leadership advice to boards and CEOs.

Kerry and I have been friends for a long time, and he has taught me much about the psychodynamic aspects of leadership. Whenever we talk, his advice strikes me as clear and straightforward, and always very human.

Being centered doesn't happen through accident, chance, or hope. It happens by intent. 

And that intent is driven by recognizing two obvious truths. 

Leadership is lonely.

And leadership is stressful. Much, much more so than many are willing to admit publicly.

The old-world view is that leadership demands that you project strength, certainty, invincibility. Even in the face of threats that can feel like they are existential - because these days, for many businesses, they might be.

If some days that means you feel like you're a leader in a fight for survival, well, that's not surprising. Because that's exactly how your brain responds to that set of circumstances. 

And under that kind of stress, the part of your brain that's responsible for executive function, for risk assessment, and problem-solving, and for planning, suddenly starts to develop tunnel vision. And at the same time, our amygdala kicks in and suddenly survival gets added to the emotional maelstrom, and then finally comes the impulse to hurry up and do something. Anything. 

Being centered is the shelter in that storm. It's held up by a strong sense of self, by awareness and honesty about how you respond under stress, and it's helped by having a clear and multi-faceted definition of success. 

Those foundations, when combined with a willingness to take a little time to turn down the short term noise, and dilute the adrenaline fueled feelings of urgency, will give you the ability to lean on yourself and think things through.

Leadership is sometimes about taking action and it is sometimes not.

But it is always about being centered.

So, how well do you know yourself? 

What is your pain for? 

Taban Shoresh is the Founder of The Lotus Flower, a UK-based charity that supports women and girls that have been displaced by conflict, and helps them to build sustainable futures. Since 2016, the charity's projects have impacted more than 60,000 women, girls, and community members. 

Every now and then, you meet someone whose story stops you in your tracks. Taban's story starts with her being arrested in Iraq at the age of four. Three weeks later, she's ordered onto a bus that will take her to the place where she and other members of her family will be buried alive.

At the end of 2021, before Russia invaded the Ukraine or the war in Gaza, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide stood at 89.3 million. There were 27.1 million refugees globally, half of whom were aged under 18, which makes Taban's story one of millions and completely unique. 

She has experienced staggering trauma, she has known realities that I'm sure I would not have survived, and she has taken all of that pain and turned it into creative leadership of the most consequential kind. As you'll hear, for reasons both global and personal, she's in a hurry. 

All of us have suffered pain. What we use it for is a question that will stay with me for a long time after this conversation. 

Edited highlights of our full length conversation.

Which direction are you going?

Nils Leonard, one of the co-founders of Uncommon - the award winning global creative studio - has been a regular guest on this show since I started Fearless seven years ago.

In all of that time, I've wondered abut his partnership with his two co-founders, Natalie Graeme and Lucy Jameson.

Why did they decide to go into business together? How does it work and what might get in the way?

And what makes the Uncommon partnership particularly worth understanding is the extraordinary consistency between what they said mattered to them when they started, and how they show up today.

This conversation, on a wet, rainy Thursday morning, at an outdoor restaurant in Cannes, shows why this partnership has worked so successfully so far and raises some questions about how it will need to evolve to guide the company's next stage of evolution.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

How fast are you going?

Andréa Mallard is the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of Pinterest.

I interviewed Andréa at Cannes, in the lobby of the Majestic Hotel. Her energy struck me, the moment she arrived. Her perspectives about her life and her leadership have stayed with me, long after we said goodbye.

Leadership is a forcing function for the forces of physics. Which direction are you going and how fast are you moving are determined entirely by the leader.

Those two factors are affected directly and acutely by the leaders' willingness to challenge the status quo. To take off the handbrake that the unasked question leaves in place.

There are some leaders for whom disruption is the fuel that gets them up in the morning.

But for many, the fear of confrontation provides a natural suppression of the instinct to ask the difficult questions. That fear helps them ignore the rising temperature of the water that they and their company are sitting in.

And when the future suddenly arrives, and stares us in the face, we find that all those unasked questions, all those moments when we avoided the hard conversation, suddenly come with a heavy cost. Or worse.

Leadership asks that we overcome our fears in order to help others with theirs. It asks us to be status quo shakers and rule breakers. It asks us to search for the invisible anchors on our businesses and release them so we can meet the future - on our terms.

I heard - or perhaps dreamt - a quote the other day. In any case, I can't find it on Google so maybe this is an original thought. Either way, it strikes me as true.

You may not be interested in the future. But the future is interested in you.

Ask the questions you didn't ask yesterday. Feel the temperature of the water around you. Meet the future on your terms. As fast as you can.

How do you feel?

Tim Mapes is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Delta Airlines. 

Delta employs over 90,000 people and puts 4,000 flights into the air every day. As Tim points out, a Delta plane is in the air every second. It is a high-pressure, highly visible job.

Behind that job, is a person. 

Early in our conversation, it became obvious that Tim is very willing to look at himself honestly and at his own behavior with self awareness. 

I asked him where that came from. And he said, simply, counseling.

Invariably, in my experience, it ties back to an experience you had as a child that is being triggered by something in adult life, but it's evocative of a feeling that you either liked or didn't like or were scared of as a child.

Leaders are human too. 

It's easy to forget that simple truth in a world in which leadership itself is too often deified. The more impressive the title, the more we imbue that person with mystical powers of knowledge and wisdom.

Leaders need to earn the respect of the people that choose to work for them. And re-earn it on a regular basis. 

The problem is that over time, successful leaders often tend to create a one way mirror that shows them the world they want to see. And the people that work for those leaders quickly learn that challenging that image is a ticket to nowhere.

The act of building that mirror is usually not one of arrogance or hubris. More often, much more often, it comes from a need to protect ourselves from a feeling that is too difficult to confront.

The willingness to ask ourselves how we really feel, and the courage to explore that question honestly, is the beginning of a journey that replaces the mirror with a window into the lives and feelings of others.

And from that beginning, anything is possible.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

How do you feel?

Tim Mapes is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Delta Airlines. 

Delta employs over 90,000 people and puts 4,000 flights into the air every day. As Tim points out, a Delta plane is in the air every second. It is a high-pressure, highly visible job.

Behind that job, is a person. 

Early in our conversation, it became obvious that Tim is very willing to look at himself honestly and at his own behavior with self awareness. 

I asked him where that came from. And he said, simply, counseling.

Invariably, in my experience, it ties back to an experience you had as a child that is being triggered by something in adult life, but it's evocative of a feeling that you either liked or didn't like or were scared of as a child.

Leaders are human too. 

It's easy to forget that simple truth in a world in which leadership itself is too often deified. The more impressive the title, the more we imbue that person with mystical powers of knowledge and wisdom.

Leaders need to earn the respect of the people that choose to work for them. And re-earn it on a regular basis. 

The problem is that over time, successful leaders often tend to create a one way mirror that shows them the world they want to see. And the people that work for those leaders quickly learn that challenging that image is a ticket to nowhere.

The act of building that mirror is usually not one of arrogance or hubris. More often, much more often, it comes from a need to protect ourselves from a feeling that is too difficult to confront.

The willingness to ask ourselves how we really feel, and the courage to explore that question honestly, is the beginning of a journey that replaces the mirror with a window into the lives and feelings of others.

And from that beginning, anything is possible.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

How do you feel?

Tim Mapes is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Delta Airlines. 

Delta employs over 90,000 people and puts 4,000 flights into the air every day. As Tim points out, a Delta plane is in the air every second. It is a high-pressure, highly visible job.

Behind that job, is a person. 

Early in our conversation, it became obvious that Tim is very willing to look at himself honestly and at his own behavior with self awareness. 

I asked him where that came from. And he said, simply, counseling.

Invariably, in my experience, it ties back to an experience you had as a child that is being triggered by something in adult life, but it's evocative of a feeling that you either liked or didn't like or were scared of as a child.

Leaders are human too. 

It's easy to forget that simple truth in a world in which leadership itself is too often deified. The more impressive the title, the more we imbue that person with mystical powers of knowledge and wisdom.

Leaders need to earn the respect of the people that choose to work for them. And re-earn it on a regular basis. 

The problem is that over time, successful leaders often tend to create a one way mirror that shows them the world they want to see. And the people that work for those leaders quickly learn that challenging that image is a ticket to nowhere.

The act of building that mirror is usually not one of arrogance or hubris. More often, much more often, it comes from a need to protect ourselves from a feeling that is too difficult to confront.

The willingness to ask ourselves how we really feel, and the courage to explore that question honestly, is the beginning of a journey that replaces the mirror with a window into the lives and feelings of others.

And from that beginning, anything is possible.

What terrifies you?

This episode marks a couple of important moments. 

It's the first of a series that I recorded last week at the Cannes Lions festival of creativity. 

I have come to learn that Cannes is invaluable on two levels. First, for the people you meet and the relationships you build and develop. Many of the most important and meaningful relationships in my life have been forged and developed over the years at Cannes.

And second, because Cannes, in my experience, is where the future first appears. Not on the main stages, but in the whispy smoke of quiet conversations and afterthoughts that happen away from the spotlight, and that, if you're paying attention, tell you that something is changing.  

In the months leading up to this years festival, in a series of conversations that I had with Simon Cook - the CEO of Cannes - he and I came to learn that there are two things we both want to change. 

We want to change the expectations and structure of modern leadership. 

And we both want to change ourselves.

Simon is rare. A leader in a highly visible position, unafraid to show who he really is.

Together, we agreed that this year, we would share a stage at Cannes to discuss our own, very personal journeys and why we think they are reflective of a still quiet but rapidly emerging new form of leadership. One in which vulnerability is an expectation.

Here's a question. What terrifies you?

Today's episode was recorded last week at Cannes in front of a group of 37 young creatives from 29 countries who had won places to the Roger Hatchuel Student Academy.

It's the most intimate expression that Simon or I have ever shared publicly of who we are.

Our hope is that this helps to catalyze a shift across the creative industries of how leadership is evaluated and what it is fair to expect of each other - and ourselves. 

Are you looking backwards or forwards?

Keith Cartwright is the Founder and CCO of CARTWRIGHT, an agency built on the principle of Creative Audacity. He is also Co-Founder of SATURDAY MORNING, an organization built on using creativity to shift negative perceptions in the African American community. Keith was named one the 50 Top Creatives in the Business by Adweek Magazine, and by Campaign Magazine as Top 10 Most Influential People in Advertising.

The world is complicated. Perhaps more today than ever before. The journey to the future is not clear. What will be true when we get there? When our children get there?

And who will we be when the future arrives?

We are complex beings. Drawn to look forward. Built to dream. But influenced by our past more than we sometimes care to admit. And much more than we know.

Leadership provides the light to the future for all of us. Creativity the fuel. The combination offers limitless potential.

Unlocking that potential, unleashing our full impact during the time we are here, either in this job or in this life, happens when we can bring ourself - our whole self - to every moment.

When we understand the journey and the influences that have brought us to this moment, when we know where we want to go, and we are clear and conscious about the obstacles and limitations and beliefs that we place in our own way, then we become a rare and powerful force.

We become a Whole Leader.

Where are you on that journey?

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

Are you looking backwards or forwards?

Keith Cartwright is the Founder and CCO of CARTWRIGHT, an agency built on the principle of Creative Audacity. He is also Co-Founder of SATURDAY MORNING, an organization built on using creativity to shift negative perceptions in the African American community. Keith was named one the 50 Top Creatives in the Business by Adweek Magazine, and by Campaign Magazine as Top 10 Most Influential People in Advertising.

The world is complicated. Perhaps more today than ever before. The journey to the future is not clear. What will be true when we get there? When our children get there?

And who will we be when the future arrives?

We are complex beings. Drawn to look forward. Built to dream. But influenced by our past more than we sometimes care to admit. And much more than we know.

Leadership provides the light to the future for all of us. Creativity the fuel. The combination offers limitless potential.

Unlocking that potential, unleashing our full impact during the time we are here, either in this job or in this life, happens when we can bring ourself - our whole self - to every moment.

When we understand the journey and the influences that have brought us to this moment, when we know where we want to go, and we are clear and conscious about the obstacles and limitations and beliefs that we place in our own way, then we become a rare and powerful force.

We become a Whole Leader.

Where are you on that journey?

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

Are you looking backwards or forwards?

Keith Cartwright is the Founder and CCO of CARTWRIGHT, an agency built on the principle of Creative Audacity. He is also Co-Founder of SATURDAY MORNING, an organization built on using creativity to shift negative perceptions in the African American community. Keith was named one the 50 Top Creatives in the Business by Adweek Magazine, and by Campaign Magazine as Top 10 Most Influential People in Advertising.

The world is complicated. Perhaps more today than ever before. The journey to the future is not clear. What will be true when we get there? When our children get there?

And who will we be when the future arrives?

We are complex beings. Drawn to look forward. Built to dream. But influenced by our past more than we sometimes care to admit. And much more than we know.

Leadership provides the light to the future for all of us. Creativity the fuel. The combination offers limitless potential.

Unlocking that potential, unleashing our full impact during the time we are here, either in this job or in this life, happens when we can bring ourself - our whole self - to every moment.

When we understand the journey and the influences that have brought us to this moment, when we know where we want to go, and we are clear and conscious about the obstacles and limitations and beliefs that we place in our own way, then we become a rare and powerful force.

We become a Whole Leader.

Where are you on that journey?

How creative are you?

Morgan Flatley is the Global CMO of McDonald's.

McDonald's is one of the most visible, valuable, and influential brands in the world. Since the company's birth, it's been powered by creative thinking and innovation. Today, that's more true than ever.

Leadership is an awesome responsibility. Do it well or do it badly, you will change people's lives, either way.

The creative industries have some exceptional leaders. At their heart lies a passion for creating an environment in which others can unlock their gifts.

A passion, as Morgan describes it, for nurturing creative thinking, for protecting it and giving it a space to grow.

In the middle of all that, it is sometimes easy to overlook everything that you bring to the table. To underestimate your own gifts.

I was fortunate to spend a good part of 2006, 7 and 8 in the company of Sir Ken Robinson. His TED Talk, "Do School Kill Creativity?" has been watched 75 million times. I've included a link in the episode notes.

His basic belief that we are all born creative, resonates so powerfully with people that whenever I was with him, he was stopped over and over again by strangers who told him that he had changed their lives. He died much too young and much too soon.

My definition of creativity comes from him. Original thinking that has value.

In my work, I have learned that most leaders don't fully recognize their own extraordinary abilities. And many of the very best leaders instinctively feel that they are not creative. I have lived that reality myself.

Surrounded by world-class creative ideators and talent, it is easy to believe that we lack their gifts until someone helps us to see ourselves differently.

I was fortunate to have someone do that for me. Today, helping leaders to see all of their strengths is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

Creative thinking comes in many forms. And its value is unlocked exponentially when, as leaders, we gain the confidence to see ourselves as we truly are. Powerfully creative in our own right.

This does not make creative leadership a competition. It makes it an equation focused on the people that work for us.

An equation that says recognizing our own talent can make us even better at unlocking theirs.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

How creative are you?

Morgan Flatley is the Global CMO of McDonald's.

McDonald's is one of the most visible, valuable, and influential brands in the world. Since the company's birth, it's been powered by creative thinking and innovation. Today, that's more true than ever.

Leadership is an awesome responsibility. Do it well or do it badly, you will change people's lives, either way.

The creative industries have some exceptional leaders. At their heart lies a passion for creating an environment in which others can unlock their gifts.

A passion, as Morgan describes it, for nurturing creative thinking, for protecting it and giving it a space to grow.

In the middle of all that, it is sometimes easy to overlook everything that you bring to the table. To underestimate your own gifts.

I was fortunate to spend a good part of 2006, 7 and 8 in the company of Sir Ken Robinson. His TED Talk, "Do School Kill Creativity?" has been watched 75 million times. I've included a link in the episode notes.

His basic belief that we are all born creative, resonates so powerfully with people that whenever I was with him, he was stopped over and over again by strangers who told him that he had changed their lives. He died much too young and much too soon.

My definition of creativity comes from him. Original thinking that has value.

In my work, I have learned that most leaders don't fully recognize their own extraordinary abilities. And many of the very best leaders instinctively feel that they are not creative. I have lived that reality myself.

Surrounded by world-class creative ideators and talent, it is easy to believe that we lack their gifts until someone helps us to see ourselves differently.

I was fortunate to have someone do that for me. Today, helping leaders to see all of their strengths is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

Creative thinking comes in many forms. And its value is unlocked exponentially when, as leaders, we gain the confidence to see ourselves as we truly are. Powerfully creative in our own right.

This does not make creative leadership a competition. It makes it an equation focused on the people that work for us.

An equation that says recognizing our own talent can make us even better at unlocking theirs.

What lessons have you learned?

This episode features the return visit of Jon Cook, the Global CEO of VML. I interviewed Jon for the first time a year ago, eight months after he had died while going for a run in his neighborhood.

Today, he is the CEO of the world's largest advertising agency. We covered a lot of topics during our latest conversation, from the qualities that he brings as a leader, to navigating mergers, to the impact of AI. We also talked about a simple but powerful truth that I think a lot of leaders have a hard time remembering when they're facing stressful situations - that we are already better than we think.

Leadership is lonely. It's a cliche because it's true. Those feelings of isolation usually leave our doubts and insecurities to wander through the garden of our minds, unchaperoned.

Given enough time and enough space, those insecurities can become a permanent part of our self-image and self-beliefs.

Talking to someone who can help us to fully see ourselves is always helpful. Of course, I'd say that. I'm a leadership coach. But we have ways to help ourselves that can be powerful, too.

One of the simplest is to look back and to see our past achievements for what they are. Achievements, experiences, skills, and wisdom.

And if you take a few moments and you write that list of achievements down, you'll be better prepared, not only to meet this moment, but you'll also be able to quiet the part of you that thinks that nothing you do is ever good enough.

Self-awareness is the most powerful asset that any leader can develop. So, make that list right now.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

How creative are you?

Morgan Flatley is the Global CMO of McDonald's.

McDonald's is one of the most visible, valuable, and influential brands in the world. Since the company's birth, it's been powered by creative thinking and innovation. Today, that's more true than ever.

Leadership is an awesome responsibility. Do it well or do it badly, you will change people's lives, either way.

The creative industries have some exceptional leaders. At their heart lies a passion for creating an environment in which others can unlock their gifts.

A passion, as Morgan describes it, for nurturing creative thinking, for protecting it and giving it a space to grow.

In the middle of all that, it is sometimes easy to overlook everything that you bring to the table. To underestimate your own gifts.

I was fortunate to spend a good part of 2006, 7 and 8 in the company of Sir Ken Robinson. His TED Talk, "Do School Kill Creativity?" has been watched 75 million times. I've included a link in the episode notes.

His basic belief that we are all born creative, resonates so powerfully with people that whenever I was with him, he was stopped over and over again by strangers who told him that he had changed their lives. He died much too young and much too soon.

My definition of creativity comes from him. Original thinking that has value.

In my work, I have learned that most leaders don't fully recognize their own extraordinary abilities. And many of the very best leaders instinctively feel that they are not creative. I have lived that reality myself.

Surrounded by world-class creative ideators and talent, it is easy to believe that we lack their gifts until someone helps us to see ourselves differently.

I was fortunate to have someone do that for me. Today, helping leaders to see all of their strengths is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

Creative thinking comes in many forms. And its value is unlocked exponentially when, as leaders, we gain the confidence to see ourselves as we truly are. Powerfully creative in our own right.

This does not make creative leadership a competition. It makes it an equation focused on the people that work for us.

An equation that says recognizing our own talent can make us even better at unlocking theirs.

How do you say goodbye?

Brad Simms is the President and CEO of GALE Partners. They describe themselves as strategic storytellers.

GALE was founded in 2014 with seven people in Canada. Today, the agency is 734 people across 11 offices. It was this year named #5 in the Ad Age A List, and as Adweek's Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year.

GALE has above average talent retention rates. But over the course of nine years, something like 1,300 people have spent time at the agency. Put another way, almost 600 people have left the company since it started.

The creative industries are a case study in dynamic organizations. Change is not just inevitable but essential. It is both the fuel and the consequence of creative thinking and innovation.

In that environment, people will come and others will leave. And that is as it should be, both for personal growth and for the growth of the business.

There are two variables in that equation. When they leave, and how.

The question of when is for another day.

The question of how is as important. And often, significantly more so.

For many years, the view was that four or five jobs in a thirty-five year career represented a reasonable timeline. Time to learn, time to influence and to impact. A win-win.

Back then, the idea that you would return to a company that you had worked for before was limited only to those few who realized that leaving had been a mistake, and raced back to the safety of the known. Often within days.

Today, creating the conditions in which employees can boomerang is a practice so common that it has an actual name. And companies with a proven ability to rehire former employees gain distinctive competitive advantages. Institutional knowledge, cultural fit, team casting, and speed of impact being just four.

Today, when someone leaves, the question of whether you, as the leader, are respectful and grateful for the time they spent at your company, will have more impact on whether they want to come back than anything that you do while they are there.

And more to do with who else might want to join you in the first place.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

How do you say goodbye?

Brad Simms is the President and CEO of GALE Partners. They describe themselves as strategic storytellers.

GALE was founded in 2014 with seven people in Canada. Today, the agency is 734 people across 11 offices. It was this year named #5 in the Ad Age A List, and as Adweek's Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year.

GALE has above average talent retention rates. But over the course of nine years, something like 1,300 people have spent time at the agency. Put another way, almost 600 people have left the company since it started.

The creative industries are a case study in dynamic organizations. Change is not just inevitable but essential. It is both the fuel and the consequence of creative thinking and innovation.

In that environment, people will come and others will leave. And that is as it should be, both for personal growth and for the growth of the business.

There are two variables in that equation. When they leave, and how.

The question of when is for another day.

The question of how is as important. And often, significantly more so.

For many years, the view was that four or five jobs in a thirty-five year career represented a reasonable timeline. Time to learn, time to influence and to impact. A win-win.

Back then, the idea that you would return to a company that you had worked for before was limited only to those few who realized that leaving had been a mistake, and raced back to the safety of the known. Often within days.

Today, creating the conditions in which employees can boomerang is a practice so common that it has an actual name. And companies with a proven ability to rehire former employees gain distinctive competitive advantages. Institutional knowledge, cultural fit, team casting, and speed of impact being just four.

Today, when someone leaves, the question of whether you, as the leader, are respectful and grateful for the time they spent at your company, will have more impact on whether they want to come back than anything that you do while they are there.

And more to do with who else might want to join you in the first place.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

How do you say goodbye?

Brad Simms is the President and CEO of GALE Partners. They describe themselves as strategic storytellers.

GALE was founded in 2014 with seven people in Canada. Today, the agency is 734 people across 11 offices. It was this year named #5 in the Ad Age A List, and as Adweek's Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year.

GALE has above average talent retention rates. But over the course of nine years, something like 1,300 people have spent time at the agency. Put another way, almost 600 people have left the company since it started.

The creative industries are a case study in dynamic organizations. Change is not just inevitable but essential. It is both the fuel and the consequence of creative thinking and innovation.

In that environment, people will come and others will leave. And that is as it should be, both for personal growth and for the growth of the business.

There are two variables in that equation. When they leave, and how.

The question of when is for another day.

The question of how is as important. And often, significantly more so.

For many years, the view was that four or five jobs in a thirty-five year career represented a reasonable timeline. Time to learn, time to influence and to impact. A win-win.

Back then, the idea that you would return to a company that you had worked for before was limited only to those few who realized that leaving had been a mistake, and raced back to the safety of the known. Often within days.

Today, creating the conditions in which employees can boomerang is a practice so common that it has an actual name. And companies with a proven ability to rehire former employees gain distinctive competitive advantages. Institutional knowledge, cultural fit, team casting, and speed of impact being just four.

Today, when someone leaves, the question of whether you, as the leader, are respectful and grateful for the time they spent at your company, will have more impact on whether they want to come back than anything that you do while they are there.

And more to do with who else might want to join you in the first place.

What are you responsible for?

Emma Armstrong is the CEO of FCB New York. Most recently, the office was named Agency of the Year at the Clio Awards. Both as an office and as a company, the last few years have been stellar by anyone's standards.

There are always many reasons for a company's success, particularly when that success is sustained - the hardest kind to achieve. In my conversation with Emma, she described client relationships in a way that stayed with me long after we had said goodbye.

Unlocking creative thinking and innovation is hard to do when you are in a vendor-supplier relationship. Because, while creativity is the most powerful business problem solver we have, it requires conditions and an environment not always present when one side is telling the other what to do.

Creativity and innovation are fueled by trust. And trust happens when you believe that the person on the other side of the table, or the screen, cares - genuinely cares - about your well-being.

The creative industries have many people who do not engender trust. They demand more for less - more output for less money. More commitment for less respect.

But the true and full power of creativity is unleashed when all parties take seriously the responsibility that each of us has to the person across the table.

Brand, agency, employer, employee. Parent, child, friend. When both of us can put the other person's interests first, well, that's when the world is changed.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

What are you responsible for?

Emma Armstrong is the CEO of FCB New York. Most recently, the office was named Agency of the Year at the Clio Awards. Both as an office and as a company, the last few years have been stellar by anyone's standards.

There are always many reasons for a company's success, particularly when that success is sustained - the hardest kind to achieve. In my conversation with Emma, she described client relationships in a way that stayed with me long after we had said goodbye.

Unlocking creative thinking and innovation is hard to do when you are in a vendor-supplier relationship. Because, while creativity is the most powerful business problem solver we have, it requires conditions and an environment not always present when one side is telling the other what to do.

Creativity and innovation are fueled by trust. And trust happens when you believe that the person on the other side of the table, or the screen, cares - genuinely cares - about your well-being.

The creative industries have many people who do not engender trust. They demand more for less - more output for less money. More commitment for less respect.

But the true and full power of creativity is unleashed when all parties take seriously the responsibility that each of us has to the person across the table.

Brand, agency, employer, employee. Parent, child, friend. When both of us can put the other person's interests first, well, that's when the world is changed.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

What are you responsible for?

Emma Armstrong is the CEO of FCB New York. Most recently, the office was named Agency of the Year at the Clio Awards. Both as an office and as a company, the last few years have been stellar by anyone's standards.

There are always many reasons for a company's success, particularly when that success is sustained - the hardest kind to achieve. In my conversation with Emma, she described client relationships in a way that stayed with me long after we had said goodbye.

Unlocking creative thinking and innovation is hard to do when you are in a vendor-supplier relationship. Because, while creativity is the most powerful business problem solver we have, it requires conditions and an environment not always present when one side is telling the other what to do.

Creativity and innovation are fueled by trust. And trust happens when you believe that the person on the other side of the table, or the screen, cares - genuinely cares - about your well-being.

The creative industries have many people who do not engender trust. They demand more for less - more output for less money. More commitment for less respect.

But the true and full power of creativity is unleashed when all parties take seriously the responsibility that each of us has to the person across the table.

Brand, agency, employer, employee. Parent, child, friend. When both of us can put the other person's interests first, well, that's when the world is changed.

This episode is a rebroadcast of a conversation I had in January of 2020 with Marc Pritchard, the CMO of P&G.

In a pre-pandemic world, leaders with jobs as visible and demanding as Marc's were not talking about the importance of being vulnerable very much.

His willingness to do so then stood out.

Based on everything that has happened since then to change our understanding of leadership, Marc's beliefs were unbelievably prescient.

Here is that conversation in full.

Are you willing to be vulnerable?

Marc Pritchard is the CMO of Procter & Gamble -- the largest advertiser in the world. Over 4 billion people buy P&G brands which means the choices the company makes have staggering human, as well as business, implications.

Marc's leadership journey has brought him to a position of enormous influence. As you'll hear, that journey has been marked by his willingness to look at himself honestly. To listen to other people's observations about his leadership, and to consistently raise his own expectations of himself.

This episode is called, "The Vulnerable Leader".

After Marc and I had finished our interview he asked me why I'd started Fearless. My answer surprised him and so I thought I'd share it with you.

I explained that in my work, I've learned that exceptional leaders share three traits. 

They're very clear about the difference they want to make. They recognize and use their strengths - and they're not afraid of their weaknesses.   

Which makes them more focused, more confident and more honest.

But, even the most exceptional leaders take many years to reach this level of self-awareness. 

And, as I explained to Marc, my purpose in my work is to help leaders get there earlier in their careers. So they have more time to maximize their impact. And more time to make a bigger difference. 

This podcast allows me to help listeners understand that fear is part of everyone's leadership journey.  Even the most accomplished and acclaimed.

You might suffer from imposter syndrome or self-doubt. You might have fallen into the habit of focusing on your weaknesses or ignoring your strengths. You might not want to be at the center of attention, and step back at times when you should step forward.

You might, as in Marc's case, have developed a personal narrative that is incomplete.

If you experience any of these, you are not alone. 

What separates the unforgettable leaders from the forgettable ones is their willingness to be open to new possibilities about themselves. And their ability to use those insights to raise their own expectations of what they're capable of.  

Marc's willingness to look at himself honestly is the foundation on which his leadership is built. His vulnerability to admit what he has seen has allowed him to unlock the talents of others. And has helped him raise his own expectations for himself.

This podcast is also raising its own expectations of itself. And over the weeks and months ahead, my hope is that these conversations and the insights they provide will help you realize what you are capable of. And help you become that leader sooner.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

This episode is a rebroadcast of a conversation I had in January of 2020 with Marc Pritchard, the CMO of P&G.

In a pre-pandemic world, leaders with jobs as visible and demanding as Marc's were not talking about the importance of being vulnerable very much.

His willingness to do so then stood out as so unusual - perhaps even unique.

Based on everything that has happened since then to change our understanding of leadership, Marc's beliefs were unbelievably prescient.

Here is that conversation in full.

Are you willing to be vulnerable?

Marc Pritchard is the CMO of Procter & Gamble -- the largest advertiser in the world. Over 4 billion people buy P&G brands which means the choices the company makes have staggering human, as well as business, implications.

Marc's leadership journey has brought him to a position of enormous influence. As you'll hear, that journey has been marked by his willingness to look at himself honestly. To listen to other people's observations about his leadership, and to consistently raise his own expectations of himself.

This episode is called, "The Vulnerable Leader".

After Marc and I had finished our interview he asked me why I'd started Fearless. My answer surprised him and so I thought I'd share it with you.

I explained that in my work, I've learned that exceptional leaders share three traits. 

They're very clear about the difference they want to make. They recognize and use their strengths - and they're not afraid of their weaknesses.   

Which makes them more focused, more confident and more honest.

But, even the most exceptional leaders take many years to reach this level of self-awareness. 

And, as I explained to Marc, my purpose in my work is to help leaders get there earlier in their careers. So they have more time to maximize their impact. And more time to make a bigger difference. 

This podcast allows me to help listeners understand that fear is part of everyone's leadership journey.  Even the most accomplished and acclaimed.

You might suffer from imposter syndrome or self-doubt. You might have fallen into the habit of focusing on your weaknesses or ignoring your strengths. You might not want to be at the center of attention, and step back at times when you should step forward.

You might, as in Marc's case, have developed a personal narrative that is incomplete.

If you experience any of these, you are not alone. 

What separates the unforgettable leaders from the forgettable ones is their willingness to be open to new possibilities about themselves. And their ability to use those insights to raise their own expectations of what they're capable of.  

Marc's willingness to look at himself honestly is the foundation on which his leadership is built. His vulnerability to admit what he has seen has allowed him to unlock the talents of others. And has helped him raise his own expectations for himself.

This podcast is also raising its own expectations of itself. And over the weeks and months ahead, my hope is that these conversations and the insights they provide will help you realize what you are capable of. And help you become that leader sooner.

What are your priorities?

Suzy Deering was the Global Chief Marketing Officer of Ford. Before that, she was the Global CMO of eBay. She's held senior positions at Verizon and Home Depot. And she's been recognized as one of Business Insider's "Top 50 Most Innovative CMOs."

The demands of those kinds of jobs can make you lose yourself.

Holding on to who you are and being clear about what really matters, does not happen easily - or by accident.

Suzy's priorities are God, family, and work. In that order. She has said so, many times. On at least one occasion, as you'll hear, she was told that her priorities were a problem for some of the people that worked with her.

She is so clear and certain about her priorities that when she joined Ford, she shared them in a document with her team.

Suzy's priorities are not mine. And they may not be yours. But they are hers.

What makes them remarkable, in my experience, are two things. She knows what they are, and she states them publicly.

I believe the very best leaders share a common truth. They say what they mean and they mean what they say. Which builds trust for the people willing to join you on the journey.

Saying what you mean and meaning what you say become very much easier when you know what matters to you.

I'm curious to know if you do?

Send me an email at charles@fearlesscreativeleadership.com if you know your priorities and if you're willing to share them.

And if you're uncomfortable doing so, maybe ask yourself why.

What will be the impact of AI on the creative industries, and how can we meet this moment?

This is the final episode of my series of interviews over the last few weeks leading up to and through the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

It offers a map for the future based on those conversations, and observations of the speed of change. If you haven't seen it, look up the Volvo ad that was just published on social media. It took one person, 24 hours to create.

This ad could not have been made in May, when I started this series of interviews.

Creativity and innovation are oxygen for the world's best businesses. Increase the flow and they soar. Limit the supply and they wither and ultimately die.

That has been true for longer than anyone reading this has been alive.

What is also true is that until now, that creativity, that ability to come up with original ideas that solve problems has been limited to human beings.

With the arrival and advances in AI, will that still be true five years from now? Two? Tomorrow?

Over the last few weeks, I've interviewed ten different leaders from across the creative industries. Brand leaders, agency founders, global agency heads, global client leads, production experts, creator community experts, consultants, and an advertising industry legend.

And while I was at Cannes, I talked to two dozen more about where the creative industries are headed and what they need to do to ensure their future.

These industries are a complex eco system of competing and contradictory forces built on what I believe is the worst business model in the world: selling original ideas based on how long it took to conceive and deliver them, and then giving up the ownership and the economic benefit of those ideas forever.

It is the equivalent of pricing a Picasso based on how long it took him to paint it. It is selling every patentable idea based on the cost of the labor, while ignoring the impact on people's lives.

According to some reports it takes 24 hours to build an iPhone. Imagine if Apple broke that down into a scope of work and then sold each iPhone for the cost of that scope and, with it, the ownership of the IP. For how long would they remain the most valuable business in the world?

The daily advances of AI challenge every aspect of the creative industries. From defining and articulating the problem, to conceiving, creating and delivering solutions. Every part of the process is being radically changed. And the extent of that change is limitless.

So what should we do about that?

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

What are your priorities?

Suzy Deering was the Global Chief Marketing Officer of Ford. Before that, she was the Global CMO of eBay. She's held senior positions at Verizon and Home Depot. And she's been recognized as one of Business Insider's "Top 50 Most Innovative CMOs."

The demands of those kinds of jobs can make you lose yourself.

Holding on to who you are and being clear about what really matters, does not happen easily - or by accident.

Suzy's priorities are God, family, and work. In that order. She has said so, many times. On at least one occasion, as you'll hear, she was told that her priorities were a problem for some of the people that worked with her.

She is so clear and certain about her priorities that when she joined Ford, she shared them in a document with her team.

Suzy's priorities are not mine. And they may not be yours. But they are hers.

What makes them remarkable, in my experience, are two things. She knows what they are, and she states them publicly.

I believe the very best leaders share a common truth. They say what they mean and they mean what they say. Which builds trust for the people willing to join you on the journey.

Saying what you mean and meaning what you say become very much easier when you know what matters to you.

I'm curious to know if you do?

Send me an email at charles@fearlesscreativeleadership.com if you know your priorities and if you're willing to share them.

And if you're uncomfortable doing so, maybe ask yourself why.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

What are your priorities?

Suzy Deering was the Global Chief Marketing Officer of Ford. Before that, she was the Global CMO of eBay. She's held senior positions at Verizon and Home Depot. And she's been recognized as one of Business Insider's "Top 50 Most Innovative CMOs."

The demands of those kinds of jobs can make you lose yourself.

Holding on to who you are and being clear about what really matters, does not happen easily - or by accident.

Suzy's priorities are God, family, and work. In that order. She has said so, many times. On at least one occasion, as you'll hear, she was told that her priorities were a problem for some of the people that worked with her.

She is so clear and certain about her priorities that when she joined Ford, she shared them in a document with her team.

Suzy's priorities are not mine. And they may not be yours. But they are hers.

What makes them remarkable, in my experience, are two things. She knows what they are, and she states them publicly.

I believe the very best leaders share a common truth. They say what they mean and they mean what they say. Which builds trust for the people willing to join you on the journey.

Saying what you mean and meaning what you say become very much easier when you know what matters to you.

I'm curious to know if you do?

Send me an email at charles@fearlesscreativeleadership.com if you know your priorities and if you're willing to share them.

And if you're uncomfortable doing so, maybe ask yourself why.

How are you creating your company's culture?

Melissa Waters is the Chief Marketing Officer at Upwork. They describe themselves as the world's work marketplace. 

For any business, if your success depends on unlocking creative thinking and innovation, you have to be competitive in the talent wars. The leadership rules for that used to be simple. Create a compelling culture built around in-person experiences. 

But how do you lead when a company's culture is no longer built around physical space?

Tens of millions, probably billions, of the currency of your choice have been spent by business owners to build offices conducive to collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

I've owned some of those businesses and spent some of that money.

We did it to create a culture. To provide an environment that would help unleash the creativity of the people that worked for us and convert that into economic return.

Physical space wasn't the only element to building a culture. Beliefs and behaviors mattered as well. But all of them were connected by the fact that, day in and day out, human beings came together and shared ideas and experiences, and learned from each other.

But without the physical structure of an office to provide the day-to-day container in which culture incubates, the responsibility to create those connections falls squarely on the leader. 

Who are your people? What do they think, care about, love, loathe? Are they happy or not? Fulfilled or not? Interested, enthused, excited or not?

Do they feel connected to what matters to the company or not?

And if your answer to any of those questions is "I don't know," then it might be time to ask yourself whether your leadership is adapting to the needs of today's talent. Or not.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

How are you creating your company's culture?

Melissa Waters is the Chief Marketing Officer at Upwork. They describe themselves as the world's work marketplace. 

For any business, if your success depends on unlocking creative thinking and innovation, you have to be competitive in the talent wars. The leadership rules for that used to be simple. Create a compelling culture built around in-person experiences. 

But how do you lead when a company's culture is no longer built around physical space?

Tens of millions, probably billions, of the currency of your choice have been spent by business owners to build offices conducive to collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

I've owned some of those businesses and spent some of that money.

We did it to create a culture. To provide an environment that would help unleash the creativity of the people that worked for us and convert that into economic return.

Physical space wasn't the only element to building a culture. Beliefs and behaviors mattered as well. But all of them were connected by the fact that, day in and day out, human beings came together and shared ideas and experiences, and learned from each other.

But without the physical structure of an office to provide the day-to-day container in which culture incubates, the responsibility to create those connections falls squarely on the leader. 

Who are your people? What do they think, care about, love, loathe? Are they happy or not? Fulfilled or not? Interested, enthused, excited or not?

Do they feel connected to what matters to the company or not?

And if your answer to any of those questions is "I don't know," then it might be time to ask yourself whether your leadership is adapting to the needs of today's talent. Or not.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

How are you creating your company's culture?

Melissa Waters is the Chief Marketing Officer at Upwork. They describe themselves as the world's work marketplace. 

For any business, if your success depends on unlocking creative thinking and innovation, you have to be competitive in the talent wars. The leadership rules for that used to be simple. Create a compelling culture built around in-person experiences. 

But how do you lead when a company's culture is no longer built around physical space?

Tens of millions, probably billions, of the currency of your choice have been spent by business owners to build offices conducive to collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

I've owned some of those businesses and spent some of that money.

We did it to create a culture. To provide an environment that would help unleash the creativity of the people that worked for us and convert that into economic return.

Physical space wasn't the only element to building a culture. Beliefs and behaviors mattered as well. But all of them were connected by the fact that, day in and day out, human beings came together and shared ideas and experiences, and learned from each other.

But without the physical structure of an office to provide the day-to-day container in which culture incubates, the responsibility to create those connections falls squarely on the leader. 

Who are your people? What do they think, care about, love, loathe? Are they happy or not? Fulfilled or not? Interested, enthused, excited or not?

Do they feel connected to what matters to the company or not?

And if your answer to any of those questions is "I don't know," then it might be time to ask yourself whether your leadership is adapting to the needs of today's talent. Or not.

Who are you?

Nicolle Pangis is the CEO of Ampersand. They describe themselves as a data-driven TV advertising sales and technology company.

In a world increasingly dependent on zeros and ones, a world in which AI is moving so fast that some tech leaders are calling for its development to be suspended, it's all too easy to forget the human side of leadership. To forget that, in fact, leaders are human, too.

There are so many influences over the decisions that a leader must make. Profit. Loss. Risk. Reward. Future. Past. Hope. Fear. So many, that our understanding of self often gets lost along the way.

Finding yourself in the middle of that rapidly spinning vortex is not for the unprepared. You need a map. One that shows you the true north of who you are and who you want to be.

If you haven't prepared this map before you step into the role, it becomes harder and harder to create. Instead, you find yourself drawing a path forward that is based on the expectations, the hopes, and the dreams of others.

Life is short. Your career is shorter. Live them both on your terms and you'll be able to measure yourself against the most important set of data in the world.

Your own.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

Who are you?

Nicolle Pangis is the CEO of Ampersand. They describe themselves as a data-driven TV advertising sales and technology company.

In a world increasingly dependent on zeros and ones, a world in which AI is moving so fast that some tech leaders are calling for its development to be suspended, it's all too easy to forget the human side of leadership. To forget that, in fact, leaders are human, too.

There are so many influences over the decisions that a leader must make. Profit. Loss. Risk. Reward. Future. Past. Hope. Fear. So many, that our understanding of self often gets lost along the way.

Finding yourself in the middle of that rapidly spinning vortex is not for the unprepared. You need a map. One that shows you the true north of who you are and who you want to be.

If you haven't prepared this map before you step into the role, it becomes harder and harder to create. Instead, you find yourself drawing a path forward that is based on the expectations, the hopes, and the dreams of others.

Life is short. Your career is shorter. Live them both on your terms and you'll be able to measure yourself against the most important set of data in the world.

Your own.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

Who are you?

Nicolle Pangis is the CEO of Ampersand. They describe themselves as a data-driven TV advertising sales and technology company.

In a world increasingly dependent on zeros and ones, a world in which AI is moving so fast that some tech leaders are calling for its development to be suspended, it's all too easy to forget the human side of leadership. To forget that, in fact, leaders are human, too.

There are so many influences over the decisions that a leader must make. Profit. Loss. Risk. Reward. Future. Past. Hope. Fear. So many, that our understanding of self often gets lost along the way.

Finding yourself in the middle of that rapidly spinning vortex is not for the unprepared. You need a map. One that shows you the true north of who you are and who you want to be.

If you haven't prepared this map before you step into the role, it becomes harder and harder to create. Instead, you find yourself drawing a path forward that is based on the expectations, the hopes, and the dreams of others.

Life is short. Your career is shorter. Live them both on your terms and you'll be able to measure yourself against the most important set of data in the world.

Your own.

When was the last time you admitted you were wrong?

In this episode, we're going back in to the archives for a conversation I had with Mark Thompson, early in 2019. Mark was the Director General of the BBC before becoming CEO of the New York Times in 2012. One of his many claims to fame is that he brought both institutions into the digital age, establishing the New York Times as one of the most successful digital news platforms in the world.

To me, his leadership is marked by a self-effacing honesty and personal courage.

Early in our conversation, Mark talked about walking towards the gunfire. Literally. He was a journalist before he became a leader of institutions.

Most of us, hopefully, won't be asked to demonstrate courage of quite that level during our leadership lives.

Leadership is complex. It's like playing four-dimensional chess as we try to find the places of intersection between what is needed of us by a host of moving parts, and our own ability to provide them.

For almost every leader, saying 'I was wrong' challenges our essential sense of who we are and what leadership is about. It's not easy to find that place on most people's leadership chessboard.

But, as the nature of leadership changes, as people come to demand less defensive behavior of their leaders and more humanity, finding the courage to say 'I was wrong' will be the surest test of your leadership potential.

Think of it as the leadership equivalent of walking towards the gunfire. And if you turn and head in the other direction, what does that say about you?

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

When was the last time you admitted you were wrong?

In this episode, we're going back in to the archives for a conversation I had with Mark Thompson, early in 2019. Mark was the Director General of the BBC before becoming CEO of the New York Times in 2012. One of his many claims to fame is that he brought both institutions into the digital age, establishing the New York Times as one of the most successful digital news platforms in the world.

To me, his leadership is marked by a self-effacing honesty and personal courage.

Early in our conversation, Mark talked about walking towards the gunfire. Literally. He was a journalist before he became a leader of institutions.

Most of us, hopefully, won't be asked to demonstrate courage of quite that level during our leadership lives.

Leadership is complex. It's like playing four-dimensional chess as we try to find the places of intersection between what is needed of us by a host of moving parts, and our own ability to provide them.

For almost every leader, saying 'I was wrong' challenges our essential sense of who we are and what leadership is about. It's not easy to find that place on most people's leadership chessboard.

But, as the nature of leadership changes, as people come to demand less defensive behavior of their leaders and more humanity, finding the courage to say 'I was wrong' will be the surest test of your leadership potential.

Think of it as the leadership equivalent of walking towards the gunfire. And if you turn and head in the other direction, what does that say about you?

Where does ideation end and production begin?

This episode is part of a series of conversations I've been having in partnership with the Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity. Over the last few weeks, I've been focusing my study of leadership through a single lens, the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Creative Industries.

This final interview is with David Rolfe, the Global Head of Production at WPP. Dave and I have known each other for more years than we care to acknowledge, and he is the most provocative and disruptive thinker about production that I know.

As the week at Cannes unfolded, it became clear that this series wouldn't be complete without a conversation about production.

So I asked Dave late in the week if he would sit down with me and talk about the impact of AI on production. As you may have heard in my interview with Adam Tucker, WPP has made a large investment in AI. That wasn't the reason I wanted to include Dave in this series, but it does, again, add a dimension to the conversation that helps to establish reference points as the industry navigates the disruption that AI is already bringing.

I started the conversation with Dave from a simple premise. Is production dead? As you'll hear, it is most definitely not, but it will look very, very different in a very short space of time, and that change has already begun. So if any part of your future thinking about production is based on how production looked and worked a year ago, you probably need to challenge that perspective to make sure that it stands the test of time, which in today's world, we can probably define as somewhere between 12 and 24 months, I suspect.

In the next episode, I'll sum up everything I've heard and seen since we started this series. In the meantime, thank you for listening.

Are you happy?

Nils Leonard is the co-founder of Uncommon London. Nils has been on the podcast before.

I ask him back pretty regularly because every one of our conversations expands my understanding of leadership.

I think he keeps saying, "Yes," because each time he learns something about himself.

In this week's episode, we covered a lot of new ground. In truth, I could have highlighted a number of areas as worthy of close attention.

But this is the one that really stands out for me.

Life is short. Careers are shorter.

I find myself saying this quite often these days as a reminder that within the maelstrom of running a business, we are also, and more importantly, living a life.

Leadership comes at you hard and fast. It is demanding and unrelenting and it is easy - very easy - to get swept along in the expectations that are placed on us.

Managing those expectations are hard when they come from other people. But the more important and consequential challenge is to manage the expectations we have of ourselves.

The first and critical step is to define what you mean by success. In all its forms and attributes.

Personally, I believe that one of those definitions should include the word 'happy'.

Too many people think doing that makes them selfish.

But in my experience, the people that are clear that they want to be happy are also the ones who have given the most thought to what that means to them.

Often, most often, it includes the desire to help others unlock their potential.

So, are you doing something that makes you happy? And how do you know?

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

Are you happy?

Nils Leonard is the co-founder of Uncommon London. Nils has been on the podcast before.

I ask him back pretty regularly because every one of our conversations expands my understanding of leadership.

I think he keeps saying, "Yes," because each time he learns something about himself.

In this week's episode, we covered a lot of new ground. In truth, I could have highlighted a number of areas as worthy of close attention.

But this is the one that really stands out for me.

Life is short. Careers are shorter.

I find myself saying this quite often these days as a reminder that within the maelstrom of running a business, we are also, and more importantly, living a life.

Leadership comes at you hard and fast. It is demanding and unrelenting and it is easy - very easy - to get swept along in the expectations that are placed on us.

Managing those expectations are hard when they come from other people. But the more important and consequential challenge is to manage the expectations we have of ourselves.

The first and critical step is to define what you mean by success. In all its forms and attributes.

Personally, I believe that one of those definitions should include the word 'happy'.

Too many people think doing that makes them selfish.

But in my experience, the people that are clear that they want to be happy are also the ones who have given the most thought to what that means to them.

Often, most often, it includes the desire to help others unlock their potential.

So, are you doing something that makes you happy? And how do you know?

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

Are you happy?

Nils Leonard is the co-founder of Uncommon London. Nils has been on the podcast before.

I ask him back pretty regularly because every one of our conversations expands my understanding of leadership.

I think he keeps saying, "Yes," because each time he learns something about himself.

In this week's episode, we covered a lot of new ground. In truth, I could have highlighted a number of areas as worthy of close attention.

But this is the one that really stands out for me.

Life is short. Careers are shorter.

I find myself saying this quite often these days as a reminder that within the maelstrom of running a business, we are also, and more importantly, living a life.

Leadership comes at you hard and fast. It is demanding and unrelenting and it is easy - very easy - to get swept along in the expectations that are placed on us.

Managing those expectations are hard when they come from other people. But the more important and consequential challenge is to manage the expectations we have of ourselves.

The first and critical step is to define what you mean by success. In all its forms and attributes.

Personally, I believe that one of those definitions should include the word 'happy'.

Too many people think doing that makes them selfish.

But in my experience, the people that are clear that they want to be happy are also the ones who have given the most thought to what that means to them.

Often, most often, it includes the desire to help others unlock their potential.

So, are you doing something that makes you happy? And how do you know?

Are you selfish?

Kerry Sulkowicz is the President of the American Psychoanalytic Association. He's also a leadership advisor in his own right. It's a role that requires the ability to look beyond the public-facing image that most leaders feel they need to present, so that we can see the person within.

Leaders often have a difficult time making themselves a priority.

It's not hard to understand why, given the pressure that leaders face on an hour-by-hour basis.

There's the pressure from above. Because, as Marc Pritchard, the CMO of P&G, said to me on an earlier episode, leadership is a weight-bearing position and demands that you help lift the people that work for you.

There's the pressure from all the people in front of you, those in the many audiences you face, who expect you to show up as a thoughtful, confident leader - perhaps even as a thought leader.

And there's the pressure from the people behind you, the board and the shareholders, who expect you to drive business performance forward, regardless of the circumstances.

And that's without mentioning the pressure that you place on yourself. The pressure to succeed. To not fail. To overcome the imposter syndrome and the self-doubts.

In the middle of all that, it's easy to convince yourself that it would be selfish to take care of yourself first.

Except, as Kerry explains, it's not.

Taking care of yourself first is a requirement. A necessity if you are to become a leader capable not only of withstanding the pressure, but using it as a catalyst to drive the business upwards, into the future.

Only once you have taken care of yourself can you then, confidently and at scale, take care of everyone else.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

Are you selfish?

Kerry Sulkowicz is the President of the American Psychoanalytic Association. 

He's also a leadership advisor in his own right. It's a role that requires the ability to look beyond the public-facing image that most leaders feel they need to present, so that we can see the person within.

Leaders often have a difficult time making themselves a priority.

It's not hard to understand why, given the pressure that leaders face on an hour-by-hour basis.

There's the pressure from above. Because, as Marc Pritchard, the CMO of P&G, said to me on an earlier episode, leadership is a weight-bearing position and demands that you help lift the people that work for you.

There's the pressure from all the people in front of you, those in the many audiences you face, who expect you to show up as a thoughtful, confident leader - perhaps even as a thought leader.

And there's the pressure from the people behind you, the board and the shareholders, who expect you to drive business performance forward, regardless of the circumstances.

And that's without mentioning the pressure that you place on yourself. The pressure to succeed. To not fail. To overcome the imposter syndrome and the self-doubts.

In the middle of all that, it's easy to convince yourself that it would be selfish to take care of yourself first.

Except, as Kerry explains, it's not.

Taking care of yourself first is a requirement. A necessity if you are to become a leader capable not only of withstanding the pressure, but using it as a catalyst to drive the business upwards, into the future.

Only once you have taken care of yourself can you then, confidently and at scale, take care of everyone else.

What are you going to preserve?

Madeleine Grynsztejn is the Pritzker Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

She sees society from a distinctive vantage point, through the lens of an organization that exists to generate inquiry. Her work is to encourage communities to learn from themselves and from each other. To help us examine our past and be intentioned about our future.

Leading a creative business demands that we look ahead, vigorously, bravely and relentlessly. Where are we going, how will we know when we get there, and who's joining us on the journey?

We hold on to the past at great risk. Risk to our success and sometimes to our survival.

But Madeleine's point frames the future through an important question. Because, while we must fight the status quo, our future is built on the pillars of the past.

You can't build a monument to modern thinking on sand. You need substantive foundations and platforms. You need to bring lessons from the past forward with you, so that we don't make the same mistakes twice, and so that we have something to lean on that we can trust.

Which parts of the past do you need to let go of?

And which parts are you going to preserve?

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

What are you going to preserve?

Madeleine Grynsztejn is the Pritzker Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

She sees society from a distinctive vantage point, through the lens of an organization that exists to generate inquiry. Her work is to encourage communities to learn from themselves and from each other. To help us examine our past and be intentioned about our future.

Leading a creative business demands that we look ahead, vigorously, bravely and relentlessly. Where are we going, how will we know when we get there, and who's joining us on the journey?

We hold on to the past at great risk. Risk to our success and sometimes to our survival.

But Madeleine's point frames the future through an important question. Because, while we must fight the status quo, our future is built on the pillars of the past.

You can't build a monument to modern thinking on sand. You need substantive foundations and platforms. You need to bring lessons from the past forward with you, so that we don't make the same mistakes twice, and so that we have something to lean on that we can trust.

Which parts of the past do you need to let go of?

And which parts are you going to preserve?

What terrifies you?

Marcel Marcondes is the Global Chief Marketing Officer for AB InBev.

Becoming the successful Global CMO of any major brand is a life's dream for many people.

If you're one of the few to make it, it's easy to get caught up in the gestalt of the thing. The public adulation that comes with the buying power and influence that you suddenly wield.

But for the very best of them, being a Global CMO brings out the human being in you.

I'm not conscious that I've ever heard prominent leader publicly use the phrase, 'sometimes it's also terrifying'.

There are three points to make coming from Marcel's memorable use of that phrase.

One - that business is in great hands because it's being run by someone who's conscious of the responsibility and is also conscious that he needs to be courageous to keep it moving forward. The fastest path to letting the status quo win is to believe that what you should be doing next doesn't require courage.

Two - more talented people will want to work for Marcel because he is honest about the size and the consequence of the challenge. And if there is a single truth that I've learned, it's that creative people want to make one thing more than anything else - a difference.

And three - leadership is a constant battle between fear and courage. It has to be.

If you feel afraid a lot, you're probably on the right path to making a difference.

If you sometimes feel terrified, you definitely are.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

What terrifies you?

Marcel Marcondes is the Global Chief Marketing Officer for AB InBev.

Becoming the successful Global CMO of any major brand is a life's dream for many people.

If you're one of the few to make it, it's easy to get caught up in the gestalt of the thing. The public adulation that comes with the buying power and influence that you suddenly wield.

But for the very best of them, being a Global CMO brings out the human being in you.

I'm not conscious that I've ever heard prominent leader publicly use the phrase, 'sometimes it's also terrifying'.

There are three points to make coming from Marcel's memorable use of that phrase.

One - that business is in great hands because it's being run by someone who's conscious of the responsibility and is also conscious that he needs to be courageous to keep it moving forward. The fastest path to letting the status quo win is to believe that what you should be doing next doesn't require courage.

Two - more talented people will want to work for Marcel because he is honest about the size and the consequence of the challenge. And if there is a single truth that I've learned, it's that creative people want to make one thing more than anything else - a difference.

And three - leadership is a constant battle between fear and courage. It has to be.

If you feel afraid a lot, you're probably on the right path to making a difference.

If you sometimes feel terrified, you definitely are.

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

What terrifies you?

Marcel Marcondes is the Global Chief Marketing Officer for AB InBev.

Becoming the successful Global CMO of any major brand is a life's dream for many people.

If you're one of the few to make it, it's easy to get caught up in the gestalt of the thing. The public adulation that comes with the buying power and influence that you suddenly wield.

But for the very best of them, being a Global CMO brings out the human being in you.

I'm not conscious that I've ever heard prominent leader publicly use the phrase, 'sometimes it's also terrifying'.

There are three points to make coming from Marcel's memorable use of that phrase.

One - that business is in great hands because it's being run by someone who's conscious of the responsibility and is also conscious that he needs to be courageous to keep it moving forward. The fastest path to letting the status quo win is to believe that what you should be doing next doesn't require courage.

Two - more talented people will want to work for Marcel because he is honest about the size and the consequence of the challenge. And if there is a single truth that I've learned, it's that creative people want to make one thing more than anything else - a difference.

And three - leadership is a constant battle between fear and courage. It has to be.

If you feel afraid a lot, you're probably on the right path to making a difference.

If you sometimes feel terrified, you definitely are.

Does your AI do what you need it to do?

This episode is part of a series of conversations I've been having in partnership with the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Over the last few weeks, I've been focusing my study of leadership through a single lens, the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Creative Industries. I'd planned on ending the series with my interview of Sir John Hegarty, but I recorded two bonus episodes during Cannes that I felt were an important part of the conversation.

Adam Tucker is the Global Account Lead at WPP for Mondelez, and he reached out to me after listening to the first few episodes in this series. He pointed out that while we were focusing on how AI will impact the process of how the creative industries work, we hadn't talked about how it is already changing the work itself. WPP has made a significant investment in AI. The press reports that it's spending about $318 million annually in WPP Open, a set of AI capabilities that are now available to its 35,000 employees around the world. Adam explained why from his perspective, this investment creates a competitive advantage.

I'm not an AI expert, nor have I seen WPP Open firsthand, to pass any judgment on its capabilities, and whether it is in fact superior to other forms of AI that are publicly available. This conversation is not intended to convince you whether WPP has created a competitive advantage or not. What it does establish is one clearly differentiated benchmark in the ecosystem of AI that are now springing up across the creative industries, and therefore, it provides one measurement against which to evaluate your own relationship with artificial intelligence.

I'll wrap this series this week with one more bonus episode and then a recap. In the meantime, thanks for listening.

What role does love play in your leadership?

Before we start, I want to acknowledge the death of someone who played a big role in helping Chris and I to create the film editing company that we built in the '90s and 2000s.

Jim Garrett was a brilliant businessman and a gentleman. He was the founder of the award winning and internationally recognized production company, Garrett and Partners, and he worked with directors like John Schlesinger, Nick Roeg, Ken Russell and Richard Loncraine along the way. I've posted a link to his obituary in the London Times in this week's show notes.

When we were conceiving our film editing company in 1994, Jim sat down with Chris and I over lunch in London, and gave us advice that formed the foundational DNA of a business which is still thriving almost thirty years later. Many of the principles and practices on which that business operates today came from that lunch. All of us who have spent any part of our careers working at the original Lookinglass or at the Whitehouse film editing companies owe Jim our thanks. His impact was and is enormous.

And now, on with the show.

Devika Bulchandani is the global CEO of Ogilvy. And her view of leadership includes an impassioned belief that seemed so obvious to me once she said it, but which I have never heard before.

The business of running a business does not usually contain much discussion of love. You hear people say occasionally, "I love what I'm doing," or "I love where I work." You can see evidence of passion in some people, particularly business founders.

But the idea of saying "I love you" to a co-worker will send tremors down the backs of HR and Talent leaders across the entire spectrum of the creative industries.

And yet, as Devika asks, wouldn't the world be better by the way if we all just felt more of it?

We live in a time of apparently limitless upheaval. And we will spend roughly a quarter of that time at our jobs.

Shouldn't part of that upheaval be to challenge the norms under which we're working?

Including the possibility that "I love you" might be a leading indicator of what it means to be a more human leader.

Where do you draw the line? And why?

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

What role does love play in your leadership?

Before we start, I want to acknowledge the death of someone who played a big role in helping Chris and I to create the film editing company that we built in the '90s and 2000s.

Jim Garrett was a brilliant businessman and a gentleman. He was the founder of the award winning and internationally recognized production company, Garrett and Partners, and he worked with directors like John Schlesinger, Nick Roeg, Ken Russell and Richard Loncraine along the way. I've posted a link to his obituary in the London Times in this week's show notes.

When we were conceiving our film editing company in 1994, Jim sat down with Chris and I over lunch in London, and gave us advice that formed the foundational DNA of a business which is still thriving almost thirty years later. Many of the principles and practices on which that business operates today came from that lunch. All of us who have spent any part of our careers working at the original Lookinglass or at the Whitehouse film editing companies owe Jim our thanks. His impact was and is enormous.

And now, on with the show.

Devika Bulchandani is the global CEO of Ogilvy. And her view of leadership includes an impassioned belief that seemed so obvious to me once she said it, but which I have never heard before.

The business of running a business does not usually contain much discussion of love. You hear people say occasionally, "I love what I'm doing," or "I love where I work." You can see evidence of passion in some people, particularly business founders.

But the idea of saying "I love you" to a co-worker will send tremors down the backs of HR and Talent leaders across the entire spectrum of the creative industries.

And yet, as Devika asks, wouldn't the world be better by the way if we all just felt more of it?

We live in a time of apparently limitless upheaval. And we will spend roughly a quarter of that time at our jobs.

Shouldn't part of that upheaval be to challenge the norms under which we're working?

Including the possibility that "I love you" might be a leading indicator of what it means to be a more human leader.

Where do you draw the line? And why?

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

What role does love play in your leadership?

Before we start, I want to acknowledge the death of someone who played a big role in helping Chris and I to create the film editing company that we built in the '90s and 2000s.

Jim Garrett was a brilliant businessman and a gentleman. He was the founder of the award winning and internationally recognized production company, Garrett and Partners, and he worked with directors like John Schlesinger, Nick Roeg, Ken Russell and Richard Loncraine along the way. I've posted a link to his obituary in the London Times in this week's show notes.

When we were conceiving our film editing company in 1994, Jim sat down with Chris and I over lunch in London, and gave us advice that formed the foundational DNA of a business which is still thriving almost thirty years later. Many of the principles and practices on which that business operates today came from that lunch. All of us who have spent any part of our careers working at the original Lookinglass or at the Whitehouse film editing companies owe Jim our thanks. His impact was and is enormous.

And now, on with the show.

Devika Bulchandani is the global CEO of Ogilvy. And her view of leadership includes an impassioned belief that seemed so obvious to me once she said it, but which I have never heard before.

The business of running a business does not usually contain much discussion of love. You hear people say occasionally, "I love what I'm doing," or "I love where I work." You can see evidence of passion in some people, particularly business founders.

But the idea of saying "I love you" to a co-worker will send tremors down the backs of HR and Talent leaders across the entire spectrum of the creative industries.

And yet, as Devika asks, wouldn't the world be better by the way if we all just felt more of it?

We live in a time of apparently limitless upheaval. And we will spend roughly a quarter of that time at our jobs.

Shouldn't part of that upheaval be to challenge the norms under which we're working?

Including the possibility that "I love you" might be a leading indicator of what it means to be a more human leader.

Where do you draw the line? And why?