Career Tips from the Top

After work with... Nils Leonard, Founder @ Uncommon Creative Studio.The man dreaming of delusion.Or better yet, creating delusion.I thought I knew Uncommon, after working together for 9 years.Turns out the best lesson I could have asked for was sitting with Nils for 1.5 hours.To learn about vision, shaking off limits and seeing every moment as a step towards your personal goals.I also learnt to question...What drives you?What are you trying to achieve?How are you going to get there?Is 'there' far enough?Some stuff he said that I found fascinating (basically the whole episode):☁️ His mechanical way of thinking provides the drive to success - even in his marriage.☁️ How childhood escapism formed his drive.☁️ How deluded dreaming is the sauce our industry desperately needs.☁️ His need to be significant and his rush to achieve everything he's dreaming of.☁️ Everything he does is a step towards where he's going - forget a linear portfolio.☁️ Grabbing and creating the most important and influential briefs of our time.☁️ Failure, pressure and threat are like food to Nils. Pressure is where he thrives.☁️ Parenting through love and a way of living rather than sacrifice.This is the longest episode we’ve produced. 25 minutes.But I promise you it's worth the non-bitesized watch.And maybe, just maybe, this episode will mean that I finally get an Uncommon tote........9 years and still waiting.... 😉 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I love this guy's work.Dirty Business: the Fountain of Filth.Apocalypse: 'Breathing' (which heavily hit home).Educating Yorkshire's 'School's Back'.C4's visual identity and idents. And that's just over the last few years at C4. It's good. Really good. And boy does he care about crafting the process. He treats ideas like newborn babies, needing to be nurtured. And his team like the creative mavericks they are. Some stuff he talked about that I loved:- if you're not interesting outside of work, you're not interesting. You can't be inspired sitting at a computer, churning out work. - we need to have more fun in advertising. Not looking at 'work as work' is helpful. - use jealousy as a tool, to push yourself.- protect an idea like a newborn. An idea needs nurturing through the process and you need to care throughout.- from a young age, the intoxication of a polarising reaction to something he'd created. The worst reaction is no reaction. - and the existential dread keeping him up at night. I would highly recommend having a watch. One of my favourite episodes, actually. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don't call us Regional! It's offensive, triggering and makes no sense.These phenomenal agencies, Meanwhile, Nonsensical and McCann (Manchester and many more) stand on their own merit, with insane leadership and creative.It's insulting to lump them in a 'regional' bracket. Because talent doesn't just sit in a neat little London bubble.And often the best consumer truths are found in coffee-shops or the local garden center. Geography should not and does not matter. Have a listen to understand why. After Work Drinks: Don't call us Regional! Lucy Hudson, James Cross & Oli Hills. Meanwhile Nonsensical McCann (Manchester, Birmingham and many more....)We discussed: - how Covid changed London-centric agency life. - how talent is retained longer outside London. - how cultures are built to last. - how social thrives wherever the creatives are found. - how talking about geography is so last season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After work with...Tad Greenough, Chief Creative Officer @ Pernod Ricard.Tad Greenough is the Chief Creative Office at Pernod Ricard, running a portfolio of over 120 brands. He also has the CV of dreams. He has helped to creatively build some of the most iconic brands - the whole Pernod Ricard portfolio, Nike (agency and client-side), Burger King, Apple and MasterCard.He's also a lovely, humble human. And a friend, who I haven't seen since 2008, when we worked together at W+K Amsterdam. So reuniting in Cannes, during a hectic week, was a little oasis of calm and joy. We found a sofa (thank you @The Brandtech Group), ramped up the portable fans, ordered some drinks (apologies for the off-brand Aperol) and caught up. We covered:- his creative highs working on some of the most iconic brands in the world.- his love of working both agency and client-side.- his leadership style - understanding his strengths and where to lean on others' expertise. - finding the golden opportunities within the Pernod Ricard portfolio. And overall, I think his humble nature sings through. The world needs more Tad's. Thanks for letting me pester you to do this, my friend.#creative #marketing #advertising Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Work with...Holly Ripper, CEO @ Havas LondonAhhh Holly Ripper, the CEO with endless energy. And I love it. Holly and I had a lovely discussion that started off with me questioning the pressure she feels as a CEO making such a volume of agency-changing decisions, daily. And ended with us sharing our passion for retail advertising and how retail experience can propel juniors' careers forward.During our cosy, tea-propelled chitchat we covered:🐘 The pressure of decision making at high volume and short timelines.🐘 Not needing to know the answers on the spot and taking care and time with your decision making.🐘 Risk + trust and wanting Havas to be 'a little bit dangerous'.🐘 The love of retail and how working on a piece of retail can further your career.🐘 Relentlessness in account handling. 🐘 Accountability as an inspiration not seen as the opportunity for blame. To discover why the elephant emoji is relevant, check out Holly's favourite saying in our intro..... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dads in advertising (or actually...in any industry), this one's for you 🧡We sat down with James Fox to discuss parenthood and how it transforms your leadership style for the better.And in James case, having kids with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and a big job can completely change your perspective for the better.Because compassionate leaders create working environments to support whatever their employees are holding onto outside of work. And that creates a supportive environment for you to do your best work. James and I reunited and chitchatted about:💡 parenting SEN kids: how raising his two gorgeous boys completely transformed his approach.💡why the best leaders lead with curiosity, compassion and patience - because you never truly know what someone is carrying outside of work.💡why a perspective shift makes you fiercely protective of your time and who you spend it with.💡 normalising therapy - why putting therapy sessions directly into your open diary sets a powerful precedent for workplace well-being.A massive thank you to James - who is an extremely compassionate leader and a beautifully genuine human. After Work with...James Fox, former CEO @ Havas London Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stop chasing perfection and start experimenting! To celebrate Leo Burnett’s birthday, we tracked down the CEO of their Sydney and Melbourne branch for a special episode:After Work with...Clare Pickens (National CEO of Leo Australia)Clare and I have known each other for years. And we’ve been talking about filming an episode of After Work for years too.The only issue was proximity - Clare’s now based in Sydney and we shoot in London.So when we discovered she’d be in Cannes in June, we popped our big girl pants on and decided to shoot an episode on location. I was bricking it to be honest - we were winging the location, fighting the sun + constant background noise and using fans to cool down the overheating phone cameras. Thank goodness Clare was a dream guest, giggling with me about all the mishaps. But what we captured, we are very proud of. An episode where a strong theme sings through, which was very apt for this episode - stop perfecting and lean into the unknown. Because as Clare says, the best things happen when you stop trying to control every outcome and start experimenting. Clare and I cooled down over iced coffee and discussed:🍹 Experimenting instead of perfecting and leaning into the unknown. 🍹 Really loving your lifestyle (Australia and all the beaches...)🍹 Progress over process. Does our busy schedule actually lead to impactful work and outcome?🍹 Opportunity finding you through showing up.Big thanks to The Mondrian for the use of your gorgeous garden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fancy some useable career advice? Ok, here we go....After Work with...Gina Hood, CEO LePub | London.Gina generously joined us on the sofa to focus an episode on career tips, from her experience in the industry.DAMN - wish I'd had this advice when I was a junior.We high-jumped onto the sofa (not really, but Gina is a former athlete) and discussed:🎓 actively taking hold of your career by having an active mindset when it comes to opportunities.🎓 having a career champion (mentor) both inside and outside work. 🎓 not falling into the comparison trap - always run your own race.🎓 flip the way you think about success; happiness front and centre. 🎓 the importance of range in your career.🎓 how showing effort is a good thing.🎓 using her competitive mindset as a driver.🎓 parents - are we thriving or surviving?#advertising #ceo #careeradvice #london #podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most working parents are falling over juggling kids and work. So what happens when you chuck in another responsibility - caring for ageing parents?Hello Sandwich Generation.You are all are stretching in many directions with your competing responsibilities, at work and at home. But are you coping?Claire Hollands generously sat down with me to explain who the Sandwich Generation are - and tips on how to cope when you feel the pressure mounting.After Work with...Claire Hollands, CEO @ Saatchi & Saatchi UK.Claire shared insights on:🦢 how she manages to stay afloat in a leadership position, with conflicting responsibilities at work and at home.🦢how sharing vulnerability in times of need is fundamental.🦢the importance of assuming positive intent.🦢how organisations can better support employees, who are quietly carrying more than anyone could manage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Work Drinks: Mel Arrow x David Wigglesworth (McCann London x Channel 4) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.