Hounded By
Anna Wintour
At some point in the last year, I evidently spent a bit too long dwelling on an advert for Masterclass and have since been hounded by them with reckless abandon. Whoever is running their Ad Strategy, bravo, you got me good. (And call me… we should be working together…)
My partner very kindly bought me an annual membership for my birthday a few weeks ago, and after several months of seeing Anna Wintour’s intimidating presence interrupt my every swipe across every possible platform, I finally thought it was time to listen to a woman who – not without controversy – has been at the helm of arguably one of the most successful and renowned creative enterprises in the world, for decades, Vogue.
Here’s a few things I picked up from her that I found relevant:
Own and be clear about your vision
As a business owner, I find that one of my greatest responsibilities is to be able to fully understand the path ahead for the company, to be informed and to act with integrity. As much as we empower our team to think and act independently, I know they look to me and Josh Saunders to not only understand the broader vision but to embody it. Leadership is about walking the walk.
Lead your team (and your clients) with a strong point of view
CAPRI lives by the motto “we design what you need, not what you want.” Cheeky, and perhaps bullish, we’re confident in our work and the strategy that sits behind it. We listen deeply to our clients but we won’t agree just to be nice or to please. We are unafraid of asking challenging questions, we thrive on pushing ourselves to remain ambitious and relevant. We are happy to extend the same to our clients.
You are nothing without your team
Make room for growth and expression, give credit where it is due, don’t micromanage and be prepared to take the blame. If there’s anything I’ve learnt from leadership, it’s that my role is to facilitate the greatness of the people I work with, to create an environment where they can fully shine and to celebrate them freely and abundantly.
Make mistakes (they’re inevitable) and then learn from them
Own them, learn from them, move on. Being bold but wrong has far more potential for growth and progression than always playing it safe and cruising along.
Find the bigger meaning in your work
This struck me the most. It’s so easy to get caught up in KPIs, delivery, goals, targets and the everyday. Even the most creative work can be stifling. I’m increasingly interested in how the work that I do, and how I spend my time in general, can lead to progressive thought and change in my immediate surroundings and in a global sense. As a company, every year we contribute to charity but in 2020 one of our broader goals is to team up with fellow creatives and find ways in which we can use our expertise to have a bigger impact on issues which are important to us.
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
