For International Leadership Week, Spiro Execs Share What Being a Leader Truly Means
Each year, International Leadership Week (#ILW23) unites leaders around the world who are passionate about raising leadership standards, both for themselves and for those around them.
As the global brand experience agency of the NEW NOW™, we at Spiro™ are passionate about leadership—both within our agency and throughout our community.
Externally, we lead our clients, industry & the world into the future by putting future casting, macro-trends, strategic foresight, and innovation at the core of our value proposition. To us, leadership means being more creative and more courageous in embracing change in response to the transformation our industry has undergone—and showing others how to embrace change, too.
Internally, we live by several core values, each exemplifying a different facet of leadership as well as our agency culture. For example, we share knowledge (including our thought leadership) and experiences to support each other, because we know that we’re Better Together. We develop and highlight creative solutions to business challenges as we Lead with Creativity, and we invest in innovation as we bring ideas to fruition, because we aim to Inspire and Be Inspired.
Along with supporting us to create high-impact events and experiences, our executive team recently shared what being a leader truly means to them.
Jeff Stelmach, Global President, reminds us that being a leader is an obligation and commitment of service to your team:
“A leader’s top priority is never to themselves. Everything we do is in the service of others.”
Terry Campanaro, Chief Growth Officer, says leadership carries the responsibility of helping both teams and individual employees reach their business and personal development objectives:
“Former CEO of GE Jack Welch once said: ‘When you were made a leader, you weren’t given a crown. You were given the responsibility to bring out the best in others,’ and I truly believe this. Being a leader means being empathetic, humble, respectful, supportive, appreciative, truthful & transparent, while simultaneously providing the direction, guidance & resources needed for teams to achieve agreed-upon business goals & for individual teammates to progress towards their personal goals.”
Carley Faircloth, Chief Marketing Officer, points out that leadership isn’t micromanaging, but rather empowering employees to grow and shine within their roles and throughout their career paths:
"Leadership is knowing when to use your heart & when to use your head, knowing when to lead from the front & when to lead from the back. Being a leader is guiding people to an end goal & empowering them to find their path, removing obstacles along the way so they can be brilliant."
For David Kuznick, Global Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer, leadership means donning the business version of a coach’s cap, with the ultimate success realized as a team sport:
“Being a leader is like being a coach. To achieve success is to bring together the collective strengths of all the team members to create the best solution. And there is nothing better than winning as a team.”
Amber Braband, Chief People & Culture Officer, highlights the need for leaders to be agile and constantly developing, while passing acclaim to the entire team:
“Leadership is a privilege that comes with accountability for the outcomes while transferring credit to your team. Continuous growth is imperative regardless of your level, which should be met with open mindedness and adaptability for future evolution.”
John Trinanes, Chief Creative Officer, reminds us that leadership is all about boosting others to create and explore—which means clearing the way for them to move:
“Being a leader doesn’t mean having all the ideas, but instead inspiring and empowering others to spark their curiosity, take risks and innovate. Then, it’s all about getting the *#$@ out of the way.”
What leadership insights would you add? Drop us a note on LinkedIn and let us know!