A lot of people ask what it takes to move from being a creative to a leader: Take everyone's career personally. People will work hard for you if you work hard for them. Any idiot can be a boss; all you need is a title. But to be a leader, you need to earn respect and have an opinion you stand by.
Interpretation
Leadership is about personal investment in people's careers and earning respect rather than just holding a title.
David Droga emphasizes that true leadership involves a deep commitment to the people you lead. It's not sufficient to simply have the authority of a boss; genuine leaders care about their team members' growth and success, which motivates others to put in their best effort. This requires earning respect through hard work and having principles to stand by.
In practice
In a team meeting to motivate staff and encourage hard work.
Long before social media existed, the proto-tweets of advertising had penetrated American popular culture: 'A mind is a terrible thing to waste.' 'Where's the beef?' 'A diamond is forever.' 'Think different.' You'd be hard pressed to find a writer's craft that has more directly influenced the vernacular.
Before we start anything creatively, we have a firm understanding of our objective and our frame of mind for the campaign. Who's our audience, and what's their day-to-day behavior? How can we complement those behaviors? How is our message more than an interruption? Why would people care about what we're saying?
The history of the world is full of men who rose to leadership, by sheer force of self-confidence, bravery and tenacity.
Leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do it.
Strategy equals execution. All the great ideas and visions in the world are worthless if they can't be implemented rapidly and efficiently. Good leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to details, every day.
All the great organizations in the world, all have a sense of why that organization does what it does.
I, like many of the other women who made history and dared to step up to lead since the 2018 midterms, know we must all play a role in the battle for who we are and who we must be.
Try never to be the smartest person in the room. And if you are, I suggest you invite smarter people... or find a different room. In professional circles it's called networking. In organizations it's called team building. And in life it's called family, friends, and community. We are all gifts to each other, and my own growth as a leader has shown me again and again that the most rewarding experiences come from my relationships.
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