32 Leadership Lessons From Peloton, Beautycounter,
Omnicom, And More
Founders, business leaders, and artists who participated
in the 2017 Fast Company Innovation Festival share the advice that’s guided
their careers.
The theme of this year’s Fast Company Innovation Festival was
“leading with optimism,” so we asked a variety of the business luminaries who
participated: How do you lead during this time of rapid—and sometimes
confounding—change?
ATTACH MEANING
“It’s much easier to work hard and put in the time when there is a
constant reminder that our efforts are helping people succeed.” —Ryan Williams,
cofounder and president, Jopwell
BE PERSONAL
“People are craving human interaction. That’s going to move the
needle more than any technology you could ever dream up.” —Tina Sharkey,
cofounder and CEO, Brandless
GET A GROOVE ON
“We have an open office culture that’s really fun. It bothers me
when it’s too quiet. We play cool music. The team gets very stressed out when I
play ’70s country.” —John Foley, cofounder and CEO, Peloton
LET DOWN YOUR GUARD
“When people feel like they can talk freely and really be
themselves, it makes it easier to collaborate.” —Maëlle Gavet, COO,
Compass
DON’T OVERTHINK
“I lead from the heart. If something touches my heart, then I
speak on it. There is great power in being direct.” —Andy Cohen, host,
Watch What Happens Live
LEAP WITH CONFIDENCE
“My mentees know that I will push them off the ledge with wet
wings and let them dry on the way down. Train yourself to go toward fear, not
run away from it.” —Tiffany R. Warren, chief diversity officer, Omnicom
DEVELOP ALLIES
“Our model is [to cooperate] with government. The ingredient that
can overcome anything is government wanting to tackle a problem.” —Dan Katz,
director of public policy and U.S. projects, Virgin Hyperloop One
WOW YOUR CUSTOMERS
“Be something people will be so thrilled about that they’ll
advocate for you, evangelize for you. Religion is a highly motivating thing,
and that’s what a good brand is too.” —Scott Norton,
cofounder, Sir Kensington’s
TURN
SUCCESS INTO MORE SUCCESS
“The easiest way to keep a culture positive is to keep winning. If
you’re a football team and not winning, it’s going to be tough on
morale.” —Tamara Ingram, CEO, J. Walter Thompson
KEEP THE FAITH
“Whatever is going on, your number-one responsibility is to have a
mind-set at work that says, ‘We can solve this.’ ” —David Miliband,
president and CEO, International Rescue Committee
UNLEASH TALENT
“When people don’t have to compromise who they are in order to
survive, then all energies are focused on the possibilities.” —Lisa Skeete Tatum,
cofounder and CEO, Landit
GIVE CREDIT
“Compensation is important to keep people engaged, but so is a
willingness to allow teams to own their wins.” —Clint Kisker,
cofounder and president, MWM
BE AN INSTIGATOR
“Before you take a stand on political issues, actually have
policies that are inclusive.” —Aria
Finger, CEO, Do Something
CHOOSE YOUR STYLE
“You can make waves or [be a] wave rider. You can never do both at
the same time.” —Mark Motonaga, partner, Rios Clementi Hale
KNOW YOUR WORTH
“Ultimately, a brand has to think about how it is going to add
value to someone’s life.” —Vivian
Rosenthal, CEO, Snaps
ANSWER TO YOUR HEART
“You never know how an audience will respond to your art, but I
don’t think that’s the artist’s concern.” —Lena Waithe, writer
and actor, Master of None
READ THE CUES
“Effective communication means taking in not just what’s said but
what’s unsaid, which is often more important.” —Kai Falkenberg, first
deputy commissioner, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment
RESPECT RENEGADES
“We forget that it was universities who were the first adopters of
internet technology. They created the platform on which the internet was built.
That’s not disruption; that’s enabling.” —Ryan Zagone,
director of regulatory relations, Ripple
EMBRACE CRAZY
“A lot of times things that are quite serious come about from what
at first looked a little ridiculous.” —Amy Whitaker, author
and assistant professor, New York University
ENCOURAGE BALANCE
“People have lives outside of the workplace. Acknowledging that
lifts the entire organization.” —Jeff
Levick, CEO, The Players’
Tribune
SET THE TONE
“There will always be challenges, and sometimes it takes a lot of
effort to find the silver lining. But what’s the alternative? And [who] wants
to work in that environment?” —Debra
Anderson, cofounder and chief
strategy officer, Datavized Technologies
OBEY THE GOLDEN RULE
“Don’t try to sell down the pipeline nonsense you wouldn’t buy
yourself.” —Michael Lastoria, cofounder and CEO, &pizza
BE PASSIONATE
“We have huge arguments about how to move forward. We had a
blowout fight the other day. Someone has to fall on their sword.” —Gregg Renfrew, founder
and CEO, Beautycounter
PLAY NICE
“I can’t do it without a team. My head would be spinning—you would
think I was in The Exorcist.” —Michael Strahan,
cofounder, SMAC Entertainment
MAKE ‘EM LAUGH
“Good leaders know that humor and tenacity will get them further
than anger and chaos.” —Caryl
Stern, president and CEO, UNICEF
USA
EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN
“The best ideas come from the strangest places.” —Baiju Bhatt,
cofounder, Robinhood
WORK EVERY ROOM
“Leadership is a choice. It’s not just on high, being in a glass
tower. It’s all about connection, which builds trust, which builds empathy.” —Claude Silver, chief
heart officer, VaynerMedia
NURTURE
THE EMBERS
“Good ideas do not spread on their own. And that’s especially true
in the public sector. Bike share was started 35 years ago.” —Jim Anderson, head of
government innovation programs, Bloomberg Philanthropies
SMASH BARRIERS
“As an artist, you create the work you want to create, regardless
of the medium and the industry. We need to knock down the facade between the
art and commercial worlds.” —Shantell
Martin, visual artist
EMPOWER PEOPLE
“Giving work is so much more powerful than giving other types of
aid. Work is at the core of human dignity. When we deny refugees the right to
work, we are denying them a fundamental human right.” —Leila Janah, founder
and CEO, Samasource
ENJOY THE UPGRADE
“Right now, the world is filled with opportunities to replace
ordinary with something that is extraordinary or experiential.” —Chris Kelly,
cofounder and president, Convene
POLISH THAT CRYSTAL
BALL
“If you want to know how the future will be, study how a
billionaire lives today. It will be a world where things you don’t want to do
will be done for you, [so you can engage in] what is fun and immersive.” —Dan Clay, senior associate, Lippincott
BY FAST COMPANY STAFF
https://www.fastcompany.com/40509021/32-leadership-lessons-from-peloton-beautycounter-omnicom-and-more?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Weekly&position=2&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=01122018
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