At this point, I’m running ads for over 2 years and it has become an automatic thing to do. Yet, at the agency, we have another 4 media buyers who haven’t had so much experience. And it’s my responsibility to take on the leadership in our media buying meetings, teach them, guide them with their accounts & help them identify their mistakes. It’s been tough…

Because all of the success I’ve had until now was due to my self-discipline & our success as an agency requires more than that. It requires leadership skills more than anything and no matter how many books I’ve read on it, how many seminars I’ve attended, it will take me years to learn it.

Yet I wanted to share with you a few things that I see are working for me: 

1. Showing an example. 

By showing up early, leaving late, doing more than I’m supposed to & learning more, I’m setting up a high standard for my team too. I’ve seen it work within our agency where people are sharing their books they’ve read in the past week, courses they’ve watched or new things they’re going to try. This is a culture we’ve instilled in our people & every new partner who comes on board sees it pretty quickly. In other words, we’re all going after success like hungry wolves after not eating for weeks.

2. Identifying talents & cultivating them. 

This was something I’ve learned from Kris. Before that, I only saw people who’re talented and those who’re not. The reality is – we’re all talented. Some of us have strengths in one area, the others in others. Putting people in a position where they can use their talents to their best abilities is something every good leader should be striving to do.

That’s why whenever we see our media buyer having talent in other areas (like copywriting, PR, creative side) we encourage them to create a project on their own and nourish the talent. We want them to be so good (and well rounded) that other agencies and companies would try to steal them from us (And I hope we gonna be so good with them they will not want to leave).  

What are the lessons you’re learning as a leader?