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What is the Future of Creative Leadership?
December 17, 2024 Brand Leadership Career Growth Creativity Leadership Management Strategy Teamwork
Guest Speaker
Adam Morgan, VP of Brand, Twilio

Adam Morgan is an Executive Brand and Creative Leader named to AdWeek’s “Creative 100” — the top inspiring creative minds in marketing, media, and culture in the world. He’s the author of the book, Sorry Spock, Emotions Drive Business, which proves the value of creativity and design with hard science. He’s a keynote speaker at conferences and events on the topics of creative leadership and content creation.

Currently, Adam is the VP of Brand at Twilio, and previously led creative teams at Splunk and Adobe. You can learn more about his book and speaking topics at adamWmorgan.com.

The rearview mirror never looked so good

Sometimes we have to look back to look forward. In the Season 5 finale of Real Creative Leadership host Adam Morgan is talking about some of the most memorable guests and episodes of the year, and the themes that emerged: global growth, developing a creative vision, and the future of design.

But it isn’t just a clip show — Adam provides more insight into our biggest topics, adding additional context and brand new commentary, showing that these discussions weren’t just relevant then, but point toward the future of creative leadership and the topics he’s eager to discuss in season 6 and beyond. Listen now for more.

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REAL CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

Season: 5

Episode: 9

Episode Title: What is the Future of Creative Leadership? — with Adam Morgan, VP of Brand, Twilio

Guest Title:
Adam Morgan, VP of Brand, Twilio

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[00:00:00] Adam: Welcome back to Real Creative Leadership. We have made it to the end of season five, which feels like a huge milestone to me. I’m grateful for all of you for helping get us [00:00:15] here. And, but why is this such a big deal? Season five? I mean, many podcasts don’t make it past a couple of episodes, let alone Multiple seasons and we’ve made it five seasons, which is crazy.

[00:00:26] Adam: And it, you know, it’s not just that, you know, we’ve had amazing guests [00:00:30] along the way, but you’ve stuck with us and many others have joined. So we’re super grateful for everyone who’s made real creative, creative leadership, a part of their, of their creative learning, and it’s been such an honor Awesome season that we thought, you know, what are some of the lessons that we’ve [00:00:45] learned from the guests this year?

[00:00:47] Adam: And really, we decided to make this episode. If you haven’t listened to all the episodes, that’s fine, because this is going to be a really good summary and not just a summary, but more of like a more than a best hits or greatest hits. It’s also [00:01:00] more of like, where, where are things going? I mean, this is really all about three big, huge topics in creative leadership.

[00:01:06] Adam: Call them trends, call them the future of creative leadership, whatever it may be. These are three really, really important topics that we need to all pay attention to. [00:01:15] So today we’re going to talk about those three themes and they are global growth, creative vision, and the future of design. And we’re going to talk about them in depth and also bring back clips from earlier episodes of this season so that we can get a good understanding of how these three things will [00:01:30] impact our future.

[00:01:30] Adam: And while these are relevant for all professionals, they really do offer some unique considerations for creative leaders. For example, What does creative leadership look like when your creative teams are scattered throughout the world? Or how do you build and maintain a point of [00:01:45] view when the creative landscape is constantly evolving?

[00:01:47] Adam: And of course our favorite, what is the future of design, especially when it has to do with AI? That is a topic that I’ve had to speak on multiple times this year, and we’re going to dig into how AI really is going to impact [00:02:00] us as creative leaders. So our guests this season have made it very clear that despite all the challenges, we still have a lot of opportunities.

[00:02:07] Adam: For creative leaders to grow their teams to innovate and reimagine our processes. We really have so much potential. So let’s review some of this season’s most [00:02:15] powerful episodes and how they can impact you and the future of your creative teams and creative leadership. One of the defining shifts in creative leadership today is navigating the complexities of global growth.

[00:02:27] Adam: And this is something that is personal to me because [00:02:30] it’s been a part of my team for the last several years. First of all, my current on my current team right now, we’re in the process of hiring a half dozen to eight people in Columbia. And in my last job at Splunk, I hired, uh, I think about [00:02:45] the same number of people down in Costa Rica.

[00:02:47] Adam: And it’s really interesting to see why and where this global growth is going. The reasons why we’re hiring in those two areas is because of time zone constraints, right? So that the team is still at the same time zone as the rest of us. And that’s [00:03:00] super helpful, but I also have team members in Europe and, and we have, you know, partners in, in, in Australia and all around Asia, and it’s really, really tricky to deal with time zones.

[00:03:11] Adam: I know that’s like a part of today. For many of us, [00:03:15] but there’s more to it than just time zones. It’s really about discovering new talent and new talent centers and people who see things in different ways and have different things to bring to the table. And it’s been amazing. And we’ve really enjoyed [00:03:30] expanding our team and getting a lot of insights and guidance from people who haven’t had the same experience as me, but managing global teams, isn’t just about connecting across time zones or mastering new platforms.

[00:03:41] Adam: It’s about staying competitive in a rapidly expanding markets. [00:03:45] We are not just improving your own creative game, but helping your whole team rise to new challenges. As leaders, we’re also stepping into the role of storytellers and content creators ourselves, establishing our brands and our teams as influential voices in a crowded digital landscape.[00:04:00]

[00:04:00] Adam: But here’s the key takeaway. As our teams become more global, effective growth is really about compassion. Compassion for our people and compassion for ourselves. It’s about creating a work environment where each team member feels seen, heard, and truly [00:04:15] valued. What are we doing to make our teams feel invested?

[00:04:18] Adam: Are we cultivating a brand culture that people actually want to be a part of each day? I think that’s where compassionate leadership plays a pivotal role in global expansion. And for Jen Lai Stern, Group Creative Director [00:04:30] at PayPal, compassionate leadership is what she called sidecar leadership. It’s a really cool term that she brought up.

[00:04:35] Adam: It’s all about using tools of self awareness and empathy in a spirit of collaboration. So let’s watch a clip about Jen describing what it looks like in action for [00:04:45] side cart leadership.

[00:04:47] Guest 1: Yeah, I think a lot of this, um, sidecar leading from with support, a lot of it comes from like building trust with your team.

[00:04:56] Guest 1: Like you, you first, you want them to trust [00:05:00] you enough to like have you in the sidecar with them, right? It’s like the two of you are going to set down this path of like solving this problem or something that you want them to feel that trust. are ready that you are going to guide them in the right direction.

[00:05:13] Guest 1: You’re going to be there for [00:05:15] them. And so just establishing trust amongst your team by, by little things like, um, like you’re not going to hop all over the best projects, right? You’re like, you’re checking in with them. You’re checking in with their creative health and [00:05:30] you know, all of everyone’s success is like the team success.

[00:05:34] Guest 1: We’re not going for individual success and like really just establishing that trust and then letting them know that like, You are out there to help them sort of, I think a lot of it is [00:05:45] like, also, you’re willing to roll up your sleeves. If you see them drowning in something, you’re not going to be like, that’s not for me to do, or I don’t do that.

[00:05:52] Guest 1: You know, it’s like, I equate it with like back in the agency day, like I’m going to change the toner and the copier because none of us can [00:06:00] print our ducks out, like, you know, if that’s an obstacle, like I have no problem removing that and just showing them that like, you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get them.

[00:06:09] Guest 1: To where they need to go. So once you’ve established that, I think they’re more willing to [00:06:15] have you there and like come to you with problems and or not understand, like not understanding, like, what is the point? Why are we doing this? Sometimes like projects, they seem like, what is the point of this? Why are we doing this?

[00:06:27] Guest 1: This isn’t creatively fulfilling. This seems [00:06:30] stupid, right? And then if you paint a bigger picture of like the business and what this will mean for. Our stakeholders, you know, you kind of help them understand why it’s important to still, you know, come up with the best creative output or the best creative [00:06:45] solution.

[00:06:46] Guest 1: I think that that all feeds into just being their support so that they can do the best job knowing the bigger picture.

[00:06:55] Adam: Wasn’t that awesome? I love what Jen shared about leading from a place of support and [00:07:00] trust. It’s a reminder that in creative work, leadership often means being right there in the trenches with our team.

[00:07:05] Adam: And this actually really works well with my leadership style. For me, it’s all about teaching correct principles and then letting the team manage themselves. [00:07:15] It’s, you know, not micromanaging it’s, it’s just really getting in deep so they understand the why. And I think Jen was getting into some of that where it’s like, if they didn’t understand why we’re doing this or what this has to do with me.

[00:07:26] Adam: That’s really a big part of what we are as leaders is explaining the [00:07:30] why. And so if we can do that in a, in a, from a place of support and trust and help people understand that vision, then we’re in great shape. So really love Jen explaining that. Sidecar leadership isn’t the only way that we can deal with managing global teams.[00:07:45]

[00:07:45] Adam: There was another great guest, Maya Dukes, Managing Director of Global Brand Strategy at Delta Airlines, and she brought a different perspective on it. Maya brings a structured, intentional approach to compassionate leadership. Integrating team development directly into Delta’s daily [00:08:00] operations. During our conversation, I asked her how she encourages her team to grow and stay inspired, while also staying accountable to the company’s goals.

[00:08:08] Adam: Her insights really stuck with me, especially her thoughts on making personal development a priority in the creative process. [00:08:15] That’s pretty interesting. Not just a nice to have so many times as leaders were like, Oh yeah, dedicate 10 percent to this or 5 percent to that. But Maya made it a part of the program.

[00:08:25] Adam: So let’s hear what Maya had to say about this interesting idea. [00:08:30] So as you bring up all of this, these different aspects of your team, that’s the next, you know, big question. Somebody be asking like, all right, so how do you encourage others on your team? Like, We’re bad enough that we’re, you know, as leaders sometimes skipping the Beyonce concerts and we shouldn’t, you know, it’s like [00:08:45] trying to take care of ourselves, but how do we take care of the others and encourage them to, you know, fill the well?

[00:08:51] Guest 2: Yeah, we, we operationalize it. So I know a lot of organizations, yeah, we put metrics behind it. We have a roadmap [00:09:00] that we. It’s almost like our creative Bible where we put, um, all of the initiatives and projects that obviously the organization wants us focused on. And then we put our learning and development [00:09:15] goals on that roadmap.

[00:09:16] Guest 2: We put our growth and inspiration goals on that roadmap. We put, um, a lot of our task forces on that roadmap and we have a inspiration. We have, um, [00:09:30] Emerging technology. We have a lot of focus areas. Awards and recognition is also a task force, but those task forces aren’t side hustles. It’s not like, hey, when you have time, join the awards [00:09:45] committee.

[00:09:45] Guest 2: No, we have metrics. that aligned to some of the overarching goals within our organization that we can go back at review time and say, Hey, did you really prioritize learning and development for your team? And I’m looking at the leaders [00:10:00] when I asked that question. Hey, did you really prioritize creating a, you know, a career development plan for your team, which would include Well, being your wellness week, did you take it?

[00:10:13] Guest 2: You know, did you encourage your team [00:10:15] to take it? Um, are you modeling the behaviors that you’re, you’re asking your team to do? And then we’re holding you accountable for that because that’s a huge component of our results.

[00:10:27] Adam: I think what’s so impactful about Maya’s approach is the [00:10:30] way she makes personal growth and team development.

[00:10:33] Adam: She’s woven it directly into the core of Delta’s creative strategy. It’s not just a nice to have or something that gets squeezed in when there’s extra time. It’s a part of the roadmap, just like any other key project or brand initiative. [00:10:45] I love how she’s operationalized this. Because as leaders, it’s easy to get caught up in the urgency of deliverables and deadlines, and things like team development can often fall by the wayside.

[00:10:55] Adam: But Maya reminds us that the true creative leadership involves accountability, not just for [00:11:00] the business results, but for the growth and well being of our teams. That’s critical. I love that she brought that up. And by integrating learning, wellness, and career development into their day to day goals, she’s setting a standard that pushes leaders to lead by example.

[00:11:14] Adam: I really think we have to [00:11:15] ask ourselves, do we, you know, when we’re busy and we don’t know if there’s time for this, but are we modeling the right behaviors we want to see in our teams? Because at the end of the day, the way we prioritize our team’s growth will always reflect on the work that we produce.

[00:11:29] Adam: So we started this [00:11:30] episode talking about global growth, which is critical, but you can’t grow your creative team without a strong vision. And that’s the next thing we’re going to talk about. Creative vision, creative vision is critical. I think that is the biggest thing that distinguishes A regular [00:11:45] creative from a creative leader.

[00:11:47] Adam: It really is about, do you have a vision, a vision for your brand, a vision for your team, a vision for your career, a vision for this project, whatever it may be, having a vision is critical. And the thing I really think about it’s cause this is close to [00:12:00] home recently, as I’ve been putting together a new brand vision for, for my current company, Twilio.

[00:12:07] Adam: It’s really about answering the question. Why I think it’s easy for us as creatives to go and say, I have a vision of what this is going to look like, or I have a vision of, of this TV spot, or I [00:12:15] have a vision of this idea, but really a creative vision is bigger than that. It’s all about what’s the creative vision, the why the reasons that people are going to care about it, the reasons that business owners and business leaders are going to care about it.

[00:12:29] Adam: What’s in it for all [00:12:30] of them. You’re really trying to craft. a plan or a vision that infuses creativity, but also answers all those business questions. So creative vision is critical, and that’s not going away. Not only is it a hallmark of a true [00:12:45] creative leader, it’s really what’s making us different and special, especially as we start to talk about AI in this next section, a creative vision.

[00:12:53] Adam: Is what’s going to change everything for that company or that brand or that project. So super, super important. [00:13:00] And a strong creative vision is more than just a guiding light for teams. It’s the fuel that drives customer experience. We all know that customers expect so much more than great products. They want immersive, meaningful brand experiences and creative leaders that shape those [00:13:15] experiences in ways that add real value to the business.

[00:13:17] Adam: will make creative leadership more essential than ever. I think creative vision is about showing executives and teams what creativity can truly bring to the table. It quantifies the value, highlighting how creative thinking [00:13:30] can directly enhance both the brand and the customer journey. So our job as creative leaders is to define and communicate that vision.

[00:13:36] Adam: And stop. It’s to make it clear that creativity isn’t just the magic in the background, but it’s a measurable asset that’s shaping success. Your creative [00:13:45] vision. is your future. And a good example of getting to the why is from this next clip. I want to share with you a conversation I had with Karan Deng, co founder and CEO of his own brand consultancy.

[00:13:57] Adam: He talks about something he calls next [00:14:00] gen centricity. It’s his way of helping brands connect with younger audiences to sustain long term value. So here’s Karan explaining how aligning with the next generation requires us to rethink everything about brand strategy, from where we communicate to how we show up for our [00:14:15] customers.

[00:14:15] Adam: Let’s take a look.

[00:14:17] Guest 3: It goes back to what we spoke about, right? It’s that curiosity. Uh, you know, the creative curiosity at a dang, we have a fancy word for it. We call it the art of digital anthropology, right? Because now lives, you know, [00:14:30] all over the internet, right? So we have, you know, team members, right?

[00:14:33] Guest 3: Who’s job is to. Yeah. You know, be part of those discord servers, right? Go join those, you know, sub stacks, right? Like be on TikTok all the time, right? And gather those insights, right? Like go [00:14:45] on the subreddits, like double click into those to find, right? Like, it’s a rocket science, the answers and the opportunities all exist out there, right?

[00:14:53] Guest 3: It’s just putting in the effort and going into places and spaces where the next generation of consumer thrives and understanding, you know, [00:15:00] Uh, their needs, right? Like, I mean, part of a content series that I do, you know, I interviewed like a gen Z folk a week, you know, after that, like I interviewed somebody last week where, you know, she was talking about like how brands kind of, you know, like, represent the Gen Z audience has almost like this [00:15:15] cringe, right?

[00:15:15] Guest 3: Like, uh, that’s, that’s so true because a lot of times we come from a place of, you know, Oh, this is a new audience. Let’s make fun of them, right? Uh, you know, and let’s use their lingo, right? Like suddenly change those things, right? [00:15:30] But it’s understanding why certain words exist in their, you know, vocabulary, right?

[00:15:33] Guest 3: Like why certain aesthetic, you know, lives in their, uh, you know, like visual vernacular. Right. It’s understanding the reason, right? Like the next generation of consumer probably had it hardest, right? Like they saw the, you know, [00:15:45] they were probably born or, you know, like very young at the age of, you know, in 2008, 2009 crisis, you know, they have seen, uh, you know, a lot of the wars that have happened, you know, you know, that America had, you know, Participated in, [00:16:00] maybe softening it by saying participated, but, uh, you know, they have seen, they’ve lived, you know, they were ready to go into the workforce, you know, when COVID hit, right?

[00:16:09] Guest 3: They are now, you know, like this, what the blackout Monday that happened, you know, this, this Monday, right? Like, [00:16:15] They are seeing, you know, inflation. They’re seeing recession. So, so that audience has gone through a lot, you know, they have, you know, a lot of those experiences shape their identity, shape their personalities and in turn shape those cultures.

[00:16:26] Guest 3: Right. And all of that exists out there because they are the most [00:16:30] vocal audience out there, right? Like they are tweeting, talking, you know, posting about that stuff everywhere. So it’s just keeping an eye out on that. And I think it’s, it’s being at that forefront, you know, of, uh, Of where that culture is being built, you know, the three tenants, I would say, you know, of our company is, [00:16:45] is, is the culture, you know, that they, they consume, you know, the communities that they live in and, and the commerce habits that they have, right?

[00:16:51] Guest 3: Like, that’s how we shape everything, you know, we put everything to that lens and that’s how we, you know, uh, I feel that we have created that model around that.

[00:16:58] Adam: Thanks Karan, that was awesome. [00:17:00] And his perspective on centering the next generation in our creative vision is inspiring. Because it reminds us to be forward thinking and adaptive and meet audiences where they are.

[00:17:08] Adam: I love that idea of focusing on their communities or on the types of media they consume. I mean that’s so critical [00:17:15] because that’s changing all the time. And so, if your audience is younger, how are you creating those awesome communities they want to be a part of? How are you creating content that is on the platform that they care about?

[00:17:26] Adam: That’s, that’s critical. So as we’re creating a creative vision, it’s not just about your [00:17:30] big ideas, but what do the audiences care about? What do they want? Where are they? So that we can make sure we’re connecting with them in the right ways. I think it’s especially relevant in a world where every detail of creative work contributes to a brand identity.

[00:17:43] Adam: Speaking of which, that brings us to their next [00:17:45] guest, Laura Monterosso Dar. She’s an audio specialist and founder of Music Collective. She emphasizes that creative vision succeeds only when it’s anchored in meticulous attention to detail. And for her, that’s sound. For her, everything from music choice to [00:18:00] tempo, it all needs to reflect the brand’s personality and values.

[00:18:03] Adam: Which is super fascinating. Rather than just thinking about, Design or writing or video. How does sound and audio play a bigger part in our branding? So as we’re thinking about our creative [00:18:15] vision, how can we make, how can we make audio a bigger part of our creative vision? All right, let’s hear what, and see what Laura has to say.

[00:18:23] Guest 4: I think, um, as much as we educate people, we need to be educated ourselves about the brand [00:18:30] and the brand and team or either the, agency team or the branding team, uh, or the marketing team would be able to educate us of what the brand is because people, I mean, choosing [00:18:45] music and sound is very subjective, right?

[00:18:47] Guest 4: We always think about our feelings. We always think about our choices, our personal choices as people, but we never really. See that a brand it’s a persona itself. [00:19:00] It has its own values is that it has its own identity and that’s the person that we need to focus on. And that’s why as much information we get from the marketing teams, the advertising teams, the [00:19:15] branding teams.

[00:19:16] Guest 4: the better for us in order to translate all of those values into music. And as you say, music is a whole other world. You know, you think about harmony, tempo, you think [00:19:30] about instrumentation, uh, you think about, you know, is it in the brand culturally relevant, you know, or what target audience does it have?

[00:19:41] Guest 4: What type of music does that target audience listen to as well? [00:19:45] You think about everything, uh, within that spectrum. And then also not only thinking about communications. No. You know, what is the brand position in, uh, and also where is the brand communicating? Is it [00:20:00] only on TVCs? Probably not. You want to create experiences.

[00:20:03] Guest 4: I think we’re living in a much more human type of experience era. Uh, and that has a lot to do with. You know, a lot [00:20:15] of the creative output as well. Again, it’s not only a track, it’s how can you really create something consistent, but quite holistic throughout every single, you know, touch point. Overall.

[00:20:29] Adam: [00:20:30] What Laura shared is an important reminder that every element of creative output needs to be purposeful and aligning with the brand’s identity. Period. Whether that’s design elements or sound as creative leaders, it’s on us to ensure that every detail adds up to a cohesive experience for the audience.[00:20:45]

[00:20:45] Adam: It’s not just about creating cool content, it’s about building an authentic emotional connection with people. At the end of the day, that’s what creative, a creative vision is all about. It’s about bringing our unique perspective and attention to detail to every interaction customers have with our brand.[00:21:00]

[00:21:00] Adam: And it’s what makes creativity so valuable in shaping a brand perception and ultimately brand loyalty. Again, going back to what I started out talking about, it’s the why. All of these details, all of these elements. Bring us back to the why this matters to our [00:21:15] audience. And I think that’s super powerful.

[00:21:17] Adam: This brings us to our third topic, the future of design for creative leaders today, looking toward the future of design means thinking strategically about both where we’re headed and how we’re going to get there. That’s where strategic foresight comes in. [00:21:30] It’s about anticipating what’s next and navigating a landscape shaped by rapid tech evolution and change design thinking, and of course, our favorite.

[00:21:39] Adam: Here’s the thing, as powerful as AI is, the future of design is not just a technological [00:21:45] shift. It’s a human one. And this has been a big part of my journey over the last year in AI. So in one company, we did this big manifesto about what AI means to us. And an important part of that is making it human centered.

[00:21:59] Adam: [00:22:00] And actually what was fascinating is that As we were looking towards how we can progress as a brand and use AI on the right ways, it was all about how can we use AI to become more human. Because on its own, AI is not human, right? It’s just [00:22:15] blurting out whatever stuff we put in there and rearranging stuff.

[00:22:18] Adam: So putting a human in the center was critical for us of saying, if AI is going to be the future, how do we keep humans as a part of that? Because AI can help us, but it can’t replace the force of creativity. [00:22:30] The unpredictable leaps that our brains make, but bring around and bring around that originality.

[00:22:34] Adam: We’re not just here to simply solve design as a math problem. We’re here to create a vision, and that is uniquely human. And it’s an edge that we bring to creative work, the courage, the curiosity, the [00:22:45] compassion that can’t be coded. So in a time when automation feels like it’s everywhere and people are afraid and worried, let’s just focus on the fact that our role as creative leaders is to harness this new technology.

[00:22:56] Adam: while keeping creativity at its most human, which is pretty [00:23:00] cool. All right. So thinking about this idea of the future of design, I talked with Jod Kapton, who’s the head of product research and design at Oracle. He was crystal clear in his beliefs. Creativity is inseparable from life itself. [00:23:15] For Jod, creative leadership means developing a creative vision grounded in moral imagination, which is an interesting term.

[00:23:21] Adam: We’re going to hear more about that, which means guiding teams to think about not just the products they create, but the world they want to help build. So here’s Jod sharing [00:23:30] his thoughts on how he sees creativity as a life force, and why the future of design is all about balancing innovation with our humanity.

[00:23:37] Adam: Oh yeah, and we shouldn’t worry too much about AI, really, it’s not that big a deal. Let’s hear from Jod.

[00:23:43] Guest 5: I think I’ve never been more [00:23:45] challenged than now to bring creative leadership into sort of this age of big tech companies downsizing their design investments and, um, you know, just solely focused on AI.

[00:23:58] Guest 5: And a lot of these are [00:24:00] engineering dominant cultures. And like I said, they can sometimes turn creativity into a math problem that can be solved. And you even seen, you know, this is even with the rampant IP violations, you know, being made by Gen AI, Gen AI [00:24:15] art bots, whether it’s using Scarlett Johansson’s voice or just the struggling art, the struggling artists IP that’s living in a flop house and Bushwick, right?

[00:24:25] Guest 5: Like, there’s, there’s There’s, there’s an advancement of the technology [00:24:30] and there’s not an advancement of the ethics that can create some unique challenges. So I like to think of creator of leadership is also primarily focused on what’s called moral imagination. What future do I want to [00:24:45] live in? And what future do I want my customers?

[00:24:47] Guest 5: And the people I work with to live in. Right. So my approach is really to find an opportunity, find a weakness in the existing orthodoxy. [00:25:00] And it usually has something to do with a dearth of long term thinking and innovation. And why is that? Because we’re living in this era of short term CEO tenures, right.

[00:25:12] Guest 5: Where they’re chasing down revenue. [00:25:15] Right. And they’re kind of like. Yeah, it’s five quarters from now. I won’t be in this job. That’s that’s for the next person’s problem to worry about. Right. And so we’ve deprioritized that longer term thinking as a result in the in the propensity [00:25:30] to engage envisioning and and creating greater resilience to disruption.

[00:25:37] Guest 5: So I try to find something that everyone wants with exciting ideas that go to market. And then it’s really about [00:25:45] trying to get people to unlearn things that they’ve learned in order to do that.

[00:25:51] Adam: Wasn’t that awesome? What I love about Jod’s perspective is the emphasis on our responsibility of creative leaders to shape the future with both foresight and [00:26:00] intention.

[00:26:00] Adam: In an era where AI and automation is changing everything, how we work, how we do our jobs, It’s really on us to maintain that human element, our ability to dream, to disrupt, and to bring meaning to every project. Creativity, as Joss [00:26:15] says, is an unstoppable force, one that AI can enhance but never replace.

[00:26:20] Adam: And I agree a hundred percent. And that’s a powerful reminder as we guide our teams to embrace innovation while staying true to what makes us human. AI can help, [00:26:30] but humans, we’re the ones that come up with the vision. We’re the ones that come up with the ideas. We’re the ones that That are going to create a better world and I love that.

[00:26:39] Adam: And with that, we wrap up season five of Real Creative Leadership. Thank you for being a part of it. Reflecting back on the [00:26:45] season, it’s clear that creativity has become more essential than ever in driving global growth. Defining a compelling creative vision and navigating the future of design. Whether it’s managing global teams, connecting with next gen audiences, or balancing innovation with ethical foresight, [00:27:00] our guests have shown what it means to lead with purpose, passion, and humanity.

[00:27:05] Adam: As we head into next season, I invite you all to think about what your role as a creative leader should be, and how you can shape the future that’s not just innovative, but [00:27:15] also meaningful. So thank you for being a part of this community, We’ll see you next time, ready to explore new ideas and continue building the future that we’re all proud of.

[00:27:23] Adam: Thanks for joining me as part of Real Creative Leadership. We’ll see you next season. As always, you can find me at [00:27:30] adamwmorgan. com. And finally, this show is produced by The Stoke Group, a full service digital agency that specializes in content, marketing, video, and interactive experiences. So if you’re looking for a partner for strategy or content or anything else, visit thestokegroup.

[00:27:44] Adam: [00:27:45] com. Thanks again for listening, and we’ll see you next time.