Bossing It: Manifesting Your Own Version of the World with Josh Tenser

Josh is the ECD and founder of CALLING - a creative collective for a world of change. Through Advertising With A Higher Calling they create progress for brands. Helping them be seen by modern audiences and allowing today's communities to see themselves in the brands they love.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Josh> I used to be exec producer at Stink Digital in 2010 - they used to be the #1 interactive production company in London.

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?

Josh> It took a few goes. I was shit at it at first. You have to figure out the line between “it’s just better and quicker if i do it” and empowering people to stand on their own two feet - accepting that the output will be slower / a bit less good until your team have figured it out for themselves / grown in skills and confidence - and all the way this process not only takes trust and patience but your labour too in mentoring. But once you’ve grown your crew in this way you are in a much more powerful proposition than just yourself.

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?

Josh> I’m a creative leader now and all my lessons have come from the really bad creative leaders I've had in the past! Everything that’s really harmed me or angered me I have intentionally  done the opposite of - and that’s shaped my style today.

LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?

Josh> I had always preferred to be on the tools - and I will never stop writing. But a few years ago I started really investing in mentoring. Not just for a few weeks but taking on a mentee for a year or more. It’s hard at first for all concerned as you can’t pull your punches. But when someone goes on a transformational journey with you it’s a beautiful experience that has so much value. And indeed the student is also the teacher. If done with openness then you can grow as much as the person you’re teaching as you learn from them.

LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?

Josh> 'Leadership' influencers on LinkedIn and TikTok bring me out in hives! You can’t teach it but you can learn it. You have to learn from your own shortcomings. You have to search inside for your own style. I’m all about empowering others and being an active writer in the team. All that stems from my childhood probably - I hate the thought of anyone having any form of power over me. So I treat my team as I would want to be treated. That’s authentic leadership. Not learning off some chump on the internet who has a click-baity sound bite approach to it all.

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?

Josh> Having the patience to see meaningful growth in your team

LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?

Josh> Often. Life is all about self awareness and being one step better every day as a result of introspection. My craft is so important to my life so I always look for experiences and chances to improve. The craft of being with and motivating other people is a creative skill just like writing a TV script  or a poster.

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be as transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?

Josh> See above!

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?

Josh> See above! A lot of people have shown me leadership styles I would never want to emulate.

LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?

Josh> Positive energy. Write your way out of trouble. Manifest your own version of the world.

LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?

Josh> DE&I isn’t prioritised at CALLING. DE&I is CALLING. It’s why we exist. It’s what makes us special and different to any other agency. It’s our work. It’s our DNA. Not our hiring policy.

LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with increases in remote and hybrid working patterns?

Josh> The culture is the business. The business has no reason to exist without the culture. The culture is an ever evolving project. The culture is not an out of date slogan on the wall like “walk in stupid every day”. The culture is not a fussball table. The culture is not drinks over the road. The culture is the precise dictionary definition of the word “culture” “the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.”

How we treat each other - every interaction matters and should be intentional. That’s culture. It takes work. You can’t write it on the wall and say job done. You can’t buy someone a pint and say job done.

LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?

Josh> Put yourself in their shoes.