“People Follow the Leader, so Stand for Something That Matters,” Says Courtney Lewis

As CEO of The Variable, Courtney Lewis leads the agency’s vision for growth, both for the company and its clients, by driving innovation across new business, product development, and service offerings. She is the strategic force behind the agency’s evolution, shaping a forward-thinking approach that delivers meaningful impact for brands.

Prior to joining The Variable, Courtney held leadership roles at Deloitte Digital and Inmar, where she specialised in client strategy and integration. Under her leadership The Variable has achieved a 75% new business win rate, an outcome of her sharp focus on business development, marketing innovation, and client relationship management.

With a proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and implement growth strategies, Courtney continues to chart a bold path for the agency’s future.

Courtney recently sat down with LBB to discuss her path to CEO, her commitment to transparency, and the mentors who helped shape her leadership style…

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Courtney> Leadership can manifest in so many ways. I pretty much entered the world looking for ways to lead and finding opportunities to think about where that might take me.

When I was three years old, I was able to navigate my grandparents to the local library in West Palm Beach, Florida by memory. My grandfather is in his late 80s and still tells that story. Later, I learned having a strong capacity for visual memory changes the way you cognitively develop. I’m still an incredibly visual learner, innovator and leader.

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?

Courtney> I don’t know that this is an explicit decision you make. For me, I listened intently along the way. I also spent a lot of time in roles observing and experiencing leaders. Some of those examples spoke to me, so took what I liked and left the rest.

Even imperfect leaders have something to teach you, and sometimes those lessons are just as important. Learning about the type of leader you want to be gets easier when you can see the type of leader you do not want to be.

Evolving into the type of leader you want to be never really stops. But as you grow, it does require you to have a clear set of values – things you work hard never to compromise – and that takes time. For me, leadership is about facilitating the growth of others, listening well, leading with transparency, and following through with the things I say I’m going to do. That’s how you build trust and deepen relationships with your team and clients. It’s another thing we all learn as a kid. People follow the leader, so stand for something that matters.

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

Courtney> When I was 25, I was asked to lead the acquisition and integration of an almost $100-million deal. I’d been out of my comfort zone, but this was like stepping into my fear zone. Most of the job I was being asked to do was completely new to me, and for the first couple of weeks, I just froze.

I’ve heard it said that if you don’t have imposter syndrome as a leader, you are doing it wrong. So, after the initial shock wore off, I began to understand that I didn’t need to know everything. I simply needed to get the right people in the right seats, do my homework, ask the right questions, and trust my team.

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?

Courtney> I certainly didn’t know I wanted to be a CEO. I’ve been lucky in my career to have the opportunity to step into roles that naturally led me here. I’ve always enjoyed leading from the perspective of coaching and empowering others. That’s what I find truly fulfilling.

What led me to the CEO role was more of a blend of following my passion, surrounding myself with other leaders who always had my best interests at heart (and knowing when that wasn’t the case or the culture), and allowing myself to naturally go where my core talents led me. It’s one of the reasons I love the marketing and media industry. I get to blend art, data and science to make magic every day for clients I love. Who could ask for more than that?

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?

Courtney> I think many aspects of leadership can be taught. You just have to be willing to be wrong (a lot), and you have to be willing to receive – and truly hear – lots of constructive feedback. I think that’s honestly the biggest barrier to leadership – the inability to solicit feedback, take it well, and implement it.

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

Courtney> I think the ones I find to be the most challenging are supposed to be the hardest. Making tough, people-focused decisions deeply affects me. I lose sleep over it. I ruminate over it. Ultimately, I have to remind myself that the good of the broader team and the health of the business has to be my North Star. And I always want to lead with heart, so I’m OK with those being the worst days.

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?

Courtney> Of course, I’m human! I think great leaders know that failure is a part of the role. And if you aren’t failing, you aren’t really learning.

When I fail or make a mistake, I believe the two most important things I can do are own it and, if necessary, apologise for it. Sometimes that’s something as small as mismanaging my time or missing a deadline. Other times it’s a bigger thing, like making the wrong decision on something of significance.

Acknowledging it and taking accountability are non-negotiable for me. I’m OK being imperfect. I want my team to be OK with it too. That’s how we grow.

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?

Courtney> I actually talked about this a few months ago when I addressed our full agency team. My commitment to the team was to be transparent on the health of our business, to be open about my communication with our clients, and to also be transparent with them when I can’t talk about something. We have a culture of trust. They understand that.

Transparency is a sliding scale, and you can’t live at either end of it and be successful. I also think part of transparency is being your authentic self in front of your team. My crew knows my blind spots, my family, and my history as a human being with all the scars – not just the professional.

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?

Courtney> I was very fortunate to have several incredible female managers who remain mentors to this day.

The two who stick out the most are Brooke Smith and Devora Rogers. Brooke actually works for me at The Variable now (we laugh about this all the time – she actually predicted this years ago when I left her team to find a new growth opportunity), and she is such an example of kindness and clarity at the same time. I watched her navigate so many hard things, and she did it her way – not by some leadership playbook or formula. It’s so rare to find someone who you KNOW has your back and your best interests at heart all day every day, and she’s that person for me.

Devora taught me that you don’t have to solve the discomfort of others just because you’re a woman. I’ll never forget the day we were the only two women in a meeting with a dozen men. We were short of a chair, so I instinctively went to get another one. She grabbed my hand and said, “As a woman, you never get the extra chair. You deserve one of the chairs that’s already here as much as anyone else.”

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

Courtney> It’s hard, no doubt about it. For me, having a really clear picture of who we are as an agency and how we’re uniquely positioned to serve our clients makes it less scary. We know who we are and what we’re good at. We’re always evolving with the times and the tech. Having the immovable truth of those things helps me keep my eyes on the horizon when the boat rocks.

I also have a really smart team who is already thinking three to five steps ahead of me. They’re in my office daily with solutions before I even have time to react. What is it they say? ‘If you don’t like change, you are going to like irrelevance even less’.

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

Courtney> Diversity isn’t just a moral responsibility; it’s a creative advantage. The more perspectives in the room, the sharper our insights, the more relevant our ideas, and the more powerful our work.

I believe that authentic, thriving diversity can only grow where there’s a foundation of equity. This allows us to ensure everyone – across race, ethnicity, gender identity, religious and non-religious identities, cultural background, sexual orientation, age, weight, physical and mental ability, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity, department, seniority, tenure – has access to the resources, opportunities, and support they need to succeed. We’ve also committed to ensuring pay equity for all, adopting work practices that are supportive and inclusive of those who are neurodiverse, protecting mental health with benefits like ‘me time off’ as well as mental healthcare access, providing best-in-class parental leave for natural and adoptive parents, and other ongoing practices to put our employees first.

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?

Courtney> Our culture is absolutely critical. Without our culture, we couldn’t attract and retain talent that delivers the cutting-edge work our clients expect. Counter to the industry, we’re a very in-person culture. That doesn’t always make sense to people until they visit us and feel it.

It takes longer to find the right people, and we have to be much more patient. We’ve found that a part of our secret sauce is the ability to move faster and collaborate better in person. It’s just more fun, and the work is better. That said, we put those people first. We’re flexible about time in the office. We’re located in North Carolina, outside the major media markets, which means we’re very intentional about talent and expectations.

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

Courtney> Build bridges, make connections, and stay the course with them. There is so much good still in this world, and people are so willing to share their experiences, advice and guidance. All you have to do is ask. I leave every coffee, dinner, or virtual chat with such gratitude. One of the places I’ve found this has been through an organisation called NBZ. Simone and Rachel (the founders) have created an incredible community for agency leaders to safely share advice, ask questions, and collaborate. It’s really magical.