Bossing It: Finding the Balance between Being a “Player” and Being a “Coach” with Nick Brunker

Nick Brunker is a Forrester customer experience (CX) certified professional with a versatile portfolio, including more than a decade of discipline in human-centred experience strategy, insight-based digital transformation, ecommerce and omnichannel planning. Throughout his tenure with VMLY&R, he has partnered with various Fortune 500 clients across numerous sectors, across the agency’s client portfolio.

Additionally, as a leader of VMLY&R’s CX practice, Brunker is responsible for cultivating a deep understanding of customer motivations and business needs to deliver best-in-class experiences for our clients — and, as importantly, the people they serve.

Brunker has been recognised on numerous occasions for his contributions during his career, including being named to the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Forty Under 40 Class of 2023.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Nick> I had my first professional leadership opportunity many years ago as a member of the Cincinnati Cyclones professional hockey team. During my time there, I wore many hats –overseeing our digital media, public relations, and broadcasting departments.

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? 

Nick> I’ve been so blessed to have had some incredible mentors throughout my career and learned what kind of leader I want to be – simply by emulating them. Thankfully, I’ve remained close with these leaders over the years and pick their brain frequently.

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

Nick> Boy, it’s hard to pick just ONE.

A moment that really sticks out for me, though, was when I first met our global CEO, Jon Cook, in person. I had recently joined the company and was travelling for some client work in Detroit. I happened to cross paths with Jon in the office cafeteria and went up to introduce myself.

He not only recognised me, but he also remembered that I was from the Cincinnati office and even sparked a conversation about the projects I was working on at the time. For anyone that knows Jon, this is about as “on-brand” as it gets. But as a new employee of this HUGE company, the fact that the global CEO was that connected, authentic and genuine in an impromptu conversation made an incredible impact on me and exemplifies what great leadership looks like.

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?

Nick> When joining VMLY&R, I didn’t have my sights set on a specific leadership role or title. My focus was, and continues to be, doing impactful work while helping support my amazing teammates along the way. I’d say the turning point for me was when I was given an opportunity to lead a key project for one of our main clients. This not only gave me regular facetime with senior leaders, but it also provided me the confidence that I could take on the type of responsibility required to lead.

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?

Nick> I think it’s a bit of a balance. I really enjoy the aspect of coaching and mentoring others, so it fits nicely with my personality and what motivates me every day. Yet, there is no question that leadership is a learned skill that requires significant “care and feeding” to succeed.

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

Nick> I’d say the most challenging part of leadership is finding the balance between being a “player” and being a “coach.” Earlier in my career, I had been the person putting fingers to keys and being responsible for crafting the final deliverables. Now, as my career has evolved, I’m shifting to more of an oversight role where I own the outcomes but am coaching others as they build the deliverables and I advise along the way. Addressing that challenge has required me to be very intentional about how I give direction and feedback – so that I can get the most out of the team without micromanaging.

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?

Nick> Absolutely. I’ve learned failing (and failing forward) is not only a natural part of leadership, but also a necessary one. I can think of an example that happened not long ago, where I didn’t give clear enough direction and it caused a bit of a swirl. Since our teams do regular “retros,” I was able to diagnose where I had a communication breakdown and have since been able to adjust the way I tee up requests for the team. Put more simply … own the mistake and work toward a better way next time.

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

Nick> Transparency and openness are non-negotiables for me as a leader. Mainly because that’s what I’ve experienced with those I’ve served under. 

While I certainly want to be choiceful in how I communicate with the team, I want people to feel like they always know where things stand – without pretence or hidden agendas. 

Most importantly, I want them to see me as approachable and that they can always come to me with questions, concerns or even just to lend an ear.

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?

Nick> I have had so many great mentors, too many to list out here … all of whom have taught me valuable things about how to lead with grace and thoughtfulness. But here are a few …

Kristin Ropp, Cincinnati Cyclones – “KP” as we call her, Kristin was the type of leader that would ALWAYS be open to new ideas and gave us the space & support needed to experiment along the way.

Lauren Miller, VMLY&R – Lauren initially hired me at VMLY&R and has been a constant force of positivity in my life ever since. She’s taught me, among many things, how to tackle stressful situations with a calm head, how to give meaningful feedback and how to inspire teammates to be their best.

Ben Geheb, VMLY&R – Simply put, Ben has been rocket-fuel for my career. He consistently gives me opportunities to learn and grow and has introduced me to so many incredible people in the network. He challenges me to be better every day and has helped tailor my executive storytelling skills. And above all else, he always makes time to chat and problem solve whenever I need it – even if his schedule is bananas, with a capital B.

LBB> It's been a challenging few years – and that's an understatement. How do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through such difficult waters?

Nick> Amen to that. One of the more challenging, but necessary, things is to keep a cool head and “embrace the chaos.” It’s one of the things I’ve learned from Lauren … and continues to be a key aspect of my leadership style. Can’t get too high or too low. 

I’ve also tried to be more intentional with my prayer life … asking God for His help and guidance every day. Matthew 7:7 – “Ask and it will be given to you.”

LBB> This year has seen the industry confronted with its lack of action/progress on diversity and inclusion. As a leader how have you dealt with this?

Nick> We are very fortunate at VMLY&R to have an incredible team of professionals leading the charge on our equity, inclusion and belonging efforts. As a leader, it’s extremely important to me that our entire team feels both responsible and called to making this place as diverse and inclusive as it can be… as well as embrace the many opportunities to stay connected with these programs offered at the global level. My teammate, Bellkiss Abril-Roman, has done a remarkable job in taking those agency-wide efforts and helping localise them for us.

LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive when staff was working remotely or if they still are?

Nick> Company culture is absolutely crucial to our success. And it’s not an easy task since many individuals in our office are most-often working directly with others who aren’t physically located in Cincinnati…which makes natural project-related culture difficult to foster. Instead, we are being very intentional with our time and resources to give space for our teammates to spend time together in other creative ways. A huge shoutout to our “Ministry of Fun” – who have taken on this challenge brilliantly.

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

Nick> My other leaders within VMLY&R are always incredible resources to tap into, as I continue to learn and grow. I’ve also been an active audiobook listener, trying to sponge up as much as I can from leadership-related books, including:

• The Making of a Manager
• The Carrot Principle
• Radical Candor
• Empowered