Bossing It: Learning Lessons with Josh Karpf

Having joined Jukebox in 2020, Josh has been a driving force in growing the business, helping to expand the company in terms of both the offering and clients. Formerly global brand manager at Ministry of Sound, Josh brings over 15 years experience working across event management, partnerships, programming, social media and marketing, having worked with clients in every corner of the globe, from boutique events to large capacity festivals and independent labels to household brand names.   

Josh is creative, passionate and results driven, with exceptional attention to detail. He has an unrivalled extensive knowledge of the music, entertainment and events industries and a significant global network of industry related contacts. His personable character has enabled him to build an exceptional track record in client relations as well as leading and driving the Jukebox team as the company continues to adapt and evolve to the ever changing industry landscape around it. 

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Josh> I was involved in various youth movements / groups growing up, both as a kid and later as a youth leader, so have been in and around leadership roles and situations for almost as long as I can remember. 

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> In my youth movement experience, I worked for, with and alongside people of all ages, and saw first hand how different people of different ages managed situations in a variety of different ways. I have, over time, adopted different methods from people I have worked with and under in the past. I have similarly looked at others I have worked under and seen the type of leader I definitely did not want to be and ultimately, both sides of the coin are essential and have significantly helped shape the type of leader I have become. 

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

Josh> I couldn’t pinpoint one specific scenario. I have learnt many lessons, both good and bad throughout my experience and no one is more important than the other. 

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 don’t think I specifically always wanted to take on a leadership role as such, but have always been ambitious in everything I do and have always strived to climb as far up the ladder as possible. As my experience and knowledge within the events and music industries developed, so did my drive to take on more responsibility. Given I was involved in leadership positions from a young age through my youth movement involvement, I have naturally gravitated to leadership positions and have always been comfortable leading a team. I am also both meticulous and particular in the way I work, so it was inevitable that I would push myself into a leadership role to ensure things are done the way I want them to (LOL). 

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> I think there has to be a level of natural leadership in your personality to be a well rounded good leader. Yes, good leadership skills can be taught and learnt, but learning and implementing are not one and the same. 

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

Josh> The hardest thing I have had to learn to do is delegating my workload. It’s a common theme for people in general to not believe anyone can do something as good as you can, but removing that idea is essential and you have to trust your team. Ultimately part of the responsibility of a good leader is to ensure that your team have the tools, ability and support required in order to succeed, allowing the team leader to delegate without concern.

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> Yes. We looked at everything we did and identified any pitfalls in our approach, as well at external factors that contributed to the failure of the task and outlined processes to ensure the same mistakes would not be repeated. 

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?

Josh> Transparency is key if you want to get the best out of your team. There is of course a level of information that requires careful consideration but I am always as transparent as possible with my team. 

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> No I didn’t have a mentor but certain people throughout my professional career have left a lasting impact in both positive and negative ways. 

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

Josh> We just have to keep moving forward. Everyone has been in the same boat and we’ve just had to adapt, keep learning and keep pushing on. 

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

Josh> We have made an active effort to diversify our workforce and this is absolutely something we will continue to do. We work in a diverse industry shaped by a magnitude of cultures and backgrounds and its vital we champion diversity wherever possible. 

LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with staff working remotely in 2020?

Josh> The success of our business is entirely shaped by our company culture. It couldn’t be more important. Keeping this alive whilst working remotely was extremely challenging but with the ease of communication, we have been able to maintain our company culture throughout the toughest period of any of our existence.