Bossing It: Scott Friedman’s Biggest Lessons in Leadership
With a diverse background in interactive, broadcast design, entertainment marketing, title sequences and commercial animation, Scott Friedman has helped lead Wildlife’s team of designers, animators, developers, strategists, writers and producers since 2011.
This passionate group concepts and executes innovative broadcast, digital and social campaigns and content, earning international recognition including Cannes Lions, One Show Pencils, Clios, FWAs, and Promax Awards.
Technology agnostic and story focused, Wildlife creates the experiences, products and platforms that help forward-thinking brands like CBS, Amazon, National Geographic, Toyota, Google, Old Spice and the NBA build meaningful connections with consumers.
LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?
Scott> Coaching and refereeing youth sports as a teenager was a great chance to be thrown into the fire and develop some key skills around leadership. Sports is a great character builder in general but as a coach it’s up to you to inspire your team and learn how to work with different personalities. You can shape the team’s mindset, the tactics and the preparation but ultimately the team has to go out and execute on their own in order to get the win.
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?
Scott> Through experience in different workplaces across the industry, under many leaders good and bad – I realised how important the right support can be. Creative work is tough and most of us are harsh self-critics, so the power of an inspiring leader who can keep things positive and offer key pieces of feedback to help break through the cursed blank canvas or a creative block is everything.
When we started our own creative agency we wanted to create a place where people like to work and we’ve seen how much that can enhance their ability to do amazing things.
LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?
Scott> Early on we had a project for a big tech brand in a custom-built, physical retail space. The morning of the grand opening we figured we had time to add one final detail to the flagship interactive screen that anchors the customer journey - just a tiny little visual improvement we were excited to get in but a totally trivial one and nothing the clients had asked for.
Turns out we pushed the update just as Twitter had one of its formerly-iconic crashes - and suddenly our rock-solid touchscreen was down for the count thanks an edge-case scenario. Cut to - all hands on deck trying to find a quick fix, the doors are opening, the crowd is heading in and – we fixed it last minute and everything was ready for showtime!
Big learning number one: stay calm and focus on a solution, there’s always a solution.
Big learning number two: sometimes really good and reliable is just perfect and there’s a time where the sane thing to do is just not touch the damn thing any more! It was a great lesson in keeping the big picture in focus and thinking critically about even the smallest choices that seem inconsequential.
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?
Scott> It was never a conscious goal to end up in a leadership position, most of us probably just fell into this because we wanted to create and (if you’re lucky) as the projects get bigger you need more help to bring ideas to life.
When my brother and I started Wildlife, leadership wasn’t the end-goal but obviously it’s a requirement as you start building teams. Someone has to steer the ship and keep the team moving in the same direction.
Apparently my kindergarten teacher told my parents I had leadership qualities? Maybe that had a placebo effect on my mindset when it was time to actually become a “leader” and get over the imposter syndrome creeps in when you push past your comfort zone.
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?
Scott> I suppose some are born leaders but even if it doesn’t come naturally, you can develop that ability like any skill. Being willing to step forward, make a decision and take responsibility right or wrong is where it begins. It’s learning through doing and accepting that you’re going to screw up sometimes but if you can be honest, vulnerable, act with empathy, make the effort to listen and remember that your biggest role is to help the team do their best, then you’ll do fine.
LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?
Scott> The balancing act of understanding where each person is coming from and different people respond to the same things differently. When to support, when to push and when to realise maybe you don’t have the right answer. Being able to have open conversations and coming at every situation assuming everyone has the best intentions is an important place to start from.
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?
Scott> We want to always be at our best for the team, but like anyone I can look back at moments where the stress from a client project might cause a quick off-the-cuff reaction, a response that would be different if I had taken a breath and thought a moment longer before sharing my opinion or answering a question.
Sometimes the act of just slowing down, and not thinking about a worst case scenario is the most important thing you can do - always keeping your eye on what can be done instead of just what happened but every day is a chance to learn and do better in the future and staying positive no matter the challenges contributes so much to how we go through our day.
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?
Scott> It’s important to be transparent and real when you can. If you’re stressed, people can tell, so better to acknowledge the pressures, the difficult client asks and come at it united to find a solution with the team.
The choice of words matters and you have to be thoughtful about what you say and how you say it. Delivering a message in the wrong way is no good, and the power of just pausing for a minute to think about what you want to say and how is often the best thing a leader can do.
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?
Scott> I never had a mentor but I do look back at a handful of leaders I worked for who served as inspiration for the ways I try to support my team now. The limitless value of creating a fun workplace where the focus was still on creating great work. Terry Lee at Roger was someone who made a big impact by entrusting me with greater responsibilities when I was a freelancer, giving me the confidence to step up in bigger roles and providing the space for me to figure things out.
We always try to offer helpful thoughts based on our hard-earned experience - good and bad - while letting them do things in their own way and above all, making sure they know we will have their backs no matter what.
LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?
Scott> Stay calm, stay even keeled. Don’t put the client pressures or the business pressures onto your team and let them focus on the work. As a leader you have to create the space for everyone else to be their best and not worry about outside forces.
As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
Scott> We’re always looking for different, diverse perspectives on our teams, bringing a balance to our culture but also critical insights to our client marketing challenges. It’s easy to fall into a type of group-think when you have a group that’s been together a long time but being able to bring in dynamic people with a unique background, interesting life experiences and just a new way of looking at a situation can be so impactful.
In the past we’ve had the pleasure of supporting El Nido Family Centers technology programs, they’re an incredible organisation offering community-based, social services in some of the most underserved communities in Los Angeles. The ability to help expose the next generation to a field and a potential career they might not have known about otherwise is very rewarding.
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?
Scott> Company culture is everything in a creative field. The work that we do, the timelines, the surprises that throw a wrench into production plans can be very challenging but that’s also what makes it so rewarding.
Every project is going to have its ups and downs and people have to enjoy the work and each other in order to push through those hurdles and deliver something special at the end. It’s harder with hybrid and remote to keep the culture as vibrant but we try to plan in person events a few times a year.
Plus a whole host of niche, slack channels keep conversations alive beyond video calls and project check-ins. The in-office days we have when specific projects call for it are definitely worth their weight in a long commute for the social recharge it brings all of us.
LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?
Scott> I’ve devoured my share of audiobooks, podcasts, articles, interviews and conversations from people with relevant experience and different perspectives but at the end of the day you have to be authentic to your own instincts and learn by making mistakes. The most powerful words of advice tend to reinforce the kinds of things you already know in your gut to be true and nothing replaces the high wire act of just getting out there and going for it.
