Bossing It: The Power of Letting Go with Ellen Faulkner
Ellen looks forward, never backward. She drives innovation and change at Lewis and never allows the agency to settle for last year’s solutions. She understands how marketing has evolved, is constantly innovating on the agency's offerings, and is a driving force in clients’ growth at pivotal moments in their history.
Ellen has led ground breaking work for a vast range of clients during her 33+ years with the company, working across D2C and B2B brands in various industries including outdoor recreation, healthcare, education, lifestyle, and the financial sector. Ellen continuously rises to the occasion with grace and empathy and makes herself highly accessible to every employee at Lewis.
LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?
Ellen> My first experience with leadership takes me back to my teen years. I was 16 years old and the daughter of a mom blazing trails in real estate and community service. My mom and aunt both served on the board of the local chapter of the March of Dimes, a national organisation founded by FDR to improve the health of mothers and babies. They 'volunteered' me to lead the organisation’s first Teen Action Program in the region. I worked with multiple schools in the area to head up fundraisers - from car washes and walk-a-thons to street intersection fundraisers. It was no small task, but it was fun and challenging.
At the end of the year, my mom and aunt surprised me with a trip to the March of Dimes national convention, where I received the National award. I’ll never forget it.
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?
Ellen> Even though I have served in leadership positions most of my life, I can honestly say I’m still learning what kind of leader I want to be. I strive to be a servant leader that puts the team first, and every day I continue to learn from mistakes and challenges. Each experience (positive or negative) helps me grow wiser.
LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?
Ellen> One of my most influential learning periods occurred when my former husband entered his first alcohol treatment program. I attended Al-Anon and the family program while he was attending the alcoholic program. It was one of the most life-changing events in my life – not just personally but also professionally.
Most importantly, it taught me the power of letting go. In our business, many times, we can control the universe. We make stuff happen on a dime. We make the impossible possible for our clients. We solve problems!
But you can’t do that when leading people. Instead, you have to let your team run (and yes, sometimes fail) in order for them to grow! Everyone learns from their successes and their mistakes, and giving them the room to do both is better for them and your organisation in the long run.
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?
Ellen> I started in this business as an account coordinator. When you’re in account services, your role is leading and serving others. You’re pulling the internal team and the client team together. You’re constantly building consensus, selling, juggling, and leading.
I learned early on that I love the challenge of making things happen, building and winning business, and getting people excited. From my first client meeting and the first time I 'put a job on traffic' to my first one-on-one with a client and new business win - every step of the way made me more excited to take on more responsibility and leadership.
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?
Ellen> The key to being a great leader is being a great listener, a great learner, and having renewed grace every day for yourself and your team members. Our business takes a village, which comprises all types of people with different personalities. A leader’s role is to serve their team, make hard decisions, love everyone, recognize mistakes as learning opportunities, and show praise for those achieving great things. I can’t say I do all those things 24/7, but I try. I think anyone can do anything that they genuinely want to do. So, anyone can be a good leader – if they have a passion for learning, adapting, empathy, and growth.
LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?
Ellen> One of the most complex parts of being a leader is understanding what motivates individuals and what drives them. Understanding where they are coming from and why. The great thing about Lewis is that everyone is genuinely good at their job - it’s my job to always understand what everyone’s drivers are and be sure that we’re fuelling them.
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?
Ellen> Goodness, yes! But I believe failure is the path to greatness. Any time I screw up, I immediately take responsibility and apologise. After that, I go back and figure out exactly where the failure happened. I think it’s important to talk with the team involved, get their insights on every level, and understand their viewpoint.
At Lewis, when we’re succeeding, it’s the team that gets the credit, but I take responsibility immediately if we fail as a company. At the end of the day, the buck stops with me. I try to make sure our team members know that. I also want them to know that we must learn from what happened.
I always say, “I’ve learned so many things the hard way that I should be brilliant by now.” I sure wish it worked that way!
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?
Ellen> Striking the right balance of being careful, controlled, and transparent is hugely important! We want to give everyone the information they need to do their jobs, but not in a way that is paralysing to them.
And I always try to remain available. I work to respond quickly and promptly, as our team members do, and as a newer CEO I’m still getting used to the weight of my comments. For example, I may be brainstorming with a team, and the next thing you know, I hear, “Ellen said we had to take this course of action…” It’s humbling and often humorous. To say I’m a constant learner is an understatement.
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?
Ellen> There’s no question my mother was my first mentor. She owned the first woman-owned real estate company in our region. She had my siblings and I listening to motivational tapes in our teen years. I admired her work ethic, passion, and caring nature throughout her life. She taught me I could do anything I wanted if I worked hard enough. One thing she shared that I rely on and continue to counsel others is, “You just worry about you. Don’t worry about what others are doing, are making, or if they’re doing something that isn’t fair. You do the best you can do in all things. Be fair. Be kind, and everything else will take care of itself.”
And I love spending time mentoring - especially people making the jump to leadership roles. It’s a tough time because most leaders are great at what they do. Then, as they rise into a management position, they have to let go of all the things they’ve always done before. Making that transition is crucial for our business's success and scalability, but I think it’s one of the hardest things leaders have to do - myself included.
LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?
Ellen> We’ve gotten deliberate about describing the individuals that thrive within our company. While some qualities have remained constant - passion, commitment , crazy-talent, and being team-oriented - there’s a bit of a shift in the qualities needed to navigate and thrive in business today. Constant change and tricky waters require being nimble, agile, entrepreneurial, fast, and true growth partners to our clients.
LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
Ellen> Diversity and inclusion are extremely important to myself and Lewis - we have an entire team committed to it. As a leader, I believe it’s my role to work alongside the team and support them in everything they do. I strive to give every employee the opportunity to succeed while ensuring they feel included in every aspect of the Lewis team and family.
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?
Ellen> Everything we do revolves around our people, so our culture is extremely important and something we’re proud of. Over 50% of our team have been with Lewis for over five years.
I like to say, “If it’s important to you, it’s important to us,”, and as a business we fully support our people balancing their work lives with their personal values and motivators. Not missing out on an important family event or a child’s soccer game not only keeps people happy, but keeps everyone’s passion and commitment alive at the agency.
We do continue to support the hybrid work philosophy, but I believe that in-person collaboration is an important part of helping team members to grow and create better work. It’s also harder to lead, mentor, and grow people when they aren’t ‘present’ and walking the halls a good percentage of the time.
LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?
Ellen> I’m an avid reader, and I also have strong faith. Brene Brown has multiple books that I love – especially Dare to Lead. Also, two of my Christian favourites are Jesus, CEO by Laurie Beth Jones, and Leadership Promises for Every Day by John C. Maxwell.
From a company and resource standpoint, I am fortunate to have a fabulous mentor - our Chairman of the Board, Larry Norris. I have worked with Larry for 33 years and continue to learn from him daily. I also have several mentors in our ICOM Network, a global network of non-competitive independent agencies worldwide. I serve on numerous committees within ICOM, and I Iove learning from their varying leadership styles and business acumen.
