Bossing It: Why Jolyon White Enjoys the Big Pressure Moments
Jolyon White is the founder and creative director of 10 Days - the agency shaking up the ad industry. Ex Wieden+Kennedy, Mother, Channel 4. Jolyon famously created the multi-award winning Paralympics campaign - 'Yes I can' for Channel 4 amongst lots of exciting work for Nike, Bumble, MoneySupermarket and Lurpak. He is also an award-winning film director.
LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?
Jolyon> I’ve always gravitated to leading. I was captain of the basketball team at school. I think I weirdly liked the pressure of the big moments; the game-winning decisions; the team talks that can change the course of a game and the person people looked to for motivation. I thrived on 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?
Jolyon> The best leaders I’ve worked with in my career are ones that are decisive. People who trust their gut and are confident in their choices. Sometimes they might be wrong but they live or die by their decisions. No second guessing. I’ve always respected that and that’s how I try to lead. But decisive doesn’t mean that you close things off - you can still be open minded but when it comes to crunch time - you need to step up.
LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?
Jolyon> To be honest it was working with one creative director who couldn’t articulate what they wanted to so they asked us to go away and write 50 versions of a script. When we came back - they still couldn’t decide. I remember saying to myself there and then that I would never put creatives through this. Come to think of it; this lesson definitely contributes to why 10 Days was started.
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?
Jolyon> I remember an ECD interviewed me and I said I wanted to start creative directing. He said ‘why would I put a star striker on the sidelines.’ I took the football analogy as a massive compliment but in my head I saw myself as an actor who directs. (I can’t act to save my life but I preferred this analogy).
I’ve always enjoyed building upon other people’s ideas. Since I can remember if I see a good idea - I can often add something or see a solution that others don’t. So I guess you could say leading creatives has always felt natural. The only difference is now I feel more confident in my opinions.
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?
Jolyon> I am a great believer that effort is more important than talent. The most talented people in life don’t have the most natural talent - they have the most dedication. They are relentless. So if you put the effort in then anyone can become a leader.
LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?
Jolyon> Keeping a constant flow going. I hated waiting ages to get feedback. So I try to be as available as possible with the creative department. Slack actually is a massive help with this. Keeps an organised log of everything going on so even if I can’t get back immediately - I can look at it later and feel on top of everything.
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?
Jolyon> When you have your two brothers as co-founders there is a safety blanket before big decisions are made. Which means the possibility of failing is a lot lower. Mainly because between the three of us we openly share things without the fear of failure. So yes do we fail but we do it behind the scenes.
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?
Jolyon> Transparency is key. That’s just a good life lesson. I believe good news or bad news should be shared. But there’s definitely times where you need to be tactical with timing.
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?
Jolyon> I wouldn’t say I had one particular mentor. I’ve always had people I can reach out to for advice. I would say I need to do it more as I have been lucky enough to work with some very talented leaders over my career. I have a lot of people who contact me wanting advice on how to start their own thing - I’m very quick to give them my number. Always happy to pass on what I’ve learnt.
LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?
Jolyon> Always appear calm. There’s always ups and downs. The important thing is not to let the pressure get to you. If it does the work suffers and the agency loses its swagger. So stay positive.
LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
Jolyon> I’m actually selfish when it comes to this because I want differing opinions. I want people from different backgrounds. People with different experiences to my own. So I don’t see it as something you should do - I see it as something you have to do. Otherwise your work will feel very one dimensional and often lack true insight.
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?
Jolyon> First off I’m not sure what it means anymore? Different agencies force culture by giving people warm bottles of beer on Thursday afternoon with some themed activity or whatever. That’s not culture. To me, culture is creating a nice place to work where you don’t stay late and you feel like a team. Our office is our studio - it’s where we make stuff. We go in three days a week and we make the most of the time we are in. We stick stuff on the walls, we chat around a table and we make stuff happen.
LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?
Jolyon> This book: “Creativity, Inc.: an inspiring look at how creativity can - and should - be harnessed for business success by the founder of Pixar”. It covers the good, the bad and the ugly of managing creative people and how to get the most out of them. If you are a leader or want to be one then I would read this now.
