Bossing It: Why Michelle Edelman Prioritises Joy
As CEO and owner of PETERMAYER, Michelle Edelman is part of the 1% of women agency owners. A stalwart champion of brand joy, she pulls from her years of strategy leadership to guide the integrated marketing shop into the next frontier of communications.
LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?
Michelle> In 4th grade, I was out sick the day of class elections. And when I returned, I found I’d been voted into the role of class secretary. This illustrious position was responsible for writing thank you notes to everyone who came and spoke to the class, brought treats, donated items, or otherwise helped the class. Apparently, my classmates did not know I was about to receive a D in handwriting. Everyone in the decision regretted it.
Moral of the story: you should not be voluntold into leadership. And qualifications probably do matter.
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?
Michelle> One exercise I have asked emerging leaders to go through: make a vision board. Pull photos of leaders you admire – and they can be anyone from the famous to your grandmother. And leaders you do NOT want to emulate. Then jot down why – what lessons do you take away from these leaders? Some leaders may have more than one lesson to teach. Steve Jobs is often on these boards – but with thought, people realise that they admire his vision and capabilities, but not his approach or style.
My own vision board contains people who have led through bravery and example (Rosa Parks). People who have led through their joyous personality (Oprah). People who have led through vibrant visual expression (Iris Apfel). And leaders who have shown unending empathy (Abe Lincoln).
LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?
Michelle> One that stands out in my mind: an employee of mine resigned to go freelance.
By error, his wife’s healthcare had lapsed, and they had just received a very serious diagnosis on one of their kids. We urged him to hop onto our company health plan temporarily – it’d saved him heartache and hardship. A few months later, that guy did something that very much affected our business. He knew he was going to take this action before resigning, yet still took advantage of my help. I started to kick myself for being played.
But then, I concluded I would do it all over again the same way. Even though his behaviour was unethical, he had a sick kid, and I could help. The situation made me reaffirm who I was as a leader.
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 realizing that you had it in you?
Michelle> I had no idea. I have always been a little nerdlette who loved maths and science. But I had a knack for organisation, and for mobilising other people. When I realised I got more satisfaction from a team’s success, I knew I had a passion for 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?
Michelle> I believe that many of the hard skills of leadership – decision-making, goal setting, managing constituents – can be learned. What can’t be learned is being a good human being. Leading with love is the only way to give your people the life satisfaction they need and get the performance you really want.
LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?
Michelle> Our industry is changing so rapidly in terms of data, technology, and consumer attention that it’s impossible to know everything that could affect the business, law and end customer. I've found that the very best way to work through these challenges is to have a leadership team around you so that you can align to the same awareness and together, build knowledge and action.
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?
Michelle> I fail all.the.time. It’s a natural part of the job, of any job. My failures are more visible and may have broader effects, but everyone fails. I have learned to be good at admitting fault if I was – redirecting myself – righting the situation (even if it hurts or costs) – and most importantly, moving on.
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?
Michelle> I believe in transparency. But only in about 80% transparency. A little opacity in leadership is a good thing. People ultimately want to know what is going to happen to them, and what factors they need to think about to feel safe. They don’t necessarily want to know how the sausage is made in the boardroom.
Just like I don’t need to know what copy they cut and how many times they rewrote their manifestos before they submitted them to the CD. Our agency values dictate that we treat each other with respect and collegial openness; that also guides our decisions about transparency.
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?
Michelle> I am a new CEO, having just stepped into the role a couple of years ago. I have an executive coach that I rely on routinely for guidance. I also have some informal mentors – people whom I’ve met at other agencies I aspire to craft my company to emulate as it grows. In learning their stories, I’ve gained invaluable perspective on how to view our path. I’ve also learned that I don’t have to listen to all the advice! Sometimes my gut is right and maybe that means they taught me some bravery.
I do sometimes mentor aspiring leaders. I’m careful that when I do, that I can give enough time and attention to those relationships to be meaningful. I approach those relationships by listening first. What is it the person needs to gain from the mentorship? That usually guides the whole experience. I do it at a restaurant over a coffee or a meal and make sure we are not rushed – with my cell phone turned over.
LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?
Michelle> I became president of my agency six weeks before the pandemic sent everyone home. I joined countless executive calls searching for a playbook to draft from, but there was not one.
Slowly, I realised that I needed to simply sit with problems and ask: what is the right thing to do? That now has become one of our core values. The right thing is often easy to determine, but very hard to do. I tell my staff the reasoning. I’m ok with them knowing that sometimes there aren’t clear answers, and we are doing what we can with the information and tools we have.
I think about not just their work, but their lives, what’s needed for their families, their pets, their homes, because those are really the reasons they are working in the first place.
LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritized diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
Michelle> We are mindful of our staff composition – not just race but gender, age, and increasingly other forms of diversity like veteran status, differently abled – as we recruit. We use salary surveys to keep all employees in competitive ranges.
But beyond that, we have ongoing programming surrounding the many facets of DEI with outside speakers, open discourse, and a safe environment where people can speak without fear of retaliation. We consciously utilise suppliers (for ourselves and our clients) with diversity in mind. We think about diversity in the work from the shoes of the target audience, which takes honesty, open mindedness and the commitment to exploration.
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?
Michelle> Our newly launched positioning – 'WE UNLEASH BRAND JOY' – isn't just an expression of the kind of work we put into the world. It’s an 'inside out' idea where joy is the very purpose of our workplace. It’s something we think about every day.
We go to great lengths to engage our remoties–for example, during our day of service, we assure the volunteer programs can be activated live on site, as well as in remote locations. We look at locations as tools – how will we use the physical office, the remote environment, and home offices to optimise people’s work and lives? In doing so, we commit to the various scenarios of togetherness that these tools provide.
LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?
Michelle> I’m part of a 4As forum of CEOs across the country and they are great co-learners and networkers. I’m also part of a CEO forum with absolutely nobody from advertising, and that’s taught me tools on how disparate leaders view my same challenges. I learn every day from my leadership team, who offer diverse thinking and experience. And my dog is a great listener.
