Justin Tindall and the Achingly Simple Guiding Principle for Leadership

Justin Tindall is one of the world’s most awarded creatives having won all the top honours at all the top shows: Cannes Grand Prix, D&AD Black Pencils, Best of One Show and Grand Clios.

In 2006 he helped set up The Red Brick Road, notably landing Tesco as the agency’s inaugural client. 2011 saw Justin join Leo Burnett Group as chief creative officer. Four years at Leo’s culminated with the agency being named the world’s most awarded by Adage and the most awarded at D&AD in 2015.

M&C Saatchi lured Justin away from Leo’s in 2016 as group CCO responsible for all creative output. There Justin met Kate Bosomworth and the two started to question what a more client-focused, value-driven agency model might look like. In lockdown 2020, the pair founded Platform.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Justin> As a creative director at DDB.

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?

Justin> I don’t remember ever consciously thinking about that. That said, I was very aware that becoming a creative director was something that, at some point, seemed to happen to every creative – regardless of their ability to do it. Mad really.

This meant that the quality of leadership was incredibly variable. So, If I did anything it would have been to try to harness the things I loved about the best CDs I worked with and avoid the things I’d experienced from the worst.

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

Justin> The moment I realised that leadership isn’t about being ‘inspiring’, ‘empowering’ or having a ‘vision’. That these are little more than ‘leadership clichés’. Clichés I had slept-walked into when I got my first proper leadership role.

The lesson came when I asked the best leader I have ever had what their secret was. They said they didn’t have a secret. But they had never tried to be a great leader. They had just tried to be a ‘great host’.

I can still remember how that statement made me feel. It was like someone had shaken me awake. To this day, it’s still the most brilliant distillation of good leadership I have ever heard.

And an achingly simple guiding principle for any 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 realising that you had it in you?

Justin> No. It was never part of the plan. All I was focused on (obsessed with, to be honest) was being known as the best creative in the business. At that time, that was very much measured by the quality and quantity of awards won, together with the regularity with which you were winning them.

In 2006, I was fortunate enough to be listed in The Gunn Report as the most awarded art director in the world. Which felt amazing in the moment. But, not too long afterwards, I started to lose my sense of purpose – like I’d achieved the goal, so what now? Which, in truth, scared me. I think I drifted for at least a year before I started to think about leadership as the next goal.

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?

Justin> I think that you can learn the skills to be a good leader but not a great one. Great leaders have innate sensibilities that can’t be taught.

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

Justin> For me, it’s trust – letting go of things. Which is probably why I can only ever hope to be a good leader, rather than a great one.

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?

Justin> Countless times, yes.

It’s something I dwell on quite a lot, looking for a pattern. The closest I’ve come is to identify that my failings are usually the consequence of ignorance, arrogance or, in my worst case, a combination of both ignorance and arrogance.

As such, I work hard to turn my ignorance into knowledge, clarity and enlightenment. And my arrogance? Well, it turns out a large dose of humility is quite an effective antidote to that.

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?

Justin> I consider transparency and openness as core, personal values. As such, they are critical to the way I approach leadership. I have learned over time that if my actions don’t match my values, it really messes with my head and my happiness.

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?

Justin> No mentors, no. But some amazing, generous people to steal from. And no mentoring right now either. I’ve done a little bit of that but not sure how good I am at it.

LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?

Justin> Open, honest communication combined with open, honest vulnerability. In uncertain times, I think humanity responds well to humanity.

LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?

Justin> Representation remains a huge problem in the advertising industry. Not helped by its tendency to talk a good game but rarely do anything meaningful to back it up.

Sadly, like the white middle classes that continue to dominate it, Advertising is full of ‘good intention’ (remember the ‘Diversity Taskforce’?). But until we realise that ‘intention’ is meaningless, that the only thing that really counts is impact, then nothing meaningful will change.

For my part, I believe that all our focus and energy should be aimed at our grass roots talent pool. If we don’t widen the pool, we’ll never achieve long term impact.

Hence, the implementation of the Carbon Academy at M&C Saatchi, a year’s mentoring and creative experience course for year 11 minority ethnic girls and those who identify as girls. The launch of The Creative Circle Foundation while president of CC and my participation in the Speakers for Schools programme.

LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?

Justin> I’m not particularly big on business or leadership books. I have, however, found coaching very helpful.

Leading can be isolating and having somebody who listens, holds a mirror up and helps you self-navigate and empathise can be hugely helpful. That said, in my experience, it must be a coach who has a profound understanding of the industry and, in my case, what makes creative people tick.

If you want me to name names, Tanya Livesey is an excellent creative leadership coach.