Jim Lesser started his career as a receptionist at a New York ad agency. His last role in that same industry was CEO of BBDO San Francisco — one of the few creative directors in advertising to ever make that leap. Now, as Chief Brand Officer at ServiceNow, he's doing something nobody expected: turning a B2B enterprise software company into a brand people actually know and feel something about.

This week on Unbossing Jim Lesser talks with Rishad and Drew  about what he had to unlearn to go from receptionist to CCO, from CEO to CMO.

Jim opens up about the unlearning that comes with every major career transition and how he went from the fun uncle to the responsible parent, from focusing on his team to focusing on every team. He makes the case that craft and taste is more important in the world of AI than ever before and that micro managing and attention to detail is a very different thing.

Jim Lesser started his career as a receptionist at a New York ad agency. His last role in that same industry was CEO of BBDO San Francisco &mdash; one of the few creative directors in advertising to ever make that leap. Now, as Chief Brand Officer at ServiceNow, he's doing something nobody expected: turning a B2B enterprise software company into a brand people actually know and feel something about.
This week on Unbossing Jim Lesser talks with Rishad and Drew&nbsp; about what he had to unlearn to go from receptionist to CCO, from CEO to CMO.
Jim opens up about the unlearning that comes with every major career transition and how he went from the fun uncle to the responsible parent, from focusing on his team to focusing on every team. He makes the case that craft and taste is more important in the world of AI than ever before and that micro managing and attention to detail is a very different thing.

Hosts Rishad Tobaccowala and Drew Ianni are Reinventing Leadership in Chaotic Times and will feature conversations with the most fearless leaders in business and tech about what they’ve had to unlearn to succeed again in a world where the future no longer fits old rules.

Hosts Rishad Tobaccowala and Drew Ianni are Reinventing Leadership in Chaotic Times and will feature conversations with the most fearless leaders in business and tech about what they&rsquo;ve had to unlearn to succeed again in a world where the future no longer fits old rules.

Unbossing

Jim Lesser on Craft, Taste and Going From Fun Uncle to the Responsible Parent

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/43bedaa7-bf46-46b9-bb4b-b43900d311a6/transcript

When Ann Mukherjee joined Doritos in 2006, the brand was in freefall. It had gotten so bad that Frito-Lay's own truck drivers refused to stock it. She turned it around by crashing the Super Bowl with a $5 million budget—against Anheuser-Busch's $100 million—by handing the ads to consumers and trusting them to do it better.

In this episode of Unbossing, hosts Rishad Tobaccowala and Drew Ianni talk with Ann Mukherjee—former Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard North America—about thirty years of walking away from what she'd just mastered to learn something entirely new. From Kraft to Frito-Lay to SC Johnson to Pernod Ricard, Ann's rule was simple: when you stop learning, you're done. Each move meant unlearning the previous company's system before her old instincts could become the wrong answer in a new place. She also challenges the conventional wisdom on weakness. Don't try to fix them. Understand them, compensate for them, and use them to find what you're actually built for. Perfection, she says, is a sickness. Her last lesson: the CEO of the past was expected to be all-knowing. The CEO of today has to be all learning. 

When Ann Mukherjee joined Doritos in 2006, the brand was in freefall. It had gotten so bad that Frito-Lay's own truck drivers refused to stock it.&nbsp;She turned it around by crashing the Super Bowl with a $5 million budget&mdash;against Anheuser-Busch's $100 million&mdash;by handing the ads to consumers and trusting them to do it better.
In this episode of Unbossing, hosts Rishad Tobaccowala and Drew Ianni talk with Ann Mukherjee&mdash;former Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard North America&mdash;about thirty years of walking away from what she'd just mastered to learn something entirely new. From Kraft to Frito-Lay to SC Johnson to Pernod Ricard, Ann's rule was simple: when you stop learning, you're done. Each move meant unlearning the previous company's system before her old instincts could become the wrong answer in a new place. She also challenges the conventional wisdom on weakness. Don't try to fix them. Understand them, compensate for them, and use them to find what you're actually built for. Perfection, she says, is a sickness. Her last lesson: the CEO of the past was expected to be all-knowing. The CEO of today has to be all learning.&nbsp;

Ann Mukherjee on Crashing the Super Bowl, Embracing Your Weaknesses, and Why the CEO of Today Has to Be All Learning

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a39c9bfa-4844-43b4-a303-b48e00f20300/transcript

For 33 years, Janet Foutty helped the world's largest companies reinvent themselves. Then she had to do it herself. When she stepped down as Executive Chair of Deloitte US, she didn't walk into a plan. She walked into a blank page she didn't know how to fill.

In this episode of Unbossing, hosts Rishad Tobaccowala and Drew Ianni talk with Janet Foutty, former CEO of Deloitte Consulting and former Chair of Deloitte US, about what it means to unlearn the thing you were best at.

Janet spent three decades at one firm. She knew every hallway, every decision, every person to call. Then she left and quickly discovered that map didn't work anywhere else. Her lesson: the beginner's mindset doesn't kick in until you no longer have an organization to cover for you. We're all leaders in training, including the ones who've already led everything.

For 33 years, Janet Foutty helped the world's largest companies reinvent themselves. Then she had to do it herself. When she stepped down as Executive Chair of Deloitte US, she didn't walk into a plan. She walked into a blank page she didn't know how to fill.
In this episode of Unbossing, hosts Rishad Tobaccowala and Drew Ianni talk with Janet Foutty, former CEO of Deloitte Consulting and former Chair of Deloitte US, about what it means to unlearn the thing you were best at.
Janet spent three decades at one firm. She knew every hallway, every decision, every person to call. Then she left and quickly discovered that map didn't work anywhere else. Her lesson: the beginner's mindset doesn't kick in until you no longer have an organization to cover for you. We're all leaders in training, including the ones who've already led everything.

Janet Foutty on Knowing When to Leave, Separating Who You Are From What You Do, and the Beginner's Mindset

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/63195c8b-ee45-4a57-8775-b4710018aacf/transcript

At seven years old, Sarah Personette told a stranger she wanted to be a CEO. She spent the next three decades making it happen.

Days after Elon Musk closed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, she resigned — walking away from a role she'd spent four years building, and stock she hadn't fully vested, to protect what she stood for.

In this episode of Unbossing, hosts Rishad Tobaccowala and Drew Ianni talk with Sarah Personette — CEO of Puck, the media startup the New York Times called "Vanity Fair for the Substack era."

Sarah's career ran through advertising agencies, Facebook, and Twitter. She took a demotion to join a startup called Facebook because she could see where the industry was heading. At 26, she managed a 90-person team through the 2008 financial crisis. At 33, she was U.S. President of Universal McCann.

The lesson she carries through all of it: the leaders who survive disruption aren't the ones who avoid fear. They're the ones who name it, move through it, and bring their teams with them.

She also makes the case that kindness isn't a soft idea, it's the thing that makes organizations actually perform when it matters most.

At seven years old, Sarah Personette told a stranger she wanted to be a CEO. She spent the next three decades making it happen.
Days after Elon Musk closed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, she resigned &mdash; walking away from a role she'd spent four years building, and stock she hadn't fully vested, to protect what she stood for.
In this episode of Unbossing, hosts Rishad Tobaccowala and Drew Ianni talk with Sarah Personette &mdash; CEO of Puck, the media startup the New York Times called "Vanity Fair for the Substack era."
Sarah's career ran through advertising agencies, Facebook, and Twitter. She took a demotion to join a startup called Facebook because she could see where the industry was heading. At 26, she managed a 90-person team through the 2008 financial crisis. At 33, she was U.S. President of Universal McCann.
The lesson she carries through all of it: the leaders who survive disruption aren't the ones who avoid fear. They're the ones who name it, move through it, and bring their teams with them.
She also makes the case that kindness isn't a soft idea, it's the thing that makes organizations actually perform when it matters most.

Sarah Personette on Leading with Balance, Reframing Imposter Syndrome, and Building Media's Future

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/531a9def-99da-42dc-bd49-b463013f5563/transcript

Jim Lesser on Craft, Taste and Going From Fun Uncle to the Responsible Parent

In 1 playlist(s)

Unbossing

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips