Leading Questions with Marko Johns – Seedtag
Leading Questions
Seedtag’s UK MD and international head of agency, Marko Johns, is next up to answer our probing and quick-fire Leading Questions.
Seedtag’s Marko Johns scooped The Media Leader of the Year for Technology after impressing the judges with new business wins and positioning Seedtag as an innovator.
His career spans prestigious media companies such as ITV, Viacom, Yahoo, and Spotify. Prior to joining Seedtag in 2024, he led a global team as head of international agency development at Spotify and throughout his career has cultivated strong relationships and developed innovative models with a number of leading agencies and brands.
We ask him about his leadership approach, how to build and maintain company culture, and how to learn from failure.
Leadership
What are the principles that guide your leadership approach?
Openness and Transparency. I try to make sure I can bring the team along with me as much as possible, which means being present to give a running commentary and to answer any questions as needed. Very often, we have to say what is happening rather than explaining why – and I try to do that.
How do you define success as a leader in today’s media landscape?
The simple answer here is to ask my team. Do they know the goal, where we’re heading, and where we’re planning to be by the end of the year? This doesn’t just mean revenue – this means structure, goal and personal development. If you have led well, everyone should have the same answer.
What’s the toughest leadership decision you’ve ever had to make?
Understanding when it is the right time for someone to move on for their own development will, for me, always be the toughest decision.
People and Culture
How do you build and maintain a strong company culture in times of rapid change?
Working in an industry that is forever changing, culture is the only thing you can create and try to hold on to. From a professional point of view, that is based on how much of a team focus you have on the goal.
On the personnel side, our hiring and interview process is also based around who would fit into the culture – this is via interviews that are not only a response to a brief but also time over a coffee and offsite from the office. We then try to spend time together as a team ‘doing’ – which most recently included chocolate-making and gingerbread house-making for Christmas.
What’s your approach to developing future leaders within your organisation?
Exposure and mentorship. Our business is not my voice, it is our voice – so my leaders – Dan, Sarah and Nick – all have a presence and a speciality in how they appear in the marketplace.
I try to find mentors outside our business to help develop leaders, too, giving them exposure to the wider landscape and a different perspective on how things can be done. I welcome the challenge from my leaders who have a different view on how we can do better, and very often, we try to implement those ideas.
How do you handle failure, both personally and within your teams?
Let’s be honest, I didn’t handle it very well at all when younger! Over the years, I have tried to learn from my failures and take time to review what could be improved and appreciate feedback.
AI, Innovation and Skills
What skills will define successful media leaders in the next decade?
Flexibility. Not only has the market gone through so much change, but so have working habits, office use and how teams like to collaborate and work together. This will continue to evolve, and so must those who will succeed in the next generation of our industry.
What’s your advice for aspiring media leaders?
Be curious and above all be respectful.
The Quick-fire Round
Which book would you make required reading for all media leaders?
Legacy by James Kerr or When by Daniel Pink (his other book, The Power of Regret, is also great)
Which leader from TV, film, or literature most inspires you?
What a question! I read a lot, so there are a couple from literature. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird is my standout (pictured), but also Odysseus, and I’m looking forward to the movie version of the Odyssey this year.
What’s your go-to source for inspiration when you need it? Work or otherwise?
The easy answer to this is friends and family. I have learnt over the years to share, especially when there are hurdles ahead. In our industry, so many things come around more than once that you’ll always find someone who’s been in a similar position.
Media lunch or media breakfast meeting?
Well, I used to love breakfast – but now I’m on drop-off duties, so lunch it is.
Which media leader would you like to answer leading questions next?
OMD UK, CEO Suzy Ryder. Such an amazing couple of years and one of the leading lights during significant change.
If you’d like to answer our Leading Questions, drop me a line at [email protected]