Leading Questions with Lindsey Clay – Thinkbox
Leading Questions
Thinkbox CEO, Lindsey Clay, is in the hot seat to face our probing and quick-fire Leading Questions.
Following a career in advertising, Lindsey’s love of telly drew her to Thinkbox, the UK marketing body for commercial TV, where she now leads the team that makes it their mission to help brands get the best out of today’s TV.
She is a member and former President of WACL (Women in Advertising and Communication Leadership), a member and former President of the Global TV Group, a Fellow of the Marketing Society, an Honorary Fellow of the IPA and a member of the Marketing Group of Great Britain.
She reveals two skills every media leader should nurture, how creating space for silliness benefits company culture, and why she’s a fan of Lady Whistledown from Bridgerton.
Leadership
What are the principles that guide your leadership approach?
Radical candour.
How do you define success as a leader in today’s media landscape?
Being asked to do Leading Questions, of course! Other than that: by the impact of your business, the happiness of your people, and your trustworthiness.
How do you personally stay ahead of industry disruption?
Paranoia, a strong network, and asking lots of questions. I have a low tolerance for reading nonfiction, but I am happy to listen to it, so I try to stay on top of excellent things like Believe It or Not.
I wouldn’t say I’m ahead, though. Anyone who pretends they are is probably fibbing. But I strain every sinew not to fall behind.
People and Culture
How do you build and maintain a strong company culture in times of rapid change?
We work at it. It’s a shared responsibility. Learn together, laugh together, eat together if you can. Create a bit of space for silliness.
Often, working together to create something from scratch or to overcome a significant challenge is the most satisfying, bonding, and culturally reinforcing experience – you learn more about each other and appreciate the power of the team.
How do you inspire your teams when uncertainty is the norm?
I say vague, unsettling things with double meanings. Doesn’t always work. Seriously, though, I try to be as encouraging as I can, to share what’s happening and why, who I’m talking to and what they’re saying, what the bigger picture is, and to remind them of our role and what we’ve been entrusted to do.
But, at the risk of inducing reader reflux, they inspire me! They’re an amazing bunch of self-motivated, talented superstars. And we’re lucky because our product is TV, one of the most inspirational things ever created, and something we all know is of immense economic, social, and cultural importance. The team genuinely cares about our mission to champion it.
AI, Innovation and Skills
What skills will define successful media leaders in the next decade?
Rather than list all the usual suspects, I’ll highlight one I hope makes a comeback and one you’re dead without: integrity and optimism.
What’s your advice for aspiring media leaders?
See above (integrity and optimism)
The Quick-fire Round
Which book would you make required reading for all media leaders?
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It tells us that one of the key differentiators is 10,000 hours of practice – in short, if you apply yourself, you can be good at anything. That said, I’ve spent well over 10,000 hours as a leader – surely I should start getting good at it soon.
Which leader from TV, film, or literature most inspires you?
Lady Whistledown from Bridgerton. Fabulously well-connected and knows all the goss.
What’s your go-to source for inspiration when you need it — work or otherwise?
My family, telly, netball, musical theatre, m’colleagues, my WACL pals, and Team TV.
Media lunch or media breakfast meeting, and why?
Please don’t invite me for breakfast. I like exercising first thing in the morning, and media breakfasts get in the way of that. Lunching though: big fan. Learned about lunching from the great Tess Alps, my previous boss and mentor. I saw how you can condense six meetings’ worth of relationship-building into a single lunch, and have been a fan ever since.
Which media leader would you like to answer Leading Questions next?
I’m a huge admirer of Jake Dubbins from Media Bounty and Conscious Advertising Network. Ask him.
Leading Questions is published by The Media Leader every Friday.