Crisis can be a fantastic opportunity

Here are some of the interesting excerpts from an interview with Miles Young the Outgoing chairman; CEO and John Seifert the Incoming chairman; CEO of the award winning advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide.

Miles started on a funny note saying that the first lesson he learnt was how to resist the temptation to through myself out of the window.

The second lesson he shared was a profound one.

A time of Crisis is a fantastic time of opportunity.

Situations around them will make things possible.

Crisis can be good and shouldn't be thought of as negative things.

In Asia, you learn to listen, be patient, and bring people to your side gently.

Also about the importance of relationships as suppose to transactions.

He  believes in relationship based leadership style.

---

John Seifert when asked about Miles he says that Miles is an investor and never thinks about cautious management. He believes in investment in growth, investment in talent, investing in clients.

He came in at the height of financial crisis and spent all of the equity he had built over the success of 14 years to invest at a very difficult time. Strength of the network they have today would not have been possible without that investment. 

No matter how difficult the world feels dont't be afraid to invest for the future.

Miles is a huge believer in helping develop the youngest people in the company.
He is also a passionate leader in developing a POV for the company.

And talking about Seifert himself

He had the benefit of being mentored and developed by the best people in the company. He had amazing mentors throughout his career who enabled him to have a variety of experiences and who shared their knowledge and wisdom with him and basically gave him

Something he is willing to pay forward to the youngest generation of the company.

He says that gender equality is one of his priorities.

Brands have always have to adapt to the values and beliefts of the consumers that they seek, bond with and do business.

Miles talking when about 'Data' says that there is has one problem with it, the obsession of measuring everything.

We don't need to measure everything and miss the ability to do something beautiful and useful. -Miles Young

It's not data which is important but the insight that comes from the data, the quality of that insight, the idea and the quality of that idea.

View the complete interview here...