TIE Unearthed

China, Tiger Mums, rock bands and the Buddhist Calendar are just a handful of the many things Rob and I talk about on this episode.

Rob is a mischief-maker and passionately believes in culture, creativity, and chaos.

He’s worked with names like NIKE, Virgin, and Metallica at agencies including Cynic, Wieden+Kennedy, and R/GA and has proudly been called an “asshole” by Lars Ulrich, Richard Branson, and Dan Wieden.

I ask Rob what’s he’s done in his life that has perhaps raised some eyebrows, but that he’s most proud of.

He tells us his covid story. And shares the positive side that has come out of all of this for him, and for many others he knows as well.

We hear how three African American women fundamentally changed his view on the world.

How being exposed to completely different cultures have shaped his life.

And he tells us the secret to being someone who is interesting, intriguing, and successful.

Rob is such a breath of fresh air. You’ll love this episode. Have a listen.

When I was last in New York I met with my friend Carter Murray, Global Chief Executive Officer of FCB, one of the world’s largest global advertising agency networks. Carter oversees the agency’s 120 offices in 80 countries, so as you can imagine, Carter has a lot to say about leadership.

Carter is someone that I really look up to. Not only literally, as he stands at about 6'7" tall, but also because of his leadership and values.

When we last met we talked about cultural intelligence and diversity and what makes successful leaders. And as always, I was inspired.

And today, post Covid, I was keen to know how things have changed in the corporate world from his point of view.

Carter gets pretty choked up talking about his Covid experience.

I ask him how organisational culture has changed. If he still values the same things. And what sort of leaders he's looking for now.

This is a super-heart felt chat you don't want to miss.

What are the Tools You Need to Lead in today’s world?

Have a listen and be inspired.

Following the fall of the Saddam regime in Iraq, the first ever treatment centre for survivors of torture and war violence was opened in 2005.

The centre is called the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights and on Friday I spoke with Salah Ahmad, the Founder.

Salah is child and family therapist from Iraq, who after experiencing flight and exile himself, has made it his mission to improve access to psychological assistance for victims of violence in Iraq and Syria.

Ever stop to think how people work through the pain of terror, torture and war? How accessible that type of support is? And what happens if people aren’t treated?

Learn about the significant challenges the region faces.

But also hear of Salah’s hope.

I was truly inspired and moved by the stories.

No doubt you will be too.

Have a listen here.

If you would like to support the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights or learn more about their work, please click here.

Brazil, the rainforest, and the environment has hit the headlines quite a bit over the past couple of years.

And rightfully so.

And now, with more burning of the Amazon in the North of Brazil, the rainforest is back in the headlines.

It’s hard not to feel slightly paralyzed – wondering how on earth we can help. And be some sort of change in the face of all of this destruction.

Today we talk to Binka, co-founder of Iracambi, a Brazilian organization working to make the conservation of the Atlantic Rainforest more attractive than its destruction.

You will learn things you didn’t know about the state of the rainforest.

Binka helps paint a very real picture of the situation.

She tells us what keeps her up at night.

But also tells us what gives her hope.

You’ll also learn about how Covid is impacting the communities close to Iracambi. And it’s not what you’d expect.

Learn more about Iracambi here.

In 2006 I was sitting in Sir John Hegarty’s office at BBH on Kingly Street in London. I had come up with the idea and business plan for TIE. But it still needed a name. I had a number of different names to choose from, but I felt stumped.

But, as usual he got me back on track.

Sir John Hegarty is the Creative Founder of the global Ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (known as BBH) and is the world-renowned creator of legendary ad campaigns for Levi's, Lego, and Audi, Johnny Walker’s Keep Walking, the Links Effect amongst many others. John is also one of TIE's incredible mentors.

His Mantra Do Interesting Things and Interesting Things will happen to you is something I personally find so inspiring.

Today, John will inspire you with wonderful nuggets on how to live your best life.

He talks to us about how to find real inspiration in your day-to-day.

We talk about riding the bus.

Sayings that don’t make any sense.

And about his mantra “Do Interesting Things and Interesting Things will Happen to You”.

I am SO excited to announce TIE Accelerator.

For the first time EVER, professionals can get involved with TIE in order to find their inner leaders, without having to be sponsored by their companies. They can boost their personal growth. And be the CHANGE that they want to see in this world.

TIE Accelerator is a community of problem solvers who accelerate positive change around the world. We’ve designed an immersive six-week online professional development program that pairs cross-disciplinary professionals with a social initiative in the developing world.

You can do it a couple of hours a day. And fit it around your busy life.

And it will blow your mind.

Today I chat with Mel Parsey, Chief Strategy Officer at the Global agency B-Reel, about TIE Accelerator.

She talks about the types of leaders that companies need. What the best way to learn is. What is important to her from a professional point of view. What has steered her career decisions. And where she invests her energy and her time.

She brings to life how the launch of TIE Accelerator came about, why it’s important and the vision.

And, at the end, she suggests three questions that you should ask yourself, to ensure you’re heading in the right direction.

You won’t want to miss this episode.

If this sounds like a fit for you, definitely check out www.tieaccelerator.com to apply. We would love to work with you!

Or, check out our info session if you want to find out more.

We have 5 projects to support NGOs in Brazil, India, Syria/Iraq, Zambia, and East Africa that we are determined to fill before the end of the year.

Each project needs 6 people. And once they are filled, the next round of opportunities will only be next year.

So do get in touch soon if you want to have a leadership development experience that you will never forget.

And I'd love to call on all of you to help us get this out to as many people as possible. Please share this and TIE Accelerator with your networks.

Let's change the world!

A few years ago I found myself eating cheese and drinking wine at the Château de Touffou, the castle purchased by the advertising man David Ogilvy in 1966, and still to this day owned by the Ogilvy family after David’s death in 1999.

I was asked by Jon Steel, Group Planning Director for WPP Group as well as the WPP Marketing Fellowship Director at the time, to give a presentation about TIE to a group of WPP Fellows.

Over 10 years I worked with WPP and their Fellows, and today I chat with Jon about our experience working together.

Here I ask him why he worked with TIE for 10 years, paid good money to lose a valued employee for several weeks, and why the risk paid off.

You’ll love this conversation.

Jon is one of the most influential Strategic Planners of our time. Not only will he inspire you, get you thinking in a different way, and leave you wanting more.

But he'll also reveal the secret to the success of his star employees.

Enjoy!

And if you do want to continue feeling inspired by Jon, I can’t recommend enough his books ‘Truth Lies and Advertising’ and ‘Perfect Pitch’. I often find myself using examples from them in conversations.

Imagine growing up and only reading stories that have absolutely nothing to do with your reality.

The way the houses are. How the people look. The customs, the food, the traditions. The climate.

Most children in Africa don’t have access to books that tell stories they can relate to.

African children, if they have access to books at all, read about culture and life in the West, where the majority of the books come from.

Deborah, Co-Founder and CEO of the Golden Baobab Prize in Accra Ghana, was determined to change that.

The Golden Baobab Prize is a literary award that addresses the issue of insufficient quality children’s books in Africa by discovering, nurturing and celebrating promising writers of African children’s literature. They are driven to their work by various factors. One of these is the grim statistic about children’s literature in Africa. UNESCO’s basic principle, “full and equal opportunities in education for all,” remains unattained.

Deborah dreams of seeing a world filled with wonder and possibilities, one African children’s story at a time.

On this episode, I wanted to bring you guys a little bit behind the scenes on what happens on TIE and help you see how powerful it is to bring together skills from the social and private sectors.

Here I’m chatting with Deborah, the Co-Founder and CEO of the Golden Baobab Prize and Cameron, from the & partnership in New York, who is working with them on our TIE Advisor program, to help them navigate this difficult and uncertain moment, all the while getting leadership experience and exercising a different skill set.

I also thought that it was a good opportunity for us to check in with Ghana and see how things are evolving on the COVID front. So I thought you guys would find that quite interesting as well.

So grab your favorite beverage, have a listen, and please do let us know what you think!

In this (first-ever) episode of the TIE Unearthed Podcast I thought that I’d kick things off with the backstory of why and how this all came together.