MPI-CAC Winter Knowledge Share Expands to Two Locations

Lessons in leadership, management highlight Jan. 16 event

Learning how to bridge the expectation gap and utilizing creative leadership was the focus of MPI-CAC Winter Knowledge Share city edition Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago.

The event featured a presentation by Lindsay Charlet, creative director and founder of HUB Collective, a design agency in Portland, Oregon.

At the suburban event, held at the OLC in Rosemont, I presented on leadership for new managers.

Below is a Q&A with Charlet, discussing her presentation on leadership and what they are doing at HUB.

Heather Warthen (HW): What are some of the “different” things you are doing at HUB? What successes have you seen?

Lindsay Charlet: One of the different things we are doing at HUB is allowing people to be fully themselves at work. That includes me as a leader. I don’t hide things from my team. If there is something difficult going on in the studio, I might not go into details, but I don’t hide it. If I am stressed in my personal life, I share with my team that things are stressful at home and it has nothing to do with them. We never really grow up — we all need reassurance and we all need to be seen.

HW: What led you to practicing creative leadership with HUB?

LC: I was uncomfortable all the time as a leader. When there was a challenge, I wanted to run away. It was terrifying. I would weigh my options of fight, flight or freeze and as a leader — fight was the only option. I turned into an angry person and it didn’t align with my values or my personality. I knew I could do better and feel better.

HW: How did you learn to recognize pain points and adjust your leadership style?

LC: It took a long time to begin to recognize the signs before it took me over. I learned that when I started to get angry, I needed to pause until I could get curious. Anger is an amazing motivator signaling that something is wrong. Our bodies are filled with wisdom. I am passionate about learning and understanding what motivates us as humans. Once I get curious — then I can connect with the person, and investigate and learn. It’s moving out of reaction and into responding. It feels much better.

HW: What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned in leadership at HUB?

LC: The lesson that stands out the most is: asking for help. I surround myself with experts to help me with all the things that I don’t know how to do. It’s wonderful and amplifies up my learning, which is one of my motivators. I was an only child and spent a lot of time alone. I now have the permission slip to not have to do anything by myself. It’s magical.

HW: What’s the best piece of leadership advice you’ve received?

LC: My marketing professor, my senior year of college, required this as the last question to every week’s test: “The greenhorn is the ultimate victor in every occasion.” This means if you go in to every situation with a novice’s open eyes and mind — the world will delight in you and share with you everything — ultimately putting you ahead. It’s proven to be true.

About the Author: Warthen is Chief Events Officer for 22nd Century Media, an award-winning media company specializing in hyperlocal content in Chicagoland. Hired as its first employee in 2005, she is a former award-winning journalist and photographer who now manages the planning, logistics, marketing and executing of community events and expos. She is co-chair for the MPI-CAC Marketing & Communications Committee.