LeaderTalks@Acxiom

In this episode, Amy continues taking a deeper dive into Acxiom's leader expectation of Lead by Example with a focus on Excellence. At Acxiom, our goal is to have an unwavering commitment to excellence in everything we do. Excellence means exceeding expectations, for each other and for our clients; striving to be better today than we were yesterday; and going above and beyond what's asked of us. This episode features two guests who model excellence to both our external and internal clients. Sheryl Sample, a VP of Sales Operations and Enablement, shares her experience working with teams across Acxiom to enable our client-facing teams to be excellent throughout the sales process. Dave Warfield, a VP of Sales, discusses how he and his team strive for excellence in building new client relationships. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy continues taking a deeper dive into Acxiom's leader expectation of Lead by Example. This time, the focus is on Collaboration. Collaboration can be a multiplier because more can be accomplished when we work together than when we work alone. Working together maximizes our diverse skills, experience, background and ways of thinking. Collaboration doesn't just happen within our immediate team — it can happen across teams at Acxiom, with the broader IPG network, our partners and our clients. The challenge, though, is that collaboration can sometimes be very difficult for a variety of reasons. Maybe our goals aren't aligned. Maybe our personalities just clash. Regardless, it's important to find common ground to work through to great outcomes for our clients and for ourselves. This episode's guests boast 50 combined years of experience collaborating at Acxiom — sometimes even with each other! Sonny Bradley recently joined our Acxiom Executive Leadership team to lead our Solutions Development and Services Tower, and Tim Ward is our VP of Delivery over the newly formed Industry and Tower Optimization group. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy starts a series of deeper dives into the leader expectation of Lead by Example. This episode focuses on the first Value of Associates. Our people are our biggest driver of success. Simply put, if we take care of our people, they will take care of our clients, which ultimately leads to success for all of us. This discussion features Crystal Floyd, who leads our Engagement and DEI efforts, and Brandy Day, who leads our Financial Planning and Analysis group. In their roles, these two fantastic leaders have the opportunity every day to make a positive impact on our associates and live out our Value of Associates. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Janet Cinfio, Chief Information Officer; Stefana Rusu, Senior Vice President of Marketing; and Kyle Hollaway, Senior Vice President of Products; to wrap up our series on Lead for the Future with a discussion on the competency of Hiring and Staffing for the Future. To successfully achieve our goals and strategies for the future, we have to have the right team in place to turn that vision into reality. Hiring and staffing for the future means that we intentionally build a diverse and inclusive team and invest in their development to ensure future success. To be able to hire effectively, you need to build a strong network to help you identify and recruit great talent, but also keep a balance of focusing on your current team while looking to future. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Joyce Turner, VP Industry Managing Director, and Jason Brown, SVP Industry Managing Director, to continue a series of episodes on the leader expectation of Lead for the Future. This episode focuses on the competency of Strategic Agility. Leading well requires the ability to look beyond the challenges of today to see and understand future challenges and opportunities. A future mindset is necessary. Leaders who do this well can anticipate future trends in our industry and opportunities, which enables them to develop a compelling strategic plan, all while balancing the future and present with adaptability. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this special episode, Amy chats with CEO Chad Engelgau and SVP of Culture and Inclusion Dr. Femi Olu-Lafe about a topic that is vital to our ability to be successful in the future — psychological safety. Psychological safety means that people feel comfortable speaking up on their teams and sharing new ideas, taking risks, admitting when they don't know something — all without the fear of some kind of retaliation. Without psychological safety, innovation, engagement, and growth all suffer, so it is critical to our success both now and in the future. Plainly said, without psychological safety, we can't achieve our goals. Leaders have a huge impact on team culture, but everyone has a role to play in creating an environment where everyone can be heard and can be their best selves at work, so this special episode is for leaders and individual contributors. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Jordan Abbott, Chief Privacy Officer, to continue a series of episodes on the leader expectation of Lead for the Future. This episode focuses on the competency of Dealing with Ambiguity. To be effective at leading for the future, leaders have to be adept at handling the unknowns without always having the full picture, and then being nimble enough to adjust strategy as needed when new information becomes available or the situation changes. Coping with uncertainty and change and handling risks as they arrive is crucial. While it can be extremely difficult at times, effective leaders push themselves to make the best decision they can in the moment with the information at hand to keep their business, teams and themselves moving in the right direction. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Mike Menzer, General Manager, International, to kick off a series of episodes on the leader expectation of Lead for the Future. Achieving results with your team can't always just be about the now. We need the right balance of getting results today while still setting ourselves and our teams up to get great results in the future. Lead for the Future requires being proactive by building a strong and diverse team, investing in your team's development, and staying ahead of industry trends and your client's needs. Lead for the Future also demands being able to deal with ambiguity while designing strategies with the information we have today and adjusting as needed. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Angie Graves, Senior Director of Data and Identity, and Cherrylyn McCastle, Vice President of Acxiom Workplace Experience, to close out a series of episodes on the leader expectation of Lead For Results. This episode focuses on the competencies of Managing and Measuring Work and Motivating Others. Getting great results requires knowing what you're working towards and keeping an eye on that progress along the way. Managing and Measuring Work means that you are setting clear priorities for your team, monitoring and communicating progress toward your team's goals, and adjusting as needed to ensure key business outcomes are met. Motivating Others is about inspiring others to work to their fullest potential by empowering them, clearing the path, giving coaching and feedback, and celebrating your team's great work. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Laura Murphy, Vice President of IT Operations, and Chris Donaldson, Vice President of Cloud Engineering, to continue a series of episodes on the leader expectation of Lead For Results. This episode focuses on the competencies of Inspirational Leadership and Decision Quality. Many times, leaders are personally responsible for specific results. Occasionally, though, to achiever certain outcomes, we have to be able to inspire others to act. Inspirational Leadership is all about being able to cast a compelling vision and to get others to work towards it. It's crucial to be able to articulate the right path for moving forward, and why it's the right path, so that others will follow. Getting results ultimately comes down to our ability to make high quality decisions. Some of us are more decisive than others. Some of us are less decisive than others. It's important to know when to push forward or when to hold back on making a decision. It's also critical to recognize that, often, your associates who are closer to the work may know more about a situation than you do, and seeking their input is vital. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Don Graumann, Financial Services Industry Managing Director, to continue a series of episodes on the leader expectation of Lead For Results. This episode focuses on the competencies of Priority Setting and Organizational Agility. One key to getting the right things done is the competency of Priority Setting. You set priorities for your team by developing a strategy to achieve goals, communicating that strategy to your team and aligning their work every day to those strategic objectives. Organizational Agility means you know how to build, develop and keep great relationships across the company and with our clients so that you can get the things done that you need to get done. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Shea Heath, Chief Operations Officer, Professional and Managed Services, to kick off a series of episodes on the leader expectation of Lead For Results. Lead For Results means you are setting and communicating priorities and goals for your team, that you're focused on key outcomes, and that you're motivating your team to achieve those outcomes. It's all about helping connect the dots for your team so that they can understand how the work they do contributes to your team's goals, your client's goals and Acxiom's business goals overall. It's also about inspiring your team and holding yourself and them accountable. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Brett Madison, Chief Financial Officer, to continue discussing the leader expectation of Lead with Business Savvy with a focus on the VP and above competencies of Business Acumen and Intellectual Horsepower. As discussed in the last episode, Business Acumen is all about understanding Acxiom's business, our industry, our client's business and really understanding our financial processes and the role leaders play in all of these elements. Intellectual Horsepower means that you exhibit expertise in the areas that you lead, and that you have the intellectual capacity to continue to learn and apply new concepts that deal with complexity, and you use these learnings to impact outcomes for your stakeholders and your teams. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Beth-Anne Bygum, Chief Security & Compliance Officer, and Dave Van Epps, a Senior Director of Delivery in Financial Services, to continue discussing the leader expectation of Lead with Business Savvy with a focus on the competencies of Business Acumen and Command Skills. Business Acumen is all about understanding Acxiom's business, our industry, our client's business and really understanding our financial processes and the role leaders play in all of these elements. Command Skills is all about using your business savvy to take stands when necessary because you understand the implications and risks of situations as they arise because of your expertise, all while maintaining relationships and getting to the desired outcomes, especially when things aren't going to plan. Show Links: Strategic Pause by Don Graumann In Our Weakness We Are Strong by Dave Van Epps The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell Outliers by Malcom Gladwell LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Geri Green, a Director of Delivery in Consumer Brands, and Leticia Kinuthia, a Data Security Manager, to continue to discuss the leader expectation of Lead with Business Savvy with a focus on the competency of Domain Expertise. Developing Domain Expertise means that you have a deep understanding of your area of the business, and you continue to develop your own skills to better lead your specific team and to be a thought leader and strive to bring value to your customers. Show Links: How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less Alive at Work: The Neuroscience of Helping Your People Love What They Do LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Tate Olinghouse, Chief Client Officer, to kick off the series on Lead with Business Savvy. Tate shares his thoughts on why continuous learning is a critical part of leading with business savvy and shares some practical ideas on ways to continue to develop that business savvy. Show Links: Big Little Breakthroughs by Josh Linkner LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Bhavna Godhania, Senior Director Strategic Partnerships, and Jim Bossert, VP in Financial Services, to continue the discussion on Lead with Emotional Intelligence and to focus on Negotiations and Influence. Jim and Bhavna share their keys for successful negotiations, reminding us that negotiating well should be a collaborative exercise—which requires empathy, patience, and good preparation. Show Links: The Art of War by Sun Tzu The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell The Strategic Pause by Don Graumann LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Michael Hannon, VP Sales and Client Management in the Financial Services industry, and Gwen Myatt, Director of Delivery in the Consumer Brands area, to describe the Lead with Emotional Intelligence leader expectation and focus specifically on the competency of Informing. A big piece of managing relationships with emotional intelligence is keeping your team and stakeholders informed through transparent communication. Gwen and Michael share insights on ways to communicate with empathy and strategies to find the balance on sharing information at the right time. We'll hear that trust can even be built in a relationship when the information being shared is difficult. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert. Show Links: The Motivational Toolkit: How to Align Your Employees' Interests with Your Own by David Kreps The Strategic Pause:Stop.Think.Lead by Don Graumann

In this episode, Amy chats with Melissa Metheny VP Sales and Account Management in the Retail Industry, and David Koroghlian, Senior Director for Marketing Technology in Financial Services to describe the Lead with Emotional Intelligence leader expectation and focus specifically on leading with Trust and Integrity. Melissa and David share their experience with building trust with clients and their teams and how to lead with integrity, even when this is difficult. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert. Show Links If by Rudyard Kipling Essentialism by Greg McKeown Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink

In this episode, Amy chats with Chad Engelgau, Chief Executive Officer, and Mary Ward, Chief People Officer, to describe the Acxiom Leader Expectations and how these impact their day-to-day leadership. They also share practical tips on developing each competency. Then, the trio focus on Lead by Example and why it is so important for all leaders — and associates. LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this short teaser, host Amy Elrod, Head of Talent Development at Acxiom, previews LeaderTalks@Acxiom, a new podcast designed to help leaders at every level develop skills to lead their teams, their business, and themselves more effectively. Everyone's leadership journey has its ups and downs, and no leader is perfect; but whatever is happening in your life, today is a great day to be a great leader. Produced by Levi Gilbert.