Hello, and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Every week, this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs and the pages of Inc. and Fast Company.
Do businesses need more designers and writers in their executive ranks? The case for creatives in the C-suite
I am an accidental CEO. I spent 30 years as a reporter, writer, and editor before I stepped into corporate leadership. While I’d managed people and budgets for more than half my career, I always thought of myself as more “right brain” than “left brain,” more expressive than analytical. To be sure, there are quite a few journalists who’ve become CEOs, including my predecessor Eric Schurenberg, Fortune’s Alan Murray, and The Atlantic’s Nicholas Thompson. And it is typical for design firms and marketing agencies to be led by creatives.
But Brian Chesky—a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design—is the rare artiste atop a publicly held company. And Chesky is unabashed in his embrace of creativity. In fact, he told an audience at the Fast Company Innovation Festival last year that Airbnb had grown too sprawling and conventional. Chesky redesigned Airbnb into a leaner, stronger, and more focused version of itself ahead of its December 2020 IPO. He says that once Airbnb became an “entirely creatively led company,” remarkable things began to happen. The company went from “breakeven to $3 billion of free cash flow,” Chesky said during his talk.
ELEVATING CREATIVE LEADERS
I asked Jana Rich, founder and CEO of executive recruiting firm Rich Talent Group, when she thought corporate America might start opening its doors to other creatives at the highest levels. “I think you’re probably at least a year or two out before this becomes more of a true movement,” she says, adding that the prospect of an economic slowdown would likely dampen any enthusiasm for unusual hiring.
That’s a shame because, as Chesky notes, companies can benefit from creativity in uncertain times. “Do you ever have those bad tradeoffs where there’s no good solution? That’s when creativity is really helpful,” he says.
A MODERN APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP
In this changing—and, yes, uncertain—business landscape, Modern CEO helps executives and entrepreneurs find fresh thinking and solutions by sharing insights from Fast Company, Inc., and other sources that explore modern leadership.
I want to hear your thoughts and suggestions about future topics. Please send feedback and recommendations to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. Know someone who might benefit from the perspectives of an accidental CEO? Feel free to forward this email and invite them to subscribe.
Modern reading, listening, viewing on creativity
- Airbnb’s Brian Chesky explains how he nurtures his curiosity and creativity. Listen here
- Can creativity be taught? Yep, researchers tell Inc. Read more
- Meet dozens of corporate types using creativity to help their companies. Read more
- Pixar’s Ed Catmull shares his leadership lessons. An oldie but a goody. Read more
- Strategy–yes, strategy–needs creativity. Read more