2025
Level 5 Leadership: My Guiding Philosophy for Sustainable Impact
Leardership Framework
I've view leadership through the lens of sustainable systems, people development, and long-term organizational success
Leadership Framework
2025
Leardership Framework
I've view leadership through the lens of sustainable systems, people development, and long-term organizational success
Leadership Framework
I began my career as what we now call an “IC” — an individual contributor — in the advertising and promotions departments of media companies and small agencies.
As a copywriter, producer, and editor, I loved the work and learned a great deal. I worked closely with a mix of other creative specialists: motion graphics designers, voiceover actors, graphic designers, sound mixers, and camera people—while coordinating with stakeholders, creative directors, and marketing executives.
Occasionally, this work unfolded in high-pressure, quick-turnaround environments. At MSNBC, for example, I often had only a 3–4 hour window to produce a 30-second ‘topical’ commercial. At MSG Networks and ESPN, both sports entertainment channels, I regularly produced and edited 3–4 minute features scheduled to air the same night.
These “boiler room” settings taught me how to perform in fast-paced environments that demand precision, teamwork, and on-brand decision-making. That period in my career cultivated my focus on repeatable excellence and the creative give-and-take that makes for effective collaboration.
My time as an IC made me a better leader. I have a deep appreciation for the challenges creatives face when given difficult assignments and tight constraints.
My leadership journey has been deeply influenced by a concept articulated in Jim Collins’ seminal work Good to Great: The Level 5 Leader.
What struck me and has shaped my aspirations is that Level 5 Leaders combine two seemingly contradictory qualities: personal humility and professional will—a modest and self-effacing approach personally, paired with fierce determination for organizational success.
I’m hooked on the idea that leaders should strive for, and enable, “truly great, sustained results,” channeling ambition into the company, not themselves.
This “Level 5 approach” has shaped transformative outcomes across my career, from mergers and global campaigns to team restructures. It serves as the compass for how I lead.
I’ve embodied this philosophy in pivotal moments:
In each case, my focus has been on systems, people, and building for sustainable long-term success.
Level 1: Highly Capable Individual
Applied my creative skills and know-how to produce work that has earned over 40 prestigious awards across a wide range of executions. These projects didn’t just earn recognition — they engaged audiences and drove organizational growth.
Level 2: Contributing Team Member
Focused on teamwork while taking ownership of challenges, such as bridging cultural gaps during a merger and collaborating with stakeholders to create solutions that put the user’s needs first.
Level 3: Competent Manager
During periods of rapid growth, implemented multiple reorganizations—sometimes redefining how people work. Always with the intention of creating structures and talent pathways that outlast my direct involvement, including a project management platform rollout for enhanced efficiency.
Level 4: Effective Leader
Let the results speak: $100M+ box office successes, impressive YOY subscriber growth and social platform community expansion (adding 23M followers), high employee retention during transitions, and strong promotion rates of team members advancing across my unit.
Level 5: Executive
As tools, workflows, and the creative marketing landscape evolve — especially with AI innovation — growth and learning will remain essential, both for myself and my colleagues.
Metrics Matter, People First: Balancing quantifiable outcomes with team development ensures long-term impact and cultural strength.
I've view leadership through the lens of sustainable systems, people development, and long-term organizational success
I began my career as what we now call an “IC” — an individual contributor — in the advertising and promotions departments of media companies and small agencies.
As a copywriter, producer, and editor, I loved the work and learned a great deal. I worked closely with a mix of other creative specialists: motion graphics designers, voiceover actors, graphic designers, sound mixers, and camera people—while coordinating with stakeholders, creative directors, and marketing executives.
Occasionally, this work unfolded in high-pressure, quick-turnaround environments. At MSNBC, for example, I often had only a 3–4 hour window to produce a 30-second ‘topical’ commercial. At MSG Networks and ESPN, both sports entertainment channels, I regularly produced and edited 3–4 minute features scheduled to air the same night.
These “boiler room” settings taught me how to perform in fast-paced environments that demand precision, teamwork, and on-brand decision-making. That period in my career cultivated my focus on repeatable excellence and the creative give-and-take that makes for effective collaboration.
My time as an IC made me a better leader. I have a deep appreciation for the challenges creatives face when given difficult assignments and tight constraints.
My leadership journey has been deeply influenced by a concept articulated in Jim Collins’ seminal work Good to Great: The Level 5 Leader.
What struck me and has shaped my aspirations is that Level 5 Leaders combine two seemingly contradictory qualities: personal humility and professional will—a modest and self-effacing approach personally, paired with fierce determination for organizational success.
I’m hooked on the idea that leaders should strive for, and enable, “truly great, sustained results,” channeling ambition into the company, not themselves.
This “Level 5 approach” has shaped transformative outcomes across my career, from mergers and global campaigns to team restructures. It serves as the compass for how I lead.
I’ve embodied this philosophy in pivotal moments:
In each case, my focus has been on systems, people, and building for sustainable long-term success.
Level 1: Highly Capable Individual
Applied my creative skills and know-how to produce work that has earned over 40 prestigious awards across a wide range of executions. These projects didn’t just earn recognition — they engaged audiences and drove organizational growth.
Level 2: Contributing Team Member
Focused on teamwork while taking ownership of challenges, such as bridging cultural gaps during a merger and collaborating with stakeholders to create solutions that put the user’s needs first.
Level 3: Competent Manager
During periods of rapid growth, implemented multiple reorganizations—sometimes redefining how people work. Always with the intention of creating structures and talent pathways that outlast my direct involvement, including a project management platform rollout for enhanced efficiency.
Level 4: Effective Leader
Let the results speak: $100M+ box office successes, impressive YOY subscriber growth and social platform community expansion (adding 23M followers), high employee retention during transitions, and strong promotion rates of team members advancing across my unit.
Level 5: Executive
As tools, workflows, and the creative marketing landscape evolve — especially with AI innovation — growth and learning will remain essential, both for myself and my colleagues.
Metrics Matter, People First: Balancing quantifiable outcomes with team development ensures long-term impact and cultural strength.