Victoria Gates-Fleming Of Day One Agency: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Lead by example: As a leader, it’s important that your actions match your words. This helps to build trust and respect with your colleagues and boost morale.

As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Victoria Gates-Fleming.

Victoria is Vice President of Digital Strategy & Creative Insights at Day One, a creative agency based in LA, New York and Chicago. Day One is a multi-award-winning agency whose clients include Chipotle, American Express, and Ferrara. She specializes in digital and social strategy with experience across integrated and social-specific campaigns. Her work has spanned sectors including technology, fashion, consumer lifestyle, travel, healthcare, professional services and not-for-profit.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I have always loved art and creativity. I studied History of Art at university but I always knew I wanted to get into marketing or advertising. I was fascinated by great advertising campaigns and how they make people feel and or can change behavior.

After a brief stint client side in a marketing role for my first job in London, I moved agency-side. I was always interested in pursuing agency life — perhaps the opportunity to be surrounded by the greatest, sharpest, most creative minds and the chance to work on lots of different clients. In my roles, I was able to work with a variety of clients in a wide range of sectors from healthcare and travel to lifestyle and technology. I loved learning about new industries, communities and audiences.

In 2018, my husband got a job in Los Angeles and we decided to make the move. I was nervous at the time to quit my job and move to a new country, but excited by the prospect of replacing the rain of London for palm trees and blue skies. We moved to LA in November that year and by the following spring I was interviewing with Day One. The talent and creativity at Day One is so inspiring and I feel lucky to work with some of the best in the business!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

It definitely wasn’t funny at the time, but 10+ years ago I was working on a big campaign that culminated with a nine-foot bronze statue being revealed in central London. The unveiling of the statue was a huge event with hundreds of notable attendees, including people who had flown from as far as New Zealand to be there. One of my many responsibilities in my role as a junior marketing coordinator was helping with the printed schedule (or booklets) so that everyone knew what was happening when. This included speeches and a flypast by a Spitfire and a Hurricane (aircraft used by The Royal Air Force during World War II).

The booklets were meant to be handed out as people arrived, but, the issue was, I had sent them all to the wrong destination (a hotel with the same name that was 20 minutes away). I jumped right in a taxi with a few colleagues to go and collect the boxes and they were handed out later that evening. People were a little confused, but needless to say, I’ve never made a mistake like that again and to this day I still triple check every address!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I’ve been lucky to have a number of amazing cheerleaders throughout my career so far. I have one person who springs to mind though who really pushed me professionally to believe in myself and what I am capable of. Not only was he really inspiring and motivational, but he pushed me out of my depth and made me realize all that I could do. I think that’s such a crucial hallmark of a great manager — giving people confidence in their own ability and opportunities to shine. When someone believes in you, you believe in yourself more.

Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?

Day One is more than just a name, it’s a commitment. The philosophy is bringing the same energy and enthusiasm to every project, every single day. Our culture has always been at the core of everything we do — It’s what makes Day One, Day One. A lot of agencies talk about making content, but we believe stories are what actually break through, and we’ve built our entire creative process around them. Day One offers a highly collaborative environment where smart and passionate people come together to solve creative communications challenges. We proudly say that we are a creative communications agency that is built for the next 24 hours and the next 10 years.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?

When COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic last March, I was in Chicago on a work trip and I remember watching the news in my hotel room. I hadn’t been feeling very well, I was pregnant and I had no idea what this meant for us (my colleagues, my family, etc). From that moment onwards, I never returned to the office as I flew back to LA and we started working remotely. There was no rule book for how to work or manage a team during such uncertain times. Despite the unpredictability of the situation and the fact that no one had the answers, here are a couple of things we did at Day One:

1. Be human first: We were collectively going through such a challenging and confusing global event that changed absolutely everything. We were suddenly locked in our houses and Zoom screens, with many separated from family. It was important to acknowledge the difficulties and give people the space or breaks they needed. During the pandemic, we introduced a great new initiative at the agency — Fresh Thinking Mornings — dedicated meeting-free time each week for people to spend it however they wanted (working out, reading, journaling, catching up on emails etc.)
2. Don’t take anyone for granted: I made it a priority to check in with as many people as I could (virtually, of course) and ensure that everyone felt their contributions were valued. It is important to make sure everyone feels valued and recognized, whatever you’re going through. I always say thank you.
3. Share vulnerabilities: When we went into a lockdown no one really had the answers, despite wishing we did. Creating a safe space for people to share their feelings was so important. I also learned that showing vulnerability as a leader is okay, too. Most importantly, we had to show that we are all in this together.
4. Stay optimistic: Think about what is in your control and what is out of your control. Find ways to spark moments of positivity and channel good vibes. Focus on strengths and solutions. We kept an eye on the big picture and actively sought opportunities to celebrate team wins — big and small. We regularly took time to reflect together and acknowledge how far we had come.
5. Lead by example: As a leader, it’s important that your actions match your words. This helps to build trust and respect with your colleagues and boost morale.

Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?

This last year has been the most challenging year of my life. Working and living through a pandemic, learning to look after a new baby and dealing with the collective uncertainty we have all faced are some of those challenges. I honestly couldn’t have done any of it without the support of my husband. He gives me motivation (and coffee) daily and pushes me forward.

What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?

Being compassionate and leading with empathy.

When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?

Positive energy goes a long way. Leaders must also lead by example, not be afraid to get their hands dirty and get to work on the task at hand. But it’s also important to set boundaries and encourage people to switch off, rest and restore. We’ve collectively been through this seismic event and it’s important to acknowledge that, but find ways to move forward.

What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?

Difficult news is always going to be hard to hear and hard to say, but sympathizing and empathizing with everyone is crucial. Where possible, help find solutions and give people an actionable next step.

How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?

Everyone has been shaken by events of the past two years. We have learned that the only constant is change — and you have to embrace that. When the path ahead is unclear, you have to plan to the best of your ability. Finding ways to put one foot in front of the other and keep teams motivated. It’s important for leaders to be humble and conscious that things outside your control can mean your course needs to change. Leaders must take a flexible approach to planning, being adaptable is so important.

Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?

Be kind.

Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?

Like many other companies, we had to reinvent how we connected with each other and the work, as our business was growing at rapid speed. We not only advanced together as an agency but also individually, by encouraging creative, career and personal growth. We navigated the uncertain world around us, and deepened our relationships with clients, leading to significant agency growth over the past year. But beyond our growth, this ongoing time of worldly uncertainty sharpened our mission to move the world by stopping it in its scroll with stories that earn a place in culture, connect with our people and clients and become ever more agile. And most importantly we will emerge as more empathetic leaders for our colleagues, clients and communities.

Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.

I think I have covered most of these in an earlier question, but to reiterate: be human first, don’t take anyone for granted, share vulnerabilities, stay optimistic and lead by example.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou. This ties back to the focus of this conversation as well as my role as a leader. I try to look at all of life’s decisions through this lens.

How can our readers further follow your work?

You can see all the fun things we are up to at Day One at www.d1a.com or on Instagram at @dayoneagency.

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!