Today, an interview with Noah Dye, Senior Vice President, US at LEWIS, a global marketing agency.
What makes LEWIS stand out from other PR and marketing agencies?
It might sound cliché, but it’s all about the team. It’s in our DNA, and the basis of our website – www.teamlewis.com. We value heart more than anything. We encourage creativity and experimentation. We challenge the status quo. Collaboration and cooperation are essential. We look at challenges with the collective strength of teammates around the world. We provide an environment where our team can learn and grow. When you put the team and culture at the heart of what you do, everything else will fall into place.
What inspires you as a leader?
I draw my inspiration from our teammates around the world. Everyone at LEWIS PR comes from all walks of life. Culture is more than just a buzzword. I am fortunate to have the chance to work with people from different cultures and communities. Being a leader is more than just mentoring and teaching others., Every interaction with a team member is a learning opportunity.
I’m also continuously inspired by the level of talent in our industry. We’ve made it a priority to seek out talent from non-traditional sources, including recruiting from community colleges, or those with no prior industry experience. Talent comes in all forms and faces; you just have to know where to look.
How have you maintained passion and inspiration for teams while remote?
It has never been more important to understand the individual situations everyone is going through and how as a leader to help the team best adapt.
Flexibility and communication have been key during these challenging times. Consistency in these areas is the most important part. It’s also important to help team members stay in contact with one another. This helps with normal collaboration, but also to reduce the toll that isolation can take on one’s well-being. We do a regular all-hands meeting for the US team. This meeting is not only for team members to highlight the work they have been doing but to let everyone come together, feel connected to their teammates and have some fun.
We also started a program where we encourage employees to nominate teammates for the ‘LEWIS Legends’ award each month. We recognize the fantastic work being done across the agency. We’ve found that this has been an important and strategic element in inspiring teams and keeping spirits high.
The biggest reminder is that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason. It’s more important than ever to listen. Listen to your teams. In a leadership position, it’s very easy to think you have the right answers and react too quickly. However, when you practice engaged listening and work as a team, you’ll find solutions to every challenge.
