By: Priya Chopra, President & Founder

Leadership has always been a vital quality in business, but perhaps never more so than right now. Right now, leadership is the factor that will determine how companies fare beyond this pandemic. It’s not an overstatement to say that in 2021: Leadership Is Everything.

So, what does leadership actually mean? It’s one of those questions that can be answered a million different ways and all the answers would be right.

Here’s my view: I don’t believe leadership is a quality people have. I believe it’s a quality people earn through their everyday choices.

In short, I believe leadership is the sum of its parts!

Guiding Leadership Strategies

I can say with confidence that this last year has been all about making choices (big and small!) to help move our agency forward amid the pandemic. It hasn’t been easy but I’m proud to say we’ve exceeded our own expectations for excellence, growth and profitability in the last 18 months.

Below are some key leadership choices I believe have helped transform 1Milk2Sugars into the award-winning agency it is today.  I hope they’ll inspire your own journey towards becoming the best leader you can be:

  • Prioritizing Diversity and Inclusion in All Senses: Promoting representation has always been a core part of our DNA but we elevated that commitment to a whole new level with the launch of our global talent management agency, double shot. At 1Milk2Sugars and double shot, we celebrate diversity in all its wonderful forms, from diversity in culture to diversity in thought and opinion. As a company, we believe our diversity makes us stronger and more reflective of the brands and audiences we serve. It’s perhaps the biggest factor in our success.
  • Empowering Employees to Lead and Get Involved: I take pride in fostering a bureaucracy-free environment where everyone’s opinions are valued and where employees are consulted in the decision making process. Doing so fosters a sense of pride and ownership and gives each Sugar a personal stake in our agency’s success. Another hallmark of my leadership style is my lack of micro-management. I love identifying and nurturing people’s strengths and then empowering them to take it from there. I’m more than content to take a back seat and let my team shine.
  • Praising In the Moment & Promoting From Within: It’s human nature to want your efforts to be recognized and rewarded from time to time. This is particularly true in the workplace. I’m a big believer in offering praise when it’s due and not holding back for special occasions. If my team does a great job on a pitch or earns great coverage for a client, they hear about it right then and there. I’m also a firm advocate for promoting from within and think it’s one of the most powerful messages a leader can send that their team’s hard work and dedication pays off. At 1Milk2Sugars, we are proud of the culture of opportunity we’ve created within our organization, evidenced most recently by the five management and account-level promotions we announced in July.
  • Knowing What We Don’t Know and Consulting Experts Who Do: I’ll be the first to tell you that operations and financial forecasting aren’t my forte. That said, I know how vital they are to running a successful business and thus have partnered with experts to help guide me in those areas. When it comes to leadership, one of my best pieces of advice is to know what you don’t know and consult professionals who can shore up your weaknesses. It’s the best investment you can make.
  • Defining Our Mission and Letting It Guide Us: If you take only one thing from this article, I hope it’s this: spend time (and resources, if necessary) developing your company’s mission statement. Don’t treat it as an afterthought; it’s the North Star that will guide your decision making and clarify your priorities on just about everything to do with your business — particularly when unforeseen events, like the pandemic, strike out of the blue. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve referred back to our company’s mission statement when I need grounding on important decisions. Mission statements matter!

This is a critical time in the life cycle of most businesses with return-to-work strategies and post-pandemic planning on everyone’s mind. You’re not alone if you feel overwhelmed by it.

Instead of becoming consumed by what it means to be a good leader during this already stressful time, try instead to focus on making smart and sound choices for the good of your company and team.

Because doing that is the hallmark of great leadership.