“Give yourself grace,” Ellen Griffin from OMD
Meet Ellen Griffin, Global Brand President at OMD, where she oversees global strategy, capabilities, and service solutions to help OMD’s markets deliver growth for clients, agencies, and its people. With more than 15 years of experience at Omnicom, Ellen previously served as OMD’s Global Chief Solutions Officer, where she focused on transforming and innovating OMD’s model, talent, and capabilities to help clients stay ahead of rapidly evolving industry changes and consumer expectations. Throughout her career, she has worked across complex global brands and helped shape modern approaches that connect full-funnel brand demand strategies through evolving media capabilities.
Ellen met with Morgan James, Content Marketing Specialist at SiriusXM Media, to discuss leadership, mentorship, feedback, confidence, and why creating opportunities for others is one of the most important responsibilities of a leader.
Listen to the full interview below, then check out some of the highlights.
You matter.
Highlight: “No one truly has it together… Give yourself grace, give yourself the space to live your life, choose leadership, choose love, motherhood, relationships. But also demand a lot. Demand a lot from others, demand a lot from yourself in a healthy way, of course. You're an equal… Your time matters, your career matters, your values matter.” - Ellen Griffin
Practice thoughtful doubt.
Highlight: “Someone told me that the best leaders can walk around a situation, and they can see it from all angles, not just their vantage point… I think doubt is what forces us to do that. It allows us to not just take our first instinct and jump to the solution or what we think could be the solution, but instead really walk around a situation. But I call that thoughtful doubt because I do think as a leader, and in a very fast-paced environment, we have to be confident. We have to move things forward.” - Ellen Griffin
Define what great looks like.
Highlight: “Authentic leadership is having everyone experience a consistent version of you. You're not managing up different than managing down…. People know who you are, what you stand for, what you care about. To me, being clear, honest, accountable, and genuinely invested in the success of others is a big one…. I believe everyone deserves to know what great looks like in their job and have the tools, resources, and mentorship to accomplish it. And that's my job. My job is that everyone knows what good looks like. If they're not delivering, my role is also to make sure they know that, too, and to give them every opportunity to be successful in doing that.” - Ellen Griffin
Let people be themselves.
Highlight: “I'm a pretty extroverted individual. If I'm in a room, I usually have a voice of some sort. And I know a lot of people that are so brilliant that aren't the loudest ones in the room, and that's their brilliance. And so, for me, the way I mentor them is I don't try to make them me. There's actually so much power that they're not me—we’re such a good combination. So it's figuring out with each person how to make the best leader that they should be themselves. And there is absolutely not a one-size-fits-all answer.” - Ellen Griffin
Have fun along the way.
Highlight: “Have fun along the way. So many times we are waiting to enjoy something later… Love every stage you're in… Just trying to be present and obviously accomplish big things and go where you want to go, but don't make the destination the only goal.” - Ellen Griffin
Throughout her career, Ellen has learned that great leadership is about far more than titles or outcomes—it’s about helping people grow, creating space for others to succeed, and giving yourself permission to evolve along the way. From learning how to accept feedback to embracing ambition without guilt, her advice is a reminder that success is not about perfection; it’s about continuing to grow while staying true to yourself.
For more inspiring conversations, check out the Pass the Mic page.
