“Stay true to yourself,” Chrissie Hanson from OMD US

Meet Chrissie Hanson, CEO of OMD US, leading the agency's mission to create what's next by designing transformative experiences that drive better outcomes for its clients, brands, and people. Chrissie has 25 years of experience working across several industries alongside global, national, and regional clients. Her leadership style shines, empowering her teams to work with an empathetic, effective, and efficient mindset. She serves on many boards, such as the Ad Council, American Advertising Federation, WARC Rankings Advisory, and CIIM. Chrissie has also become a regular industry panel speaker and jury member for events such as Cannes Media Lions, Clio, Shorty, WARC Effectiveness Collaboration + Culture Awards, and more. 

Chrissie joined Morgan James, Content Marketing Specialist, SiriusXM Media, for a special edition of the Pass the Mic Podcast called Mentor Me. They discussed how clarity, hard work, and a positive mindset can change the game not just for you, but for everyone.

Listen to Chrissie’s full interview below. Then, check out the highlights from the conversation.

Focus on what you can, let go of the rest.

Highlight: “I think this career can be such a rewarding and fulfilling one if you are true to yourself, to your own priorities, and if you seek out the people who make you feel good about you. I think I would do that. Life is sometimes simpler than we all think. So enjoy it, and manage your time well. And remember to focus on what you can do and let go of the rest.” - Chrissie Hanson

Make the best out of every moment. 

Highlight: “I think if you take every experience, as much as possible, even the negative ones, you can make them really positive. Because the learning for you might be, ‘I won't do it that way, I'll do it in a different way. I won’t guide in that way. I have a different path or a way of expressing things because I want to be a better leader. I want to be the leader that I didn't have.’ I think when you go into a situation thinking, ‘I'm gonna make the best out of it,’ even if it's a great situation, well, then I'll enjoy it. And if it’s not a positive one, how will I learn from it and make the next one better?” - Chrissie Hanson

Do your very best.

Highlight: “Look at every moment as the opportunity to do your very best… I did a role some years ago, and we had a forum where you could present on whatever innovation you had... And I presented. And it was remote, so I didn't know all the other faces. And sometimes I call it 'presenting into the void,' where there's no feedback, no one says anything, no one's emoji goes up. But you do it anyway. And I always had this belief that if I do it to the very best of my abilities, someone will hear. And for me, someone did hear. And it led to my next few significant roles. And I think you have to go in with positive intent. Make the very best of every moment and every connection point.” - Chrissie Hanson

Turn feedback into data points.

Highlight: “When you have confidence in yourself, you go into feedback sessions with more calm. To say, ‘I will know the difference between when I'm going to build upon this, move it into another direction, or listen to it as a data point.’ It's a data point—make it a non-personal-to-who-you-are data point about the work—and then go, ‘Okay, you feel that I'm doing this. Let me do this differently. How can I be more effective? How can I make the work output the North Star for the feedback?’ And then you diffuse it naturally... Make the feedback about data.” - Chrissie Hanson

Be clear about what you want.

Highlight: “Saying how you want to be coached—that might be something I would encourage people to do. So if you like very clear, specific details about style and technique, maybe that's more relevant in the sporting field. But even in work, it may be, ‘I like to receive feedback that is about pacing, how I'm presenting technicality.’ Other people may say, ‘I would prefer the feedback, not right the way through, but right at the end, or every month. And then I want a longer sit down.’ I think perhaps being clear as well about what you want and how you want that information to be conveyed will also be helpful for those who are leading.” - Chrissie Hanson

Give context.

Highlight: “Everyone's tapestry of life impacts how they receive information. You don't ever have that full context. So you hope to give as much context when you have your conversation. But try and be as observant and present as possible so that you can see, ‘Actually, I generally know how this person reacts. This is either a flat reaction or a non-reaction. Is there something in it?’ And if you know that person really well, you can ask in the moment.” - Chrissie Hanson

Chrissie’s leadership is guided by empathy, grace, and understanding for yourself and others. Remember to follow her words of wisdom and live life to the fullest and to the best of your abilities. For more inspirational content like this, check out the Pass the Mic page.

Keep the Inspiration Going