Kindness, Creativity, and Co-Intelligence: Andrew Swinand’s Playbook for Human-Centered Growth (Video)

If you have eight minutes or better yet the full fortyfive cue up the latest Profiles in Leadership episode In it Andrew Swinand CEO of Inspired Thinking Group ITG and former chief of Leo Burnett and Starcom trades ideas with host Jack Myers on what it really takes to thrive in an AIaccelerated marketplace The video is more than a leadership chat it is a masterclass in combining technology empathy and personal wellbeing Watch it and you will leave with a pocketful of practices you can apply before your next team meetingSwinand wastes no time reframing the scorecard amp8220Success is measured not only by numbers but also by impactamp8221 he tells Myers amp8220and the way to get there is to surround yourself with kind smart dedicated peopleamp8221 That conviction isnamp8217t a slogan Since arriving in London last year he has helped ITG more than double its headcount from 1200 to over 2100 while many agency groups are still treading water The fuel he says is a deliberately human culture that attracts talent who amp8220energize rather than drainamp8221 each otherKindness is the cornerstone of that culture and in Swinandamp8217s experience a competitive advantage He recounts how a simple favor years ago helping an entrepreneur without expecting anything in return recently boomeranged back as a multimilliondollar investment in one of his ventures amp8220Good energy comes back aroundamp8221 he smiles embodying the abundance philosophy he now teaches across ITG The story underlines his larger point when people feel safe and valued they share braver ideas and braver ideas move marketsDiversity amplifies that creative velocity Swinand argues that fresh perspectives are oxygen for innovation and that DEI is amp8220not a program itamp8217s how you winamp8221 His own leadership journey was guided by mentors such as Vada Hill Renetta McCann and Rishad Tobaccowala leaders who modeled kindness and opened doors for others By institutionalizing psychological safety he adds you unlock the amp8220white spaceamp8221 where breakthrough thinking hidesOf course ITGamp8217s headline growth also rides on technology specifically a disciplined deployment of AI After leading Publicis Groupeamp8217s creative and production operations in the US Swinand saw a onceinageneration chance to reinvent content workflows at scale At ITG he built a development team that Gartner now ranks for bestinclass digital asset management enabling marketers to version thousands of personalized videos in days instead of monthsYet Swinand refuses to let the tools eclipse the talent amp8220AI should be viewed as a tool that enhances human creativity rather than a standalone strategyamp8221 he says Operational AI organizing unstructured data autogenerating briefs intelligently tagging assets is where he sees the fastest payback not the headlinegrabbing prompts His counsel to CMOs double down on originality build a flexible content ecosystem and teach teams to partner with machines rather than fear themThat partnership demands a new breed of professional ITG looks for people who can read a spreadsheet and a room dataliterate storytellers with emotional range amp8220AI still needs humans who understand emotion and connectionamp8221 Swinand notes because relevance today is defined by how well a brand mirrors someoneamp8217s lived experience in real time When algorithms deliver the mechanics human insight becomes the differentiatorKeeping those humans inspired starts with what Swinand calls radical selfcare Leadership he argues is an energy game amp8220If I donamp8217t protect my own battery I canamp8217t light the way for the teamamp8221 His routine mixes daily exercise mindfulness and a gratitude ritual that opens every meeting The practice is simple Each participant names something they appreciate but the ripple effect is profound meetings run warmer feedback lands softer and problemsolving speeds upMyers pushes the idea further noting that Swinandamp8217s approach counters the creeping amp8220return of bossismamp8221 plaguing many companies Swinand agrees kind leadership is not naamp239ve it is necessary Aggressive commandandcontrol cultures burn out talent just when adaptability is most valuable Instead he champions amp8220conscious leadership trainingamp8221 across ITG to hardwire empathy curiosity and accountability into everyday decisionsThe results speak for themselves client satisfaction scores up employee turnover down and a growth curve that outpaces the category But Swinand is quick to redirect the credit amp8220Our people and the space we give them to be creative are the real growth engineamp8221 he says AI simply removes friction so that imagination can travel farther fasterSpend time with the full video and you will collect more than quotable lines You will pick up a toolkit how to flip scarcity thinking into opportunityfinding how to structure an AI pilot that actually pays off how to design a meeting so it ends with more energy than it began Above all you will feel the contagious optimism of a leader who believes business can scale without losing its humanityClick play take notes and consider this episode your invitation to lead and live with a little more kindness curiosity and creative courage

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Kindness, Creativity, and Co-Intelligence: Andrew Swinand’s Playbook for Human-Centered Growth (Video)

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Jack Myers

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Kindness, Creativity, and Co-Intelligence: Andrew Swinand’s Playbook for Human-Centered Growth (Video)

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