The corner office used to come with an unspoken rulebook. Measured responses. Closed doors. Never let them see you sweat. But something’s shifting in agency leadership, and it’s not just about being nicer—it’s about being real.
Three agency leaders recently sat down to discuss how they’ve moved away from traditional executive presence toward something more human. What emerged wasn’t just feel-good leadership philosophy, but hard evidence that vulnerability drives results.
Genna Franconi leads Guided by Good, Jill Smith runs the Americas for Iris, and Claude Silver serves as Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX. Each has built their leadership approach around transparency and authenticity. More importantly, each can point to specific business outcomes that prove their approach works.
The conversation revealed something important: in an industry increasingly commoditized by AI and technology, the most sophisticated competitive advantage might be the oldest one—genuine human connection.
The moments that changed everything
For Franconi, it was meeting one of her heroes. About 15 years ago, she found herself in a small group setting with Sheryl Sandberg during the height of “Lean In.” Watching the Facebook CEO maintain such tight control, with handlers whispering in her ear and every response carefully measured, left a lasting impression.
“She just looked so miserable and so lonely,” Franconi recalled. “I just thought, I really never want to be like that.” The experience shaped her commitment to authentic leadership over polished executive presence.
Smith took a more intentional approach when stepping into her CEO role a year ago. Rather than having a specific breaking point, she made a conscious choice to model the leadership she wished she’d experienced earlier in her career. “If you don’t have a seat at the table, then you’re probably on the menu,” Smith explained. Her strategy centers on intentional communication and making people feel included, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Silver grounded her philosophy in fundamental human connection. “For me, it’s always leaving someone better than I found them,” she said, referencing Maya Angelou’s wisdom about how people remember how you made them feel. Her approach contrasts sharply with traditional corporate leadership—she remembered a boss telling her “everyone’s replaceable” and thinking, “I would never want to put fear into someone’s head like that.”
When vulnerability drives business results
The impact extends far beyond warm feelings. Silver described a recent client situation where her team worked through a particularly difficult month with a beverage brand known for its toxic culture. The client’s feedback was telling: “Your folks are so nice and conscientious and kind.” This wasn’t just about being pleasant—it was about maintaining professionalism and positive intent under pressure.
Smith highlighted how authenticity builds loyalty more effectively than perfection. When California Pizza Kitchen faced a viral complaint from an influencer about a bad delivery experience, the agency responded authentically rather than defensively. The result? A 25% sales lift for CPK. “Authenticity builds loyalty far more than perfection ever will,” Smith noted.
What independents can do differently
Franconi emphasized that independent agencies can make culture everyone’s responsibility rather than centralizing it in HR or a dedicated culture department. “Every leader, every employee, everyone is responsible for being an arbiter of that and a guardian of that,” she explained. This distributed approach to culture allows for more agile and authentic responses.
Smith acknowledged that scale makes things harder but stressed that the same principles apply regardless of size. The key advantage for smaller agencies lies in Malcolm Gladwell’s “rule of 150″—when you’re still a tribe and know everyone’s name, you can move quicker and communicate more often with less bureaucracy.
The starting point for change
All three leaders agreed: start by listening. Silver recommended beginning with a listening tour, acknowledging to your team that you want to change and asking for help. “You, as a leader, must be able to say, ‘You know what, I get it. I’m old school, but I really want to shift.'”
Smith conducts weekly office hours that are optional and open-ended, creating space for extemporaneous conversation. Franconi made an even bolder move by giving everyone her cell phone number, creating direct access while trusting her team to use it respectfully.
The vulnerability factor proved crucial. Franconi shared how she once told her entire team about her sleepless night dealing with her daughter’s dinosaur fears before a town hall. “I have no idea what I’m about to say. I slept for 30 minutes last night, like, buckle up.” That throwaway moment resonated with working parents throughout the agency who reached out to express how refreshing her honesty was.
What comes next
As the conversation wrapped, each leader reflected on what made their summer meaningful. Franconi appreciated finally having a “real slow summer” to spend with her kids. Smith felt energized by new momentum in her team with a recently hired chief creative officer bringing fresh energy. Silver celebrated both professional progress—finally touching that “culture of accountability”—and personal moments in the pool with her daughters.
The pattern is clear: when leaders show up as whole humans rather than polished executives, they create space for their teams to do the same. The old playbook assumed vulnerability was weakness. These leaders prove it’s actually the strongest competitive advantage you can build.
Learn more
Genna Franconi LinkedIn
Guided by Good
Jill Smith LinkedIn
Iris
Claude Silver LinkedIn
VaynerX
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