LeaderTalks@Acxiom Amy Elrod

In this episode, Amy continues taking a deeper dive into Acxiom's leader expectation of Lead by Example with a focus on Excellence.

At Acxiom, our goal is to have an unwavering commitment to excellence in everything we do. Excellence means exceeding expectations, for each other and for our clients; striving to be better today than we were yesterday; and going above and beyond what’s asked of us.

This episode features two guests who model excellence to both our external and internal clients. Sheryl Sample, a VP of Sales Operations and Enablement, shares her experience working with teams across Acxiom to enable our client-facing teams to be excellent throughout the sales process. Dave Warfield, a VP of Sales, discusses how he and his team strive for excellence in building new client relationships.

LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy continues taking a deeper dive into Acxiom's leader expectation of Lead by Example. This time, the focus is on Collaboration. Collaboration can be a multiplier because more can be accomplished when we work together than when we work alone. Working together maximizes our diverse skills, experience, background and ways of thinking. Collaboration doesn't just happen within our immediate team — it can happen across teams at Acxiom, with the broader IPG network, our partners and our clients. The challenge, though, is that collaboration can sometimes be very difficult for a variety of reasons. Maybe our goals aren't aligned. Maybe our personalities just clash. Regardless, it's important to find common ground to work through to great outcomes for our clients and for ourselves.

This episode's guests boast 50 combined years of experience collaborating at Acxiom — sometimes even with each other! Sonny Bradley recently joined our Acxiom Executive Leadership team to lead our Solutions Development and Services Tower, and Tim Ward is our VP of Delivery over the newly formed Industry and Tower Optimization group.

LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy starts a series of deeper dives into the leader expectation of Lead by Example. This episode focuses on the first Value of Associates. Our people are our biggest driver of success. Simply put, if we take care of our people, they will take care of our clients, which ultimately leads to success for all of us. 

This discussion features Crystal Floyd, who leads our Engagement and DEI efforts, and Brandy Day, who leads our Financial Planning and Analysis group. In their roles, these two fantastic leaders have the opportunity every day to make a positive impact on our associates and live out our Value of Associates. 

LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Janet Cinfio, Chief Information Officer; Stefana Rusu, Senior Vice President of Marketing; and Kyle Hollaway, Senior Vice President of Products; to wrap up our series on Lead for the Future with a discussion on the competency of Hiring and Staffing for the Future. To successfully achieve our goals and strategies for the future, we have to have the right team in place to turn that vision into reality. 

Hiring and staffing for the future means that we intentionally build a diverse and inclusive team and invest in their development to ensure future success. To be able to hire effectively, you need to build a strong network to help you identify and recruit great talent, but also keep a balance of focusing on your current team while looking to future. 

LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this episode, Amy chats with Joyce Turner, VP Industry Managing Director, and Jason Brown, SVP Industry Managing Director, to continue a series of episodes on the leader expectation of Lead for the Future. This episode focuses on the competency of Strategic Agility.

Leading well requires the ability to look beyond the challenges of today to see and understand future challenges and opportunities. A future mindset is necessary. Leaders who do this well can anticipate future trends in our industry and opportunities, which enables them to develop a compelling strategic plan, all while balancing the future and present with adaptability. 

LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.

In this special episode, Amy chats with CEO Chad Engelgau and SVP of Culture and Inclusion Dr. Femi Olu-Lafe about a topic that is vital to our ability to be successful in the future — psychological safety.

Psychological safety means that people feel comfortable speaking up on their teams and sharing new ideas, taking risks, admitting when they don’t know something — all without the fear of some kind of retaliation. Without psychological safety, innovation, engagement, and growth all suffer, so it is critical to our success both now and in the future. Plainly said, without psychological safety, we can’t achieve our goals. Leaders have a huge impact on team culture, but everyone has a role to play in creating an environment where everyone can be heard and can be their best selves at work, so this special episode is for leaders and individual contributors.

LeaderTalks@Acxiom is edited by Levi Gilbert.