Human Powered: High-performing agency & consultancy teams

Trenton Moss: Exited agency founder & bestselling author
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Ready to build an agency or consultancy you’re proud of? You’re in the right place. In each episode, you’ll hear exclusive insights from agency and consultancy leaders who’ve built thriving businesses. Discover how they create high-performing teams and build high-performing and sustainable businesses. You can implement their suggestions in your business and see real results. Hosted by Trenton Moss, leadership coach, exited agency founder and author of the bestselling book, Human Powered.

  1. Building transparency through change & uncertainty - with Rebecca Crook

    26 may

    Building transparency through change & uncertainty - with Rebecca Crook

    How do you step into your first CEO role, make difficult restructuring decisions whilst merging two businesses and still build trust quickly? Rebecca Crook is CEO of MSQ DX, the digital impact company. She leads a 150-person business across the UK and Spain as part of the wider 550-person global MSQ DX group. In this episode, Rebecca shares how she: Learned that first-time CEOs should throw away their perfect 100-day plan and spend far longer listening than actingRedefined high performance around client commercial outcomes - and not utilisation, delivery milestones or agency outputBuilt trust during a major merger through radical transparency, open access and a genuine “Ask Me Anything” cultureCreated unusually high engagement with internal comms with optional all-hands deep dives, team-led sessions and practical forumsHired an AI Collaboration Director to align the business around an AI strategy for its peopleUses office culture deliberately to accelerate learning - especially for younger talent who benefit from informal day-to-day exposure Rebecca offers a candid look at leading through uncertainty, making difficult calls early and why trust is the operating system behind meaningful change.

    34 min
  2. Leading change without losing your people - with Annabelle Walters

    8 may

    Leading change without losing your people - with Annabelle Walters

    How do you transform a 1600-person global agency without leaving your people behind? Annabelle Walters is Global Chief People Officer at Jellyfish, leading the people and talent strategy across 30 offices in 22 countries. She’s helping reshape performance, culture and leadership while preparing the business for an AI-driven future. In this episode, Annabelle shares how she: Defines high performance around impact - and not visibility, busyness or activityPushes leaders to talk openly about change, rather than letting uncertainty fill the gapsTreats AI adoption as a shared responsibility between the business and individual employeesRebuilt performance management to connect individual goals to wider business outcomesExplains why removing line managers created distance between leaders and their peopleUses radical transparency, frequent town halls and open dialogue to keep a global business aligned Annabelle offers a candid perspective on how to lead people through large-scale transformation and prepare teams for an AI-shaped future.

    27 min
  3. Building a business where everyone thinks like an owner - with Alex Willcocks

    14 abr

    Building a business where everyone thinks like an owner - with Alex Willcocks

    How do you build a culture that people believe in - and behave differently because of? Alex Willcocks is Founder and Managing Director of Engage, a 60-person digital agency. He’s grown the business over the past 18 years with a relentless focus on people, culture and performance. More recently, he transitioned the business to employee ownership. In this episode, Alex shares how he: Created three values that are deliberately impossible to copy into any other businessUses those values as an anchor for performance and to shape how people think and actBuilt a detailed competency framework where behaviours map directly back to each value at every levelReframes performance improvement plans as a way to support people back to their best, not manage them outIntroduced employee representatives on the board to improve decisions and remove a “them and us” dynamicRuns the “Elympics” to drive energy, wellbeing and connection - while raising money for local charities Alex shows what it looks like when culture is consistent over time, and how clarity, ownership and shared standards compound into real performance.

    32 min
  4. Building a Best Place to Work - with Jessica Hargreaves Paczek

    17 mar

    Building a Best Place to Work - with Jessica Hargreaves Paczek

    How do you keep culture sharp, standards high and people engaged as an agency grows? Jessica Hargreaves Paczek is CEO of Pretty Green, the creative comms agency behind global fame-making campaigns. She leads a 70-person team and has helped build an agency that’s been named a Best Place to Work for four years in a row. In this episode, Jess shares how she: Uses EOS to give everyone clear accountabilities, quarterly priorities and a strong sense of where they fitTreats people, purpose and performance as inseparable (rather than seeing culture as a side project)Has turned their values into behaviours, giving teams practical permission to take smart risks and give clearer feedbackInvests heavily in team feedback, from CEO one-to-ones to internal focus groups that surface issues leadership might otherwise missBrings talent, onboarding, retention and social impact close together through a heavily resourced people functionRuns the ‘CanCanLion’ Awards, to recognise and reward outstanding ‘less ordinary’ and creative work Jess offers a thoughtful look at what it takes to build a high-performing agency culture - more clarity, more listening, more repetition and a willingness to keep tightening the system as the business evolves.

    29 min
  5. Growing fast without losing humility - with Chris Pearce

    24 feb

    Growing fast without losing humility - with Chris Pearce

    How do you grow 37% in a tough market without letting culture, trust or performance slip? Chris Pearce is Managing Director of Greenpark, the global digital content agency. He’s been running the business for the past 18 months, leading a team of 250 people across six countries during a period of rapid growth. In this episode, Chris shares how he: Defines high performance using the trust equation - credibility, reliability and intimacy Recognises that leaders cast a shadow - and that people copy what you do, not what you say Knows that impact intended and impact felt are rarely the same Uses multi-channel repetition to keep values front of mind across a remote, global team Resists panic hiring during rapid growth, even when teams are stretched and momentum is high Invests heavily in operational rigour, recognising that growth can easily mask deeper problems Chris offers a grounded perspective on scaling at pace - and on why humility and trust matter most when momentum is high.

    30 min
  6. Transitioning & scaling an employee-owned business - with James Leavesley

    4 feb

    Transitioning & scaling an employee-owned business - with James Leavesley

    How do you take over from agency founders and scale the business without losing trust, culture or momentum? James Leavesley is CEO of Torchbox, the digital agency for innovative nonprofits. He leads a 110-person team, having taken over as the agency transitioned to employee ownership. In this episode, James shares how he: Scaled Torchbox from 50 to 110 people by changing how decisions are made, owned and communicated Replaced intuitive founder-style leadership with clear processes, without slowing the business down Took over from long-standing founders without trying to replace them or their personalities Shifted from protecting people in internal comms to being transparent with context, preventing speculation and unhelpful stories filling the gaps Keeps teams aligned using practical frameworks like the SCARF model and the Vital Few, even in a fully remote business Protects innovation from BAU through a dedicated innovation lab, close links to delivery teams and a client co-funding model James offers a candid look at what really changes once an agency moves beyond founder-led scale, and what it takes to keep the business healthy as it grows.

    31 min
  7. Building an ecosystem of brilliant businesses - with Tina Judic

    13 ene

    Building an ecosystem of brilliant businesses - with Tina Judic

    How do you build an agency group that’s more than the sum of its parts? Tina Judic is Co-Founder and Chairman of the independent agency network Tomorrow Group. She founded the search agency, Found, 17 years ago and has since built this into a group of five agencies. In this episode, Tina shares how she: Stepped aside from running her own agency to lead at group level, overseeing and empowering MDs across the businesses Protects the distinct culture of each agency while aligning them to deliver greater group-wide impact Spun out the data team into a standalone business with its own brand - and learnt some hard lessons along the way Acquired agencies and learned why protecting rhythm and culture matters, deliberately keeping each one independent Created group-wide roles across AI, delivery and growth to connect the businesses and drive consistency Anchors impact around four core traits across the group - curiosity, drive, honesty and empathy   Tina candidly explains what it really takes to move from running one agency to leading a group of businesses that thrive together.

    30 min
  8. Leading by outcomes, not outputs - with Zoë Blogg

    09/12/2025

    Leading by outcomes, not outputs - with Zoë Blogg

    How do you align an entire business around a set of outcomes? Zoë Blogg is Managing Director of the search marketing and digital PR agency Reboot. She took over the business from its founders just six months ago. In this episode, Zoë shares how she: Shifted from Operations Director, focused on fixing everything, to leading the entire business Runs two weekly sprint cycles with the Senior Leadership Team, focused on outcomes tied to annual OKRs Shares weekly OKR progress with the entire team, so everyone understands how the business is performing Works to an annual plan - but no longer plans further ahead due to rapid market shifts Uses the 9-box grid to track performance and potential, and to monitor people’s progress over time Runs a weekly client-skills session for all client-facing team members Zoë leads Reboot on a 4-day working week, which has driven clear gains in productivity, utilisation, creativity, revenue and profit.

    34 min
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Información

Ready to build an agency or consultancy you’re proud of? You’re in the right place. In each episode, you’ll hear exclusive insights from agency and consultancy leaders who’ve built thriving businesses. Discover how they create high-performing teams and build high-performing and sustainable businesses. You can implement their suggestions in your business and see real results. Hosted by Trenton Moss, leadership coach, exited agency founder and author of the bestselling book, Human Powered.

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