"Entrepreneurs tend to make the biggest mistake of not thinking big enough, as they're held back by limiting beliefs."
Bryan Adams is the CEO and founder of Ph.Creative, a global employer branding agency. He is a prominent employer brand thought leader, podcaster, and speaker, and author of “Give & Get Employer Branding.” Ph.Creative has built world-class employer brands and talent engagement strategies for companies like Apple, Entain, and American Airlines.
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Table of Contents
Let’s learn a little about you and really get to experience what makes us tick – starting at our beginnings. Where did your story begin?
Bryan Adams: My story as an entrepreneur started in 2004 when I was a designer at a magazine when I was 25 years old. I had an awful boss who yelled at me in front of all of my co-workers. I knew I didn’t deserve that type of treatment, so as soon as he stopped screaming, I grabbed my things and never looked back. I started Ph.Creative the very next day, as I knew there were opportunities available to help business leaders create world-class company cultures that help employees love what they do and be happy at work.
Was there somebody in your life that inspired you to take that specific journey with your business?
Bryan Adams: When I was 4 years old, I went to work with my dad one day. He was a manager of a large DIY store and led about 50 people. When I saw him sweeping the floor, I asked him why he was doing it because he was the boss. I’ll never forget my dad’s answer. He said, “Son, I’ll never ask someone to do something that I’m not prepared to do myself, and these people know it because I show them every day.” This concept profoundly influenced my approach to leadership.
When I quit my magazine job in 2004, I heard my dad’s words in my head, and it made me determined to prove I could be successful without being a jerk.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Bryan Adams: Entrepreneurs tend to make the biggest mistake of not thinking big enough, as they’re held back by limiting beliefs. They’ll manage to reach the goal that they set for themselves. Every Christmas, I write a strategic plan, put it in a drawer, and get it out at the start of the new year to review, add more ideas, or eliminate ideas that don’t fit my long-term goals.
When you’re writing a vision statement or goals, my advice for entrepreneurs is to give yourself some space to go back to them and challenge yourself to make them bigger. Sometimes, the bigger they are, the easier they are, so there’s a compound effect of what you end up achieving. I’ve seen this tactic play out many times in my career.
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Bryan Adams: My brand of resilience is that when something doesn’t go the way I expected, I register it as a learning moment to move forward instead of labeling it as a failure. I never expect things to be easy as an entrepreneur because if you think it will be easy, you’re in for a bitter disappointment. I set the expectation for myself each day that it will be a challenge so that when I get up each day and things go right, I’m delighted by it. I have a knack for being able to quickly brush off losses or disappointments. I don’t remember the sales we lost, and it’s water off a duck’s back.
When you think of your company, 5 years from now, what do you see?
Bryan Adams: I see an organization that is renowned for changing the way people define and approach employer branding. I want to be a part of an organization that plays a small role in elevating the importance and priority of employer brand, bringing it closer to primary business strategy than it’s ever been. I also want to see my team flourish as leaders, growing their careers and scaling what we believe. We’re the “Defenders of Happiness,” which is a lofty reputation to live up to, but we’re determined that we can.
Delegating is part of being a great leader, but what have you found helpful to get your managers to become valiant leaders as well?
Bryan Adams: At Ph.Creative, we have a flat organizational structure where team members want to collaborate and embrace challenges together. We meet quarterly to discuss, plan, and refine our performance. I approach leadership by focusing on taking a supportive role, so I want my team members to bring potential solutions to me when discussing the issues they’re facing. I find that it’s less about delegation and more about shared responsibility and accountability.
What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Bryan Adams: I wish I had known earlier that personal branding is not so much a good priority but more a consequence of deliberately and consistently doing small things each day to form a coherent and cohesive picture of who you are and what you bring to the world. If your primary intention is to build a personal brand, you’ll likely fail.
For example, when you meet kids who say, “When I grow up, I want to be famous,” it irks me. I find that the kids who say they want to be famous for a specific reason are more authentic and have a better chance of achieving that goal because it’s more tangible and meaningful.
Before determining your brand, it’s important to think carefully about what you want to be known for and whether it’s something you’re going to be proud of in the next five, 10, or 20 years. Plus, determine whether you can scale it. Once it is defined and you can put yourself out there, it’s essential to share your expertise or knowledge with others in the industry. A large part of my brand is that I try to give generously with ideas and thoughts. If I have an idea, I like to share it with others outside of my agency, which I think contributes to my personal brand, but the irony is that I get so much more in return from feedback validation or challenge.
What’s your favorite leadership style and why?
Bryan Adams: My leadership style focuses on giving people a reputation to live up to and providing them with the space to grow, learn, and rise to the challenges I have set for them. It allows me to resume my default position of supporting them, which I enjoy, as I get to watch people grow around me and surprise themselves with what they’re capable of.
What would you say is the main difference between starting a business at the time you started yours and starting the business in today’s age?
Bryan Adams: As the world changes, technology advances and communications mature. People have an instant global reach with far more opportunities and possibilities at their fingertips than when I started my business in 2004. However, that doesn’t mean it’s easier now — quite the opposite. I think today’s world is moving much faster than just a few years ago. Today, you have to hit the ground running with focus, strategy expertise, and funding — none of which I had when I started.
What’s your favorite “leadership” quote and how has it affected the way you implement your leadership style?
Bryan Adams: “Your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has! Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one!” — Doc Brown in “Back to the Future Part III.”
I enjoy this quote because it reminds me that I have a lot of control in the decisions I make for myself and my employees in how I run the day-to-day of my business.
Recently, I decided to act and change something in my business that I had ignored or deprioritized for years. The result has been profound, and I’m amazed at the difference it has made. It makes me think, “What if I hadn’t finally taken that action?” which then leads me to ask myself, “What other actions have I not taken that could add significant value quickly and easily?”
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Bryan Adams for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Bryan Adams or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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