This week, I’m joined by Kate Thrumble, SVP and Head of People and Experience at VaynerMedia – a creative agency where leadership is lived out daily in real, human ways. In this episode, Kate shares what it means to lead not with the weight of being the “log”, but as the kindling – the spark that ignites others.

We talk candidly about feedback, connection, culture, performance and the sweet spot between kindness and accountability. Kate brings such clarity to what I often see muddied in corporate rhetoric: how the "ordinary things done well" truly are the markers of extra-Ordinary leadership.

From practical tools like quarterly reviews and personality insights, to the deeper philosophical shifts required to build businesses that feel like spring – full of light, momentum and growth – this conversation is rich with wisdom and grounded honesty. We also explore what it takes to create a happy, high-performing team, how Vayner Media balances business with deep respect for people, and what they call the marriage of the honey and the empire.

Inside This Episode:

• What extra-Ordinary leadership really means
• Why the "little things" done consistently create the biggest impact
• The relationship between happiness and high performance
• Feedback as a normal rhythm, not a big scary ‘thing’
• The shift from annual reviews to quarterly check-ins
• Using tools and coaching styles to build culture
• Creating ‘spring-like’ businesses where people thrive
• The art of kind candour and the analogy of the lob, the loiter and the lasso
• How Kate defines the role of experience in people leadership
• Being the kindling, not the log – a beautiful metaphor for modern leadership

Mentions & Links:

VaynerMedia – Creative & Media Agency

Insights Discovery (personality profiling tool)

Performance Climate System (team performance tool)

My Book – The extra-Ordinary Leader: 12 Tactics for Finding Your Extra in Business, Leadership, and Life