Lots of people find themselves managing Digital PR and/or Creative teams without the benefit of previous experience or much in the way of training. In this talk, Hannah busts some leadership myths, shares a bunch of the management mistakes she's made, and the lessons she's learned along the way. This talk was originally presented at the Digital PR Summit, Manchester, in April 2024.

1. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
myths,
mistakes,
& toxic traits
(the leadership lessons I wish
I’d learned sooner)

2. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
hello there :)

3. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
I previously worked
at both Distilled
& Verve Search,
on teams that
collectively secured
22,000+ pieces
of linked coverage
on sites like this

4. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
But I’m not here
to talk about
PR campaigns today :)

5. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Instead, I’m going to be
talking about
managing people

6. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
I’d been in an individual
contributor role at Distilled,
but I had previously
managed people
(both at Distilled & elsewhere)
& I was really nervous about
stepping back into a
management role
I joined Verve as
Head of Creative in
August 2016

7. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
I felt like I’d made a lot of
mistakes in the past,
& I wanted to get it
right this time :)

8. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
So, before I joined Verve,
I decided to make a list
of the qualities I wanted
to embody as a manager…

9. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Here they are:
| elevates people |
| communicates clearly |
| doesn't shy away from difficult conversations |
| consistent | cool-headed | open to criticism |
| measured | intentional | fair | honest |

10. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
She sounds pretty
great, huh?
I didn’t always manage to
be all those things, but if I
was struggling with an
issue, I'd look back at this
list, and ask myself "how do
I deal with this in a way
that allows me to stay true
to my values?"
| elevates people |
| communicates clearly |
| doesn't shy away from difficult conversations |
| consistent | cool-headed | open to criticism |
| measured | intentional | fair | honest |

11. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Most of these
qualities come
reasonably
naturally to me.
They are aligned
with my own
personal values, so
they’re pretty easy
for me to embody:
| elevates people |
| communicates clearly |
| doesn't shy away from difficult conversations |
| consistent | cool-headed | open to criticism |
| measured | intentional | fair | honest |

12. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
But there are a
couple of areas
where I’m
stretching myself!
(I’m not always as consistent,
cool-headed, or measured as
I’d like to be)
| elevates people |
| communicates clearly |
| doesn't shy away from difficult conversations |
| consistent | cool-headed | open to criticism |
| measured | intentional | fair | honest |

13. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Also, notice what’s
not there:
I am not these
things & I think
that’s fine - I’m not
going to try to
embody them.
| dynamic |
| inspirational |
| visionary |
| optimistic |

14. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Don't try to embody a value
or quality which isn’t
true to you…
You'll struggle to keep up the act
which will discomfort your direct
reports, & it'll make you really unhappy

15. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
- Management Myths
&
- Mistakes & Toxic Traits
Today’s talk is in two parts

16. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Part I
Management Myths

17. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
As I said before,
these qualities did
not appear on my
list:
I am not these
things & I think
that’s fine - I’m not
going to try to
embody them.
| dynamic |
| inspirational |
| visionary |
| optimistic |

18. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
But wait…
Don’t “remarkable”
leaders need to be
these things?
| dynamic |
| inspirational |
| visionary |
| optimistic |

19. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
I’m not convinced they do…
Let’s talk about
some of those:
“XX Qualities of
Remarkable Leaders”
articles which pollute
the internet

20. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Here’s an example
of the type of
article I’m talking
about:
.

21. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
These are the
qualities that
remarkable leaders
embody, according
to Tony Robbins:
| extraordinary hunger | compelling vision |
| effective and influential communication |
| brilliant strategist | authentic & congruent |
| absolute certainty | committed yet flexible |
| courage & faith | ability to connect & break patterns |
| unreasonable expectations & standards |

22. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
In fairness,
I’m ok with some
of this stuff:
| extraordinary hunger | compelling vision |
| effective and influential communication |
| brilliant strategist | authentic & congruent |
| absolute certainty | committed yet flexible |
| courage & faith | ability to connect & break patterns |
| unreasonable expectations & standards |

23. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
But there’s a *lot*
of main character
energy here:
| extraordinary hunger | compelling vision |
| effective and influential communication |
| brilliant strategist | authentic & congruent |
| absolute certainty | committed yet flexible |
| courage & faith | ability to connect & break patterns |
| unreasonable expectations & standards |

24. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Sounds like a top
down leadership
approach…
(not really my jam)
| extraordinary hunger | compelling vision |
| effective and influential communication |
| brilliant strategist | authentic & congruent |
| absolute certainty | committed yet flexible |
| courage & faith | ability to connect & break patterns |
| unreasonable expectations & standards |

25. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
& then there’s
this stuff:
| extraordinary hunger | compelling vision |
| effective and influential communication |
| brilliant strategist | authentic & congruent |
| absolute certainty | committed yet flexible |
| courage & faith | ability to connect & break patterns |
| unreasonable expectations & standards |

26. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Obsessive?
| extraordinary hunger | compelling vision |
| effective and influential communication |
| brilliant strategist | authentic & congruent |
| absolute certainty | committed yet flexible |
| courage & faith | ability to connect & break patterns |
| unreasonable expectations & standards |

27. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Delusional?
| extraordinary hunger | compelling vision |
| effective and influential communication |
| brilliant strategist | authentic & congruent |
| absolute certainty | committed yet flexible |
| courage & faith | ability to connect & break patterns |
| unreasonable expectations & standards |

28. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Perfectionism?
| extraordinary hunger | compelling vision |
| effective and influential communication |
| brilliant strategist | authentic & congruent |
| absolute certainty | committed yet flexible |
| courage & faith | ability to connect & break patterns |
| unreasonable expectations & standards |

29. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Does obsessive,
delusional,
perfectionism
remind you of
anyone?
| extraordinary hunger | compelling vision |
| effective and influential communication |
| brilliant strategist | authentic & congruent |
| absolute certainty | committed yet flexible |
| courage & faith | ability to connect & break patterns |
| unreasonable expectations & standards |

30. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
.
This is not a dude
that I want to
emulate

31. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
From my
perspective,
this stuff can get
in the bin:
| extraordinary hunger | compelling vision |
| effective and influential communication |
| brilliant strategist | authentic & congruent |
| absolute certainty | committed yet flexible |
| courage & faith | ability to connect & break patterns |
| unreasonable expectations & standards |

32. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Reading articles & books
about management is great,
but believing everything
you read probably isn’t

33. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Ask yourself:
Is that trait you think
you need to embody
really desirable?
Consider which
“management myths”
you’ve unconsciously
absorbed

34. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Part II
Mistakes & Toxic Traits
(or the trouble with binary thinking)

35. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Raise your hand if you’ve
ever had a “bad” manager

36. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
What do we mean
by that?

37. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
“accidental assholes”
people who don’t display
overtly toxic behaviours,
but aren’t great
at supporting
their teams
“toxic managers”
display behaviours like
aggression, bullying,
dishonesty, harassment,
manipulation,
& narcissism

38. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
beyond awful
(I’m not focusing on this type of
manager today)
“toxic managers”
display behaviours like
aggression, bullying,
dishonesty, harassment,
manipulation,
& narcissism

39. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
This type of manager is
more common
(& what I’ll be focusing on)
“accidental assholes”
people who don’t display
overtly toxic behaviours, but
nevertheless aren’t great at
supporting
their teams

40. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
& yet, I often was
I never wanted to be one of
those “accidental assholes”

41. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Why did this happen?

42. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
I had a reasonably clear idea
of the sort of manager I
didn’t want to be
I think because I’d had
“accidental asshole”
managers in the past

43. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Let me give you an example:

44. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
So, I promised myself I’d
never do that to my team
I hate being micromanaged…

45. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
BUT

46. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
I didn’t want to be one of
those managers either
I also hate those managers
who brag about their
team having
“total autonomy”
(it sounds great, until you realise that
what this manager is actually doing is
using “total autonomy” as an excuse for
their dereliction of duty)

47. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
At various points,
I failed to offer appropriate
levels of guidance and
support.
I became the thing I hated:
the manager who leaves her
people flailing
Nevertheless, I became
an accidental
autonomy asshole

48. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
I was busily patting myself
on the back for not being one
of those awful
micromanagers…
& the whole time

49. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Turns out I’m not
alone in this…

50. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
I’ve often
observed
managers
slipping into
behaviours like
these:
(even though this probably
isn’t the sort of manager they
wanted to be)
| authoritarianism |
| micromanagement |
| totally task-oriented |

51. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Or, they go too
far in the
other direction,
& end up here:
(again, even though this
probably isn’t the sort of
manager they wanted to be)
| democracy at any cost |
| failing to managing anything or anyone |
| totally people-oriented |

52. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
I think we have a tendency to
run too far from the things
we don’t want to be

53. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
We think that
micromanagement = BAD
so we run headlong into
total autonomy…
For example:

54. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Because if
micromanagement = BAD
then it follows that
total autonomy = GOOD

55. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
micromanagement = BAD
therefore
total autonomy = GOOD
But actually, I think this is a
false binary:

56. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
micromanagement =
leaves people feeling
disempowered & frustrated
&
total autonomy =
leaves people feeling
lost & unsupported
This is closer to the truth…

57. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
What if we viewed these
types of behaviours on a
spectrum rather labelling
them as “good” or “bad”?

58. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
The truth is,
neither end of the
spectrum is “good”:
Micromanagement
Ideally we want to
land here
Total Autonomy

59. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
The truth is,
neither end of the
spectrum is “good”:
Most people hate being micromanaged,
but appreciate structure, guidance, and support.
100% autonomy can feel like abandonment.
Micromanagement
Ideally we want to
land here
Autonomy

60. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Let’s look at another
example:

61. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Again, neither end of
the spectrum is
“good”: No one wants to work for a dictator,
but are you being democratic or just avoiding making
tough decisions?
EG Voting on which PR campaign ideas to create sounds fair -
but will we reach the right decisions?
Authoritarianism
Ideally we want to
land here
Democracy

62. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Let’s look at one more:

63. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Neither end of the
spectrum is “good”:
Being too task-oriented means the work produced is great,
but the team are in tatters.
But when a manager is too intent on ensuring that everyone’s
happy, often the quality of the work suffers
& mediocrity reigns.
Task-Oriented
Ideally we want to
land here
People-Oriented

64. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
& when it comes to
behaviours like:
aggression, bullying,
dishonesty, harassment,
manipulation,
& narcissism
I strongly agree - those
behaviours aren’t just “bad”
they are utterly toxic
Many of the articles written
on the topic of management
lack nuance:
behaviour x = “bad”

65. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
…which I don’t agree with
But those same articles often
present false binaries:
micromanagement = “bad”
total autonomy = “good”

66. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
& the behaviours we’re
running towards
If we want to be “good”
managers we need to be
aware of both the behaviours
we’re running from…

67. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
we need to be aware of
our feelings about particular
aspects of management, &
how these feelings might
impact our behaviour
Rather than swinging from
one extreme to the next,

68. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
First I need to
understand how I
actually think and
feel about a
particular aspect of
management:
“I know that I hate to be micromanaged,
& I fear accidentally becoming
that thing I hate”

69. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Then I need to
acknowledge
what’s likely to
happen as a result
of this:
“I’m likely to swing too far in the
opposite direction:
I’d sooner offer no guidance
or help at all, than find myself
accidentally micromanaging people”

70. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Then I need to
check in with
myself (often!):
“Am I offering people reasonable
levels of autonomy?
Or am I just
abandoning them?”

71. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
It’s almost time for me to
wrap this thing up…
Let’s do a quick recap:

72. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Use them to help define the
sort of manager you
want to be
(it’s fine to include some
behaviour stretches but
not too many)
Revisit & revise
if you need to
Determine your own management style
Do not try to embody qualities or values you do not hold.
It’ll confuse your team & make you miserable.
Identify your own
values & qualities

73. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Your list will be
different to mine, &
that’s cool:
| elevates people |
| communicates clearly |
| doesn't shy away from difficult conversations |
| consistent | cool-headed | open to criticism |
| measured | intentional | fair | honest |

74. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Reading articles & books
about management is great,
but believing everything
you read probably isn’t
Ask yourself:
Is that trait I think I need to
embody really desirable?
(we need fewer Elon Musk’s on
the planet - not more)
Notice which “management myths” you’ve unconsciously absorbed
Most of those “XX Qualities of Remarkable Managers” articles can get in the bin
Be mindful of the content
you consume

75. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Consider not just the
behaviours you’re
running from, but also
the behaviours you’re
running towards
Check yourself
(are you over-correcting?)
Try to avoid being an “accidental asshole”
I don’t think it’s possible to never be an “accidental asshole”,
but I do think it’s possible to be less of an “accidental asshole” :)
Beware of
false binaries
(e.g. neither micromanagement,
nor 100% autonomy are “good”)

76. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Thanks to everyone who’s
ever worked with me…
(& I’m sorry for all of the times I was
an accidental asshole)

77. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
& thank you for
listening to me!

78. worderist.com
|
@hannah_bo_banna
Got questions, thoughts, or feelings?
drop me an email:
hannah@worderist.com