Anna Vogt, EMEA Chief Strategy Officer at VML, is sharing with clarity and precision the importance of choosing quality outputs over consistent busyness.

She explains: “Pre-pandemic we didn’t come into the office to sit in 12 half-hour meetings back-to-back,” She adds that far from sitting back, doing laundry and baking cakes, working from home has contributed to a culture - in some parts of the creative industries - where people are being pulled into endless online meetings because it’s so easy. But with very little impact off the back of them.

It is an astute observation in a time when pace setting is at the top of the leadership agenda. Success in an industry where you are required to get up and go again after losing pitches requires momentum. Yet, as a highly awarded swimmer, Vogt understands more than anyone that maintaining momentum requires the ability to manage periods of high intensity with moments of recovery and reflection.

Vogt’s experience as a swimmer, her dedication to training and the relentless focus it requires is a unique lens that she brings to the industry. “Sport has really made me understand the importance of having a mission that gets people out of bed and articulating that mission really clearly and repeatedly,” she explains.

Clarity is a competitive advantage

The reality is that while advertising agencies are in the business of communication, clarity is often missing from the wider marketing ecosystem.

“The most important thing is to never assume that people care or know what you’re talking about,” explains Vogt. She continues: “It takes a lot of confidence to break things down in a super simple way, forgoing temptations to complicate. We often see the obvious as a sign of weakness or laziness. But, for me, pursuing clarity is always a sign of strength.”

This strength is what drives Vogt as a planner. “A lot of the time you are the outsider on the inside,” she notes. This outsider perspective can provide a much-needed fresh perspective in an industry which at times can be equal parts confusing and cliquey.

This is particularly crucial when it comes to working with the nuances of different markets, all of which come with their own cultural codes of conduct.

Vogt, who ascended to the newly created EMEA Chief Strategy role in January this year, is a master of navigating these invisible, yet nonetheless challenging barriers. It is a skill she learned early in life, when she moved to France and joined a French school, despite not speaking a single word of French.

It is this hard-won lesson in adaptation and empathy that has fuelled both her meticulous approach to planning and her generous approach to leadership.

“It is really important to be able to put yourself into other people's shoes. Working in a single market is really very different to working across a region that covers over 30 markets. Your role changes constantly and completely.” she explains.

“You learn quickly not to impose, assume or judge. But you also learn that your difference can add a lot of value,” she explains. An expansive outlook which serves as fuel in a newly created role.

Learning to listen to yourself

The art of learning to listen to yourself rarely comes easily. For Vogt, the experience of chronic back pain really forced her to recognise that if she did not follow a strict treatment schedule, she simply would not be able to function.

“It was physically and emotionally harder than coming back from pregnancy,” she explains. “When you are physically not able to move, there are moments when you simply cannot do the work.”

Yet the enforced radical act of rest has brought with it a fresh perspective. “I still take a lot of strength from that experience, I listen to my body much more,” she explains. “I know it’s a cliché, but health is the one thing that you can’t put off. There are so many other things you can muddle through but if you are physically unable you just can’t.”

Her experience showed her that colleagues are actually a lot more empathetic and sympathetic than you think they will be. “People understand,” she adds.

Transition energy

For Vogt the energy that is driving her in this phase of her career is the joy of doing things differently. “The danger as a Chief Strategy Officer is that you find comfort in a formula that has taken you to that stage of your career, and you simply keep repeating it. But working across strategic functions that span brand, commerce, experience, data, social multiplied by Europe, Middle East and Africa… you really are often starting from scratch,” she says.

This ability to start from scratch has been one of creative rejuvenation for Vogt. She explains: “Having my view challenged on how you do strategy and the role it plays has given me a jolt of energy. About 6 Red Bull’s worth”.

She continues: “What excites me in the future is finding new and unexpected ways to connect our teams, specialisms and regions to brands and consumers.”

Vogt wrote the book on rebuilding, (quite literally she wrote The Rebuilders: Going from Setback to Comeback in Business and Beyond, alongside TwentyFirstCenuryBrand’s Sara Tate.) It is apt that as she approaches this new phase in her career she is passionate about putting the foundations in place for the teams she works with to thrive.

Ultimately creativity is a team sport and for Vogt, when it comes to strategy, the maxim that ‘1+1 = 3’ holds true. “It’s so easy to stick to the tricks and methods you know, but we have to be more outward looking and ensure we have that holistic perspective to our work,” she explains.

It is equally important to contribute to a culture where those outside perspectives are not only welcomed but listened to. With Vogt in the driving seat, this empathy is second nature, underlining that leadership is not just about setting at North Star but about the importance of learning to really listen to yourself and your colleagues.