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Rethink Culture is the podcast that shines the spotlight on the leaders who are rethinking workplace culture. Virtually all of the business leaders who make headlines today do so because of their company performance. Yet, the people and the culture of a company is at least as important as its performance. It's time that we shine the spotlight on the leaders who are rethinking workplace culture and are putting people and culture at the forefront.
00:00:07:13 - 00:01:05:23
Andreas
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening. Welcome to another episode of Rethink Culture, the podcast that shines a spotlight on leaders of businesses people love to work for. My name is Andreas Konstantinou, and I'm your host. I'm also a micromanager turned servant leader over the years who developed a passion for workplace culture. At Rethink Culture, we're on a mission to help 1 million companies create a healthier, more fulfilling culture at work. And our latest project is the Culture Health Score that helps you build a high-performance culture. Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming Tracy Marlow. Tracy is a CEO and founder of Creative Noggin, a purpose-driven marketing agency that provides women with a workplace, with a fulfilling career, and the support of a family-first culture. Tracy believes nurturing women has an exponential impact, as women support so many around them.
00:01:06:01 - 00:01:20:11
Andreas
And she tells me she's an avid horseback rider and a firm believer in the power of the mind through meditation and visualization. So, Tracy, very welcome to the Rethink Culture podcast.
00:01:20:11 - 00:01:22:21
Tracy
Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.
00:01:23:08 - 00:01:36:06
Andreas
So where do we start? I know you're very passionate about authentic marketing. So tell us what is authentic marketing and what makes Creative Noggin special.
00:01:36:17 - 00:02:04:04
Tracy
That's one of the things we're really passionate about. We believe that... First of all, I think most companies, I think it's really important for them to have a vision and a purpose, not only to build a phenomenal culture for them and their employees, but also so that people who might be attracted to do business with that company, they understand what that company stands for and what their real core purpose and vision is.
00:02:04:06 - 00:02:30:02
Tracy
And I believe that it's important to create marketing that shines a light on that vision and that is really crafted in an authentic and genuine way. That ensures, number one, that the customer journey from the moment they see the first ad, right, they see the first advertising all the way until they have interactions with that company
00:02:30:03 - 00:02:53:08
Tracy
is incredibly authentic, and it's never disjointed. I do not believe in marketing that's been sort of crafted in a way to lure somebody based on what this company thinks, like, I know that they want this. So we're going to put this in the marketing. Because if that's not really true, it's going to be a bad experience for your customer.
00:02:53:08 - 00:03:06:17
Tracy
And at the end of the day, it costs way more to attract a new customer than it does to keep your current customers. And if you have authentic marketing, it's going to keep your customers loyal. And so I think that that's really important.
00:03:07:05 - 00:03:13:09
Andreas
Who does that really well? What's an example of a brand or a campaign that's really authentic that you admire?
00:03:13:09 - 00:03:38:16
Tracy
I admire… I think REI does a really good job of that. And so I think does Patagonia. Those are both kind of outdoor brands that really stand for and believe in people getting outdoors. And I think that they've done a really good job of making that come true. You know, ring true in their marketing. I think who they are at their core is very apparent.
00:03:38:16 - 00:03:52:02
Andreas
And then I'd like to highlight the link and understand the link between authentic marketing and a family-first culture. Are the two connected, or are they different sides of Tracy?
00:03:55:04 - 00:04:19:14
Tracy
Yeah, that's a good question. I think there probably is definitely a link because I think that that's something that is authentically true about me, and that's something that I stand for. And so it's something I started my company for, really because I wanted a family first. Like, that was something that was important to me.
00:04:19:14 - 00:04:40:17
Tracy
And so, I created that for myself and then ended up being able to create it for all of my team members. And so that's something that, you know, is something from my heart. And it was definitely part of my vision. And so then I love that we were able to make that come true and we do put that in all of our marketing.
00:04:40:17 - 00:04:50:18
Andreas
And you were telling me earlier that you started your business as a mom. Just as a new mom, I think. Right? So how was that? How was that experience?
00:04:51:16 - 00:05:27:03
Tracy
It was interesting. It was a crazy time for sure. My daughter was six months old, and I just knew that I needed a change. I was working many, many hours. I was working 60-plus hours a week. You know, really building a company for somebody else, basically. And I ended up, you know, I just realized I needed to do something else and that I wanted to have to do work that I was proud of and work that still, you know, stimulated me intellectually.
00:05:27:07 - 00:05:45:10
Tracy
But I also wanted to be there for my daughter. I had been, like, a career-charging woman up into that point. And then I had her, and it was like, oh, everything changed, and my priorities really shifted. So I wanted to be there for her as a mom. And that was a really kind of pivotal time in my life.
00:05:45:10 - 00:06:05:11
Tracy
And then starting a company and scaling that. It's funny because when I started it, I never envisioned it to be what it is today. I think it was really at that time I just was like, well, I just want to, you know, work for myself. And in my mind, that could have just been freelancing. But then, now knowing myself, I realized, like, oh, I couldn't have just freelance.
00:06:05:11 - 00:06:13:20
Tracy
It became, like, it took on a life of its own, let's just say. And so, yeah.
00:06:13:20 - 00:06:33:21
Andreas
And how? Like, how did you change as the company grew? Like, what were 1 or 2 things you remember rethinking or thinking or seeing yourself differently, actually, as the company grew? How are you different today as a leader to that six-month mom?
00:06:34:11 - 00:06:40:20
Tracy
I think I'm so different. And I think,
00:06:40:20 - 00:07:00:12
Tracy
you know, I didn't see myself as a leader then. I just saw myself as, you know, a hard worker. And I think really embracing that role at the helm and realizing that it's up to me to be a good leader. And then if I want to be a good leader, I need to educate myself.
00:07:00:12 - 00:07:25:01
Tracy
I need to read; I need to, you know, attend, you know, seminars and workshops and things like that. And really lean into that role and realize that, I mean, these people are, I mean, these are people giving me their lives, basically, in terms of they're spending more time with me than they are with their own families. You know, coming to work for me.
00:07:25:03 - 00:07:40:11
Tracy
And so it's my job to be the best steward of that that I can. And so it's not about making profit for me. It's about really, it's the whole, you know, it's the whole thing I want to, I want it to be a good experience for them at the same time.
00:07:40:11 - 00:07:50:07
Andreas
What's the job description of a leader in 1 or 2 words, or 1 or 2 lines? What is a leader really supposed to do?
00:07:51:01 - 00:08:27:04
Tracy
I think it's to guide and steward and ensure that something stays on the right path. Do you need to do... Are you good? Okay. I think just to keep something, it's really kind of, I think, like, so, like the captain of a ship. Right? Making sure that it stays on course, making sure that the crew stays safe and that they're, you know, cared for, and that it gets where it's headed. Like, obviously a ship is going to have a port that you're headed towards.
00:08:27:04 - 00:08:36:21
Tracy
And so making sure everybody knows what the vision is and where we're headed, and, you know, that we're all rowing in the same direction. Does that make sense?
00:08:36:21 - 00:08:57:22
Andreas
It makes sense. Totally. I used to see the job of a leader as a manager. I can't even think of myself as being that person. That was a very different person. And now I see it as the job of helping someone else being a leader or become a leader.
00:08:57:22 - 00:09:09:15
Andreas
On the subject of culture… I know you put a lot of thought into a family-first culture. What does that mean? And what's an example of living that culture?
00:09:12:11 - 00:09:38:16
Tracy
Family first is really important to me, and I think it's creating a truly flexible environment where my team knows that at the end of the day, their family comes first. And we believe that; we don't just say it. And so there's times when, I mean, it can be as simple as somebody has a doctor's appointment that they need to take their child to.
00:09:38:18 - 00:09:59:08
Tracy
And, you know, they just can, like, they will message the team. Hey, I'm coming in. I'm going to come in a little early today because I have to leave for a couple of hours to take my child to an appointment, and there's no question about that. I mean, we know they're getting their work done, and it's family first.
00:09:59:13 - 00:10:37:02
Tracy
But it also comes down to the point of there's times when things pop up. We had a woman whose husband had a heart attack, and there was… I mean, nobody... She wanted to try to wrap some things up before she went and my whole team were just like, You go right now. Just leave. We will make it work. We will make it happen, and we will keep things going. We'll go to your meeting. We will, you know; don't even worry about it. Just go. And just. It's really… We don't just say it. Family first. It is. We believe family first. I tell them, you know, we don't... I keep telling them.
00:10:37:02 - 00:10:59:00
Tracy
I'm like, first of all, we are not operating surgeons. We are doing advertising. The difference between blue and green is not going to save somebody's life. So we have a tendency to get really serious about the work we're doing, and our clients take it seriously. We take it seriously, but at the end of the day, it's not, you know, I mean, it's not brain surgery; we can't take ourselves too seriously.
00:10:59:02 - 00:11:17:02
Tracy
I tell them we should be working so we can live. I want your work to enable your life. You don't live to work. I mean, and I tried to actually show them that by being, really, you know, I, I'm not a workaholic. I want to show them that I'm doing the same thing.
00:11:17:04 - 00:11:20:11
Tracy
So I want to model that for them.
00:11:20:11 - 00:11:28:00
Andreas
And I think you mentioned you also care about volunteering and charitable work.
00:11:28:00 - 00:11:54:11
Tracy
We do. Yeah, we do donate a minimum of 5% of our profits every year to causes in our communities that support and empower women. And we also, at least once a year, go and volunteer together for one of those organizations that we support. And I think that that's huge. I think it makes a really big difference to be able to do that type of work together.
00:11:54:13 - 00:11:59:20
Tracy
Because we're not just saying like, that we care about empowering women. We're actually doing it together.
00:11:59:20 - 00:12:03:19
Andreas
What's the impact that you see this having on your team?
00:12:04:22 - 00:12:31:08
Tracy
I think it makes them feel proud that they're, you know, that we're all working towards the same mission. I think it makes them feel proud, and it makes them feel like the work they're doing makes a difference. It's not just making profit. It's not just trying to hit some goals or some numbers. It's actually work that makes a difference.
00:12:31:08 - 00:12:44:13
Andreas
Yeah. Yeah, I remember from our research, I mean, an e-commerce company, an insurance company. You know whose work doesn't really…
00:12:44:13 - 00:13:10:17
Andreas
have an earth-shattering impact to the world, but because those companies are active in volunteer work, whether it is planting trees after a fire or if it is helping the streets become safer by, you know, repairing signage, for example. These acts alone
00:13:10:17 - 00:13:22:21
Andreas
provide such fulfillment and inspiration for employees that they completely change their outlook on what is the meaning of my job.
00:13:22:21 - 00:13:53:23
Andreas
So, you know, you might be working 40 hours a week and just pushing things slightly forward for the business, as everyone does in a large company. But these volunteer work instances might push your inspiration and your meaning in the company so much more, even if they're every six months, you know. It's astonishing how much impact it has on people.
00:13:53:23 - 00:14:02:10
Tracy
yeah, I love it. I mean, I really enjoy it, and I know that they do, too. I think it's… It feels good.
00:14:02:10 - 00:14:08:12
Andreas
And the other thing I know that you do on Creative Noggin is you're passionate about celebrating dreams.
00:14:08:18 - 00:14:35:06
Tracy
We are. Yeah. Every single one of us has a list of our dreams that we make, a minimum of 50 dreams. And we regularly, actually, we work on EOS, so we set quarterly rocks. Our goals. And we also include our dreams in our goals. And we, it doesn't have to be like you accomplish a dream in a quarter, but you might, you know, have like a bite-sized chunk that you want to take out of it.
00:14:35:06 - 00:15:03:11
Tracy
Like we had somebody who was trying to pay off… who wanted to be debt-free. And she was like, okay, I'm going to pay off this credit card this quarter because it's going to get me on the path towards my dream. And we celebrate those dreams. We actually regularly have a regular meeting cadence. And we talk about our dreams and what type of, you know, whenever somebody accomplishes a dream, we celebrate it, and I love it.
00:15:03:16 - 00:15:08:07
Tracy
I mean, everybody shares pictures, and it's always fun. So.
00:15:08:07 - 00:15:12:21
Andreas
What's a case of someone achieving their dream that you can recall?
00:15:13:17 - 00:15:38:13
Tracy
It can be. It's funny because I've had some that seem like one of the ladies she wanted to get into, you know, what is it called? The Toastmasters. And she wanted to learn public speaking. And now she's not only in Toastmasters. She's, like, all the way up to, like, going into the top level of Toastmasters.
00:15:38:15 - 00:16:04:14
Tracy
And so that's been so fantastic, we've been just celebrating that along the way with her as she's been, like, working on that for, gosh, I think almost two years now, and it's been really great. Maybe even longer than that. So I mean, we've had so many different dreams. I mean, somebody who her dream was to go on a European trip, and it was a two-year thing of her carving out, like, okay, I'm planning the trip, I'm saving for the trip.
00:16:04:14 - 00:16:10:17
Tracy
I'm, you know. And then finally she went and did it and shared all the pictures. And it was fantastic.
00:16:12:08 - 00:16:19:00
Andreas
How convinced are you that taking care of your people actually takes care of your business?
00:16:19:05 - 00:16:42:23
Tracy
Oh, I'm 100% convinced of that. I believe that, yeah. I think that when your people really believe that you care for them, they show up every single day, and they give you 110%. I mean, hands down, I think it's incredibly important.
00:16:43:11 - 00:16:51:09
Andreas
Did you have to witness it to be convinced? Or did you believe that instinctively?
00:16:52:23 - 00:17:05:17
Tracy
You know, it's interesting because I've worked for a company where they had a list of… I mean, if you looked at their benefits list, it was all the things, but yet nobody… They have very low morale.
00:17:05:17 - 00:17:07:22
Andreas
Like a pool table and...
00:17:07:22 - 00:17:15:08
Tracy
Oh, they had the happy hours on Fridays. They had the cake for everybody's birthday. They did, I mean, they did all the things, right?
00:17:15:09 - 00:17:40:03
Tracy
And yet the morale was really low, and they had a high turnover. And I would think about that, like, what is it that's missing? But I think it was that really caring, you know, and I mean that trickles down from the top down. And people really know if your company really cherishes you.
00:17:40:05 - 00:17:42:12
Tracy
And I think it makes a difference.
00:17:42:12 - 00:17:45:21
Andreas
And where do you
00:17:45:21 - 00:17:56:19
Andreas
draw a line between caring and being demanding about seeing, like, outcomes and performance? You mentioned earlier an incident with your CPA.
00:17:58:22 - 00:18:18:06
Tracy
I think that I have high standards, and I think that... But I think that I wouldn't say I draw a line. I mean, I think both can happen. I think they can happen at the same time. I think that you can have high standards, but I think the truth is, because of caring for my people, they hold themselves to high standards.
00:18:18:08 - 00:18:39:02
Tracy
And so I believe it didn't even have to come from me that much. They are the ones that are really like, they're the ones who are setting the goals for the company now, you know, we're doing it together, and we are because we're running on EOS, and we're meeting regularly, and we're looking at our scorecard, and we're tracking our progress.
00:18:39:03 - 00:19:04:05
Tracy
We all hold ourselves to that same high standard, and, obviously, I think what's important is that you have to "clear is kind," somebody said to me one time, and I really like that. I think if it's clear what the expectations are and you're tracking against that, I mean, everybody knows, you know, and you're keeping it very clear.
00:19:04:05 - 00:19:26:22
Tracy
And I mean, even when people join our organization, when we're interviewing them, I have a document that I wrote called the Creative Noggin Commitment. And it basically outlines very clearly, like, this is what we stand for. This is what we believe in. And it's things like, you know, we show up on time to meetings, hands down like that.
00:19:26:22 - 00:19:59:04
Tracy
You are not going to be late. I mean, it's just things that is about our culture, which is things that we all believe in that a lot of people take for granted and assume that everybody should know, but not everybody, you know, holds themselves to the same high standards. And so we specifically... It's funny because I made them sign. The people that were my existing staff, I had them sign it, and they actually asked me, and they said, Can you start showing this to people in interviews so that they can weed themselves out?
00:19:59:04 - 00:20:07:17
Tracy
And I said, Yeah, I can do that. And it was they who wanted to hold everybody to that same standard, which I love. So.
00:20:07:17 - 00:20:14:16
Andreas
So have you had a case where you had a tough conversation because people were not holding themselves to those same standards?
00:20:15:00 - 00:20:37:11
Tracy
To be honest now, I mean, we've had people… When I wrote it, it was knowing that we had past, past, really person, maybe one in particular, but we'd had a person or two that had come into the company that turned out, and they did not hold themselves to those standards. And it was things to like, We own our mistakes.
00:20:37:13 - 00:21:01:16
Tracy
That's a simple thing. It seems simple, but not everybody will do it. Some people are incredibly defensive, and they can't say, Oh my gosh, I totally messed up. And so it's just simple things like that. But being willing, you know, to recognize those things. And so yes, I've had to have hard conversations, but those people are no longer with my company, to be honest with you.
00:21:01:18 - 00:21:08:17
Tracy
And I think that I think being clear upfront on what the expectations are really helps to avoid that.
00:21:08:17 - 00:21:17:23
Andreas
And is, I assume, EOS, the Entrepreneur Operating System is part of that fabric of keeping your people accountable, right?
00:21:18:05 - 00:21:21:04
Tracy
For sure, for sure it is a big part of that.
00:21:21:04 - 00:21:32:08
Andreas
And what's the practice we use? Like, how do you remind people? How do you keep people on top of their goals, for those that are not familiar with EOS?
00:21:32:08 - 00:22:00:09
Tracy
We have our regular meeting cadence. So we meet as a leadership team, and they meet in their departments on a regular weekly basis. So we have quarterly goals as well as annual goals, and the annual goals, obviously, the quarterly goals support the annual goals. And then we meet every single week without fail. And we talk and track those. Our progress toward those goals.
00:22:00:09 - 00:22:05:07
Andreas
What's one thing stopping you from doing the best work of your life?
00:22:06:06 - 00:22:32:06
Tracy
I actually feel like I am doing the best work of my life, to be honest with you. I think that the real beauty of it is that I made a point in my life where it's not necessarily me doing the actual work; it's my people. And that's fantastic because it helps me. They share the vision and the strategy and the way, you know, the philosophy, for the way that we approach authentic marketing.
00:22:32:07 - 00:22:38:06
Tracy
And so now, exponentially, we can impact more people than if I was just trying to do everything myself.
00:22:38:06 - 00:22:46:00
Andreas
Do you have a vision for how you want to change the world of marketing like you're changing the world of, you know, empowering women?
00:22:46:19 - 00:23:14:19
Tracy
I would love to change. I would love to change the world of marketing. I feel it's interesting because I think people underestimate the impact that women have as consumers. 85% of buying decisions are made or heavily influenced by women. A lot of times people attribute who swiped the card, and then you say, okay, well, what's the demographic of your buyer?
00:23:14:19 - 00:23:41:12
Tracy
And they'll tell you, oh, 50/50 or, you know, or more male, but then it's like, no, who made the decision. And I think really helping the world of marketing realize the impact of women on the economy would be huge, and it would heavily influence and change the way we approach marketing, because women, I think, align to and are more attracted to very authentic, genuine marketing.
00:23:41:14 - 00:24:12:04
Tracy
And I feel like marketing has… A lot of marketing is not very authentic. And so I think it would also change the way that we show women in marketing. And it would, I think, I mean, I look at it, I have a daughter who's 17, and I want her to see marketing that shows empowered and strong and capable women.
00:24:12:06 - 00:24:15:14
Tracy
And I feel like we have little ways to go there.
00:24:16:00 - 00:24:33:23
Andreas
Coming back to culture, what would you say to a leader who's not intentional about the people, who sees them as functions of a business goal? What would you tell them?
00:24:33:23 - 00:25:08:14
Tracy
tell them that they need to re-, they need to rethink that. I think that your people are your business. I mean, at the end of the day, as a leader or owner you're just one person. Your people are the face of your company. And if you really breathe life into them and you support them and you actually care for them and see them as more than just a worker, I think it can completely change the experience of your customers or clients.
00:25:08:16 - 00:25:29:15
Tracy
And I think that it will help with retention. It will help actually drive more sales. It helps people. I would just say for me, I believe that my truly caring for my people is probably the single largest contributor to my company's success.
00:25:30:01 - 00:25:43:01
Andreas
And is there anything, any parting thoughts you want to leave us with? Like, something you recently read or words that touched you or something you think more people should be exposed to?
00:25:45:03 - 00:25:48:02
Tracy
Gosh, that's a good one.
00:25:48:02 - 00:25:49:03
Tracy
I would say.
00:25:50:06 - 00:26:03:13
Tracy
Probably intentionality. I think that that's one of the things that I… I just finished doing a retreat this weekend. It was a meditation retreat, and it really just…
00:26:03:13 - 00:26:15:16
Tracy
I think it made me think a lot about being very intentional with everything that I do with my life and not… I think we have a tendency as human beings to get into a groove, right?
00:26:15:16 - 00:27:03:02
Tracy
Like every single day you come in, it's like, you know, you drive to work; it's on autopilot. You can't even remember the turns that you took because you're just on autopilot. We go through our day, so much of it, really, not truly thinking and not being in the now and being present. And so I think that that'd be one of the things that's top of mind for me right now. It's just really trying to make sure I'm not living my life that way and being on autopilot. Same thing, different day, you know, but really, we only have so much time. And I want to start being incredibly intentional with everything that I do as a leader, as a mom, as just a person, a friend, a human being. So.
00:27:03:13 - 00:27:46:20
Andreas
I was just reading recently. Time is the most precious commodity we have. And we all have the same amount. More or less. And it's not something you can ever buy. And so the more intentional we are with how we spend our time, like the place we work, the partner that's next to us, our home, the country we live in, all of that, the more intentional we are with being selective about those things that affect how we spend our time…
00:27:46:22 - 00:28:06:19
Andreas
the less regrets we'll have in our old age. No matter how rich or poor or, you know, anything else, time is really how we will judge our existence on this earth.
00:28:07:13 - 00:28:28:21
Tracy
I agree. I think that that's a huge lesson that we should teach to the next generation as well, especially with all the devices and social media and all the things, and really looking at how do you spend your time. Are you doing it on, you know, doomscrolling, or are you, you know, what are you doing with your time?
00:28:28:21 - 00:28:36:15
Tracy
Because when you look back at the end of a week, like, how much of that valuable time did you really use wisely?
00:28:36:15 - 00:28:40:12
Andreas
Exactly. Tracy, where can people find out more about you?
00:28:40:12 - 00:28:57:04
Tracy
You can find me on LinkedIn, I'm on LinkedIn as well as my company's website, creativenoggin.com. I also have a website of my own. That's Tracy-Marlowe.com as well.
00:28:57:04 - 00:30:10:19
Andreas
Tracy, thank you for inspiring us to care more about people at our work. For sharing what makes Creative Noggin weird and special. The volunteering, celebrating dreams, family-first culture, all of that are great learnings for me. For everyone that's been listening and watching, firstly, thank you for giving us your undivided attention. If you enjoyed the show as much as I did talking with Tracy here and finding out about authentic marketing and people-first culture, then do leave us a five-star rating because that's how more people get to find out about our podcast. You can always listen, or if you'd like to watch, we're also on YouTube. And keep on leading and creating a happier but also a higher performance culture for you and especially for those around you. Take care.