HAYLEY HINKLEY

What does leadership mean to you?

To me, leadership means being a good mentor. Being able to lead teams with a strong creative opinion while also keeping an open mind and allowing others to own their ideas is key. It also means leading with empathy and making sure people feel respected, heard, and safe. Advertising can be a very demanding industry and a good leader makes their team feel supported. In my experience, that’s what builds a positive work culture but also sets you up to make the best work.

“Being able to lead teams with a strong creative opinion while also keeping an open mind and allowing others to own their ideas is key.”

How do you navigate being your authentic self in corporate creative spaces?

I’ve always been my authentic self and every version of it as I grow. While I try to find the humor in everything, it’s also important to me to speak up about more serious topics like social justice issues and mental health. Speaking up about your beliefs may not be easy, or comfortable or “best for business,” but I’ve been lucky enough to work at agencies who are willing to hear me out and find ways to make things work.

“Speaking up about your beliefs may not be easy, or comfortable or “best for business,” but I’ve been lucky enough to work at agencies who are willing to hear me out.”

How are you approaching the tension between AI tools and human creativity in your work?

This is an interesting one. I think there are a lot of ethical concerns around AI that — if I’m being honest — have been difficult for me to navigate personally. We know the negative impact it’s having on the planet as well as the obvious impact on artists and other creatives. Unfortunately, you need to use these tools if you want to keep up with the industry. It’s also raised the standard of presentation significantly, so it’s come to be an expectation.

For me, I see using AI as a tool to sell ideas, but I never want it to be the finished product. I know you should never say never. Things are moving so quickly that it may end up happening but it’s important to me to empower and support creators and artists to hone their craft and keep humanity in creativity. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have anything for AI to generate in the first place.

“I see using AI as a tool to sell ideas, but I never want it to be the finished product.”

How do you create psychological safety for other underrepresented creatives on your team?

It’s so important to create psychological safety for my team members. I try to speak sensitively and am always thinking about how things may be received by others, regardless of the intent. If an under-represented creative raises their hand on an issue, I do my best to back them and reinforce the importance of the issue to the rest of the team or work with them to find a solution. I always try to lead with empathy and make sure everyone feels heard, respected and comfortable. We need to hear different voices. Especially right now.

How do you recharge your creative battery when you’re feeling burned out?

I like to unplug somewhere quiet in nature, move my body, and try new recipes. Being able to focus on your breath and the movement of your body during a hard workout or even the tactile experience of cooking really helps to reset my brain.