Bossing It: It's a Team Sport for Travis Reeb

Travis Reeb is the co-founder of Good Conduct, a creative agency based in Denver, Colorado whose clients currently include The Long Drink, The Honest Kitchen and Pure Kick among others. 

Born and raised in Denver, Travis took to Chicago, Illinois for university where he started his advertising career before transitioning to Los Angeles, California and back to Colorado. His career includes leading accounts both globally and nationally for brands such as Hershey’s, Twizzlers, Infiniti, Hotels.com, The Long Drink, Volkswagen, Halo Top, Voodoo Ranger and more. Good Conduct utilises this big-agency expertise and coastal-caliber creative that turns challenger brands into category leaders. 

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Travis> For me it was playing football (American) through college. You are surrounded by all different kinds of leaders. You obviously have your head coaches leading the team and each position group coach – and then you have the players themselves, with some going about their day-to-day business while others take charge of the team, both vocally and non-vocally.

Football (and sports in general), is a microcosm of the real world, and it allows you the opportunity to learn how to lead effectively through direct experience and learn how to follow at the same time.

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?

Travis> The easiest way to learn how I would like to lead is to look at bad leaders and not do that. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad leaders to learn from. 

The real art of learning is being able to take an objective look at all of the examples around you, and then, like deciding which grapes to eat, take and apply the good qualities of even bad leaders and leave the rest behind.

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?

Travis> A lot of people think that a leader equates to being right. But in reality, the best leaders have the humility to know that they aren’t always right. I think that was the biggest lesson that I learned, and it has evolved over time.

When I was younger, there was a pride I would feel about “being right,” but once I let go of that need to be right, I think I actually gained the space to be flexible and allow room for other, smarter opinions.

This ultimately relieved unrecognised internal pressure to be right and built a more positive external perception, allowing me to lead or guide, more effectively.

LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?

Travis> I’m always wary of the person who walks in and says “I am a leader!” Oh, you are now? It’s a red flag moment to me that this person is not going to be easy to work with if they are parading around as a “leader.” 

Am I a leader? To some, absolutely. To others, probably not. 

Leadership comes about in a situation-by-situation basis, not necessarily as one that wants to be in charge or have power. Ultimately, my job as a “leader” is to help bring out the best pieces of all of us (including myself) to achieve the common goal.

LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?

Travis> It’s a combination of both. Many people have natural traits that make others feel that they are to be trusted, respected, and followed. But that usually needs to be earned through consistency, empathy, and hard work. 

Every skill can be taught. You can be the most gifted athlete, but if you don’t work on it, you will ultimately fail. Same goes for leadership; whether being a leader is in your bones or you have none of it, you can learn, observe, and practice being the best leader possible. 

For some it may be a little harder than for others. Just like if you asked me to touch my toes… it’ll take a little bit.

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?

Travis> Providing negative feedback by far. It’s difficult (for me at least) to tell someone who is trying their best and working hard that they aren’t cutting it and they need to be better.

Working through it is an ongoing process. One coach would always tell us: “Do you know what the biggest room in the world is? The room for improvement.”

With negative feedback – where I’m at today is trying to put yourself in their shoes and supply some things to do to help improve what initially drove the negative feedback.

LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?

Travis> Too many times to count. Some of the instances are because I did fail, whether it was a poor decision, bad direction or something else. Honesty is the best form to address, letting the team know that the responsibility falls on me. Which brings up a great point.

There are also times where there’s a failure within the team. A real leader bears the responsibility showing internally that they have the team’s back and externally that the organisation is one of integrity. And then you work internally to ensure those mistakes don’t repeat themselves.

Have I acted that way 100% of the time? Absolutely not, but that’s what I hope to strive for.

Imposter syndrome is real. I saw an interview with Tom Brady once where they asked him how it felt to be the greatest quarterback of all time. He responded that he still feels like the skinny 15-year-old just trying to prove to his coaches that he is good enough to get on the field. 

I think that feeling is relatable to many people. And that is a good feeling to have because if you feel like you still have things to prove, then you aren’t going to rest on your laurels; rather, you should go out striving to be great.

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?

Travis> To me, being authentic, careful, and considerate are not mutually exclusive. It’s important to have a level of openness with your team as it builds trust and also allows them to be more invested in the work. But at the same time, if you get one of those terrible "We’re going in another direction" phone calls, it’s probably best not to drop the hot coals immediately on the team as well to share in your misery. 

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?

Travis> It’s not in my personality to ask someone to be my mentor, but there were four people who I observed and soaked in their work.

Steve Barry (formerly managing director at Madwell) – showed me how to navigate leadership roles through empathy, teamwork, and kindness, even when the ship is burning.

Bill Grogan (former MDC & CP+B President)— the guy can command a room, in a suit and flip-flops, no less.

Todd Black (football coach and former Bears wide receiver) – drove me to be the absolute best I can be, didn’t accept weak efforts, and would always be the first to defend you.

My dad, John Reeb, taught me through action to always do the right thing in all circumstances, even if it may not be the most popular or profitable. Integrity always wins.

Do I mentor any aspiring leaders? Maybe. I do have some friends and former colleagues that I check in with, and they on me. We grab beers, coffee, whatever, and we chat. I listen and if they want my opinion and advice, I’m more than happy to give them my perspective based on my experience. But as Steve Barry told me, we’re all out here trying to figure it out.

LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?

Travis> Not going to lie; owning a business and having employees is stressful. I don’t want to disappoint people, much less tell them they need to find new means of income due to a tough market. The goal is to develop a plan. Because if you have a thought-out plan, you are working from something and can make adjustments when adversity comes. 

From a personal headspace standpoint, you have to keep a positive attitude knowing that you are going in doing the best you can.

LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with increases in remote and hybrid working patterns?

Travis> The mind is a brilliant thing, which is why working in the creative industry for my career has been so fun and rewarding. Company culture is a big part of that. But a great culture isn’t a stocked fridge, beach cruisers, and a ping pong table – that’s an all-inclusive resort designed for you not to leave. 

To us at Good Conduct, a great culture is defined by the shared desire to make amazing, insightful creative that stands out. If the people that make up a company are aligned and driven on that singular goal – then that’s the culture you need. 

Creativity breeds from being in a shared place, bouncing ideas off one another to continually pressure test and optimise. But just like weight lifting, the muscles need a break to recharge and grow, so we typically work together in office three times a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on what we have going on.

The key is to not get siloed into your own little world.

LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?

Travis> I wish I was a better reader, but I get too social to sit down for an extended time. Being an extrovert, I regularly check in with old colleagues, meet up, and discuss a variety of topics. Listen and observe.

Also, as a Christian, my faith guides how I should (and others) lead and treat people, which is a pretty good beacon as well.