From the casino floors and tourism campaigns of Las Vegas to leading global teams for Microsoft. Along the way, she’s learned what it takes to build culture across continents, lead through constant change, and embrace the strengths of the people around her. Here are some lessons I learned from our chat.
Elizabeth talked about managing teams across offices, countries, and time zones by treating culture the same way you’d treat a global brand: with consistent messaging and shared values. Whether it’s global town halls or one-on-one coffee chats, the goal is making sure everyone feels connected to the same mission.
The takeaway? People can work from anywhere, but culture still needs direction.
For years, Elizabeth thought she needed to become more organized because that’s what managers kept telling her. Eventually, she realized the better answer wasn’t forcing herself into someone else’s working style, it was surrounding herself with people whose strengths complemented her own. This is a great reminder that while it's easy to want to wear every hat, great teams aren’t built from identical skill sets.
One of Elizabeth’s earliest career mistakes involved a beautifully embossed invitation…with the client’s name misspelled on it. Everyone reviewed it. Everyone signed off. And somehow the typo still made it through production.
The lesson stuck with her because the pace of advertising has only gotten…well, you know. Digital workflows make it easier than ever to fix mistakes quickly, but they also create a dangerous mindset that details don’t matter as much anymore.
Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is stop, step away, and come back with fresh eyes before something goes out the door.
