OYP Episode 12: Niklas Zillinger

Nik, Creative Director at Publicis Sapient, talks about pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone to maximize your growth and development.

Interview

Ashley Snow - Welcome to the Own Your Potential Podcast, where you'll hear stories from leaders across the globe, about how they've taken control of their career growth and lessons on how you can too. I'm Ashley Snow, and this is episode 12 with Niklas Zillinger, courage teaches you lessons.

Niklas Zillinger - Sure. So yeah, my name is Niklas Zillinger, although everybody calls me, Nick. And I'm currently a creative director experience at Publicis Sapient, in the Cologne office here in Germany. I started actually with a peon 10 years ago, as an front end developer, which I think today we call experience technology. And that probably already gives you a hint that my career Publicis Sapient has been a bit of a journey of constant change and cell free imagination. Because I worked really in different roles, like a creative technologist, and then eventually as an experienced designer. And I also was privileged enough to work in different offices around the globe, including London, Shanghai, and then most recently, four years in Sydney, in Australia, and now I'm back in Germany.

Ashley Snow - Tell us a little bit about your personal brand and how it has evolved or stayed the same throughout the course of your career.

Niklas Zillinger -  I've always been probably a team member that you can rely on, I think I can easily fall in love with a problem and then actually enjoying tackling it, you know, with with a bit of an entrepreneurial mindset. And I think over the years, this has really allowed me to earn people's trust and really build a reliable network. At the same time, I've always had the reputation of a bit of a troublemaker, you know, who who speaks up and challenges statements, even from the most senior leaders. And I would say this is probably where I've evolved the most, you know, and hopefully, so as my brand, I think I'm still not shying away from challenging things and statements. But I do this much more in a facilitating role, I would say, you know, where I bring different perspectives from design technology and business strategy to the table. And of course, you know, that's a, that's a reflection of my experiences and lessons learned that made me realize that, you know, it's not enough for me to just point at the problem or call bullshit on something. But rather, I wanted to really be part of a solution and inspire others to engage as well.

Ashley Snow - What is one achievement that you're especially proud of that you don't often get a chance to talk about?

Niklas Zillinger - The one achievement problem that that also stuck with me the most, because, you know, it triggered the biggest change. I think, for me, it was really when I did my first conference talk about conversational experiences in front of a few hundred people. I mean, since then, I actually spoke on a couple of other events, including being on stage at the Sydney Opera House, which was cool, of course, too. But I think that very first talk, that is really what I'm proud of, because it pushed me out of my comfort zone on so many levels, but it did anyway. So that was really, for me, I think a big achievement, it was actually not so much about the public speaking part, which, of course, was intimidating. It was much more the fact that the talk forced me to actually think about different questions, what do I stand for? What's my point of view? What I'm convinced of in regards to where the world is going? And how I can lead thoughts in that direction? Ultimately, how can I inspire people? Now, to be honest, I don't think in hindsight, I actually don't think that so many people were truly and amazingly inspired by that talk. Because it was definitely far away from a TED like performance. But for me, it was definitely a pivotal moment in my career, because I realized that it, what it all takes to you know, really grow your career and become a leader and really stand for a perspective and a point of view.

Ashley Snow - Do you find it difficult to talk about your personal or professional achievements? And do you have any advice for those who have a hard time openly discussing the things that they're proud of?

Niklas Zillinger - I don't think it's difficult for me to talk about the achievements. The question usually is how do you talk about it? I think people probably shy away because it can very easily start to feel like you know, you're bragging about your accomplishments, putting yourself up there on a on a pedestal or on stage. I think the the recommendation I would have for people to do that is to talk about your role and what you have done to contribute to a bigger outcome into the bigger solution rather than just make it all about yourself, rather make it about the work that you have delivered and how that work has contributed to a better outcome for different people.

Ashley Snow - In what ways Nik have you actively contributed to your career progression?

Niklas Zillinger - The contribution I would say like there are different ways I could think of I think to me, probably two aspects, one of the most, I think, in my career, I've always pursued the skills, I would need to have an impact overall. So I realized quite quickly that it's not enough to you know, only focus on one particular skill set, but I was always interested in in other connecting skill sets that I would need. And then the second way is probably, you know, the the fact that I wanted to always expose myself to really a variety of experiences. And I guess my personality helps there as being a being a variety seeker in general, which as a downside means we usually get bored quite quickly. But I think these are really the two ways.

Ashley Snow - You exude calmness and confidence when you speak. Is there any advice you can share on how to build the skill of self confidence?

Niklas Zillinger - Well, I'm not sure if I could really kind of argue that I've purposefully pursued it. I think it connects back to the story I was talking about when I did my first conference talk. The fact that I just kind of, you know, put myself out there and have the courage to actually you know, stand up and talk in front of a bigger crowd starts to teach you some lessons. The best thing you realize is practice makes perfect.