Anna Wintour
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Anna didn't come to Vogue to run it.
She came to rebuild it.
Her management style honed over the years and now unleashed at Vogue was calculated to create a specific type of workspace that produced exceptional work.
If you've seen the movie The Devil Wears Prada, you might be familiar with what comes next.
She installed glass offices so she could see everything happening, fired people with startling frequency.
and developed what became known as the look, a daily assessment of what every staff member's outfit from shoes to hair.
One assistant described it perfectly.
She would stare at your shoes and work her way up.
She was creating an environment where every detail mattered because she understood that in fashion media, there is no separation between how you look and how you work.
If you look sloppy, your work will eventually look sloppy.
If your office operates with casual standards, your editorial standards will eventually become casual.
She fired constantly.
In the creative business, one person operating at 60% can bring an entire team down to their level.
Excellence requires difficult choices.
She was creating environmental pressure that made mediocrity impossible to hide.
When every detail of your appearance matters, every detail of your work starts mattering too.
Most leaders try to change behavior.
Anna changed the environment.