I recently went one on one with Nicolle Pangis, CEO of Ampersand.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Nicolle: I grew up in a very strict, very religious, and very culturally Greek household. My family immigrated here from Greece and my father grew up in the projects in the Bronx. Life was centered around three major principles: working hard, being a good Greek Orthodox (which meant being in church more days of the week than not growing up), and keeping family at the center. 

I was a latchkey kid, so from early on I learned to take care of myself earlier than my years probably should have allowed. I made myself meals, got my homework done, got myself to my softball practices, etc., with pretty much no oversight or reminders from my parents. And due to this and some other experiences, one of my biggest strengths is my ability to persevere in most any situation. I have grit. 

As I grew older, a couple of teachers ‘saw’ something in me and really pushed my confidence further than it otherwise would have been. Notably, a creative writing teacher in middle school and my freshman year college rhetoric teacher. Both made me feel very seen, smart, and valued. I keep in touch with both of them today and am proud to call both of them dear friends.

When a family health situation happened as I was going into what should have been my junior year of college, I got into my car after being unable to locate my college counselor for help by phone, drove to Boston University where I attended, found a random school counselor and figured out a way to finish my college coursework a year early so I could back home to help my family. That experience, or sequence of experiences, pushed me into adulthood quickly and was a year of extreme growth for sure.

And, I had some really tremendous professional leaders who shaped a lot of my career trajectory and some of my leadership style. I won’t name them here, but I have been incredibly blessed with amazing bosses and colleagues for much of my career. They helped me grow in so many ways, not just professionally but also personally.

Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?

Nicolle:

1. Find people to work with and build with. Ideally, people who complement your skills, not people who mirror them. And besides technical skills, you ideally would like to grab a coffee or meal with them, too. We spend a good amount of time working with and communicating with these key team members. If you don’t work well together, it can make the days long.

2. Create a plan, knowing that everything in your plan will most certainly not unfold as you expect it to. Revisit it regularly and especially if major changes that may impact the plan (for example, whether one biggest competitor is being bought or a macroeconomic situation that unfolded that may impact revenue in the short and medium term.

3. Be VERY data-driven. It’s easy to get caught up in the narratives of the day-to-day. It’s great if you win a big account, but what if your churn rate on your current clients is growing quarter over quarter?  Do an audit each year on what metrics are really going to create long-term growth and health and focus furiously on those data points.

4. Tell your story simply and clearly. What makes you valuable to your customer base? Why should they choose you?  Do not use jargon, do not overcomplicate. Determine your story, and tell it over and over and over again. And then tell it some more!

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader?

Nicolle: All effective leaders will create a vision and long-term plan, articulate that vision internally and externally, execute the vision, and empower their team members. But it is those leaders who do all these things in their own personal, authentic way that are the leaders who are most human, and thus the most inspiring. Authentic leadership is overused nowadays, but to me it means that you aren’t acting a part.  Of course, all leaders need to be thoughtful, strategic, good communicators. But HOW they do all these things has to be authentic.

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Nicolle: Become a student of yourself and of those around you. I’ve become a big believer in introspection and taking time out to think and reflect. But generally, I believe we all need to do more inner work about how we show up in the world, and if you are in a position of leadership, that should be part of the introspection. If you really reflect to be more aware of your weak spots, which we all have, and also take note of where you have unique strengths and amplify those when you can, you will become a better leader a little bit each day just by having this awareness and by practicing. If, for example, you tend to not articulate well what you want from your team, take extra time prior to your team meeting or 1-1’s to write down very succinctly what you need. Slow down when you speak. It’s a small investment of time, that can lead to better clarity for yourself and your team, and highly likely better business outcomes as well.  And when you see others, note what feels good to you and what you might try yourself. 

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?

Nicolle:

• Be data driven.

• Be yourself-it’s too exhausting to play a part who you are not for an entire career.

• Surround yourself with people whose judgment you trust and whose company you enjoy.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?

Nicolle: It’s cliché, but the best teams are those who share a mission and values, but don’t necessarily share the same raw skills. Bring in team members who complement one strengths and fill the gaps where they are less strong, Make sure everyone is clear on the vision and the steps you all need to take to get there.  And when you think everyone is clear, repeat it again, because I promise it takes more repetition than you believe it does. And lastly, make sure everyone knows what their roles are in that vision and in those steps. 

Adam: What are your best tips on the topic of advertising?

Nicolle: It’s been a bumpy few years in the sector, but the brands who stay in it now will win it later!

Adam: What are your best tips on the topics of sales, marketing, and branding?

Nicolle: The companies that invest in people, ideas, and their brand today while others go into paralysis will end up much better off in the end. As Winston Churchill said well, ‘Don’t let a good crisis go to waste’ – we’ve had a few the last few years!

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Nicolle: Don’t send an email when you are annoyed or angry. Write the email, sit on it overnight, re-read the email the next day.  Almost certainly you will send a different email the next day after sitting on it for those twelve or so hours. I promise.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally-recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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