Matt Clyde, President & Chief Strategist, Ideas Collide, interviewed by David Kong

The birth of his daughter led Matt to rethink his purpose - ultimately inspiring him to launch Ideas Collide. In our conversation, he shares invaluable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and the most important lesson he’s learned in life. We dive into his sources of inspiration for continuous innovation, his daily habits, and how he strives for work-life harmony. Plus, don’t miss his insights on mentorship - how mentees can truly maximize the relationship and embrace self-empowerment.

Transcript

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Greetings, I'm David Kong, the founder and principal of It's Personal Stories, a hospitality podcast. We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering personal success. Today, I'm delighted to welcome Matt Clyde. He is the president and chief strategist. of Ideas Collide. Ideas Collide is a global marketing agency, full service agency, and they boast many Fortune 500 accounts as their clients. I'm delighted to welcome you, Matt. Thanks for having me. It's great to see you and excited to have a conversation today. Welcome again. Let's start with the founding of Ideas Collide. I read on LinkedIn that you were working a steady corporate job, but then you lost purpose. You started Ideas Collide. Tell us what went on in your mind at that time and how did you find the courage and inspiration to take on the challenge? Uh, the rest of finding, finding your own company. Yeah. My daughter had just been born. I had this very close attachment to a new child and you know what that's like. You have grandchildren, children of your own. And then I was in the grind of one career and left that industry to start a brand new job. And there was just so much transition happening in my personal life that it was hard to balance the demand of the corporate needs and your corporate stakeholders, and then the most important people in your life, your family. And so I was trying to find. a balance to that. And I'm one that doesn't want to underserve anything, my family, nor my corporate job. And so I felt like I had to find balance in one and took a leap by going and saying, I think I can continue to have success in my career. By maybe trying to apply some things I've learned along the way and doing them just a little bit differently and see what that would attract in terms of how I approach marketing and how I approached building a team in a business. I read a statement that said, if you don't love your work every day, then you can't love your life. And I was feeling this anxiety of leaving. My family behind so much was on the road a lot and I just felt like I needed to re center and refigure my career in line with where I really wanted to be on a daily basis. And so that's where I really decided to launch my own initiative. That's quite a big risk that you took on, especially with your family. No real clients. I didn't have a lot backing me. I was just like some ambition and a really strong network of people. So yeah, it was a big leap and not a lot of safety net there. Yeah. We're going to talk about networking in just a minute, but I would like to find out from you whether you've ever. Doubted your decision and have you ever had any regrets? And if so, how did you overcome them? Yeah, I wouldn't say doubt. I don't like to operate with doubt, but it definitely moments of analysis of is this the right calculated risk? Definitely been through that and have to balance the data with maybe some gut instincts to guide you along the way to, to make the right decision. I've been through, I've been through. A lot of my career is you have as well. And many others, I worked in corporate America, worked in the travel and airline industry on nine 11 work through that, and then thought that was very disruptive and then went through the great recession. And that's when I probably had a lot of doubt in running my own business. Cause I was about two years, three years in when. The Great Recession hit, and that was a lot of risk and a lot of challenges that felt overwhelming at the time. And how do you see through all that disruption and change? And then we went through COVID and the disruption and changes of that and how that reconfigured the way we work and engage with our team and our business and our clients. So I think it was overcoming. When those big obstacles hit you, I think you learn from each one and everyone feels, wow, how do we see through this? But I think what it reminds me of over and over again is that human nature is we come together, we figure it out and we move forward. And that's the power too of being an entrepreneur is you can have those options and choices to find different paths to make you find the right solution that's going to work for your business and your. Your organization. So true. And kudos to you. You've built a strong team around you, and no doubt they will have tremendous support to you when you will go through the hardship. But on that subject, how do you find the strength and courage to prevail when things are so challenging? And whether it's 9 11 or the Great Recession or COVID, but they are also setbacks and disappointments, that poses challenges. How do you find the strength and courage to prevail? I think surrounding yourself with great people is one part of that because they are great sounding boards, have great mentors, have great coaches, and they have a great executive. And across the Talent of the team, people that, uh, I can talk to and be honest with and they can be honest back and that helps you find the courage and where you need to show up. I, I do take very personally the responsibilities I hold for my clients and for my team. And so it pushes me to move forward even when. And you might not feel that moment you can do it, but you have to just be resilient and show up because people depend on that. People, whether it's a client who's counting on you to come through with, with work or a team member who's counting on, you know, that for their livelihood or for their career and their ambitions. Uh, I take that very personally to, to show up and prevail. So it's probably an inner strength of. Experience and then really great sounding boards to help move forward. So true. A lot of great leaders that I've interviewed about the same topic. I talk about that inner strength. They feel a need to be strong in order to demonstrate the strength and courage to other people to inspire them. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who find it difficult to let go of the familiar and venture into the unknown? How do they find the confidence to do? Aside from finding the right people to be that strength and system, people that aren't afraid to Give you really good feedback. You need people to help be honest and direct. And we call it candor with care, caring enough to get challenged you on something. So I think that's one piece of it, as I just spoke to. I think the other piece of that is finding that confidence is probably. In the belief of what you're doing and knowing it can make a difference and knowing that you have a solution. If doubt is one thing and seeing through that is another, but I think it goes back to that inner Knowledge of I know what we can do this. You're going to have obstacles and roadblocks every day. That's never going to go away in any type of business. It's how you navigate those and how you respond to those. And that's where you got to draw into your vision. And if your vision is really clear. And your path to get there is clear, you can overcome those. And that's where I would give advice to new entrepreneurs is be clear on your vision, be really clear on your purpose, and be resilient in what you're trying to define and build with great people around you, because that's going to carry you through all those obstacles and help you see through the challenges. And that will help you rise above those. Those big days where there is a giant roadblock and you'll figure it out because you're gonna have the great right team. You have the right vision and you'll have the right instincts to overcome it. So true. Love everything that you just now, what is the most important lesson that you've learned in your career? There's constant disruption and change, uh, around us. And I think the most important lesson is. In the end, it will work out and I've learned that from really great mentors, advisors, and amazing leaders who had that say, you see the calm and resilience and they've had the experience. I definitely saw this from you many times, David, and working and seeing you overcome big challenges and leading forward with vision. And so I think the lesson I've learned is to not panic, ground yourself in those moments of change and disruption and continue to move forward. Cause it will work out. Like if you have a plan, if you have a purpose. And you're going in the right direction, it will work out and not to overreact to keep that calm. And I think it's really important as a leader not to overreact or to destabilize, but to stay really clear and focused. That's probably the biggest lesson I've learned. I've learned it from other great leaders, other great visionaries and entrepreneurs that have shown me that. And when I've ever. taking the opposite approach and maybe gotten a little too reactive or over tried to compensate something usually a lot more headwinds come at you when you start taking that path when you keep that steady and calm, solid belief that it will work out the path may not be exactly what you're envisioning and may not deliver everything you hope, but it seems to run a lot more Consistent amid all those changes and disruptions. So I feel like it's one of the most important lessons I've learned. Yeah, no, it's very true. You have to stay calm and collected and stay on target with your purpose. That's very good advice. Talk about advice. What's the best advice you have ever received? A lot of great people have given me advice over the years. My father was a great business leader and continues to be a great support to me. And I think about things my father. Has told me is to always stay humble, to always remember you have to listen first before you can act, take that time to listen. So I think that's a piece of advice that's been really important in guiding my life and career. I would also say. Not being afraid to take on difficult things. So I had a coach and mentor once that said, what is easy is seldom excellent. There's not an easy path. There's not a shortcut. There's rarely shortcuts, especially in an entrepreneurial or in a business growth dynamic, there's not a lot of shortcuts you can take. So you have to take on the difficult things and that actually. Gives you bigger things that you can go after. And so that's what I would say has been some of the best advice I've had, is not to be afraid of difficult things and stay humble. Wonderful advice. Thanks for sharing them. I especially like that. Nothing great is ever easy. Everything takes work. And sometimes the hardest work is the most gratifying work. Completely agree, yeah. Let's talk about inspiration because I've always been impressed that ideas collide and you always come up with fresh ideas. We're always changing up campaigns. How do you find inspiration to continuously innovate? Creative outlets and innovation. That's my fuel that gets me up in the morning. So I'm always looking for that challenge. I'm looking for how can we influence something differently or in a creative way? So that one is what fuels me. I tell my team this all the time. If you just stand up and look around you, there's a hundred things that could inspire you. You just have to open your heart and your mind and see it. And that could ignite. A great thought, a great idea. And so don't don't close your eyes too much about what's immediately around you, because what you surround yourself with is what will inspire you. And so I surround myself with, uh, you know, my kids and my, my, my friends, my colleagues, and great travel experiences. And I look out my window right here. I see this amazing, beautiful mountain blue skies. The there's opportunity to find inspiration all around us. And that drives innovation for me because I often will stare at something like, how did that get created? How did that happen? And try to maybe analyze it a bit. And from there, I might be staring at a problem at the same time and might find the creative solution to it. So it's the fuel for me, and it's also looking around and being open with your heart and mind and eyes to see what's there to inspire you. Yeah, that's so true. There's so much to appreciate all around us. And you having the curiosity to try to figure things out is also a source of inspiration. Very good advice indeed. Now let's talk about habits. I think good leaders have good habits. I was just curious as to what are your habits and how does self discipline fit into that? Thank you. Yeah, yeah. So important. And anytime I feel in my career where I've gotten off course, usually because I'm not being disciplined about the basics of taking care of your sleep and your mind, your body. I think some habits I have that I try to be very consistent with is To find ways to walk, be away from the work. So whether it's through going and on a long walk, I try and do a long walk with my dog almost every morning because it's, it's quiet and peaceful and no interruptions. I don't look at my email and I try and be really disconnected in that time. And that helps you get energy and just good exercise out there. Also trying to find ways to just be. Be mindful of where you're feeling that stress and stopping and pausing and giving an outlet when that is becoming overwhelming. I found just simple breathing, meditation, doing another long walk, getting away from The stressor even for a five minutes really refocuses you and your body and your energy. And so those are been some habits when I'm trying to listen to my body more. And what is this telling me? Okay. I need to sleep instead of as an entrepreneur. And sometimes you're always like, okay, I'm going to, I'm going to give this another two hours. I'm going to dive in and I'm going to just grind to get this done. Sometimes that's necessary, but. Over the years, it's better habit and better discipline to give yourself the sleep step away from it. And I find myself coming back at it with new energy and can work through it faster. And so those are some disciplines and habits I've put forward in my work and in my personal life. Yeah. Thanks for sharing that. I think we all need to give ourselves some quiet time. And I love what you said about early morning when it's so peaceful and quiet and it's just you and the dog walking. You can do a lot of good thinking during that time. Thanks for sharing that. Now let's talk about networking. You alluded to this earlier, and networking is so important in your line of work. What are your tips on fostering a strong network and how do you instill trust and confidence? Trying to instill trust is to just be genuinely interested in the other person and to really look at it from their needs. Caring and goes back to that listening and still being humble. We have a saying here in the agency. We, we use this a lot in our business development is we're an agency that's been in your shoes, meaning we try and understand what it's like to be on your side, to walk in your shoes that creates empathy and understanding and mutual respect. And so I, in a networking situation. And especially if I'm just trying to get to know people, it's out of a genuine interest, not let me tell you about, or let me sell you on, but tell me about your family or what drives you, what motivates you, or why did you get involved in that? And I think people can sense that and That comes back often tenfold because you're showing true care and true authenticity in the approach to networking and it leads you to the right people to it as you're generally getting to know someone, understanding their challenges, you start to sense how you can maybe the right people to it as you're generally getting to know someone, understanding their challenges, you start to sense how you can maybe Help or be a part of that or refer them to someone that could. And that genuine interest has built great friendships, great connection points. And I think ultimately it builds trust and confidence with others. That's really good advice. I like what you said about taking an interest in other people and. Showing empathy and care, that's a great way to connect with people. Now you have a pretty demanding job, you travel a lot, and you have a young family too. How do you achieve work life harmony? Yeah, that's probably the quest that we're all after. It's a big part of why I started the business, in wanting that, and more time with my family. I try to, I share this a lot with my team, is it, I think it's also being honest and real with yourself and in what work life harmony looks like for you and defining that. I think it's a blend of a lot of things. There are times where There's going to be a season, there might be an intense or heavy season where it's going to be very focused on work and that means some things may be out of balance on the other side and recognizing that and knowing what that means or when you have to then turn the balance on the other way and making sure you're taking care of those needs as well as being really honest with yourself about priorities and knowing where those priorities need to be and giving yourself permission or giving yourself the same time. Respect that you would want from when someone you want their attention or you want their involvement in something, being respectful to when others are asking that from you, especially those that you care about the most and finding that in your life to be able to make that a priority and not just let work overtake at all. So in the blend of all of that. I try and practice really good boundaries more and more, and I'm finding myself saying like it, this can wait until after the weekend, I don't need to immediately respond to that and giving that sense and knowing when I can do that makes for everybody to feel a little bit more connected to in my personal life. And, but then that also means times where I'm really. Into work day, maybe I have to do the same respect to be like, Hey, this is my work time, but I will be available or present at this time so that I can be fully engaged. And that's the other part of that thing is really important is we try to fit so much in. I know I try and fit so much in because I want to say and find every opportunity, be part of every opportunity and not lose something that can be really. Compelling or fantastic that may appear and being again measured and okay, maybe I'm going to say no to this one because these other two are more important. So being clear in those needs and not having to say yes to everything is something that I think over time I've learned gives that more work life achievement of balance and blending the two so that they can be healthy. And purposeful on both sides of where you're trying to manage them. That's very good advice. All of us high achievers want to do more and achieve more. And sometimes learning how to say no is important for what like harmony. And I like what you said about setting boundaries and making sure you're clear on your priorities. And knowing that it's not always 50 50. Sometimes it's give and take. Those are all important lessons that we can learn. Now, you work with a lot of very well known and accomplished leaders. What are some of the qualities from your vantage point that are most admired? Qualities? I would say I like decisiveness. I think being decisive is really important in leadership. You might need some time to get all the data and facts and correlate that. So I admire two people that will take pause and say, I'm going to process this and get back. But then at that moment, I love a decisive decision that carries a project or an organization forward. I think that's really important. I mentioned this earlier, but I think authenticity is really important in our leaders. And I think that builds confidence and trust, as we talked about earlier, seeing that someone's genuine, that can be humble, but can also be Dynamic and bold at the same time and and true to their purpose and their drive with still an authentic root to who they are. I think that's really admirable. And probably lastly, it's a really important quality in a leader. Is someone that can, going back to vision can paint the picture, make it really clear and get a team on board to get a project on board to get the next hurdle, uh, to be overcome that the ability to be visionary with clarity and with real, sometimes great storytelling or compelling reasons to be bought in. Those are qualities I really admire in other leaders. I totally agree, especially the quality about visioning. I think the key difference between being a leader and being a good manager, a good leader has the ability to envision the future and has the ability to articulate that future in such a binding, compelling way that people feel excited about jumping onto the bandwagon. That's a true quality of a great leader. Totally agree. Now we talked about the importance of your team around you, and I've seen your people are extremely loyal to you. They've been with you for a long time. You do a great job mentoring them. And my question is actually turning the table around and asking. How do you think mentees can best benefit from you as the mentor? It's a hard question, but I think an important one as I reflect on it. The, I think the, the benefit in just any type of mentor mentee relationship is really listening for. that everybody has a unique experience and really unique, every leader can be different. We might have the same characteristics and admirable traits, but in the experience, there's different ways that we experience things and go through things that are really valuable. And I think that's what I try and. Offer back to people that I'm working with is these are very unique experiences and the way I responded or the way that this didn't go as planned. This was a big setback and became frustrating, but this is how we responded later to it. Those are valuable lessons and there are opportunities and everyone to hear that story and hear how they overcome an obstacle or hear how. They took something that looked impossible and made it possible. And I do believe I've, I have those, you do all of us as leaders have these unique stories that were some of our biggest challenges, our biggest disappointments, our business, biggest success stories that those stories. And this is the, it's personal story podcast, right? Are so empowering when you hear that, when you hear, oh, wow, that's what it took to make that happen. And that's that personal drive from within. And. How each individual takes those on, I think are valuable for a mentorship relationship and that's what I would hope anybody who's working with me would take time to go, not just be like at a generic dialogue, but get a little bit deeper into the story of the why and why did that happen? And why did you take that path? Um, I think that's where you can really have benefit. Yeah, so true. Those personal stories are very powerful. Now you've accomplished a lot, and given all that you've learned and experienced, what is the advice that you would give to your younger self? My advice would be to really embrace and celebrate the wins. And those moments where you're really feeling it's all working, everything's connected, like just embrace that because it doesn't last forever. Something comes along that, that changes something. But I just think about my younger self, I think about vacations I went on with my kids that they're growing up now. I don't have those opportunities and whatever the adventure was. In that moment of time is like so great or a big client win that just where everything just really hit every mark, a great campaign that inspired people and really motivated in those moments are like really, they build up inside you and they, they carry you forward into the next opportunity and what takes it takes to get to that level. So my advice to my younger self would be, you really know when those moments are and savor them. because they, they don't always last forever. And you have to go, you have to go climb another mountain to find them again. And the climb is hard when you get to the top, it's so rewarding. So just to my younger self, just embrace those moments and savor them as long as possible. I'm totally with you on that. Thank you for sharing that. We're coming to the end of the interview, but I want to ask you for one Final piece of advice I'll show is about self empowerment. What's your advice on self empowerment? My advice is even when you may feel like you're doubting yourself, know in that inner strength that you are the unique visionary, the unique talent. We all have a story. We all have an experience that will make what you believe in possible. It's all in, in really. Taking that from within and pushing it forward and that, that power is in there and those opportunities are going to happen the more you, you push yourself forward towards what you envision. And I've seen it happen and I know it can happen. I've seen it happen in others, seen it in myself. And that, I think that's where true self empowerment comes is when you give yourself that permission, really listen and then put it out there, put it forward. It is so true. I've seen that in you, and I know that to be the case for me. So, thanks for sharing that. Matt, I appreciate you taking the time to be on our show to share your wisdom. And for our audience, if you enjoyed this interview, I hope you would join us on our website, ItsPersonalStories. com, or join us on our YouTube and Facebook, as well as LinkedIn channels, ItsPersonalStories. Thank you very much. Thanks, David. Great talking. Yeah, same here.