Hilbrich Group

I have combined four decades of experience into instant insight. To help businesses create good times out of bad and to learn from the mistakes I made to help amplify their success.

Executive Coach

Acquisition and leadership of marketing communications companies to bring more and better services to clients.

CEO | Founder | Investor l Business Turnaround Expert l Author l Coach

Global organization of company Presidents who believe in education, idea exchange and family work/life balance. Have held many officer, day chair and global champion roles.

Member

The Sandbox Agency

Our vision is to create a global challenger agency. Sandbox not only creates great work and executes flawlessly—we focus on the important and undervalued virtue in the agency business of playing together nicely in the sandbox. After growing from a startup to $62MM in revenue, Sandbox successfully combined with MERGE in March 2020.

Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO

Brandimage - Desgrippes & LAGA

Acquired Brandimage - Desgrippes & Laga, one of the world’s largest design firms, was formed from the combination of Desgrippes Gobé, a global design firm, and laga, a leading American design and innovation agency. With a team of experts in the U.S. Europe and Asia, Brandimage offers holistic services designed to deliver rich emotional brand experiences for consumers, from brand strategy and consumer insight, to brand identity, industrial design, package design, graphics, innovation, interactive, retail experience and architecture in one integrated offering. Brandimage was acquired by Schawk in October 2011.

Owner and CEO

The Marketing Store

Global promotional marketing communications agency with offices in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, U.K., France, Australia and China serving McDonald's, Nissan, Diageo, Vodafone and Coca Cola. Having created the awesome team that grew The Marketing Store Canada from a startup to $25MM in revenue, earned TMS global agency of the year three years in a row and achieved a top 5 independent agency status in Canada, I moved to the role of Global President of the company.

Global President

Leo Burnett

Started my career at Leo Burnett in Chicago and moved on to Burnett offices in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Canada in various senior leadership positions while growing the agency and client business for Kellogg's, Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Heinz, Fruit of the Loom, Glad and McDonald's. Although I loved working with many major multinational clients, I especially enjoyed successfully leading smaller, more entrepreneurial offices in Leo Burnett International. Having experienced helping clients navigate the crumbling of the Berlin Wall and executing turnarounds in smaller offices in Scandinavia, I developed my deep love of the agency business and the people who work so hard to make it tick.

Senior Vice President

CEO | Entrepreneur | Investor | Author | Executive Coach

Leaders need perspective and broader thinking to create success. I can help you achieve that success. 

After almost three decades as a CEO, entrepreneur and investor, I have navigated organizations large and small, struggled through recessions and successfully managed companies to success who were once drowning in poor management or deeply in debt. I have grown business organically and through acquisition; and I have exited two companies as an entrepreneur.

I have seen a lot. I'm not perfect. I have struggled and laid awake many nights to try to figure out the right answer. 

My passion is to serve. That is why I have combined four decades of experience into days of learning for you. To help you create good times out of bad, to help you learn from the mistakes I made and to help you amplify your success. 

I will engage in your success. I will help you turn your company around. I will sell your company. I will invest in or purchase your company. 

If I have entered the conversation you are already having in your head, I would be privileged to chat with you.

You should never be afraid of getting fired.   
  
Why?  
  
  
Everyone lands on their feet. You will too.   
  
If the job wasn’t right for you, they put you out of your misery. The grass is defiintely greener. Go find it.  Don’t wait so long next time.  
  
You can live without a paycheck much longer than you think. But push at 100x your weight for a good package anyway—and get representation.   
  
Biggest opportunity of your life right now!  Solo gig, new industry, a travel break, a bigger role, fortify your learning or start something completely different.   
  
Stay confident, don’t fret over failure (you didn’t fail),  leverage your network.   
  
Run your own race.

John Hilbrich

What are some tips for negotiating a good package?

What are some tips for dealing with job loss?

How important is networking in finding a new job?

Are you having an affair?  
  
  
 I stood there in disbelief. My wife, Sue and I had just had our fifth child, moved from Europe to Canada for a new job and I was spending 14 hours a day at the office. She had gone through my jacket and found a parking ticket with an address on it that she didn’t recognize.  
  
Caught in the act.   
  
I had focused so much on my work and disregarded my family that my wife thought I was seeing someone else.  
  
I was having an affair.  
  
With my work.  
  
The next day was the biggest presentation of the year to the largest client in the agency.  
  
She called me, distraught—because the stress of the move, the baby, my absence from home and managing all the kids was too much to do alone.  
  
I called my team in and told them, “I’m sorry. But I have to go home. My family needs me. I know you got this and I am confident it will be a great success”.  
  
I went home and spent the rest of the day with my wife and kids.  
  
It was the best day of my life.  
  
The presentation went great. My team was proud. And so was I—for so many reasons.  
  
Lots of lessons here.  
  
Hard ones to learn on the path to CEO.   
  
Biggest one. Family first.  
  
#family

Why is it important to prioritize family first?

What are some lessons learned on the path to CEO?

The CEO is the weakest, least skilled  and potentially most destructive person in a company.   
  
 They don’t do anything.   
  
They don’t market. They don’t sell. They can’t fix the supply chain.   
  
They only “talk” to people.   
  
Can’t do accounting.  Writing code is a foreign language. They try to tell the lawyers what to do.   
  
But if they can inspire, they can multiply wealth and success for many people, many times over. 💥  
  
What a job,   
  
FOR THE RIGHT PERSON  
 
#GetToCEO #leadership #CEO #management

Speak up.  
 
Most are afraid to.  
So much knowledge and opportunity in companies goes unsaid and undone because team members don’t speak out of fear.  
 
Why? 
 
Lousy leaders.  
Don’t want to make a mistake.  
Fear of sounding stupid.  
Imposter syndrome. I’m not smart enough to be in the room.  
Last time I spoke people laughed.  
I don’t understand what’s being discussed. So I can’t say anything.  
 
Bottom line? Many in the room feel like you.  
 
If you don’t understand something, chances are it’s unclear to others.  
 
Be of service to yourself and others. Stare down the fear and put it aside.  
 
#leadership #learn #speakup

How can one overcome imposter syndrome in the workplace?

How can team members benefit from speaking up in the workplace?

What are some qualities of effective leaders?

30 years as a President/CEO  
  
Lived in 5 countries. Led in 17.   
  
Here are 5 lessons I learned.   
  
1. Step up and lead. It’s your job.   
 
2. Get culture and language smart. Fast  
 
3..Take care of your family. Without their buy-in you are finished.  
 
4. Connect with your team and enact change quickly. 
 
5. The Ugly American is a thing. Avoid it.   
  
Most fun I ever had.  Still having it.  
 
 #ceo #change #culture #language #family

What do you do with the problem employee? Fire them? 
 
 
The first thing I wanted to do with a problem employee was fire them.   
  
Until I recognized that I was the problem.   
  
-Are they bouncing off the walls because of something I did or didn’t do?  
-Am I judging them and they feel it—so they are reacting negatively?  
-Did I create the right environment for them to excel?  
  
Self awareness. Look at yourself first. You are leading and your people react to you.   
  
After that thorough deep dive, Act accordingly.  Don’t knee jerk. Be thoughtful and rational.  
 
But don’t be Indecisive.  
  
#leadership #CEO #lookatyourselffirst #brand30

Have you ever seen your boss clean up a conference room—or do the little things that signal you trust them?  
  
  
 Early in my career, after an important meeting, the Director of the company walked the client to their cab and waved goodbye.   
  
He then came back upstairs to the conference room where the group of us were rehashing the conclusions.   
  
The table was littered with stuff from a typical meeting.   
  
He began to clean up. He wasn’t fussed by it and didn’t ask others to help.   
  
He listened to the post meeting banter—happy with the outcome.   
  
He said another team was coming in soon for an important meeting—and he wanted the room to be ready “for success.”   
  
This had an enormous impact on me. I found his act to be caring, selfless and supportive.  
  
A great paradox of management is that people who pursue leadership often expect others to “clean the conference room”   
  
Simple care and respect for people is forgotten.    
  
Do you have a similar story?  
  
#leadership #servantleadership #people #brand30

What is the impact of servant leadership on people?

Here’s how to tell your boss they’re wrong.  
 
 
Prepare yourself. Think about your arguments and gather data to support your case. Do not walk into their office on fire.   
  
Be respectful. Start the conversation by expressing appreciation for your boss's leadership.   
  
....then respectfully express your disagreement.  
  
Use "I" statements: Rather than blaming or accusing, express your thoughts with—"I think" or "I feel". Never use "You" or "Your". EVER.   
  
Focus on the issue, avoid making it personal.  
  
Present alternative solutions.  Always a couple of ways to solve a problem. This also shows initiative.   
  
End the conversation on a positive note.  
  
Thank your boss for their time and for considering your perspective  
  
Stay calm, respectful, and focussed. Don't get emotional.   
  
I hope this helps.   
  
#toughconversations #boss #leadership

As I got more experience as a leader, I learned a lot through trial and error. Here are four key hacks.  
  
1- Visit clients.  I want them to see my face and feel my influence on their business.  
  
2- Talk to my people. Not just in meetings.  Look at the work. Show those I led that I appreciate their efforts.  Help my people to achieve the numbers.    
  
3-Spend time with my management team to assure we are all aligned. There is nothing worse than top managers going in different directions.  
  
4-Get out of my comfort zone and join independent associations, organizations and groups that can benefit me  and the business. 
 
I figured out early that I wasn’t  the smartest person in the room.  
  
#leadership #management #YPO

I did not live in the moment enough.  
  
  
 I was always charging forward and trying to grab the next rung on the ladder.   
  
Although I enjoyed special moments, I didn’t celebrate enough. Although I can recall times  where I thought,  “Wow this is a milestone”,   
  
I blew right by it.   
  
By not living in the moment I didn’t spend enough time acknowledging success in myself or in others.   
  
I didn’t  
Acknowledge difficulty.   
Acknowledge opportunity.   
Acknowledge potential;   
Acknowledge tears—though I did shed a bunch.   
  
 Inspiring others is a calling, a necessity, and an act of human kindness.   
  
Don’t forget to spend time inspiring yourself.   
  
#leadership #inspiration #liveinthemoment #brand30

What is the toughest part of mentoring and leading people to success? 
 
Dealing with the inevitable “stuckedness” that high-performance people experience when they hit a downturn. And they will.  
 
 It’s never an easy road out. There are lots of complex business issues that are not easy to solve.  
 
There are family and personal issues that take time to work through. Often a very long time.  
 
It usually boils down to using a variety of ways to take one step at a time:  compartmentalization, meditation, practiced focus on good mental health, therapy, forgiveness, release and many others.  
 
It’s not an exact science.  
 
#stuck #coach #mentor #leadership

What are some strategies to overcome 'stuckedness'?

Why do high-performance people experience 'stuckedness'?

How can therapy help overcome 'stuckedness'?

As you learn new skills, don’t get overwhelmed—slow down. Deliberately.  
 
Athletes, who have ascended during their development to new levels of sport, have always said that once they figure out the game, it slows down.  
 
As the game slows down, they make better decisions and speed up. They understand the game better and know where it’s going. They are now thinking faster and being more efficient.  
 
Therein lies the speed.  
 
Business is the same. When you get overwhelmed, slow down. What skills do I need to learn? Where are things going?  
 
Get smart. Learn. Iterate. Get your reps in. Build your understanding of the game and it will slow down, as you speed up.  
 
That builds success.  
 
#slowthegamedown #personaldevelopment

How important is personal development for success?

What are some tips for succeeding in business?

How can deliberate learning help me succeed?

It wasn’t until I was responsible for other’s lives,  
 
that I understood the power of routine.  
 
  
I hated my long commute “routine” into work. I took different ways just so I didn’t feel shackled.   
  
I enjoyed a crazy schedule that lacked routine.   
I thought “process “ was boring and lacked creativity.   
  
But routine helped me get a workout done in the morning.   
  
Some routine processes helped me better understand what to expect of others.  
  
It helped others learn what to expect of me.  
  
It got me through the day easier so that I could enjoy more time with my family.   
  
My hated routines changed my life.   
  
#routine #mastery #leadership #growth #brand30

What are the benefits of having a routine?

Successful CEOs tell me they focus vividly on these five things: 
  
  
  
1. True Self-Awareness  
2. Routines that foster performance  
3. Run to the fire mentality  
4. Ability to manage up (everyone has a boss)  
5. Service of others state of mind.   
  
#Topperformers #leadership #serve  #achieve #selfawareness #brand30

How can I improve my ability to manage up?

What are some tips for developing true self-awareness?

How can I create routines that foster performance?

60% of people are unhappy and would choose a different career if they could go back in time.  I think it’s great.  
  
Because when people get fed up, a revolution starts.  
  
Fed up with overwork.  
Fed up with poor leadership.   
Fed up with lousy treatment.  
Fed up with not being trusted.   
  
So they are taking the power back.   
  
Work on THEIR terms.   
Creating THEIR own side hustles.   
Freedom and PTO thats right for THEM.   
Live where THEY want to live.   
  
THEY are demanding the fairness, support and guidance to build confident lives and drive THEIR achievement.   
  
And they are winning.  And they feel Empowered.  
  
 
  
#coaching #freedom #leadership #WHF #brand30

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