Lessons in Agency Leadership: Bob Osmond, President of Racepoint Global

Since taking the helm of Racepoint Global, an independent integrated communications agency supporting tech-forward brands, in April 2020, Bob Osmond’s entrepreneurial spirit, infectious energy, and empathetic leadership have helped him weather the COVID storm, navigate continued volatile markets, and adapt to the evolving workplace. A trusted colleague and friend of The Ward Group, Bob Osmond looks back on his time so far as president and shares the principles that guide him as an agency leader, aiming to foster an environment of continued professional and personal expansion and success.

1. Tell us a little bit about your personal career journey. What were some key milestones that brought you to becoming the President of Racepoint Global?

I’ve been in the PR agency game since the late 90s. Before that, I was an entrepreneur in a range of marketing and production roles—both technical and consumer—including a stint in the music industry.

Most of my agency experience has been in the world of B2B2C technology. I have worked both for big holding company agencies and boutiques.

I was attracted to Racepoint Global because of its deep technology roots and the emphasis on brand purpose and technology’s impact on humanity. And the top-notch team at Racepoint Global had a reputation for delivering world-class work.

2. What values guide the Racepoint team to actively serve the changing needs of clients at the speed the market demands, nimbly evolve services, and support productive internal dynamics?

Racepoint Global is a talent-centric and values-based organization. So it all starts there with good grounding and commitment to each other. 

Our ability to succeed together—and for our clients—is embedded in the Racepoint Global name: Relationships, Agility, Creativity, and Execution. 

• Relationships start within our team. We share values (authenticity, belonging, compassion), behaviors (curiosity, service and growth mindsets), and commitments to trust and support each other in our work. The average employee tenure at Racepoint Global is more than six years. I believe this contributes to long-term relationships with our clients. More than half have been with us for 4+ years. Finally, long-term relationships with key industry influencers, analysts, and media help us shape our earned-first approach to communications. 

• Agility. We have to move at the speed of the news cycle and adapt to landscape changes. This has led to us doing a lot more video production work, for example, and supporting clients with employee communications.

• Creativity. We are driven to tell our clients’ stories in compelling ways. Having curiosity as a core behavior is meant to spark creativity, and we’ve expressed that by delivering more content via more channels and finding new ways to engage key audiences for clients. 

• Execution. We celebrate excellence in our colleagues and, because we embrace a growth mindset, we seek always to improve our work. 

3. When you reflect back on the last few years (the COVID-19 pandemic, the Great Resignation/Reshuffle, economic struggles), and when it comes to being an involved, integrated manager of a growing team, what were the biggest challenges that you faced, and how did you overcome them? Is there anything you would have done differently? 

I started my role at Racepoint Global in April 2020, just as we went into global lockdown due to Covid-19. The organization had also been through a period of transition prior to my joining. Combine that with a generally volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, and you have quite a recipe for a leadership challenge. 

The biggest challenge, I think, during a time when people felt uncertain, scared, and traumatized, was the question of how to build trust by demonstrating that we would live by the values and behaviors we committed to, even as we had to continue to support clients and run the business. 

As noted, we established a talent-centric and values-based culture that balanced autonomy with accountability and employee well-being. For the most part, I think we were successful. 

The learning for me—which continues to be an experiment to this day—is, when seeking the right balance of transparency, default to more transparency. We strive to be a no-surprises organization and I have found that what I sometimes think is clear, is not always. I’m working on ways to recalibrate and understand what’s been heard versus what’s been said. 

4. You are a vocal advocate for remote work environments. What is your advice for agency leaders looking to maintain a collaborative community while still supporting a ‘work from anywhere’ culture?

First, it’s important to note that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to the remote/hybrid/onsite equation. For Racepoint Global, it’s about flexibility. That roughly translates to “remote by default and gather with intention.” 

Our flexible culture is grounded in autonomy and trust. It only works when we have accountability. This requires us to live our values and behaviors, especially as it pertains to having a growth mindset in giving and receiving feedback.

We have geographical hubs nationwide, our teams are mostly distributed. For that reason, we don’t force a commute to an office where folks will sit on a video call they could have taken from anywhere. However, for those who love to go to an office (I’m one of those), they have options. We recognize that folks have different styles of working and we try hard to focus on the quality of contributions and output versus the time and place where it happened.  

5. Creating an inclusive culture is a priority for you. Could you describe what is needed to create and sustain an inclusive agency culture in today’s world?

Inclusion is core to us—belonging is one of our values. We work in an industry that is woefully lacking in diversity and my view is that we most definitely won’t solve that challenge without building open and inclusive cultures. 

Clear values, behaviors, and expectations are essential, as well as a broader view of diversity. Beyond race, gender, sexual orientation—all of which are key considerations—we need to be mindful of styles of working and learning. We have to learn how to ask people about their preferences and to find ways to honor them. 

6. When you mentor new agency leaders today stepping into their roles, what is your top advice?

First thing I’d say: Play the long game. 

I think the biggest thing for new leaders is to embrace a test-and-learn mentality and to recognize that most of us are making it up as we go. Do you feel you’re getting better each day? That’s progress. 

It’s about direction. There’s no map, so grab a compass. As long as you’re generally headed towards your destination, and your people are clear about that, the rest is noise. 

Finally, I’d say that embracing a service mindset as a leader also means taking steps to take care of yourself. You can’t lift others up if you’re dragging yourself across the finish line each day. For me, that means moving my body somehow—a run, a walk, some yoga—or appreciating someone’s creativity through music, visual or performance art, or reading.

7. As we approach 2024, what is top of mind for you in terms of recruiting, retaining, and growing talent at the agency? 

I have a lot on my mind as we open a new year. To start, I’m focused on creating an inclusive and high-performing culture that fosters growth.

Given our focus as an agency, more than ever, excellent and effective technology communications are essential as we navigate the complexities of climate change, AI, and other ways in which technology impacts our lives. 

Finally, it’s my wish to move beyond the destructive forces of hatred and war to a place of shared humanity and peace. And exploring what I can do to help make that happen.