Wayne Borg on Leading Global Entertainment Teams Through Incremental Change
Media executive Wayne Borg, with over 25 years of experience spanning five continents and more than 100 countries, is challenging traditional notions of innovation in the entertainment industry. Rather than pursuing dramatic breakthroughs, Borg advocates for a more nuanced approach to fostering creativity across international teams.
“Innovation is an interesting phrase. I think everybody thinks it’s this big black box that you put everything into, and it somehow spits out the light bulb moment,” Borg explains. His perspective diverges from the common industry practice of pushing for revolutionary changes, instead emphasizing the value of smaller, deliberate improvements.
In an era where multinational corporations have seen a 159% increase in sales from 2016 to 2021, Borg’s methodology for managing cross-cultural teams offers valuable insights. His experience indicates that culturally diverse teams are 35% more likely to outperform their less diverse counterparts, despite challenges posed by time zones, language barriers, and cultural differences.
Wayne Borg’s leadership philosophy centers on three key principles: empowering team input, developing young talent, and prioritizing interpersonal skills. “A lot of leaders feel pressure that they should have all the answers,” he notes, pushing back against this outdated mindset. “The old credo was that leaders were meant to have all the answers, and that’s not really the case. We do operate in a team context.”
For emerging entertainment industry professionals, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, Borg emphasizes the importance of mentorship in developing international talent pipelines. “The status quo doesn’t necessarily entitle you to superior thinking. Great thinking can come from any age group these days,” he observes, highlighting the need to cultivate fresh perspectives in leadership roles.
Perhaps most notably, Wayne Borg places significant emphasis on soft skills over technical expertise in the entertainment sector. “No amount of intelligence can overcome an inability to communicate your ideas,” he states. “The differentiator in most organizations today, and particularly in the leadership ranks, is the cohesiveness of the team, their ability to come together, to work as one because they’re communicating well, they feel safe with each other.”
His approach to innovation involves creating safe spaces for experimentation without fear of failure. “Give people a safe environment that they can try new things and they’re not going to be penalized if those things don’t work out,” he advises, noting that innovation doesn’t always require dramatic breakthroughs to be valuable.
In addressing the challenges of global entertainment operations, Borg acknowledges the industry’s increasingly borderless nature. “Regardless of borders, the world operates pretty much as a single market now. That’s a critical piece for me,” he reflects, emphasizing the importance of cultivating organizational cultures that can thrive in volatile environments.
This perspective appears particularly relevant as entertainment companies continue to expand their global footprint. By focusing on incremental improvements rather than dramatic transformations, Borg’s methodology offers a practical framework for navigating the complexities of international entertainment operations while maintaining creative momentum across diverse teams.
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