Q&A with Jason Lenard, One10’s new Executive Vice President of Strategy, Marketing and Innovation

I have spent more than half of my life at One10, so a comprehensive list of pivotal moments could fill this page. I’ve had roles in creative, client services, strategy and analytics over the years, each providing new skills to learn.

Within those roles, I’ve been fortunate to have leaders, mentors and colleagues who fostered my development through example, experience and accountability. Learning comes from listening, and I have picked up a lot of knowledge simply by working side-by-side with clients and One10 team members.

That’s the broad answer. Now, let’s talk specific moments. One of my former colleagues is a brilliant strategist, the quickest and most insightful thinker I have ever known. Early in my career, he invited me to co-facilitate a client workshop, which I thought included “being the organizer of sticky notes.” However, I quickly realized that it was a master class in strategy where he pushed me to develop real-time insights, probe deeper on client feedback and organize content while on a tight deadline. Despite continued guidance throughout the day, he gave me most of the credit for the output. This taught me several things:

1. the only credit leaders need is a satisfied client
2. innovation happens in real-time
3. and each day brings an opportunity to “pay it forward” by mentoring others.

In 2018, I had the opportunity to learn Design Thinking, a human-centered problem-solving approach. This process changed the game for me as a strategist and showed me the value of listening to customers, understanding their needs, behaviors and emotions, and then determining how to solve their challenges. If you always start with your end users, your odds of getting “it” right increase. The work challenged me and made me a better strategist, and the Design Thinking mindset is one I apply in everything I do.

This is a dream role for me, and I feel like opportunity is everywhere.

The current state of the workforce is a perfect example. Depending on the study you read, about 35% of employees are engaged at work. They’re unmotivated, detached and less satisfied, whether working remotely, hybrid or full-time in the office.

Solving this challenge is what One10 does best. We have experts in incentive theory, an industry-leading incentive platform, an experienced training team, an elite creative team, a world-class travel and events team, and a client-obsessed Customer Success group. One10 has all the ingredients, and my role is to enhance these areas, drive innovation through collaboration and position One10 as the best partner our clients have ever had.

My philosophy is simple – be the best partner for our clients. This includes an investment in their business, optimism that we can help them achieve success and an approach that makes them want to work with us. If we do those three things, trust will follow.

As for expectations, they’re always high. The current economic environment puts a premium on performance and return-on-investment, so we must continue to hustle and raise the bar every day.

The most interesting thing to me is that a long tenure at One10 isn’t an anomaly. When people come to One10, they stay at One10. Since my first day, I have felt that my leaders and the company care about me as a person. They have encouraged my development, provided opportunities and offered guidance along the way. As a result, I feel a responsibility to do the same for other One10 team members. There’s no better feeling than watching others succeed. Plus, the people at One10 make it easy to come to work every day. It’s a group of people who care about each other, care about our clients, and is all-in on the work. We look out for each other, we work hard and we have a fun time doing it.