Taran Swan

Leading from the Middle

Swan in 1998 at Nickelodeon Latin America (bottom) and today, meeting consulting clients at the Harvard Club of New York City. "I learned quickly that I didn't need to be an expert. But I did need to have great people."

Top photo courtesy Taran Swan; bottom courtesy Essence Magazine

HBS professor Linda Hill approached Taran Swan (MBA '91) in 1998, after reading an article in Essence magazine about the up-and-coming general manager of Nickelodeon Latin America. "I was interested in the entertainment industry and globalization," Hill recalls. "The article was about the business, not how she led."

So how did "Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America" become a perennial favorite in first-year LEAD and any HBS Executive Education program where leadership is discussed? The case, first published in 1999, hinges on a decision that wasn't even present when Hill started her research: Diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy, Swan must return to her home in New York for mandatory bed rest. What adjustments should she make to lead remotely, and what tweaks (if any) should be made to her Miami-based management team?

The case details the numerous challenges Swan initially faced in launching Nickelodeon Latin America, from winning over skeptics at corporate headquarters, to creating a programming vision, to recruiting and motivating a growing team of employees (some of whom, like Swan, were commuting from other cities at the time). Also in play: managing a tight, closely watched budget while walking the line between advertising sales and quality children's programming.

"You start to see what does and doesn't work," remarks Swan, who read everything on leadership and managing she could get her hands on. "I insisted that we were all running the business together. It was a matter of knowing each person and what he or she really wanted out of his or her career. If I could figure that out, I could really excite and empower people to do great things." Hill notes that many of the people under Swan eventually got big promotions that reflected how much they were able to learn, adding, "Taran created capabilities in the organization that are key to innovation and competitiveness. Their team knows how to have an intellectual debate; how to advocate and inquire; and how to make big bets, take in information, and make adjustments."

After being ordered to bed for the remaining five months of her pregnancy, Swan continued to work 60-hour weeks out of her New York City apartment. She appointed joint interim directors, asking them "to step up and take more responsibility," and gave more authority to her executive assistant to act as a gatekeeper for issues as they arose. "My number one thing is that I didn't want to slow anything down," Swan remembers. "I knew the team I had in place was capable. With every job I took, I figured out who could take over for me before I even started. Succession planning was an absolute."

Swan left Nickelodeon three years after giving birth; now the mother of two daughters, she is an independent management consultant spending most of her time as an executive coach, a career that evolved from an assignment working with the head of the Cartoon Network. "Basically, I'm helping other people develop stronger leadership and management skills," she says. In addition, she and a partner run Media Fix (www.gomediafix.com), a consultancy with a focus on digital strategies for businesses targeting kids, women, and moms.

"It's funny, until Nickelodeon there was never anything I did as a student or in my work life that suggested I might have leadership abilities," Swan reflects. "The real secret is that I found something I really, really love. That's when the courage to take risks came out-because I was so excited about what I was doing."

Q. Keeping  Taran Swans story in mind, illustrate some of challenges that woman leaders face. Why do you think Taran was so successful in overcoming them?