Meet Paul Stonick

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paul Stonick. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Paul, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?

Sure, that’s a great question. People today expect a different kind of leader. I have been called “unconventional” several times in my career and I love that because creatives see things differently. We are the kids that survived, and we have tremendous empathy, or I have pissed off too many people — but if you’re not pissing people off then you’re not innovating. Leadership starts with core values, which are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work. They are determined by your experiences and what you view as the ideal standards of behavior. I have been leading teams for over 20+ years, this is still where it starts for me.

Pushing back on the nay-sayers has been a constant theme in my career, especially when you sit in a design function and in some cases you’re thought of as the team that makes t-shirts and logos. To be clear, design is not a beauty contest. I have fought against that perception for decades by pushing design to a strategic function at the highest levels of several well-known companies. The best result has been anchoring in the theme of “outcomes over outputs”. If you can demonstrate that the outcomes map back to some investment, capital budget or OKRs and have clear value, then the conversation changes in tone, and becomes less political. Remember, value has different currencies in an organization so not matter where you sit, you need to communicate in terms of outcomes AND the effect you want them to have on the impact the leader cares about.

First you need to find like-minded people, intrapreneurs and other leaders with fortitude that want to push freedom and the innovation that is necessary in an organization when it is rarely authorized. Look, there are going to be people in some corporate environments that want to “take you out”. The intrapreneur who acts alone will be fired and forgotten. In some cases it will be done publicly. Corporate intrapreneurs, or ‘punks’ must be the catalyst, the rebel in the boardroom. Change can’t happen without us.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Sure, I am the Founder and Chief Problem Solver at KICK Consultancy, a boutique design management consulting firm, based in Atlanta, offering a range of solutions including strategy, workshops, AI upskilling, leadership training, fractional leadership, team optimization, squad enablement, facilitation, roadmapping, Gen Z trends and insights, operations, tailored coaching, corporate offsites, talks and keynotes.

With a hyper-focus on human-centered principles, culture, people, collective creativity, collaboration, and authenticity, our value proposition at KICK is how to enable companies to liberate teams, work together better as a whole, improve processes and maximize business performance. Performed in-person, hybrid or remote, our services are designed for stakeholders, teams, senior executives, and C-suite leaders who are involved in strategy, product, design, operations, marketing, change, and policy. We partner with you to forge a powerful, unified vision of what success looks like, measured by outcomes, timing, cost, and effort.

I am excited to announce that I’ll be debuting fresh content and talks to teams at various conferences, corporate off-sites and town halls on my “Speak Easy” tour in 2025, one of which is especially close to my heart. Introducing “Welcome to the Jungle: When Salary, Experience, and Age Become Liabilities”. I’m 54 years old. This isn’t your typical career advice talk. This is an intervention against ageism and a call to action for high-performing professionals who want to thrive in a world where age, salary, and experience can become roadblocks, or threats.

A recent AARP survey reveals a stark organizational blind spot: Two-thirds of professionals aged 45+ have directly experienced or witnessed age-based marginalization—a systemic failure that exposes critical vulnerabilities in our workplace ecosystems. This isn’t just about rethinking career progression; it’s about reframing how we approach leadership, innovation, and continuous reinvention.

The set list includes:
▪️ Embracing Change: View change as an opportunity for investment, growth and transformation.
▪️ Embracing Risks: Step out of your comfort zone and explore new possibilities.
▪️ Embracing Your True Self: Give yourself permission to be happy, authentic and celebrate your superpowers.

Provocative. Authentic. Transformative.

Interested? Contact me for more information at https://www.kickconsultancy.co/lets-talk

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

That’s a great question, looking back on my career, the three qualities that have served me well are the following:

1. Leadership. Leadership is a choice, not a position. The world needs great leaders no matter what your title is, you simply lead from wherever you are. This can include taking initiative, leading by example, inspiring trust, staying accountable, active listening, making decisions and focusing on solutions.

2. Relationships. I can’t stress enough how important building relationships and trust is when it comes to leadership and successful career journeys. Knowing how to build relationships is a valuable skill. Make meaningful relationships with team members, cross-functional partners, leaders and nurture them, inspire each other, spark creativity and boost morale.

3. Personal Brand. I’ll take someone’s EQ over IQ all day. As leaders, your brand is the single most important thing you need to be successful. You already have a brand whether you know it or not. And if you aren’t actively managing it, well…your brand is most likely working against you instead of for you.

​Simply put, your personal brand is your reputation and is a representation of how you conduct yourself personally and professionally, and ultimately, how you interact and support others. What are you famous for, good or bad?

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

We are never experts, we can always learn and grow, even at this stage of my career. Over the past 12 month,s I have taken a deep dive into AI (Artificial Intelligence) upskilling and prompting with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Firefly, MidJourney, Magnific and Gamma.

Generative AI (GenAI) is a type of AI that uses models to create new content, such as text, images, videos, and audio. GenAI models learn the patterns and structures of their training data, and then use that information to create new data based on user input.

In 2023, economist Richard Baldwin said, “AI won’t take your job. It’s somebody using AI that will take your job.” The genie is out of the bottle and if history can teach us anything, designers will adapt to these new tools rather than face extinction. We have to look at it for what it is right now, new tools, or a “companion species” sitting behind the screen.

To stay competitive, designers and leaders like myself have to offer skills that can’t be automated. AI can certainly automate and speed up some tasks, but our jobs are safe, for now, as most design jobs still require the creative and social skills to negotiate, persuade and solve problems. Beyond learning to work with AI graphic design softwares, designers should lean on their uniquely human, creative skillset. For the UX industry in particular, the impact of AI is huge—and we’re just at the beginning. 53% of companies are currently using AI technology to innovate their products and services; a number that will grow significantly through 2025 and beyond.

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