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Three Signs of Creative Leadership

Posted by Leslie Ehm September 26th, 2011. No comments yet, leave your own

Most agencies rely on their CD or ECD for ‘creative leadership.” They’re given free rein to infuse the organization with free thinking, inspiration and a sense of the ‘possible’. And, in the best cases, they’re usually considered to be the partner of the company’s business lead. Sure, this works. But as I experience and develop insight into countless agencies (especially smaller ones), I’m finding this to be an increasingly outmoded concept.

I recently had the pleasure of first training and then collaborating with TraffikGroup and their President Mark Ferrier. The man’s a stone cold entrepreneur. But he’s also what I (and he) call a ‘machine gun.” He’s an ideating superpower. He gets concepts in a second, sees flaws (and opportunities) in strategy in about three, and has generated about 10 really smart and / or wacked ideas in as many seconds. But is he the CD? ECD? Nope. He could be. But instead, he’s what most organizations only dream of – a truly creative leader. While I could wax on about the man himself, you’re all better served if I just share with you some of things I’ve witnessed with him and in other great agencies so that you can recognize the signs of this type of leader – and jump on board fast!

1. Knows the power of process. Truly creative leaders understand that structure does not kill creativity – rather it can empower it like crazy. They know that by finding, creating or training on the best processes to harness the entire agency’s potential, they’re building sustainable, reliable and confident teams. When their people have challenges to overcome, they don’t simply rely on a few guys in a dark cupboard. They know how to come together and rock out their ideas and solutions as a cohesive group. And when and if those processes no longer serve – theses leader find, create or train on new ones instead of blaming the team for not delivering.

2. Gets down in the trenches. The most common criticism of agency leaders is that they’ve lost touch with what its like to have deadlines looming and no ideas. As a result, their expectations can get totally out of line with everything from timelines to budget to feasibility. The best leaders regularly get down and dirty with their teams; helping them jam on strategy, big ideas or even on what this year’s charity should be. And when they do this, they actively see what’s working, what’s not, or more importantly WHO is or isn’t working. Not only do they prove their commitment and keep their skills honed, but they get a true read on the creative chemistry of their organization.

3.  Recognizes and celebrates your freak factor. It’s one thing to ask for creativity – it’s another thing to manage it. Truly creative leaders seek out fresh, dynamic and usually off kilter people to infuse and infect their organizations with the creative ‘bug’. While they don’t just let you get away with any and everything simply because you’re an asset, they do let you fly your freak flag high and find ways to put those assets into play. They recognize and celebrate your achievements. They give you a ‘place’, a home and they help you to grow and mature with your gifts instead of trying to squeeze you into a box that suits them. And they’re NOT your CD or your ECD – they’re a business mentor, a leader, a beacon and an inspiration – and that makes it even more important.

Three Things to Help Create an Agency Training Culture

Posted by Leslie Ehm June 20th, 2011. No comments yet, leave your own

Ask an agency about their ‘training culture’ and you’ll get everything from “We don’t have one” to a complete breakdown of their in house university. So why the range? Either it works or it doesn’t – right? Wrong. It seems that those who believe that it works make it work. And the skeptics – well, their people end up infected with the same cynicism. And regardless of budgets, that  attitude can contribute to a culture of arrogance where ‘learning’ in general is poo-poo’d – and that’s just bad for creative business.

So here are just Three ideas to help create powerful shifts in your agency culture that can open the learning minds – and hearts – of your people.

1. Sneak training in. Hey – don’t get me wrong. I’m all for an offsite agency-wide piss-up on a boat, island or hotel but you don’t end up with much more than embarrassing videos and wasted sick days due to hangovers. Next time, try combining it with a sneaky learning event that doesn’t look, feel or sound like training. How about learning some new ideation techniques and then having a team-based creative smack down complete with awards?  Or get the entire agency to create your training program for you. Give them each a category and then get them to cover off what they’d want to learn. Or push their boundaries with an all-staff facilitation to come up with new and completely whacked ideas for your biggest client. And get the client to choose the best idea – even if they’d never buy it. And then, of course, you drink.

2. Start an agency book club. Pick the best, most interesting, most radical books on creativity, innovation, advertising, marketing – whatever. Get people to read, not necessarily all, but the most evocative parts of the books and then meet to discuss. You provide the food, snacks and kudos. Then acknowledge the participants in their reviews and by getting them to do an occasional lunch and learn on the juicy content they’ve uncovered.

3. Hands up – who wants training? Ask them. And what do they want to be trained on? This will tell you where they feel most vulnerable and under skilled. That’s worth knowing for a start. And then give them what they ask for, even in small doses. Get a training company (like me) to custom create a long term program that people can choose their classes from, much like an internal university. And then have them write tests on the content and put their money where their mouths are. Better marks equals a bonus of some kind. Poor attendance or failing marks equals a penalty. This make everyone in the equation accountable and justifies the investment all around. And because you’re serious, they’re more likely to be.

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“Leslie is absolutely one of the game-changers. Her expertise and understanding of the creative process is top notch, but the even greater value is in passion and creativity she will ignite in your people and the impact it will have on your organization.” - Mark Ferrier, President, TraffikGroup

"The 2-day session that Leslie delivered to the Pepsico marketing department was one of the best training sessions I've been part of. The content was mind-opening, practical, and useful, and Leslie's ability to engage the crowd was second-to-none. Feedback from the other attendees was off the charts. I would work with Leslie again in a heartbeat.” - Logan Chambers, Marketing Manager – Quaker Bars, Pepsico

“Leslie has reinvigorated one of our existing workshops and transformed it from a good mid-level experience to, as one participant stated, a “mastery level course”. Moreover, her dynamic and enthusiastic teaching style has made her one of our top rated instructors.” - Mark Liebert, Senior Director, Association of National Advertisers (ANA) School of Marketing

“I don't know how Leslie does it, but I've seen the results. Our people are more confident, better presenters and better at selling the work. I have to admit, like all Creatives, I was skeptical about a presentation training course that would be right for Creatives. But Leslie really gets it.” - Judy John, CEO, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett

"Leslie Ehm is amazing, seriously impactful and a huge asset to anyone who comes into contact with her. We are happy to call her a partner." - John Minty, CFO, Venables Bell & Partners

"Leslie Ehm is the marketing industry's best kept secret. Her enthusiastic, yet powerful approach and unique ability to motivate professionals to understand that the client/agency dynamic is most successful when viewed as a partnership is invaluable to anyone who wants to take their business to the next level. Her highly effective and inspiring workshop will have your entire team ready, and willing, to move mountains." - Nancy Modrcin, Mattel Canada

"It made all the difference for a successful learning event to have Leslie Ehm’s massive enthusiasm combined with her keen and personally relevant insight into our industry." - Karen Tilley, SVP, Dir. Account Management, Leo Burnett

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"Leslie Ehm doesn’t just ‘get it’ – she’s actually done it. And she brings all of her experience, passion and smart teaching to every workshop. My team didn’t want the sessions to end!" - Ron Tite, Creative Director, Sharpe Blackmore

"Leslie Ehm has been a fantastic addition to our learning and development programming. She has a natural gift of being able to take an accurate pulse of your organization, where it is and where you are trying to take it. Beyond delivering very thoughtful off-the-shelf programs that really get to the heart of key issues, Leslie is consistently insightful and innovative in providing suggestions and solutions for how she can partner on customized programming and follow-up that really can change the game." - Ellen Nearman, Director, Talent, Organic Inc.

"We thought we were pretty good at both the creative process and presenting our ideas. That was until we invited Leslie Ehm into our agency. Her training and approach is being embraced throughout the agency, resulting in even better work. I highly recommend her." - Tony Chapman, CEO, Capital C

"Idea Noise was fantastic and thought provoking." - Joe Rand, Director of Marketing, Disney Cruise Lines

"Stand & Deliver was one of those experiences that make an indelible impact. The skill with which Leslie Ehm addressed each person and created individualized development strategies was impressive. The transformation was evident in the room and in the way we now think and interact as a team." - Larry MacEachern, Sr. VP, Managing Partner, Color

“I was stunned by the amount of learning, value and the effectiveness of Leslie’s training. She is such a pro, personally invested into every conversation: advising, teaching, providing input, making sure it all sinks in. It's intense, powerful, eye-opening and you can expect to apply it to your job the next day.” - Gene Jigota, Owner & Principal Consultant, TSBC Consulting Inc.

"I walked away with a tangible and effective system for idea generation. It's gold - a formula that can transform anyone into an 'idea alchemist'." - Lindsey Leese, Director, Second City

“We used Three Training for a client training program and Leslie Ehm was fantastic. She is knowledgeable, engaging and creative in her approach. Leslie is right - good things do come in Three." - Tom Hendrikson, Chief Breakthrough Officer, Sixsense Inc.

"There is a lot of training out there, but not much that focuses specifically on creative challenges. Leslie Ehm gets it. She speaks from years of experience and can offer valuable relevant feedback. She has helped reignite the team’s creative spark and I look forward to re-engaging her in the future." - Joel Trojanowski, Creative Director, Armstrong Partnership

"Leslie is an inspiring instructor - she puts her head and heart into really understanding what will make the biggest difference with students and then she puts everything she's got into crafting a learning experience that delivers beyond expectations. As program director at ICA I've worked with a lot of instructional consultants, and Leslie is a top professional from start to finish." - Suzanne Filiatrault Director of Professional Development, Institute of Communication Agencies

"Leslie Ehm creates and customizes a training regimen that speaks to every individual involved, and from several different perspectives. In a matter of seconds, she is able to formulate the lay of the land, immediately analyze and identify with the group she is training and deliver exactly the program necessary." - Linda Cunningham, VP, Green Apple Children’s Centre Inc.

"When my creative team was stuck for the next big yummy idea, we went to Leslie and Three Training for ideation facilitation and came away with tons of delicious ones. My only issue is that she still won’t give me a family discount!" - Erica Ehm, CEO, publisher YummyMummyClub.ca

"All too often the feedback after a training session is muted and minimal, but in this case it was energized and uniformly positive! More importantly, our staff have begun using the techniques with great success…I can confidently say that our agency could not have put our training dollars to better use and that we will be working with Leslie Ehm again in the near future." - Jeff Plotnikoff, Director, Human Resources, Armstrong Partnership

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