I’ve been a Creative and a Creative Director. When I was CD, I wish I had known what I know today. Because, quite amazingly, even with my own point of reference, I easily became disconnected from my true creative self when I took on that all-important management / leadership role. Aside from pushing my teams to do their BEST work (and occasionally succeeding), I was never able to be the leader I’d dreamed of being. Given the role today, it’d be a whole different ball game. That’s because I understand Creatives and creativity far better now than I did then.
Here’s just Three of many secrets to understanding and getting the best out of Creatives I wish someone had shared with me years ago.
1. Creative people tend to be task-focused, rather than process-focused. There is eternal frustration regarding Creative’s seeming lack of respect for deadlines. But lack of respect is not the cause. When Creatives are given a brief or a project, they focus on the first thing they need to accomplish – not on a continuum. They’re not thinking about how their schedule or lack thereof might be affecting others, they are just eye on the immediate prize. This is especially true and tough for digital Creatives whose timing can profoundly affect a project. So here’s the trick. Let them take one thing at a time. Don’t give them a workback schedule and expect them to digest it. And don’t take it personally. Just give them their first deliverable (ie: rough concepts) and a deadline and then remind them. Remind them five times if necessary and keep not taking it personally.
2.Too much of one thing can be dangerous for a creative mind. Although it can be great for a client’s business when Creatives really get deep into the brand, it can also have the opposite effect. For many Creatives, the longer they work on the same thing, the less creativity they are able to access. It’s not realistic to be switching teams every two minutes but what’s helpful is to allow Creatives to contribute a percentage of their time to pro bono projects they feel passionate about. This won’t be lost time. It will stir their creative juices and they’ll deliver more and faster on their other projects. This is what the smartest agencies do.
3. Creative people crave more recognition than most of us could believe possible. The ad business is the most self-congratulatory industry on the planet for a reason. It’s where insecurity meets ego meets a reality where all accomplishments are fleeting. And not all Creatives will win awards and not all agencies will care about award-winning work. But that doesn’t mean that your Creatives won’t need to have the crap celebrated out of them to keep them going. So create your own awards system. Find ways to laude their successes and failures publicly. Jump up and down for them as often as possible. This really does help them to deal with the constant pressure, criticism and competition our industry puts them through.
416.604.0000
info@threetraining.com
Great article, Leslie! I’m often on camera for short stints and always looking to improve my delivery. Great points, I will definitely keep... 61 days 12 hours ago
Very down-to-earth and realistic advice. Understanding digital should be a collaborative effort within agencies to track cultural... 303 days 12 hours ago
Thanks for chipping in Leslie! Totally agree. And in this case, putting the needs of the consumer first isn’t a nice to have, its a... 305 days 15 hours ago
“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
"The only way to describe Leslie is "dynamite!" She gets participants to truly look into their core, push themselves, take risks, and do it all in front of a crowd. And then she leaves them with the sense that "I can do anything!”. People like Leslie are a rare breed." - Trina Boos, founder, Ad Lounge, and President, Boost Agents
"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
Great post, Leslie! Creatives are wonderful people, but yes you’re right… if you’re in a position to manage them they need special care and feeding. One thing I’ve found in my own creative process that works well for a lot of creatives is similar to what you mentioned about giving them the opportunity to work on something they love.
When possible, make sure creatives have the chance to bounce around. Creativity is fed by exposure to new concepts, new challenges, and breathing “fresh air” (not being stuck on one client exclusively). Having the chance to participate at different levels and on different projects and clients from time to time works wonders on the creative mind.
Thanks for the comment Michelle. I’m constantly recommending this to my clients, complete with the ‘what harm could it do’ closer. But its amazing how afraid many agencies are to mix their teams up and worse, how many Creatives get territorial about their accounts. I mean, god forbid someone ELSE might win an award on THEIR account. My eyes are rolling back in my head as we speak. Bottom line – both sides are often guilty of making it tougher to be as creative as possible. But every interaction and act of respect helps – on both sides!!
Late to get here, but still a great post. Thank you. Our art director gives out hand drawn stars on sticky notes; everyone loves it.