I have always believed a creative leader must treat their team differently. Our industry is ever changing and one of the biggest challenges for any creative team is to try and find a rhythm of success in a changing environment – it’s not easy.
Contrary to some other jobs where the team members know 99% of the time what to expect, how their day will go and how they need to perform to succeed – the creative industry is the exact opposite. Every project, task, client and path to a successful outcome is completely different. The most successful business people in the creative industry are able to be flexible and adapt, a chameleon of creativity if you will.
I was recently asked if I had any pointers to motivate others in the workplace to produce better work. That question has a cornucopia of correct answers, however I have learned that in the creative industry sometimes the most helpful thing is to remove the leash from the people you are trying to motivate the most.
That’s correct. All my managers, directors and CEO’s reading this blog – breathe, it will be OK.
I am going to break down my theory of loosening your creative system in 4 steps that will conclude by building a stronger, more motivated and loyal group of creative professionals.
Step 1: Giving your team members free reign.
What I mean by this is almost the exact opposite of building a highly structured, detailed system of work. The only parts you keep are progress reports and deadlines. Think about it, you hired the best candidates possible to fill positions in your company [or at least I hope you did], what good are their skills if you don’t put them to work? Not only are these employees here to improve parts of your business you have pointed out, but they can also be motivated to take your business to another level through creativity, innovation and responsibility. Let them go and figure out the answers you want from a project. As their manager or leader the only concern you should have is when progress stops or a deadline for a client is not met. Obviously the work must be up to your company standards and correct, but that’s a given.
What you are really doing is not only freeing up stress and work off your plate, but you are using the full potential of the people who you hired. Oversee the success of a project by discussing and analyzing milestones along the way. You should have the attitude of, no matter what happens today my team members are going to find a solution and keep the project running smoothly because I trust they will. Only when that does not occur is when you step in and figure out what needs to be done to get back on track.
Step 2: Knowing when more responsibility is a passion.
It’s a good thing to give your team members more responsibility. It’s a great thing when you can recognize a passion they have and gear their newfound responsibilities to that passion. Not only are you growing a portion of your business with someone who already knows your system and wont require the pay of another employee [if they get paid at all] but you are also fueling someone’s passion – which means the work will always be great because it is important to them. Here are a few examples:
+ Does your company want to start a non-profit? Find the person in your group who has a passion for giving back to the community and let them lead they way in registering your new group with the state, collaborating events, fundraising and press.
+ Want to get your company more exposure on social media, but frankly you don’t have time or know the best way? Find your social savvy team member and see if they would want to lead the social media initiatives and get your company name out there to grow the business. Now ‘social media Sam’ walks around the office with a little perk in his step because through his new social media efforts you have gained 600 new followers and 2 new clients. [By the way, that’s when you give Sam a little bonus! – he’ll only work harder.]
+ Have you been thinking about a group retreat or field trip? I bet someone in your company enjoys event planning and setting up team building exercises. Convey your goals and initial ideas and let that person run with it to make it bigger, better and actually happen!
Step 3: Accepting failure.
Just except it. If you think I’m going to sit here and say that by loosening your business system and giving your employees more room to problem solve and create solutions is always going to be a success, then stop reading.
It won’t.
What it will do however is present a formula that doesn’t work and teach creative leaders a lesson. Failure may be the most important element in this whole equation. I will guarantee the creative companies who fail often but stick it out and come back with a more focused mindset, will in the end be the companies who push their boundaries of fear further. Failure builds community. Failure builds strength. Failure builds mental fortitude. Nobody likes to fail, but we all like to succeed after we fail – why is that? Because the fruits of our labor become that much sweeter knowing we had to go down to go up.
Try this theory with your team. Remember, when your employees fail, they already feel bad. They know to a degree they have let you down. Now, you as their leader have a choice to make. You can hammer home this point of failure, or you can recognize the fact that they failed, but also recognize their effort to succeed and now you want to guide them to success by offering pointers and most importantly continued support as they try and complete the task correctly again. They will bounce back more motivated and the chances of them completing the task correctly, even better than what they planned, is much greater. So maybe you didn’t fail at all.
Step 4: Nature only when needed.
We all complain and have bad days. I am 100% guilty of sitting at my desk sometimes and letting out a long hard sigh, really wanting to scream, “This project is ridiculous!” But what am I looking for? Someone to come over and say “Aw, Chuck its going to be a OK you’re a big boy…” Possibly, but in the end it is much better if someone doesn’t. In the same token as a project manager, I give out assignments all the time to my design team and I can easily tell when they are disinterested in doing it at the moment. But that is the same time I will take step back, put my trust in them to complete it on time and go about my business.
I know some tasks are challenging, but your team members must push themselves through the mud – if you hold their hand every time they will never grow as a creative professional and you will build a team that is dependent on you, that will get old really quick. Again, you are making the most out of the person you hired because they will come out of the project stronger, with a new mental fortitude. Every time we finish something difficult, or a project we never have done before, it feels better. You feel proud and ready to accept another challenge. Let your members feel this and in the end they will grow tremendously.
Loosening your creative structure may seem like a stretch at first. I would say, if you believe in the points I brought to the surface in this blog then also think about how you can loosen up your own personal creative agenda – could the first step be letting your members follow a process similar to this? I’m a believer that the only thing above a creative founding father is the creative industry itself. The creative industry is a higher power we cannot control – and rightfully so or it wouldn’t be creative. Our industry is a gust of wind or a current from the sea – who knows where it will go next. If you want a team of creative professionals who are proud to work for you, feel like they are important to the success of your company, get to flex multiple creative muscles and can keep up with their passions – you will have the hardest working, trustworthy business around – now get to it.
Thinkfully,
Chuck Forbes
Original Source: http://www.heliumcreative.com/how-loosening-up-your-creative-system-can-strengthen-your-team/
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