The 11.5 Irrefutable Laws of Creative Leadership

OK, so you’ve landed your job as director or manager of a creative services unit within a corporate environment. That means you’ve successfully shown you have an inherent understanding of the company’s strategic objectives as well as the knowledge and methodologies of delivering communications and marketing products.

Now comes the hard part: developing products in a real-world environment, one full of nearly impossible deadlines and a belief by many within the corporate structure that doing what your department does is as easy as someone sitting down at a Mac and pressing the “easy” button. (Someone with a request may even want to “watch you” come up with a wonderfully creative and strategically on-target idea and final form in the next hour, but that’s a topic that deserves another blog examination.)

No, the subject here is delivering creative leadership, defined for this column as satisfying the VP of the department who is accountable for the project and continually ensuring you’re getting the best ideas and end-products from your in-house writers and designers.

And in the spirit of John Maxwell’s “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” allow me to present “The 11.5 Irrefutable Laws of Creative Leadership.” More info: John Maxwell, via Amazon.com

1. Establish parameters

A good creative work plan – a scope of work – is essential. It gives your writers and designers a barometer for expectations: purpose, audience, tone, “must haves,” and due dates.

2. Don’t set up a 12-foot concrete barrier

But asking for a 24-page capabilities brochure without approved copy and under a 48-hour “gotta have it” deadline is at best disrespectful. Ask what's doable within the time frame and according to department work load, and negotiate and prioritize resources from there.

3. Get the right people involved.

You may work easily with certain team members, and it’s tempting to go back to them for all your needs. For the best possible products, however, think through who has the right background or understanding, and add them to the team mix. It may take a bit more time to create momentum, but the results will be worth it in the end.

4. Allow time for creative pursuit.

You will want the perfect answer on the first try – after all “you” know what you want. More often than not, it’s the second or third version that will really deliver the right form and tone. The best creative ideas, for he most part, aren’t generated in brainstorming meetings around a conference table.

5. Don’t buy in to the “I’ll have it when I have it” statement.

Sometimes the creative group or person will resist the “needed by” dates, seeking an open-ended process. Don’t buy in to this – professionals will give you their best in the time provided.

6. Be able to describe the mindset of the target audience.

In the end, a communications product is a sales presentation. The art and copy work together to eliminate arguments against your product or service. To do that, the best creatives will want to imagine they are talking to a specific member of the target audience.

7. Don’t insist that you already know the mindset of the target audience.

You may think you do know what aspects of the product or service the customer wants to hear. But different people respond to different kinds of appeals. Take the time to carefully consider the approaches provided to you. They may find the irresistible argument that works for the greatest majority of people.

8. The first idea just may have a nugget of truth.

Sure, the first idea may be off target, but often there is brilliance in the approach that just may need some polishing.

9. Some ideas hit the “creative” mark, but just aren’t worth pursuing.

Good creatives will naturally give you a number of ideas. Not all will be exceptional options for the long term goals. Work carefully through these at an early stage, and weed out the weaker ones.

10. A good creative person will be receptive to critique.

In the professional ranks, a strong creative person will consider your critiques of the approach, engage you in thoughtful discussion, and be able to adjust accordingly.

11. A good creative person will have already considered potential problems.

When the creative team presents its approaches, respect the time and analysis provided. If you don’t see the relevance of the solution, asking how they got to that end product will give you additional information that just may be right on target.

11.5 Respect creative ability as much as you respect your own talents and skills.

The great sportswriter Red Smith once said that “writing is easy … you just sit down and open a vein.” Remember that good creatives are not just giving you their talents, they’re going deep into their soul to deliver for you.