HOW TO DESERVE GREAT CREATIVE WORK. July 9, 2009
Posted by brainactivist in How to sell creative ideas.Tags: creativity, teams
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I noticed something I never forgot during my first job as a Creative Director. I managed 8 “creative” people, 4 teams. At first I thought I knew which were the strong ones and which were weaker. Then I noticed that the “weaker” people did some great work and the “stronger” did some lousy work….the difference was the client! Some clients always got terrific results no matter who worked on their project.
Stellar clients give us lots of background information, approve the research we need , are open-minded, don’t have preconceived ideas about what the solution will be, and allow us to take risks that didn’t always pan out. Their contributions always made the work better. Also, they made quick decisions trusting their instincts rather than over-thinking something to death. They’re also terrific at getting the work approved in their company and I suspect it’s because these same qualities gain them trust at the top levels.
Most of my current clients are like that. I pick them as carefully as they pick their marketing partner because I want to do good work and I know we can’t do it without them. This would translate to an employer too. Do all of the above with your employees and I’ll bet you’ll get better solutions. Inspire people and allow them to be great.
BIG TEAMS: POLITICAL, NOT PRODUCTIVE. April 10, 2008
Posted by brainactivist in How to think creatively.Tags: innovation, teams
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One thing I’ve consistently noticed is that outcomes hardly ever get better with big teams. As a matter of fact, I’d say the more people in the room, the worse the final product or idea. This is especially true when trying to come up with creative or innovative solutions.
The reason for this I think is it usually goes like this: someone has an idea, maybe someone else makes it better, but after that it starts to get diluted. The next person “has a concern” so the thought is kicked back a little, and it goes down from there.
Next time you’re in a group think, watch and see if this happens. There’s really not much you can do about it at that point with 12 or 30 or 100 of you trying to agree. But next time you’re in charge of organizing a project that requires groundbreaking thinking and innovation, keep it small.
(Please share your experiences with teams.)
