Managing Your Creative Teams

There is no real secret to managing creative teams. 
There is a right way to support them and that is what many managers miss. Let us first toss out the myth of the creative person's personality.

I have often been surprised by management types that think there is some secret to managing creatives—they hint around about creatives. They are different and have special needs don't they?

Poppycock!
Admittedly, creating dynamic campaigns, headlines and stunning visuals is a unique and separate skill set from say building a spreadsheet analysis of audience segment touch points.

My experience is this—creatives need room to explore, room to make some mistakes, all without judgment. Most creatives I have worked with are very hard on their own output. They work best in an atmosphere that allows unfettered visualization and vocalization.

The optimum creative process is this:

• Develop a creative brief
• Pick the creative team (a writer, designer, web site developer)
• Hold a kick off—establish the goals, timeline, and background
• Allow the team to set up their own creative brainstorm sessions
• As creative director, it's up to you to set a review meeting

This is nothing new
It is a time-honored process practiced by agencies all over the world. I am convinced that it can be used in any number of work environments—nonprofit as well as for-profit.

Your organization will be better off if you encourage and nurture a creative culture. When it comes to creativity, constraints are a plus, allow it to blossom with a purpose.

If you want to receive a diagram of the creative process, e-mail me at:
arceneauxdirect@gmail.com.