As you assume this senior managerial role, your responsibilities now extend beyond personal deliverables to encompass those of your team. You’re increasingly involved in business-focused pitches and tasked with leading a creative team, an area that may not have been a formal part of your training. Your days are filled with meetings, and computer time is dedicated to guiding others through emails, video calls, and managing a cluttered inbox, while carving out time for your own projects is a challenge.
Welcome to the world of creative management. As a manager, you’re now accountable for a broader range of business-oriented metrics, with the profitability and billability of your direct reports a constant concern. Accompanying these metrics is the need for enhanced efficiency, rooted in established processes—a task that can be daunting.
To enhance your creative management skills, consider the following advice:
Seek out leading figures in your field who share your role. Compile a list and follow them on social platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Subscribe to their blogs, explore their contributions on Q&A sites like Quora, and attend seminars where they speak. Many creative directors have embraced thought leadership, engaging in blogging, speaking engagements, and attending significant industry events.
Thought leadership is a blend of self-promotion and resource provision. While Dribbble, Pinterest, and Behance are valuable for design inspiration, understanding the business aspects of the creative process requires a different approach. Stay connected with magazines and blogs, and delve into literature on marketing, design’s business side, and advertising.
It’s surprising to return to scholarly research and printed works after years of college, but it’s beneficial. Understanding your clients’ perspectives is crucial for driving creative work that supports their business. Here are some recommended books:
– Design Is a Job by Mike Monteiro
– Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
– Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky
– Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
Great creative storytelling lies at the heart of your work. The written word, one of the oldest forms of self-expression, remains irreplaceable. Develop the ability to articulate your thoughts clearly and concisely to shape stories effectively, whether in ad copy, team briefs, or emails.
Self-reflection is vital for your growth as a manager and creative leader. Assess your strengths and weaknesses, and challenge yourself to think differently. Reflect on the content you approve: does it meet today’s standards? As the creative landscape expands, the focus is on adaptable content that fits various channels or devices.
As a creative director, your role is to bridge the gap between the client and your team, delivering impactful creative solutions within project constraints. Prioritize process improvement and team mentorship. Leading and inspiring your team will enhance their performance, making optimization a key priority to work smarter and reclaim valuable time.
This journey has no manual; it’s based on personal experience as a creative director. I’m always open to learning, so feel free to share your insights and opinions below. Contact me at @petesena.
