While there have been those that think a Creative team should be treated no differently than any other team, I do not believe this to be true. This would indicate that all people are motivated by the same things. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Creatives are motivated by the type of work they are doing: is it relevant, is it challenging, is it cool, is it respected. If the work is not some or all of these things, then they will lose interest and motivation. You will continue to get the production output from them but they will not be giving you their best work because it will not seem possible in your corporate setting. They will become hands while their minds check out.
Also of importance are the surroundings. Does this environment seem like a creative environment? Cube farms are not conducive to great creative work. They stifle interaction and collaboration. Give your Creative team the freedom to determine their surroundings--it will stimulate their creativity and raise the level of the work. Once, in the midst of a corporate cube reshuffling, I protested our new creative team surroundings because the area was dark and dingy. While some executives thought me mad, they quickly realized the seriousness of my contention. It's already weird enough for a decidedly creative person to be in a corporate environment, allowing freedom in their surroundings goes a long way to create a healthy, productive atmosphere.
Finally, respect for their discipline and contribution is paramount. Creatives need to know that they are valued. Treating them as a commodity or a executional necessity is the surest way to ensure turnover that I can think of. Yet, if you turn that around and make them aware of the contribution they are delivering to the business, they will thrive. And you will get phenomenal creative work. This means taking pains to ensure they are recognized as an integral part of the team. I cannot tell you how often I've seen huge recognition efforts (awards and thank-yous at company meetings) include everyone but the creative personnel. That took what could have been a great day and turned it into a challenging one.
Remember: in almost all cases, the first impression your customer has of your brand was developed by your Creative team. They crafted the words and pictures that creates that initial customer experience. How well this is done relies, in large part, on the quality and temperament of your Creative team. If their minds and hearts are tuned correctly, the work and brand will reflect this.
You will pay particular attention that I have not mentioned compensation. This is deliberate. Not that compensation is not important to your Creative team, it is--it's just that it's not top of mind. I have led creative teams that were well compensated yet not recognized and they were not happy teams. Given the choice, they will prioritize importance, contribution and relevance over cash.
If you keep these motivational and driving factors in mind, your Creative team will flourish and prosper. Of this, I am positive.
Come back soon for my new companion post, "Care & Feeding of a Marketing Team".
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1 comment:
Tom, I think this has got to be one of the best readings I read to date on how other teams should handle the creative team and a great read on how what us creatives need to be looking out for in a corp or any team for that matter. Keep up the good work and keep these post coming!
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