1st Rule of Managing Creative People - Break The Rules

The first rule of managing creatives is: you do not manage creatives.

The second rule of managing creatives is: you do not manage creatives.

Unlike Fight Club, there’s no need to go beyond that. At this point, when it comes to getting the most out of your creative team, it’s time to let go of trying to manage — which is synonymous with control — anyone.

Instead, it’s about learning how to empower your people. How to enable them. And how to harness the power of servant-leadership, which is about sniffing out the ways you can best serve those you lead.

After all, people don’t quit companies. They quit bosses.

All you have to do is get a little, well, creative in establishing a framework and an environment with the support and the space creatives need to excel.

Manage motivations, not people

Rather than starting with what you want your team members to do, the better jumping-off point is to ask why they do what they do. 

I can’t emphasize enough how critical it is to get a handle on a creative’s intrinsic motivations. By understanding how they work, and what makes them tick (read: inspired, happy, engaged), you can take action to maximize their potential, positivity, and productivity.

At my design consultancy, Digital Surgeons, for example, the journey begins right from the start when we are assessing a candidate for a creative position. We assign a relatively broad project, one that encourages the use of both imagination and pragmatism. Our intention is not only to check out what they come up with but also how they think and work — which we ask them about when they present their project. 

By leading with curiosity and listening carefully, we get an understanding of how candidates prefer to function. And of course, once on board, we have these types of conversations frequently, where we ask specifically about what excites them about the work at hand.

This is all for a good reason: where there’s genuine interest, there’s enthusiasm and energy. Where there’s enthusiasm and energy, there is also passion, productivity, and pride. All support ownership. And this aligns with what Daniel Pink, best-selling author of Drive (among other must-reads on business, creativity, and behavior), identified as the secret to motivation: purpose, autonomy, and mastery.

It’s been my experience that a motivated creative is an unstoppable force of nature. So get out of the way, and instead focus on optimizing the path forward by spotting and removing obstacles and blockers.

Make the right connections

Once you’re clear on motivating factors for each creative on your team, the next step is to be at once strategic and open in assigning project work. To illustrate what I mean, here’s an example I gave on a recent OK Productive podcast: 

I have two talented designers who have a similar skill set, but a divergent way of working. One is more analytical and introverted and wants the details up front. The other is more extroverted and free-flowing and likes to connect the dots in real-time.

To get the most out of both, I do a few things. First off, I allow people to opt-in (or not) to receive a detailed brief of a given project. At the initial internal meeting, I create a space for an open conversation of thoughts and inspiration, share the parameters (i.e., deliverables, timelines), and then allow the group to decide on the division of labor. That way, everyone has a shared purpose and a distinct role.

Like anything else, external forces like juggling multiple projects and time and resource limitations can complicate things. This is where management does come into play — being able to help break down roadblocks is a key leadership responsibility. That, and safeguarding the client’s vision to keep everyone on track.

Otherwise, always remember, the first rule of managing creatives is: you do not manage creatives. Fight for the right to uplift them, and you’ll win their engagement, productivity, and abundant creativity.