Creative Direction, is also about a direction towards a vision. In this context, we are talking about a vision of how an ideal Creative team could look like. A decade ago, when I first started out to work as a Creative Director, I didn’t have any vision for a Creative team. How could I? Nowadays, we live in a world where most of people expect things to happen right now. But most of the time, It’s not how real world really works. Indeed, the way I see a vision for that matter is that, it doesn’t have to be clear right in the begining, a vision is something crafted over time. Defining a vision, doesn’t mean to have a something perfectly accurate, but instead it means to have a direction, open enough so a team can fit in and be a part of. From my experience, I’ve noticed that, each time I had a well defined vision, there was always an external factor that came into place, and changed that vision (Lol). So there’s no point to have a well defined vision, especially because each agency or company, is different. Also, a vision doesn’t have to be informed only by yourself. It can be a combination of your peers’ vision, and of your own flavor. As a result, it becomes your world view, your vision.

BUILD the team

When Creative Leads are hired,
as the name suggests,
they think that the job is to… lead.
But leading is only part of the equation.
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First step, is to assess the needs and the workload related to communication material (for both internal communication and external campaigns) deployed on different channels (offline and online) and mediums (physical and digital) that have to be delivered, and in the most short amount of time as possible. Once it’s defined and established, next step is to write the relevant Job Description. Then, when it comes to interview potential candidates (conducted with HR team), a specific evaluation framework has been created and designed, allowing effective meetings (content of an interview should have a specific purpose). Final step, a buddy onboards appropriately the new team member. To that point, this is just the first milestone, because a lot more will be needed to build the team.

Three things I use to keep in mind when it comes to leadership. First thing first “Leadership is how you lead yourself” (John C. Maxwell) helps to start with the right mindset. Secondly, a Creative team should move toward a common goal. One way to do it, is to project an ideal, a vision that the Creative team feels excited about. Rome wasn't built in a day, and that vision neither. So what is needed is to give specific directional guidance and to share wisdom. As a lead, the role is not only to deliver a ‘blah blah blah’ speech, but to deliver technical supports & practical thinking frameworks. Over time, the creativity of the team gets better. Leadership is like trust, it has to be earned by giving. And last but not least, I believe in “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders” (Tom Peters). To that point, this is not about role or job anymore, but an exciting and inspiring call: being able to support and contribute to the next generation of Creative Lead.

MAINTAIN the team

When Creative Leads are hired,
as the name suggests,
they think that the job is to… lead.
But leading is only part of the equation.
_

Building something, doesn’t mean that it will last forever, entropy is waiting around the corner. And building a Creative team is no exception. That’s why I care to have weekly… wip meeting. The objective of wip meetings is usually to share projects’ status. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. The reason beneath the surface, is actually to ensure that the Creative team is okay. I’m not really comfortable with the concept of “human resource”. The team is not composed of resources. It’s composed of human being, with emotions, moods, and ups and downs. So paying attention about how people feel, is key. Also, part of the role, is to ensure that the team makes progress as creatives. By ensuring that the creatives are in line with their career aspiration, as a byproduct, it maintains the team.

disclaimer: pictures in this page are for illustration purpose only.