If you can find joy in the hard parts of your job, and are lucky enough to have some great partners, you inevitably learn a few things that make your work more rewarding. Below is a sampling of what I’ve picked up about craftsmanship, leadership, and the intersection of art and commerce.
• The definition of great creative work is effective creative work. So focus debates on what will make something more effective.
• Creatives should immerse themselves in the business, understand the objectives and the obstacles, and make them their own. Know the people, products, customers, competitors, everything, inside out. Use, buy, experience it all.
• The job of a creative leader is to help other creatives do great work. Give ideas and the credit away.
• The creative process is not linear, and chaos is not only okay, it’s necessary. (Just be sure to set this as an expectation so others don’t get freaked out.)
• You have to know how to say no. To clients, peers, and especially creatives. Creative leaders owe it to creatives to kill work that’s not great. Clarity, honesty, and a little sensitivity can help ensure it doesn’t end in hard feelings.
• There’s a time to talk and a time to listen. It’s also okay to say you don’t know and have ideas tested.
• Be proactive. You don’t have to wait for a brief to present big ideas.
• Make stuff. Put stuff on the walls before it’s perfect or finished.
• Celebrate great work when it launches to keep the momentum going.
• Most best practices related to new technology, including A.I., expire in six months, so don’t be intimidated by what you haven’t done. Curiosity and commitment will win every day.
• Internal creative teams should treat the CMO and other stakeholders the same way agencies treat clients. Take presentations seriously. Guard against laziness and complacency.
• Never forget what it was like to be a junior creative.