30 June, 2006
Mentoring and motivating - improving the return on creative resource investment
Investment in creative resourcesIt is not easy to convince organisations that they should make an investment in creative resources, these can range from an in-house art department to a catalogue of royalty earners. Even when they do, attitudes can be counter-productive.
A major investment in equipment can be nodded through while the cost of a creative software tool can be stuck in an in-box for months. The explanation can be logical but the indisputable outcome is a poor return.
Getting a better return is a balancing act. The situation can go too far the other way and creative businesses themselves are not immune to unproductive people.
The proverbial red flag
Managing is a word to be used with care when dealing with creative types, particularly if the underlying thought is discipline, because this can act as the proverbial red flag and bring out their rebellious nature. And to a great extent that is the way it should be; while almost inevitably they will feel caged within an organisation, to make that all important return, they should still be wild.
Mentoring in this context is intended to stretch the individual to go further and do more and it is not always a comfortable experience for creative talent that is used to having ‘management’ as a cushion for their ego, keeping them within safe boundaries.
Being allowed to shine
Their motivation is not their pay packet, it can be a range of things. Good equipment and facilities are high on the list, thankfully Jan van Eyck was never asked to use powder paint when he wanted the finest (and the most expensive) pigments. Being allowed to shine among their peers is another, which also creates difficulties, as the ‘team’ model is the one most commonly promoted in the majority of work places.
There are good reasons why this task should be assigned to an impartial outsider, not least because it takes a careful blend of mentoring and motivating, and in most cases there is no one in-house with either the time or the skills to take this on. 
30 June, 2006
It takes more than financial incentives.
More than good people-management
It is true that creative people can be difficult to manage. Chris Martin of Coldplay is reported to have said, “Deadlines mean nothing to us. We’ll sink the whole company if we have to.” An extreme example? Perhaps, but he has a vitally important point to make; great work can not be produced to a timetable. Far better for the company that he takes this view than Coldplay produce a flop; remember, the costs are fixed regardless of the quality of the product.
It is more than good people-management that is required to get the most out of your creative resources. The manager must be able to explain their vision in terms that the creative team understands. Teresa Amabile, a Harvard Professor and expert on creativity, suggests that managers need to start seeing themselves as service personnel to their teams as well, ‘giving them hard work to do and plenty of work to do… but at the same time setting up an environment that’s going to facilitate their ability to get that work done without having to deal with a lot of garbage.’
Real motivators are complex
As to their motivation, thinking has moved on since Noel Coward famously commented, ‘Your motivation? Your motivation is your pay packet on Friday. Now get on with it’, although he probably reflected the view of most managers at the time, and the work environment was quite different.
The basics have to be right; good vision, good management and the best equipment are all vitally important. One of the most common complaints by creatives working in organisations is poor equipment. This is not deliberate but a misunderstanding; computers and software are viewed far more as craft tools by creatives than mere hardware. Nothing but the latest will do; they also fear falling behind with their skills if they are not using the latest versions.
One of the most important motivators is the acknowledgement of their peers – every creative industry has awards aplenty from the Oscars to the Booker, from Cannes to D&AD. Although these awards bring commercial and financial success to the recipients, it is the recognition of their talents by their peers that is the real motivator.
Creative types need to bare their souls
How do you get your creatives to go that extra mile? Professor Peter Druker makes his point of view clear. “The best thing you can do for creative people is just get out of their way. Give them a task and leave them alone.” There are situations where that may work but it is better to manage. Primarily because creatives are super-sensitive and one of their greatest needs is for reassurance and constant encouragement.
Producing good creative work is in part baring one’s soul, so their need for encouragement is perfectly justified. The most important element of mentoring is the creation of a relationship where risks can be taken, and when those risks don’t pay off it isn’t seen as failure. To state the obvious, if your creatives are not pushing the envelope and taking risks, you are not moving forward, and as Charles Handy put it, ‘In business, if you aren’t going forward, you’re going out of business.’
30 June, 2006
Motivating and encouraging creativity.
Share your vision
Motivation comes from different sources within the workplace. At a very basic level it can mean higher pay and bonuses, there is also the personal desire to better one’s peers and fulfil potential and at the top is quality of leadership. This is more than good people management, it is about the very head of the organisation being able to not only share their vision but also to explain it in terms that the creative team understands.
Teresa Amabile, a Harvard Professor and expert on creativity suggests that managers need to start seeing themselves as service personnel to their teams, ‘giving them hard work to do and plenty of work to do… but at the same time setting up an environment that’s going to facilitate their ability to get that work done without having to deal with a lot of garbage.’
What are we really talking about?
Creativity is possibly the most underrated resource in business. Countless people have been saying the same thing for countless years but still what is evident all around as a prime source of wealth, creation – creativity – is still considered by many businesses as superfluous.
Some brand-new clichés
Edward de Bono says that most organisations he has worked with claim to want creativity but that on investigation, they really crave maintenance of the proven status quo. He goes on to cite Sam Goldwyn who reportedly said, ‘What we need is some brand-new clichés.’ This view of Hollywood is still as valid today as the sequels of sequels of sequels reveal.
Creativity is seen as risk taking and while blame is hard to apportion for missing an opportunity, making a mistake is irrefutable. Risk aversion undermines innovation and produces a culture in which no one wants to take any responsibility but just how many factories and production units around the world would be standing idle if some artist, creative, did not have that original spark of inspiration?
How does encouraging creativity happen?
Businesses operate in the real world and it often seems that employing creatives is a contradiction in itself because there is no doubt that they need and deserve special treatment. The stereotype of a creative being unreliable and possessing shades of eccentricity is to some extent borne out by research into the personality traits of creative people and yet those businesses willing to invest in innovation reap rewards.
Apparently Amazon specifically ask recruitment companies to seek those rejected elsewhere. So who better than the head of the organisation to instigate that special treatment creatives need? The most important element in that special treatment is the creation of an environment where people are encouraged to take risks and where, when those risks don’t pay off it isn’t seen as failure. Some companies have actively strived to avoid the predictable.
When MTV was in its infancy it sacked employees unhappy to take risks and companies such as Virgin and Dyson are renowned for constantly pushing new ideas. On the other hand the decline of Marks and Spencer in recent years clearly shows that the real risk lies in taking the customer for granted by relying on a worn-out formula. As Charles Handy put it, ‘In business, if you aren’t going forward, you’re going out of business.’
How difficult are creative people?
It is true that creative people can be difficult to work with and disruptive. Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay is reported by the Financial Times to have said, “Deadlines mean nothing to us. We’ll sink the whole company if we have to.” An extreme example? Perhaps but Chris Martin has a vitally important point to make, great work can not be produced to a timetable. 10,000,000+ CD sales are worth waiting for.
Far better for the company (EMI) that he takes this, what might be seen by some, as extreme point of view than provide a mediocre product, a flop. The company’s marketing costs are fixed regardless of the quality of the product.
Can they be managed?
That is a difficult question, even by asking it there is an assumption that constraints are involved, orders given and if there is something that is guaranteed to raise the hackles on a creative, it is being told what to do. Professor Peter Druker makes his point of view clear. “The best thing you can do for creative people is just get out of their way. Give them a task and leave them alone.” Well there are situations where that may work but my inclination is to manage. Why? Because creatives are super-sensitive and one of their greatest needs is for reassurance and constant but constant encouragement.
What really motivates them?
Yes, you have to get the basics right, good vision, good management, the best equipment, they are all vitally important. One of the most common complaints by creatives working in organisations is what they see as poor equipment, nothing but the latest will do.
What really motivates them is not impressing the boss, getting a pay rise or even seeing their work in production, what really does it for them is the acknowledgement of their peers – every creative industry has awards aplenty from the Oscars to the Booker, from Cannes to D&AD. There is an interesting aspect to these awards in that although they bring commercial and financial success, it is important to understand that they are inward looking. The real motivation for creative people is the recognition of their talents by their peers.
The most important thing I have learnt as a practitioner is that the creative process can be much more effective and productive if it is well managed. I asked myself if this experience could be put to use to help others, and the answer has been most emphatically yes.
My experience tells me that in the right environment, managed sensitively, creatives can achieve amazing things but managed poorly they can be a disaster.
Those commissioning work also need help to interact in the right way with their creative partners.
Mentoring & Motivating
Improving the return on creative resource investment.
It takes more than financial incentives.
Motivating and encouraging creativity.
Click on the titles to find out more or on 
to see a short slide show.
Measuring & Auditing
Service auditing - measuring the quality, efficiency and
value of creative suppliers.
Measure results if you want value for money.
Creative People and Services - Value for Money?
Click on the titles to find out more or on to see a short slide show.
Creative Thinking
Creative thinking – providing synaesthetic solutions to complex challenges.
‘A problem is the difference between what we have and what we want.’ - Edward de Bono
A good problem solver will quickly understand your business and provide impartial and refreshingly different solutions.
Click on the titles to find out more or on to see a short slide show.
Speaking Creative
Speaking Creative – how it improves results through clearer, better focused better communication.
It is all about what you say and how you say it.
A creative speaker acts as an intermediary andprovides a clear channel of communication, avoiding costly misunderstandings.
Click on the titles to find out more or on to see a short slide show.
Each Case History is a précis of projects undertaken by Town Group and marketing managers will find the scenarios familiar. If you have a particular situation which requires some outside help, or would like to know more about a particular project then please contact me for further information.