From the mind of JIM
Leadership
Creative leadership can be a tricky proposition because most Creative Directors are given their position on the merits of the great work they’ve done. Makes sense, right? The catch is that once they’re in a leadership role, these very talented people are suddenly being asked to do far less of the amazing work they’ve built their career on, and instead help other people do amazing work to build their careers on. It’s a big shift and not everyone makes it smoothly.
To me, a good CD needs to be able to redefine themselves in their own mind. If you can’t see the success of your team – their campaigns, their promotions, their accolades – as your success, you’ll never be a truly inspirational creative leader. One of my favorite things to brag about is the number of junior creatives I’ve hired that have won One Show Pencils. Mind you, none of them were working with me at the time, but that’s beside the point. I saw their raw talent. I helped shape them into Pencil-winning idea machines. So as far as I’m concerned, those are my victories. At least in part.
Ultimately, leadership is about inspiration. It’s about having a vision, articulating it in a way that people buy into, and instilling faith in your team that every step of the way you will do everything in your power to put them in a position to win. And the best way to do that is to truly believe you’re winning right along with them.