The form & function of creativity

Like great architecture, creativity must be intrinsically related to your purpose and your values.

Why creatives should be like helicopters.

Creatives need to be helicopters and their leaders need to build the heliports.

One of my favorite books is ‘The Art of Looking Sideways’ by designer Alan Fletcher. It’s a book of creative ponderings and observations and in it he makes an analogy of helicopters and vending machines.

The Helicopters are those people who look at a project, or problem, from all different angles and perspectives. They hover over the terrain to see everything in its entirety in order to get the big picture. They then zoom in, get nice and close to see all the detail. They move around and see the terrain from as many different vantage points as possible.  And because they see problems from many perspectives, they are able to see endless possibilities.

Then there are those who are like vending machines. These are creatives (or creative companies) who have a range of standard solutions and ideas already in place. Clients put their money in the slot and out come the same old, off the shelf, solutions wrapped up a little bit differently. 

To be truly creative is to be like a helicopter.

The problem is that many companies in their quest to win over a client or get a project out, or find a creative solution quickly, settle for the vending machine approach. Yes it delivers solutions and ideas, but only adequate ones, not the best ones, not the great ones.

As creative people and as leaders of creative teams we need to be like helicopters, because being creative is all about seeing the world from different perspectives and from fresh and unique angles. It’s all about being open to as many possibilities as you can, because from possibilities come great ideas. If you limit the possibilities you see (by being vending machines), you then limit the value and quality of our ideas. To be truly creative you need to be a helicopter.

But there’s something even more important.

Without the right ground support, a brilliant creative will never get airborne. It’s vital for leaders to hire, develop and retain helicopters. Great leaders of creative people build heliports and maintain safe air space to work in. They know it’s important because that’s where the gold lies, and it’s what compounds their creative currency.

Great ideas come from possibilities, and you need to get on a different and higher level for that to happen. It will never happen if you’re stuck on the ground being a vending machine.

It’s a great analogy – thanks Alan.

The truth about creativity in business

Creativity is one of the most misunderstood and overly complicated issues in business! But the truth is - creativity needs to be simple and practical.

I used to play golf. I had to give it up because me and golf simply did not mix. But before I did I learned a few things.

Firstly, golf is one of those games that if you over analyze it you are screwed. There are literally thousands of things to get right. The back swing alone has a myriad of variants and then there’s the follow through, the grip, the club selection, the heckling from your so called friends, the mind game and who knows what else to consider. Add to that the fact that every golf pro has a different method of teaching you that by the time to you take it all in it’s a monumental miracle you hit the ball at all, let alone stay sane. 

So the first trick with golf is to let go and just let it happen, because the more you think about it the worse it gets. You just got to get into the zone.

Secondly there’s the whole focus thing. Golf is all about visualizing where you want that ruddy white thing to go by empowering it’s trajectory with every once of psychic energy you can muster. There is no doubt in ‘mind over matter’ or in golf’s case ‘mind over whacker’. How many times have you been ready to strike the ball when someone says, ‘don’t hit the water’ so what happens? No matter how hard you try, your focus and mind control is now on the water and that’s where that ball is heading.

So the other trick about golf is to understand what you see is what you get. In golf, if you set your mind the task, it will find a way of getting the ball there.

Creativity is like that.

Firstly, like golf, it can get complex. There are a million people out there talking it up, telling you how to do it and yes, there is a lot to it – BUT – sometimes you just need to let go and let it happen. The more you think about it the worse it gets. You just got to get ‘into the zone’.

And the other thing about creativity, again like golf, is that it works best when you are very clear about what it is you are trying to accomplish. When you have a simple, clear focus. Set your mind the task and it will find the solution, with or without you. And leaders of creative people especially need to understand this in order to let their people be totally on their creative game.

So here’s the thing. I reckon we complicate creativity way too much and by trying to make sense of it, and analyzing how it works we are simply fighting an up hill battle and ending up in a tangled mess.

Where are all the creative people?

It occurs to me there is a great divide, an ‘us’ and ‘them’ scenario, going on when we talk about ‘creative people’. By labeling certain people as ‘creative’ we are in fact excluding others.

Now I know that some people are more creative than others, and we should all be very glad of that, but the truth is that creative people, of all types and talents, can be found everywhere. In fact they’re on all levels of your organization and the sad thing is that most of the time you don’t even know they’re there.

And because business leaders often have a narrow view of who the ‘creatives’ really are, they are not able to fully tap into the creative potential and wisdom of their organization.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve sat in many brainstorming sessions and production meetings and have always been amazed at how often the meek, mild, quiet person in the corner, who’s not considered part of the creative team, is the one who comes up with the killer idea, or adds a completely new twist to the conversation.

So the ‘us’ and ‘them’ thing basically comes down to our view of who a creative person is. My view is that a creative person is someone who thinks differently

To be creative is to create. Whether it’s a new concept, a new product or a new idea. Being creative is about thinking and doing differently. It’s about being unique, seeing the world from different perspectives, challenging the norm and seeking possibilities.

And yes it is true that by their very nature creative people think and behave differently, that they are motivated by different things, and that it takes a unique set of leadership skills to nurture, direct and manage them. But that shouldn’t exclude the fact that creative people come from all levels of an organization, from all walks of life, and all industry sectors.

So we need to broaden our view of who they are and where they can be found and we need stop thinking of creative people as those people in the corner with ponytails.

Now I’m not saying don’t respect, exclude or sack your creative team, far from it, because you need them. What I am saying is be careful about limiting your perception of who is and isn’t creative.

And if creativity is all about finding new possibilities, then ironically, by limiting your view of who ‘creative people’ are, you are in fact limiting your possibilities and ultimately not being very creative.

Beware a creative killer: the Sunset Shot

6 ways to frustrate creative people

Creative people work and think differently. Unfortunately, by failing to understand that fact, business leaders often frustrate creative people and fail to tap into their true genius.

Here’s a list of ways to absolutely frustrate creative people and in the process kill off their creativity and passion. Guaranteed!  Sadly, these things are seen all to often, so there are some tips on how to overcome them.

1. Tell them how to do something!
Creative people hate being told how to do something. They do however love to know what needs to be done and what the parameters are. As soon as you tell a creative person how to do something they’ll switch off - so just give them the ‘what’. Direct them, steer them, guide them and lead them BUT whatever you do, stop micromanaging and don’t tell them how to do their job!

2. Don’t respect them!
Creative people love to be respected for their talents and abilities. And yes they need to be told. In a recent survey we conducted, lack of respect, came up as one of the major frustrations creatives have, working for organisations. I’m not saying swoon all over them or dribble on their work, but I am saying let them know you appreciate them. But don’t do it because you’ve read this, do it because you really do, genuinely respect them.

3. Give them loads of red tape!
Creative people hate red tape! They tend to not be very good a detail. Now that doesn’t surprise me at all because it restricts your creative flow. If organizations bog them down in admin and bureaucracy then how are they meant to do the creative stuff?

4. Don’t tolerate their mistakes!
Having a workplace culture that tolerates creative risk and failure is paramount for creative people to thrive. Again one of the biggest frustrations of creative people is working for organizations that don’t tolerate mistakes or failure. Tata Group fosters a culture of sharing and learning from mistakes and failures. That’s where greatness lies. So creative people need to feel safe to throw an idea on the table without fear of ridicule.

5. Lock them into a finite process.
One of the great ironies is that creativity needs structure to thrive but that structure also needs to allow creative freedom. It’s a kind of loose/tight quality. Unfortunately business likes certainty and method and so in it’s quest to make creativity work it often implements cookie cutter processes that only inhibit creative flow. You need to have a framework that knows when to turn on and off the creative controls and direct creativity to your desired outcomes. 

6. Lock them into 9 to 5!
Creativity doesn’t work 9 to 5. The creative process needs time to do it’s thing and so leaders need to harness it’s potential by providing environments that let our people be flexible with time. Am I saying come and go as you please? No. However, remember creative people like boundaries but within those boundaries they also require freedom. So a workplace environment that allows freedom to utilise time to get results is where you need to aim.

The Creativity Gap

There is a definite gap between the value an organization places on creativity and its ability to fully utilize the talents of its creative people.

Recently we conducted a survey, which went to both creatives and business leaders, and some of the results are quite surprising.

One of the questions we asked was, ‘in business should creativity have a commercial value?’ Pretty straight forward and as you would expect most people answered ‘yes’. In fact - 90%.  Which is not all surprising when you think about it because unless creativity leads to a positive business outcome it isn’t all that useful. It needs to add value to your clients, your people and ultimately your company’s bottom line

BUT…what was surprising was the result from another fairly straightforward question. Do you fully utilize the talents of your creative people?’ Only 16% of people answered yes!

Now I don’t know about you but that rings some bells for me.

On one hand business emphatically understands the need for creativity to be of commercial value. Yet only 16% make full use of the abilities and wisdom of their creative people to achieve that. What’s even more amazing is that they know that they don’t!

It’s a bit like knowing you have to get a heap of stuff across a canyon but only using 16% of the bridge’s capacity. You’d either limit how much you carry across, do multiple trips which of course would take longer, or perhaps hire more trucks. Either way it’s inefficient because you have a very useful bridge with the ability to do the job.

So why is that? Well primarily it comes down to the fact that creative people work very differently and in order to lead them we need to understand them.

One of the challenges businesses face when working with creative people is that they think, feel and do very differently. So you need to understand why they think differently, how they do things differently, and what motivates them. Leading creative people requires a different set of skills. Leaders need to be mentors, guides, champions, custodians and not managers, bosses, or superiors.

And if you think that’s all a bit one sided then, yes there is room for many creatives to get their heads around how their leaders, businesses and ultimately clients think and work as well, (but that’s another topic for another day).

And if we can start to bridge the gap in understanding how creatives work and why they think the way they do then we are well on the way to bridging the creativity gap and improving the wisdom and genius we have at our disposal.

The challenge in building your creative currency

Why ‘Leader’ is misleading

It occurs to me that the term ‘leader’ is one of those terms that is bandied about with a plethora of different interpretations. So I looked up a few meanings in ‘Word’ (yeah I know it isn’t very extensive research but…) here’s what I got.

• Somebody in charge of others
• Somebody whom people follow
• Musical conductor
• Line at the end of fishing line
• Guide in printed matter

Of all of those the only one that really excites me is ‘Musical Conductor’. Here’s why.

I reckon the role of a leader has changed. It is no longer effective to rally the troupes and expect them to follow you as you head off into the wilderness with your blunderbuss in one hand and a machete in the other. Especially when it comes to working with creative people. A great leader inspires his people, gives them direction and lets them blaze the trail. It’s like a being the inspiration leader of a professional sports team. The leader doesn’t get on the field with the team; instead they set the game plan and let the players fight it out, and then point them in the right direction every so often if they need it.

For me, a great leader of creatives is one who is prepared to let creative people do their thing, who understands them, who knows they are motivated by different things, who knows how and when to turn on and off the creative controls, and who knows how to get the very best from creative people while directing their talents and genius towards successful business outcomes.

So perhaps we should change the word ‘lead’ to ‘nurture’ or ‘empower’ or ‘to be guardian of’.

And perhaps we should change the term ‘leader’ to ‘Creative Conductor’.

New survey on leading creative people - need input!

From my experience the problem with creativity in business is not finding creative people, or teaching them to be more creative. It’s harnessing and directing their talents into commercial value.

It’s alot like Hollywood. Because Hollywood is all about ‘the business of creativity’ - it’s about taking creative ideas and making money from them. It’s about tapping into the potential of creative people, letting them do their thing, but directing and funneling that potential into commercially viable solutions. Sure you can train up your actors, directors and set designers, (and you should), but the key to making money is in orchestrating their talents. It’s in leading your creative people.

As a result, we're conducting a survey to not only highlight any pro's and con's of the business side of creativity but also highlight any disparities between business leaders and creatives.

To do this we are running two surveys concurrently - please fill in only one.
- One for Business leaders - take the survey here.
- One for Creative people - take the survey here.

The survey is anonymous and the information will be used to help business leaders get greater business outcomes from leading their creative people.

Hope you take part and looking forward to the results