A team can only be as creative as their leader allows them to be, but when you are that leader, it can be a lot harder than it seems to give creative freedom yet stick to the brief and not micromanage.
Knowing how to draw out your team’s creative best and help them reach their potential is a cornerstone of any creative team leader.
The challenge? There is no one-size-fits-all approach or fool-proof tactic to get your team to reach their creative potential.
It takes time for you to get to know your employees as individuals, learning what they respond to well versus what could hinder their creativity. Only then can you understand how best to encourage them to be their most creative.
So with that in mind, here are a few ways you can elevate the impact of your creative team.
Online Courses
Sometimes getting creativity out of someone is more than just a one-person job. Sometimes it requires a professional group of people to use various techniques, tips, and tricks to help them be creative and stay creative.
Courses for creatives can be an excellent way for your team members to pick up great ideas that work for them and help them stay creative. In addition, attending a course with others in the same situation can create an environment where people can bounce off each other, generate new ideas and learn.
Learning from industry professionals boosts confidence to no end, and structured workshops provide practical ways to apply those newly discovered skills.
Guide & Mentor
For the most part, people can be very creative and produce good work individually. Still, it’s not uncommon to struggle in the process, especially during a stressful work situation where ideas can become clouded.
In these situations, someone often needs to provide clarity and help cut through the creative fog.
Being a mentor to your team and a guide is imperative for a collaborative workforce. Understanding the situations your team thrives in and those they don’t will ensure that the work they produce is top tier.
By ensuring you are an authoritative yet comforting figure that your team members feel they can confide in will only help you better understand them as people and creatives.
Creative Scenarios
Despite the importance of being a mentor to your team and ensuring you guide them effectively, it is equally important that you give them sufficient creative freedom without micromanaging or being too dominant.
Instead, put your team in situations where they can flourish and build upon their creative processes.
To get the best out of your team, creating situations that stretch their potential can be beneficial in the journey to elevating the impact of your team’s creativity. However, stretch them too much and you may cause the opposite effect.
Yes, diamonds are made under pressure, but as a creative leader, you are responsible for ensuring the pressure is just right.
For this reason, workplace structures are key. Time deadlines and an authoritative presence are critical, but so is the adaptability that comes with creative spaces.
In essence, elevating the impact of your creative team comes down to striking a balance, a balance between offering your employees the direction they require but allowing them to be creatives in their own right.
