7 habits of highly effective creative directors

Nice article, Doug. I feel the same way still about Slashdot - don't know what it means but I know it's important and I'm gonna hear about it shortly. And I'd never heard Kawasaki's advice on presentations before.

Well put, Langston. I like your emphasis on long-term versus short-term.

doug

Doug, Great post as always. Habit #6 has been my life ever since I became a CD in both traditional advertising.

One thing that maybe something to remember is that Highly Effective Creative Directors must be able to inspire their teams to great executions, especially for those projects and clients that aren't the FWA/Communication Arts/Webby/Addy winners. I've always taught my staff how to be creative and understand the business of the office as well as the business of what clients want in their creative agencies.

This is not sexy and is akin to laying down cement for a foundation of a house. But I found that those embracing this will lead to long careers that are both fulfilling and balanced.

Jill, Richard,

Thanks. Glad to be on your Twit roll ;)

doug

Nicely put. Amen. Thanks, Doug. Added you to my Twit roll - and I mean that with no disrespect. Richard

Doug,
Terrific article. Great way to break it down. I'm a big Covey fan. I love what you said about taking input from "every corner of the office."
You just never know what's fulminating in that PA or accountant's head! Thanks.

Don,
Thanks for adding your example. That's big. It's something I consider key for our entire company.

Charles,
OK, veteran in training ;)
Agreed on the 'fun' part.

Kathryn,
Check the link I posted above. Apple posts a lot of the boss' presentations on their site.

Great piece -- not sure about the 'veteran' bit though -- funny thing, the older I get the more fun I'm having. Cheers Charles Bayer. Yup, I'm an ECD now.

I'd like the extra credit... Where can we find presentations by Steve Jobs?

As a former creative director myself (BBDO/West and Foote Cone L.A.) I really liked your 7 habits for effective creative directors. You might want to add this to your list.
Years ago, when I was a copywriter at Needham Harper & Steers in New York, I asked my boss, the creative director, what he was most proud of. I assumed he'd mention things like the two Clios we had just won, or winning the Xerox account in a 10-agency shootout. But instead, he told me what he was most proud of was the fact that his creative department had the lowest turnover of any major New York agency. Frankly, I didn't get it.
But a few years later when I was creative director of BBDO/West, I remembered what he had said and, from that moment on, I did all I could to make the agency—or at least my department—a great place to work. And it worked. We turned out good creative, our clients were happy and it was fun coming in to the office. My turnover rate was very low so I didn't have to spend my time—and the agency's money—looking at portfolios and working with headhunters to find creative replacements.
Creating a good work environment may sound like a feel-good-Kumbaya kind of strategy but it can really pay off.

Thanks for the comments.

Lori,
I definitely agree these can extend well beyond creative direction.

Masn,
Yes, it's always greatly appreciated when those working with the creatives understand what the creative process involves. Thanks for the link. I'll be checking it out.

Kathryn,
Great question. Here's a resource I've gone to:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/guide/appleevents/
There are a lot of Jobs presentations on YouTube, as well.

Want that "extra credit" -- Where can we find presentations by Steve Jobs?

Doug -

Thank you for laying this out for the industry to see. The best strat, placement and analytics in the world don't add up to much if the message we put in front of the audience isn't compelling. It is critical for all stakeholders that surround creatives to understand how creatives work best. Non-creatives, please don't mis-interpret this as coddling - I think Doug would agree.

As a veteran Project Management lead, I applaud your central theme that recognizes that the work we all do is a collaborative endeavor.

For another lead Creative's hilarious take on the denizens of our ecosystem, with a special call out to producers. Take a look at this missive by Ted Royer, Droga5's Executive Creative Director:

http://pm2pm.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-want-to-marry-producerpm.html

Great post and guess what? It applies to good habits for most functions, in my opinion! (especially sales)

Thanks,