The ‘X-Factor’ of creative leadership. 3 of 10. Show kindness and respect.

On the more obvious side of the ‘kindness and respect’ coin, it means not resorting to shouting or harsh language or throwing furniture around the minute things aren’t going like you imagined they would. 

Creative people, by their very nature, can be tricky to manage. Especially when fragile egos collide with difficult briefs, impossible deadlines and laughable budgets on a daily basis.

Of course, being kind is about putting your arm around someone when they need a lift. Being respectful is treating everyone with the same levels of politeness, courtesy and consistency, no matter how far up or how far down you are managing.

As I’ve learned to my cost over the years, I think kindness and respect is mostly borne of honesty and timeliness though. Do not, whatever you do, let things fester. Be quick to deliver praise and good news to all of your direct reports that are deserving of it. 

It makes any leader’s day to congratulate someone on a job well done.

But you must bring this speed and clarity into the more difficult conversations too. Where team members have not hit the mark they must be made aware immediately. To give them ample chance to act on your feedback. 

The saying that comes to mind is ‘Anyone can make a mistake but it’s how you put it right that matters.’ The people you want in your corner will respond and act positively providing your criticism was just and fairly delivered. 

Those who compound their mistakes need to be quickly and humanely told that they need to find a different path. The kind and respectful thing would be to help them find that path, if at all possible.

The creative process is one of ‘finding the gold’. 

A good creative leader understands that to find those nuggets of brilliance also means digging up a load of sh*t as a by-product. But how you react when your day is full of crap, is just as important as one when the glittering prizes emerge.