It seems self evident that those who consider themselves “creatives” have to be inspired to do their best work.
The type of work that truly solves a problem. Innovation, brilliant, thoughtful.
These are the types of virtues that creatives aspire to.
Because not all creatives exist in a self managing situation, there are often layers of management and leadership above creatives in a company structure. How should those individuals get the best out of their ‘creatives’?
There’s a lot to unpack in this, but here’s one thing I know for certain.
You can not force inspiration in the way a tyrant would.
“Sit down and make something amazing, now!”
This is not a factory situation with a predetermined exacting way of executing a simple task.
So if you don’t want to be a tyrant, what can you do?
Enter negotiation.
In a state of negotiation, you can seek to inspire. Or influence, or motivate. But this is way easier said than done.
How can you inspire creatives?
Be inspiring as a person. This is, by far, the hardest aspect of creative leadership. Do creative things. Be inspired by art. Be someone that manifests the creative tradition and is worth the fight. This is by far the hardest but most meaningful one, and will never be finished. This is one of the most thrilling aspects of a creative pursuit. You can continue growing until the day you die.
Create an inspiring and creative work culture. Share inspiring stuff. Watch films. Laugh. Have fun. Try new foods. Try new music together.
Cultivate an inspiring physical (and sometimes digital) space. There should be art on the wall. This is also really hard.
Challenge them to great heights. You can do this even if you’re not a creative yourself. You can ask great questions, believe in them and encourage them to be their best.
Rally around cool projects that push the team but don’t make sense financially. Just don’t let it break you. If you’re not wasting some money, you’re probably playing it too safe. If you’re playing it safe, your creativity is bound to get stale. Your best players will leave to pursue more creative opportunities.
These are just a few of my thoughts on how to deal with the reality that you can not force people to be inspired or motivated to create something beautiful.
KR
