A good part of my business is centered on mentoring and coaching, which, for the past year, has included managing an up-and-coming, young, female Country artist. In short, I’m the one who leans out the window and tells her, “You can come in now.”
It’s an extreme example, but describes part of what goes into managing creative individuals – most, or all, of whom are your on-air staff – not much different than an artist, by the way.
One of the biggest challenges for any MM/GM/OM or PD is managing those creatives but, but why should it be so difficult in the first place?
Creative people are driven by emotion, not process. Their identity, for the most part, is attached to their work (or “art”). They are very sensitive to criticism, regardless of what they tell you, and they are fueled by autonomy and trust. They live and breathe their job. They are highly intuitive as they depend on reactions, which enhances their creativity.
As with the earlier example with my artist, they are usually harder on themselves than anyone else. Feedback from management often feels like feedback on them, but the key is how it’s delivered, which leads us to what it takes to manage creative people.
It all starts with a word I mentioned earlier – TRUST! Although this is not a “one-size-fits-all” method, there are common ways to build that trust.
- Be consistent with feedback and always explain the why. Without a reason, they are lost.
- Just LISTEN. Don’t give your answers. Let them talk it through. Guide them.
- Allow them to fail safely and let them know you are there to “catch” them.
- Credit them publicly and coach them privately.
Remember, your feedback is important, but the delivery method is the key. Be specific but not personal. One morning talent I worked with would take an excerpt from The Sopranos (from a national prep service) and run it the night after the show. This one particular Monday, as I was hearing the excerpt on the air, I knew what was coming because I had watched that episode.
Instead of hearing the unsavory word edited out, I heard the whole thing in all its splendor. Rather than run down the hall and berate him, I walked into the studio and let him talk as he apologized profusely. I told him to say what he said to me on the air, and that should take care of it. That changed our relationship. The trust was solidified. Make sure your feedback is timely and pointed. Waiting until the next day to critique that faux pas would have meant nothing to our morning guy. Creatives live in the now, always thinking about the next show/event.
One very crucial note – follow-up on that feedback is so vital. If you don’t follow up and, more importantly, see how they resolved it, it’s worse than not giving feedback at all.
I had one manager who would always warn me that “people respect what management inspects”. Remember that!
One other big thing to take into consideration is that you are not there to make them feel comfortable. You ARE there to make them better without breaking them. Separate who they are from what they made. You must focus on their process, not the content. The process is what helps them get better, knowing they are more than one piece of work. They will make mistakes, but encourage and applaud risks by showing unending confidence in their talent and ability.
Understand that creatives DO need rules. Make sure your expectations are communicated clearly and regularly and that they are understood. And, just like children, give them deadlines they must keep (non-negotiable). Creatives love boundaries (though they won’t admit it), but it does show you care, and that goes a long way. When air talent I worked with knew my limits and expectations, everything seemed to click, and you could hear it on the air. For all of this to work at your end, you must be comfortable with emotion, ambiguity, and risk. It’s essential to care about people, not just performance. You are not managing a staff. You are managing individuals who happen to be part of a team.
The best creative leaders don’t manage ideas — they manage environments where ideas can survive.
