Managing Creatives

I was recently asked my opinion on how I would manage a team made up of both creatives and non-creatives. Full disclosure, it was during an interview. I gave a practical answer around setting clear expectations for both and adapting to specific needs of the individual. It was honestly how I would do things, so when put on the spot I'd rank it with a solid B-.

I always feel a bit strange after an interview. I would say any creative has their thinking spot, whether that be in the shower, on a run, or at a favorite coffee shop. For me, it's when I'm driving. And being an ENTJ (check out Myers & Briggs if you're not sure what I'm talking about), I replayed every answer at least twice. For some reason, that question stood out.

How would you manage creatives and non-creatives?

Here's the thing, I'm not sure there's really a difference.

Now hear me out. Not everyone is made to be an artist. I took three years of drawing and can barely trace my hand. I don't think that my engineer of a father has ever held a paintbrush. After attending a church staff member's wedding, I'm convinced that most people can't dance. But being a professional artisan is not synonymous with creativity.

"Creatives" have developed an image for themselves. They've become a subculture; a hot topic for academics to bring up or anthropologists to analyze. I'm not convinced they deserve to be so segregated though.

Psychologists began to look into creativity over lifespan as far back as the 70s. The studies vary in specifics but the science is pretty basic: take a bunch of kids and give them some supplies. Record what they do. Repeat every 5-10 years with the same group of kids as long as you can. I'll spare you a very long academic read [1] and summarize their results. They're beginning to find that a lack of creativity is not due to a predisposition, but is learned. That group of kids built log cabins with colored pencils. They drew fantasy worlds. They made superhero capes. Ten years later they color pictures of their families on a few sheets of paper. Ten more years later and they tapped on their desks waiting for the experiment to be over. Same kids, different time.

My point is not connect with your inner child. Rather, to consider an alternate way of viewing people. What if I lead a team with the notion that everybody is a creative? Whether their job dealt with spreadsheets and project management or graphic design and videography - there's room for creativity in both. Leading teams is not about classifying into boxes, it's about building a common foundation.

"In the beginning, God created..."

Genesis 1:1

If we are made in His image, then perhaps it's appropriate to say that we are all made to be creatives.

So in lieu of rethinking my response in rush hour traffic, I'd like to officially change my answer. I likely won't manage half of the team any differently than the other. We're not kids anymore but every fantasy world or new sermons series needs a good architect. It needs a budget and an art director too. I hope to focus less on their creative/non-creativeness and more on building the relational collateral needed to get those colored pencil log cabins built.

Then again, I'm not sure telling someone that their interview question is the wrong question to ask would be the best way to go about an interview.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/attachments/33524/the-measurement-creativity_1.pdf