Let's Pause for a Moment

A lot of points in this blog have, over time, suggested you do things for your Creatives, such as:

creating the best possible working environment;
empathizing with them;
providing a variety of working options, such as telework;
setting clear objectives and offering careful feedback;
limiting the time they spend in meetings;

All of these, and other suggestions, may sound like you're coddling your workers.

Wrong.

The focus here is not on doing everything you can to make their working life easy. Rather, it's on doing what you can to get their best efforts from them.

Your goal is profit maximization, and how you get there isn't as important as getting there (quick note: getting there ethically IS important). So, figure out what it takes to get the most out of your Creatives at a cost you can afford. Many of the ideas discussed in this blog cost little or nothing, except your time, and that's what you get paid for anyway, right? The real problem most people have with putting this effort into creating the best conditions for results is that it's simply an uncomfortable situation for those who aren't used to it.

You grew up hearing tales from parents and grandparents about what the working word is supposed to be like. You've seen movies and TV shows with the "normal" office environment. But what was right for them, or what's right in fiction, isn't necessarily right for you and your firm. Modern work has some different requirements and opportunities, and creative work is different from bureaucratic or industrial work, so if you find a suggestion is outside your comfort zone, that's OK.

Some people say "work isn't supposed to be fun...that's why it's called 'work.' " But if you have a choice between employees who hate coming to work, and employees who enjoy (or, at least, don't mind) coming, well, which group do you think is going to give you the better effort?

It's possible to go overboard, of course. When the emphasis is on fun over work, when you focus too much on taking care of people's desires and not enough on making sure they do good work, then you're missing the point. An enjoyable, nurturing, professional environment is a means to an end. Work can be fun, but it's still work, and you should expect your Creatives to approach it professionally in return for the work you're doing as a leader. Perhaps the doggy day care and in-house massage therapists might be a little over the top (but Google does stuff like that, and they aren't doing too badly these days). Bottom line: work can be enjoyable, but it IS still work after all.

How do you keep your Creatives focused on the work at hand rather than just enjoying the fun stuff? That's largely a function of recruiting motivated people who see the benefits of your work environment, providing your expectations, setting a proper example yourself, and providing honest feedback. Don't read this blog and get the idea you're supposed to treat your Creatives like children...the deserve your respect and attention, but they also need to be providing you their best work in return. Always remember that latter point, and do your best to keep the expectations on both sides in balance.