Communication Compromise

Plenty of leadership books will tell you "get out from behind your desk, don't try to lead through e-mail." But what if e-mail is what your employees prefer?

Your Creatives are more likely to flourish in a healthy work environment. Communication is one important piece of that environment. Simply applying a random management technique without worrying about whether or not it's appropriate may not work out so well.

At the same time, you can't change your preferred style of leading every time a new person shows up. Come to think of it, the more employees you have, the more diversity you'll have when it comes to how they prefer to communicate. So instead of just imposing one method or another, try to find something that you and your Creatives can all live with.

So, maybe relying on e-mail is the thing to do after all. Some people work better if they aren't interrupted and can deal with communication a few times a day, and so might not be bothered by the impersonal nature of e-mail. Others might like the "drop in," taking full advantage of your open door policy and expecting you to hit them up whenever you have something for them. Their need to stay on top of things, or hear things face to face, takes precedence over uninterrupted working time. Maybe, if they need the face-to-face but prefer to work without waiting for the next tap on the shoulder, they might want a scheduled time to check in with you regularly. And even though it might seem crazy, your employees might actually prefer regular meetings with the whole team. Just try to keep them in check.

When you're interviewing new employees, this is a good chance to let them know how you communicate, and see what they're most comfortable with. It gives them an idea what's going to be expected of them and allows you to see how well they can adapt to your organization's style. Maybe they'll be so far off that you aren't comfortable bringing them on board, though that's pretty extreme. But make sure it's a topic you discuss, whether in an interview or at least early on after they start at the firm. The first step in learning how to communicate best is to communicate.