What Kills the Creative Spirit

Working with creatives can be incredibly exciting. Odds are that you’ll be surrounded by people that are passionate, curious, and imaginative. With that said, nurturing the creative spirit in the confines of a running business can present challenges.

In my experience, the top priority when leading creative teams has simply been: Don’t kill their spirit. If you hired people because of their creative talents, the last thing you want to do is squash those. Beware of what might kill that creative spirit, including:

• Micromanagement: Creatives need space to explore and experiment. Hovering over their every move signals distrust and stifles the freedom they need to do their best work.
• Fear of failure: If mistakes are punished rather than treated as learning opportunities, people will play it safe—and safe rarely leads to breakthrough ideas.
• Surveillance culture: Constant monitoring creates anxiety, not productivity. When people feel watched, they focus on avoiding mistakes instead of taking creative risks.

This applies not only to creative fields in the traditional sense. Creativity is a critical skill in all kinds of business areas, whether you’re in product development or operations, and the above features are going to impede creativity, whatever the field.

Nurturing a Creative Culture within Your Team

Building a fantastic creative team isn’t always easy, and I’ve found that traditional hiring methods don’t really work in many creative fields. For a designer, checking a box like “has bachelor’s degree” tells me nothing about the quality of their work. When I hired designers in the past, I would spend hours perusing portfolios, because someone’s creative work could tell me far more about their abilities than their resume could.

The point is: Once you manage to find the creative individuals you need, you want to create an environment where their talents can thrive. Some techniques I’ve found that work:

• Provide time and space to create: Implement “no meeting” days, give people time to pursue passion projects, and (if you’re in an office) create quiet spaces where they can think without distraction.
• Normalize failure: Show your team that mistakes are learning opportunities, not disasters. Fear of making mistakes is a surefire way to stifle creativity.
• Provide constructive feedback with respect: Feedback should be immediate, specific, and actionable. The goal is to help people grow, not shut them down.

Finally, recognize that as the leader, it’s on you to balance creative freedom with business realities. Be clear about where experimentation is encouraged and where the team needs to get it right on the first try.

Servant Leadership: The Key to Leading Creative Teams That Thrive

Creative teams often need a leader to advocate for them in the business space—which is basically what servant leadership is all about. Provide your team with the necessary tools to foster creativity, curiosity, and a sense of ownership of their work. This will encourage them to experiment and innovate, allowing creativity to thrive.