Secrets of Managing a Creative Team in Numbers

Leading a creative team requires a balanced approach. In our agency, during creative sessions, you can create anything - this is called "kicking out the adults and calling on the inner children for help". In general, come up with ideas however you like, even sitting on the ceiling, the main thing is to come up with something cool!

Praise them, listen to them and, of course, pay them more – how to manage a creative team in numbers

Whether to trust experts or not is everyone's choice, but statistics deals with numbers, so taking research findings into account is useful for business success. Event agency Aventura surveyed experts in the event industry to find out why the start of the working day should be shifted, how notebooks for bold decisions can help, and why it is time to send biographies of successful people to the recycling bin.

A creator, fully equipped

What is included in the standard set of qualities of a creative worker? 67% of respondents believe that an event organiser must be productive and original and, most importantly, capable of generating unusual and bold ideas. In addition, resourcefulness, responsibility and reliability are worth noting. By the way, 83% of respondents called themselves creative individuals.

It is commonly believed that women are naturally intuitive and have a more developed creative streak. However, 78% of experts say that when it comes to an unconventional approach to solving problems and the level of creative talent, gender does not matter. 15% even noted that men are more creative than women.

What is the ideal event team like?

Most experts consider stress tolerance and organisation to be the main traits of a professional event organising team, and this is only natural, as the work of an event manager involves constant stressful situations, communication with a wide range of people, tight deadlines and coordination of numerous contractors.

Any creative idea must be expedient, otherwise it simply will not be useful to the client, so creativity and rationality are equally important for the successful work of an organising team.

Team cohesion and coordination also play an important role, because if mutual understanding reigns in a team, it will find common ground with both clients and contractors. According to experts, experience, competence and flexibility take 4th place among the essential qualities of an organising team. And the list is rounded out by such essential qualities as level-headedness and diplomacy, although it is hard to put them in last place.

Praise them, listen to them and, of course, pay them more

It is obvious that a motivated employee is a productive employee, but how do you find that secret motivation button in every creative person? Event agency Aventura found that the most effective way to motivate creative people is to praise them for their successes (20%). Creative people always cherish the products of their work, which is why it is so important to talk about their uniqueness and to recognise their achievements in a timely manner.

Second place in popularity (19% each) was shared by such motivational options as monetary rewards and the opportunity to express one's professional opinion. Third place went to maintaining informal relationships and holding team-building activities, with 13% each. As it turned out, offering a flexible schedule when tasks are completed on time motivates only 12% of event professionals.

Mikhail Glushenkov, head of event agency Aventura

"Our agency has developed a clear motivation system that supports the team's productive work. For example, bonuses are provided for every project, for creativity or for attracting a new client, and to motivate employees to be punctual we came up with a fun ritual: anyone who is late must do 10 squats for every minute they are late. This kind of incentive both affects work efficiency and is good for your health."

As alternative ways to motivate a creative team, experts suggested visiting theatres, museums, global and regional events and shows with colleagues, and going on trips together. Respondents considered it equally important to involve employees in strategic decision-making and to set interesting tasks. By the way, giving people freedom of action also motivates event professionals to work productively.

Share experience more often and get a notebook for writing down bold decisions

In search of inspiration, most respondents prefer to communicate with new interesting people and exchange experience (23%). Also, 18% of event professionals are inspired for work by rest, walks in the street and travel. 15% of respondents write down any bold decisions in a notebook and believe that overcoming laziness is the main condition for the emergence of inspiration.

In some cases, the arrival of a muse can be triggered by watching a motivational film or listening to favorite music, as well as solitude, meditation and sports (11%). Experts also recommend, in search of inspiration, to "focus on a positive result", "generate motivation from favorite actions" and "not be afraid to experiment".

The most beautiful and inspiring feeling on earth – love – can contribute to a creative upsurge and even a surge of ideas. However, studying the biographies of successful people and reading, according to experts, helps not as much as all previous options.

Just let employees get enough sleep

In everyone's life, there are stressful moments, and sooner or later accumulated fatigue makes itself felt. In this case, a vacation can help an employee, but what to do if, due to a busy schedule or a number of complex tasks, an entire team is tired?

Most respondents believe that this problem can be solved by shifting the working day by an hour and allowing employees to get enough sleep (33%). Many note that the opportunity to come to work later for a few days also increases productivity, but not every organization can afford this.

Another equally effective way to combat fatigue is joint recreation (28%). Walks during lunch or after work, visiting entertainment venues also help relieve tension in the team. An interesting fact is that tasty food helps to cope with bad mood and fatigue by 16%.

Specialists of the event agency Aventura found out that some work teams practice joint sports, swimming or yoga (12%). A less popular way to combat fatigue (7%) turned out to be collective watching a movie or listening to good music.

Maria Galperina, Bright People 

"In my opinion, the main tool for dealing with stress is humor. In the company, we joke and laugh a lot, which greatly defuses the situation. Recently we held a stress management training, and in the summer we went to a lake for a barbecue with a creative lab and sports games."

Respondents also suggested that "changing activities for a short period", "giving the team an opportunity to feel needed in the organization's system", "group intellectual and active games: Crocodile, Mafia, paintball, etc." can help relieve stress.

22% of respondents consider the lack of specifics when setting tasks to be the main mistake of managers

Look for a balance

The manager himself does the most harm to the productive work of the team by establishing too strict or too soft discipline in the company (29%). The same applies to work deadlines: creative people should not be given too tight deadlines, but at the same time one should not give too vague ones either, otherwise there is a risk of not getting anything done or encountering laziness.

Evgenia Glushenkova, Executive Director of the event agency Aventura

"Leading a creative team requires balance. In our agency, during creative sessions you can create whatever you want - it's called 'we kick out the adults and call in our inner children'. In general, come up with anything, even sitting on the ceiling, the main thing is to come up with something cool! But the rest of the time there is discipline and a whole set of rules that must be followed. If you give a creative team complete freedom - there will be a bacchanalia. These guys should still be systematized and controlled."

Let's be specific

Often a boss doesn't fully understand what he sees as the result of the work, so how can an employee guess what is expected of them? Setting tasks on the principle of "go there — I don't know where, bring that — I don't know what" has become the second most common mistake of managers, according to those surveyed (22%).

Maintain the power distance

Sometimes the smooth work of a creative team is hindered by a banal lack of subordination between the manager and subordinates – this mistake accounts for 16% of the total. For the successful work of any creative team, there must be an independent leader who can regulate such extraordinary work.

Set priorities and avoid time pressure

According to 80% of experts, the habit of focusing on the main thing and correctly setting priorities will definitely help cope with a lack of time. In addition, it is necessary to learn to delegate tasks rather than do everything yourself. Also, 17% of success lies in the ability to record all your goals and objectives.

Specialists at the Aventura event agency advise analyzing the work done, as it helps structure your activities and take mistakes into account. In addition, under enormous time pressure, it is important to plan work and not forget about rest. After all, a tired person can never work productively.