Running a successful creative business is not a sprint

This post by Mano Manoharan appeared in Design Week on 17th October 2012

US politician, Julian Castro, recently said that; “the American dream was not a sprint race or a marathon – but a relay race”.

That analogy conjured up a very powerful and emotional image of successive generations of Americans working hard and selflessly, in order that the baton passed to the next generation, allows them to start their life race in a better position.

I wonder if that statement could be applied to creative businesses?

Is running a successful creative business not a sprint, nor a marathon but more like a relay race…?

Lets just remind ourselves of what a relay race is, at its core:

A team of superb athletes, each fit for purpose, competing against other teams, able to run their allotted leg, communicating clearly and then smoothly passing the baton onto their team member - so that the last athlete can cross the line first and win the race - for all of them.

What this proposition reinforces for me is that creative excellence in art may be a solo activity (a sprint or marathon) – but in a creative business individual excellence works at its best within the context of a team.

We know that every creative enterprise is made up of individuals that loosely fall into the following categories:

·      ‘Creatives’ – also known as ‘the talent’,

·      Planners, Marketers and Account Managers – also known as ‘the suits’

·      Plus Production, Technical and IT folk – also known as the ‘backroom people’

·      Lets not forget Accounts (we can be a force for good – when properly involved!)

Applying the relay analogy, it follows that to maximise the creative potential of this set of excellent individuals the following conditions need to be met:

1. All the Team members need to be working towards the same goal and prize

2. There is mutual respect for each member’s strengths

3. And acknowledgement of each other’s relative weaknesses

4. Each member is able to complete his or her agreed leg of the agreed (creative) process and then pass on responsibility for completing the project.

5. They all realise they cannot do it alone.

6. Communication between each participant is both clear and timely at all times.

Does the seamless baton passing of an Olympic gold winning relay team now spring to mind?

A few years ago I pitched for a long-term design contract with a much-loved UK biscuit maker. Because of the size and nature of the contract the pitch was to the full Board of Directors - so there was a great opportunity to talk about the wider benefits of great design for the whole business.

I used the relay race analogy to show them how we would work with them to achieve a winning team mentality and business outcome.

I told them our team of excellent individuals could seamlessly move from strategic, to concept, to realisation, to colour management stage – with no batons dropped!

The result I promised them was: Improved speed to market of their brands, significant saving of money – whilst even improving the end creative result.

(If you are sceptical about the last point consider this one example (there are more); Creatives that have some understanding of the production barriers of print will be able to run up to that wall – ‘pushing to the limit’, so to speak. With limited understanding of the technical constraints, Creatives will often hold back conceptually – every good Creative appreciates how getting it wrong and going beyond technical feasibility, costs clients time and money. So getting the ‘backroom people’ involved early on can actually aid not hinder the ‘talents’ creative endeavours).

At this Board presentation, just to drive the relay race point home, I even took in a baton.

Needless to say, we got our message across – and won the contract.

So – 2 questions to business owners;

Are all your excellent individuals running the same race?

And how’s the baton passing going?