There is a really great editorial by Brian Miller up on FastDesignCo.com. While martial metaphors saturate the business press and are generally unhelpful, Miller’s anecdotal examination of the Red Baron’s squadron is illustrative and useful. If you want to build a world class creative team go read it right now. Really.
Back? Great. Ok, we both know you never left so here’s the summary:
- Hire people who are better than you.
- Hire for excellence across sub-disciplines so your team contains a mix skills and interests.
- Protect your people from above and below. Be the bad guy if necessary.
- Give your team a goal, the resources to acheive that goal and then get out of their way.
When you find yourself out budgeted, out marketed and out publicized remember that a tight team of eccentrics committed to a goal can outmaneuver and ultimately win. This sort of winning exemplifies management excellence because it allows each to achieve personal excellence.
A typographic, designological, visulicious extravaganza!