When you think of a Creative Director, it's easy to think the job ends at good design and ensuring items are delivered on time and to the expected standard. Simply managing a team, keeping the peace, and speaking to clients about projects is normal day-to-day. Though these are obvious tasks a CD has, there are nuanced, fundamental senses that are tapped into on a daily basis which are easy to forget. I find this is also what separates a good director from a great director. But it doesn't only apply to those in my position specifically; it benefits all creatives. The emotion I speak of? Empathy.
There are three ways empathy comes into play and shifts into one of the most important parts of the job, and they're all relationship-based. You tap into this ability for:
Leadership
Client Relationships
The Client to Customer Relationship
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Leadership
Building and leading a team is a challenge. Creating and building teams that are loyal due to feeling heard, appreciated, and respected is even more of a challenge. I am currently enrolled in IDEO's Creativity in Leadership course and the curriculum focuses on how to empower a team through creative leadership. Creative leadership requires a level of empathy that truly makes a difference in leader-to-team dynamics. This method means establishing an environment that leads to understanding the talents and communication styles of each team member. Not any one person responds to something the exact same way, so making sure people feel heard means being able to feel your way through any given professional scenario. Teams are far more willing to follow a leader who instills strength through the emotional discernment of their co-workers: a sign of empathy at work.
Client Relationships
If anyone who is reading this has ever managed client relationships or general account management, you've had to practice empathy, perhaps unbeknownst to you. Very few people mean to be difficult clients, but occasionally it happens. It isn't out of a desire to be a pain, rather they're speaking from a place of insecurity or apprehension. Picking up on a clients' fears and reservations in order to ask the right questions makes the process feel far more personal. When I was at Awwwards' conference in San Francisco last year, one speaker said everyone struggles with imposter syndrome, not just creatives. She was so right (my memory is refusing to remember the name of the speaker). I have found that when speaking to a client who is struggling with imposter syndrome or any fear-based emotion, that empathetically shifting my communication style and pattern can make them feel comfortable, heard, and assured. The result is an agency experience a client won't soon forget.
The Client to Customer Relationship
This is where the empathy Olympics begin as it pertains to creators. You're not just working for a client, you're working to make sure their customer is happy; that the emotion they experience is appropriate for the asset. Is the client's demographic hopeful after seeing the video campaign you filmed? Relieved? Excited? Does this color make the customer feel energized or at ease? The ability to take a step out of your level 10 shoes (meaning you know the product and process at the highest level) and make the emotion easy and accessible for a customer (a level 1) to experience, requires empathy. Empathy from creative teams explored through the creative process is what makes a brand experience memorable and trustworthy to a client's customer.
Empathy is often confused for sappy, dramatic shows of emotion. To be honest, at a younger age, that was certainly true for me. But an innate, inherent sensitivity to others is wholly invaluable when harnessed professionally and with intention. It benefits designers, web developers, art and creative directors (like me), and so many others due to the sheer fact that it makes a person intuitive to human-centered design and innovation. This creates a considerate experience with teammates, clients, and every other human the company touches.