Managing a team full of right brain thinkers can both be fun and scary at some point. Unlike other staff members they tend to own their hours (they most especially don’t like to wake up during mornings) and they have some very strong ideas to share. As the leader of this ragtag group, how do you help your team achieve greatness? How do you manage a creative department? Here are a few tips.

1. Don’t over-manage. Don’t breathe down their necks. Sure, you still have to apply the POLC (Planning, Organizing, Leading, Controlling) in management, but then, give them time for themselves. Give them the rules and you just have to trust your people, they usually offer you a brilliant work once they know you trust that they can do their job.
2. Training. It is not enough that you give them the latest facilities, you also have to nurture those young minds and upgrade their technical proficiency. Send them to creative seminars, national conferences, and local clubs that can help spur creativity.
3. They are not some lifeless drones. Creativity doesn’t happen by starring at the same computer screen for hours. If they need to browse their friendster or do a somersault and God knows what. Trust me they are thinking of work.
4. Push them to greatness. Don’t let good get in the way of great. Tom Monahan said, “most ideas never become great because the creator stopped at good“. Think about it. If your team presented you with a concept that you like, instead of saying, “Wow, great work, I love you guys”, try saying, “I like where you are going with this, keep going with it and lets see where this will take you”. You are not only acknowledging your team’s good start but you are also pushing your team to do a better work.
5. A Homework is a Homework. Always do a follow-up. A creative person have the tendency to be lazy, I know I do. Check if they are doing their work. You have to make a system that’s both lenient and stern. Make research an important part for every job. If you want to impress your boss or your clients and make every jaws drop, arm your team with a competitive research before every job is started.
6. Magazines and books are good. Have plenty of them around. They are great for flipping through when some inspiration is needed.
7. If I created it, I’d like to present it please. There is nothing more disheartening than spending countless office hours and many sleepless nights on one work and have some snotty executive swoop up your work and present it to the client himself. The best presenter for the idea is always the creator. If you don’t trust them to do the presentation because they are lousy at it, well, train them. Also know that when they present it, they will be in a room full of clients and its simple human nature that they would have to work harder.
8. Ice breaker. See to it that every once in a while you bust those routine work. Go out with your team and do things other than work.

Ponder on this. Most creative people wouldn’t leave their job over money but rather they leave it because they are unappreciated. Creatives are different, defend your team and you’ll have the most loyal team ever.