Employer Insights Archives

“A leader doesn’t have to be dynamic and charming — just highly communicative and transparent.”
– The Leadership Development Trends in 2018

It’s well established that leaders can be made, not just born. And in today’s climate, the ability to learn and to grow — in short, to innovate — is one of the most crucial commodities to ensure that businesses remain relevant and ahead of the curve. But innovation shouldn’t just happen at the technical/operational level. For executive-level management especially, personal innovation — while perhaps harder to quantify — is also now an absolute necessity for successful leadership.

Self-awareness is the cornerstone of any effort at personal improvement, and as such has also been called the “secret weapon” to developing great leaders. While authentic self-awareness takes time and reflection, there are a few broad steps executives can take to get the process started, and to ensure they’re on the right path towards cultivating the proper tools and mindset for purposeful and productive growth.

1. Don’t ignore the hard stuff.

“Soft skills” are universally considered the most important indicators of success for executives, but the ability to inspire confidence, and maintain loyalty at all levels is one of the most important soft skills there is. Technical teams are often the heart and soul of business operations and, understandably, they can be highly protective of their domains. No one expects you to become Coder-in-Chief, but taking some time to re-acquaint and/or immerse yourself with the people and practices that drive production will lend a more tactile understanding of new technologies and other operational advances in your industry, and also serve to shore up respect among a valuable business asset — the skillful gatekeepers of the day-to-day.

2. Sensitivity training is back (and more important than ever).

The recent string of high-profile sexual harassment cases placed gender discrimination in the workplace front-and-center, along with the need to re-calibrate outdated corporate training modules on the matter. But #MeToo was just the tip of the iceberg: the future is not just female, it’s also more diverse, more self-actualized, and more “woke” than ever before. As even more recent events have shown so clearly, businesses and individuals who remain tone-deaf to these important cultural shifts risk a potentially irreparable public reckoning.

Executives who wish to harness this moment — for their own good, as well as for the good of their company — should do more than just mandate updated training: They should also show that they are eager to take part. Attitudes among the C-Suite won’t adjust if they just stick to familiar circles, and authentic change starts with a willingness to listen and, whenever possible, accommodate. Participating in sensitivity training with those from different backgrounds, and at different points in their careers, can provide executives with valuable insight into how certain of their behaviors may be perceived, and shed light on the unintentional biases to which so many can fall prey. Opening up to new perspectives from different generations and social/ethnic groups will not only serve to create a safer workplace but will also help your company — and yourself — stay ahead of the curve.

3. Check your communication.

Communication is one of those all-powerful, all-encompassing skills that can make or break a career, and it’s also one of those skills that many executives have already mastered. But mastering is not the same as refining, and not all messages will stick over time. This is not just about embracing new technologies and platforms. Sure, podcasts or Twitter can help spread your word, but if your words don’t resonate, neither will you.

Improving how you communicate can be as simple as changing who you talk to. Putting yourself in unfamiliar situations — via travel, meet-ups or other networking events — is a great way for executives to vet their messaging and delivery with those outside their standard sphere of influence. Engaging in less conventional training like acting or improv workshops can also help; sometimes working with the words of others is the best way to ensure that your own don’t fall on deaf ears.

Kate is a Creative Circle candidate, a senior copywriter, and a seasoned corporate communications consultant based in New York. If you want to work with Kate, contact Creative Circle New York.

As we all know, a gold-star resume is just one facet of finding the right candidate. Here are four important soft skills to be on the lookout for when meeting with potential candidates to fill your upcoming creative roles.

Curiosity

People often think that curiosity is about the quantity of questions one can ask. But it’s actually more about the process of deducing.

When meeting with potential hires, look for someone who asks thoughtful questions. In the same way that a good storyteller illustrates a narrative with an end in mind, a curious person seeks a conclusion with the questions as their roadmap.

Is your candidate curious about your path? Do they want to know about your daily work environment? Are they curious about the business foundation and its revenue stream? They should be as interested in finding out about you/your company as you are about finding out about their experience.

Communication

There is an art and a tact to how people connect to others. In the workplace, the ability to get along with anyone is key to an efficient workflow, increased productivity, and impressive output.

If an employee is not articulate or thoughtful in how they communicate, there is the potential for misunderstandings – which only serve to block the best / most collaborative work from being done.

A desire to communicate is a desire to reach understanding, which makes any strong communicator a really great cooperator and team player.

Humility

Someone who shows humility and self-awareness is a candidate who likely seeks purpose – looking to foster an environment for others to do their best work, regardless of their own power. This is a mindset that can’t be taught. And in the words of Pulitzer Prize winner, Kendrick Lamar, “Sit down. Be humble.”

Do they need recognition? Are they seeking validation? Ego is problematic because it blocks most people from seeing what others need. In the workplace, the work and company mission, must come first. Be aware of someone who seems more concerned with their own personal goals over how their role feeds back into the company’s bottom line.

Inquire into how your candidate feels about ownership of their work, how they talk about their past work experiences and accomplishments, and how often they use “I” vs. “we.”

Creative Problem-Solving

When interviewing, look for someone who is not only solution-oriented, but also solves problems from an a-linear perspective. Inquiring into how your candidate thinks by asking them specific questions that engage their other human skills (communication, self-awareness, curiosity, etc.) will help better highlight how they think on their feet vs. when they tactically solved a problem in the past.

These are just some (of many) soft skills to help guide your search. Great interview questions can help you figure out if your candidate has what it takes beyond their years of experience.

Annie is a Creative Circle candidate and freelance creative strategist/copywriter working and living in Los Angeles. She knows digital media as well as she knows her own horoscope (she’s a Virgo), having worked at the likes of BuzzFeed and Mashable. She has created branded content strategies for the top Fortune 500 brands, which means she knows the true meaning of “going native.” If you want to work with Annie, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

In today’s fluid job market, as traditional corporations restructure and fast-growth companies seek senior-level talent, it’s not uncommon for executives to find themselves back in the candidate’s chair, facing the same level of scrutiny they once used to gauge potential hires. Along with this, the subsequent movement towards more flexible workplaces and flattening management hierarchies means that methods used to discern who makes the cut are evolving as well.

This is especially the case with creative industries and start-ups. Driven by democratizing influences of technology and a more empowered workforce, such companies are placing a higher bar on hiring C-Suite talent who not only have the experience and technical knowledge to instill confidence with the public or shareholders, but who also have the flexibility and open mindset to more easily navigate a company’s unique culture and inspire trust.

To this end, executive job descriptions now often list a number of soft skills held as requirements for leading any organization: qualities like empathetic, entrepreneurial, collaborative, dynamic, and inclusive that can’t entirely be measured or proven in interviews, but are still considered crucial to executive success. The ability to showcase these soft skills organically to potential employers is vital, and the best way to prepare is by understanding upfront what recruiters and hiring managers are eager to see.

It’s impossible to anticipate every question or challenge that will be thrown your way, but there are a few strategies executive candidates can employ to ensure their inherent abilities to connect, communicate, create and motivate shine through.

1. Your Story is Not Just Your Own

“Storytelling” is a trendy skill, and interviews are excellent opportunities to see how well you recount your own. But executives are first and foremost expected to be storytellers for the company or brand, and that involves familiarity with histories that aren’t your own. Don’t deflect from your personal tale, but save some room for others — and that involves listening as much as telling! When given the opportunity, ask questions of the interviewing team, then try to highlight trajectories in your own life that others in the room might more easily relate to. Shared histories make for more universal stories, which are far more likely to sell.

2. Be Prepared to Play

Not everyone likes surprises, but curveballs are part of the package, and how one responds to the unexpected is perhaps one of the greatest leadership tests of all. Executive-level interviews may often present scenarios or role-playing exercises to gauge how clearly candidates think on their feet, along with other important problem-solving skills. Practice ahead of time if possible. But remember that the best way to prepare is to leave space in your process for spontaneity, and don’t flinch if the interview takes an unstructured turn. On the contrary, try to have some fun! How well you can go with the flow says a lot about how you manage stress — and no one wants a leader who’s going to buckle under pressure.

3. Be Confident in What You Don’t Know

Confidence is necessary for leadership, but swagger is not the same thing. Of course executive job candidates are expected to bring deep proficiencies to the table. But the business world is changing rapidly, and it’s impossible to stay on top of everything. Today it’s often less about what you know, and more about how you learn. If a more technical question stumps you, don’t be afraid to say so, but then quickly follow-up with how you’d go about finding the answer. That process alone can signal more about your creativity and cognitive capacities than an encyclopedic knowledge of everything ever could.

Remember you’re all there for the same reason: passion for the industry or product, and the opportunity at hand to help drive company growth. If ever at a loss, just stick to discussing new developments in the sector and what excites you most about the future — that’s one era everyone shares!

Kate is a Creative Circle candidate, a senior copywriter, and a seasoned corporate communications consultant based in New York. If you want to work with Kate, contact Creative Circle New York.

“The best leaders are the best followers.” – Simon Sinek

When it comes to delineating differences between managers and leaders in the business world, the following top-down logic has historically prevailed:

• Managers perform. Leaders inspire.
• Managers set goals. Leaders create vision.
• Managers maintain. Leaders innovate.
• Managers build systems. Leaders build relationships.
• Managers look to the bottom line. Leaders look to the future.

These examples align with a host of similar aphorisms that, quite frankly, wind up painting managers as dour gatekeepers of the corporate status quo, while leaders get to move about talking and mingling and seemingly having all the fun.

But as the economy continually shifts, so too must businesses — the principles that organize them as well as the people who run them. Revered management guru Peter Drucker was one of the first to identify the emergence of today’s knowledge-dominant economy and presaged that this shift would place people front and center as a business’ greatest asset. As a result, success is now dependent less on systematizing and measuring tangible outputs, and more on identifying and nurturing the unique strengths and talents of an individual workforce. For any organization to thrive, all its people must be guided by the constant motivation to learn, improve and innovate.

And that holds true at every level. Even for — especially for — those at the top.

As more of today’s managers are expected to play “Coach,” responsible for harnessing talent and encouraging the development of human capital, they are also now more likely to step into the realm of inspiration and team building traditionally reserved for leaders. In turn, this fluidity presents today’s executives with the opportunity to cultivate the single most important quality that will give any business an edge: innovation. For their businesses, but also for themselves.

Personal innovation, of course, is not a linear process. It’s not simply a matter of engineering new technology or refining design. Leaders are individuals, with their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Successful executives have likely already learned to play to their strengths. But maintaining — or even surpassing — such success is now just as likely to boil down to learning how to plumb their weaknesses.

A recent article from the Harvard Business Review identified four distinct coaching styles commonly used by managers to develop talent. The most successful approach was that of “Connector” managers: those who “give targeted feedback in their areas of expertise; otherwise, they connect employees with others on the team or elsewhere in the organization who are better suited to the task. They spend more time assessing the skills, needs, and interests of their employees, and recognize that many skills are best taught by people other than themselves.”

Executives don’t necessarily have direct managers responsible for evaluating their professional evolution, but that doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from taking a similar approach to how they grow on their own. If the ability to maintain relationships has traditionally been considered the domain of leadership, then leaders are already at an advantage with a built-in network of contacts they can call upon for support.

It may sound counter-intuitive. After all, being at the top means that others come to you for advice, right? But business isn’t static, and progress doesn’t happen in a vacuum. There are a few key areas executives can target to develop or sharpen skills required for today’s leaders. But applying their inherent strength as “Connectors” is also a sound way for executives to identify what they could personally most stand to improve, and then leverage their network to access the right resources and ideas to go about that process.

And in today’s more team-based, lateral management hierarchies, admitting to a weakness, or two, doesn’t mean you’re losing an edge. To the contrary, by working to overcome deficiencies in skills, perspective, and knowledge, you’re much more likely to gain an even stronger foundation from which to lead.

Kate is a Creative Circle candidate, a senior copywriter, and a seasoned corporate communications consultant based in New York. If you want to work with Kate, contact Creative Circle New York.

Creatives don’t play by the book; neither should your hiring process.

Imagine a job applicant. Which stock photo are you thinking of? Is it the one with a super-eager guy in a suit, hands folded, nervously seated across a long desk? Or is it the woman waving her resume in the air like she’s on a parade float?

You’re likely not imagining a creative. The best creative hires cannot be anticipated. Because of that, keep these next few things in mind when hiring your next creative.

1. The right hire might not be found through your traditional recruiting methods.

It’s not that we’re not looking at job listings on LinkedIn — it’s that some creatives literally might not have an account. Some of the most talented professionals I know promote their work experience through less conventional means like a social feed or a private Vimeo channel.

2. The right hire might not have that required 4-year degree.

Many creative hires become experts in their crafts by way of less traditional education. Whether it’s a graphic designer who’s got an Associate’s Degree, or a UX designer who took night classes at General Assembly, top creative talent might not always have their Bachelor’s.

Before setting your company’s standards, clarify with managers what technical skills are needed for the role at hand. These tend to take precedence in creative work, and you don’t want to needlessly exclude the appropriate talent.

3. The right hire might have atypical work experience.

If you asked a freelancer to list out every client and every project they have ever worked on, you’re in for a laundry list. Since so many creatives freelance for short periods of time, their resumes are long. Don’t always expect to see 3+ years at every previous employer. If you’re concerned with a creative’s capacity to commit, consider asking them what type of work would sustain their interest.

4. The right hire might not be a talker.

OK, real talk: Creatives can be shy, or introverted — even those of us who spend a lot of time with words. Because our contributions are usually hard deliverables like copy or artwork, our speaking skills might be a little rusty.

This doesn’t mean you should lower your standards for the types of soft skills you need. Just remember that creatives might express themselves through other mediums.

5. The right hire might talk a little too much.

On the other hand, you’re bringing in storytellers, and you might get candidates who love language a little too much. These are the people who tell you about their subway encounters, their dental appointments, who they met in the Galapagos, and why.

During an interview, be prepared for some more meandering from a creative than you might expect from other hires.

6. The right hire is still like any other you’ve hired before.

If you’re worried about hiring for creative roles, don’t be. In most ways, hiring for a creative is like hiring for anything else. As a hiring manager, you know how to spot talent. Trust your gut when it comes to creatives — just let us say a few more weird things here and there.

Ryan is a Creative Circle candidate and freelance Content Director who enjoys reading menus. He got his start at BuzzFeed NY, and since has led content initiatives for startups, TV shows, and crowdfunding platforms. He’s now based in LA—but not in a suspicious way. If you want to work with Ryan, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

In the same way people say that “finding a job is a full-time job in itself,” looking for the right hire and interviewing candidates can also be like a full-time job. Here are some quick-and-dirty productivity tips to make the early part of your hiring process as efficient as possible.

1. When in doubt, schedule it out

When it comes to interviewing, blocking out time on your calendar to not only complete your work, but to also review applications and meet with candidates, will encourage you to organize your time and not feel as affected by the interview process.

Even though it seems like a simple act, so many of us don’t take our own time seriously enough to block it off on our calendars.

2. Get to know your candidates before you even meet them

To maximize your time meeting with candidates, read through their resumes, look at their LinkedIn profiles, and review any provided links (social media, portfolio, etc.) before you meet with them. Bring focus to the interview by making notes on their resumes with the types of things you want to know about their experience and what their soft skills are.

Not only will your questions lead to more insightful answers, but the process of having done your research will allow you to fairly evaluate the candidate’s preparedness and fit for the upcoming role.

3. Set an interview timeline

Interviewing your stack of candidates in batches is ideal. Depending on additional internal resources and your own workload, giving yourself a set time in which to meet with your candidates will not only allow you to manage the expectations of your candidates upfront, but it will also hold you accountable as you move things forward within a manageable amount of time.

Keeping interview days down to 2-3 days a week rather than trying to get it all done too quickly will keep you engaged with your potential hires. If you take too much time to let any candidate know the status of your interviewing process, you risk losing quality talent altogether.

Finding the perfect candidate can take time when you’re looking for a quality fit. Let us know in the comments section any other timesaving tricks for interviewing candidates you’ve learned along the way!

“Not To Exceed” are three words that send a shiver down the spine of anyone delivering services to clients – especially if those services are creative. What the “Not To Exceed” clause typically implies is that the client has a set budget and expects the supplier not to go over that budget. It is often referred to as a Fixed Price. Seems fair, right? Sure… It puts the burden on the supplier to budget accordingly; set the scope, figure out the deliverables, build the team and then set a budget. Of course, they are doing this before any work has begun. It’s always an estimate; always. Until of course the contract is signed and then it is a fixed price. This is typical and has been the way digital and creative services have been sold for years. And I don’t see it changing anytime soon. Rarely will a client spend a little money up front to accurately scope and budget a project. That would be ideal!

But what clients sometimes say (in fine print or buried in their legal docs) is that in addition to the Not To Exceed clause, there will be unlimited rounds of creative work to be completed before the client signs off and approves the work. Wait….what? You want me to fix my price, not exceed it and you can ask for as many revisions as you want? I don’t think so… But time and time again suppliers agree to it. Why? Because they need the gig and… think they can manage accordingly. Easier said than done. Creative work is subjective. It’s emotional. Some clients simply do not know what they like – but they sure know what they don’t like! And that is when bad things happen.

“Not To Exceed” is bad for both parties.

For the supplier, it is the kiss of death. Unless there is a clear change order process or a way to raise red flags for scope creep, the supplier’s margin will shrink every day there is another round of creative. And the supplier will begrudgingly do the work and it will no longer be fun. And creatives like to have fun.

While it may not be as emotional for the client, this is a bad situation because they will lose their partnership with the supplier. The collaboration and good feelings will have been lost. The supplier now sees the work as a chore and the passion is gone. All they want to do is get it done. In fact, they may move their top talent off the project (due to hourly rates and margin shrinkage) and put less experienced people on task. And in the end, this is bad for the client. Because the work is rushed.

Many years ago, my agency had a top cosmetics brand as a client. We agreed to the “Not To Exceed” clause because a) we needed the gig and b) how could we pass up the chance to work with such a well-known brand. When we delivered our first round of creative they gave some notes and felt we were close. So when we delivered round 2 we were confident we would get sign off. Well…after round 15 we had blown through the entire budget and still had no approval. My team was burnt, frustrated and angry. For round 16 I delivered the creative for Round 1 and guess what happened? They approved it. Argh! At that point, we were out of budget and had to go through a very long process to get the client to allocate more money to the project. But at that point, the relationship was over.

The bottom line is this….don’t suggest or agree to a “Not To Exceed” clause unless there is a way to protect both parties with a change order process. A creative relationship between client and supplier is based on trust and empathy. If the supplier feels they are going to lose money or burn out, then they are going to fail – and in turn, the client will fail as well. The “Not To Exceed” clause simply is not worth it – emotionally or financially.

Michael Weiss is the Vice President of Consulting Services & Solutions at Creative Circle.
This article was originally published on LinkedIn here.