10 Tips for Leading Tech Team Creatives

As a tech director, you've probably learned that it takes a different skill set to effectively lead and motivate your creative teams. But are you intentional about honing those skills? Here are 10 actions you can take to become an even better leader.

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Church Production Live Events' Day One keynote speaker at its Capture Summit 2019, Phil Cooke, knows a few things about working with creative teams. He's founder of Cooke Media Group in Los Angeles and executive producer of 2016’s “Let Hope Rise,” the Hillsong movie. And he has advice for anyone leading a creative team.

The starting point, Cooke said in his Capture Summit keynote address, “10 Things You Need to Know to Lead Creative People,” is to lose the fear. “Unleash the hounds. Let them go. Many of you won’t let people do their things because you’re afraid they’ll make a mistake. I have a creative team that sometimes does better without me around."

Here are Cooke's Top 10.

1-Foster an environment of strong communication.

2-Remember: A great creative leader will defend the team’s work.

3-Learn how to give constructive feedback.

4-Be specific when talking to creative people.

5-Create an atmosphere of stability.

6-Know when to get out of the way.

7-Let the creative team take credit.

8-Learn how to motivate creative people and learn how to fire them.

9-Learn to walk the factory floor (get to know everybody you’re working with).

10-Your creative team is not your family--don’t treat them like one. Develop structure.