During your first few days at a new job, you spend plenty of time learning about the business of your new employers, meeting lots of new people, and diving into how things get done currently in your new department. And that’s when you start to learn about how things were before you got there.
How A Consulting Mindset Will Take Your Department From Order-Takers To Creative Problem-Solving Rock-Stars!
Use elements of a consulting mindset to take your department from order-takers to creative problem-solving rock-stars!
2020 In-House Creative Management Report
The 2020 In-House Creative Management Report from In-Source and inMotionNow is here! Download your copy of the report to learn about the top challenges and opportunities facing in-house creative teams in 2020! Did you know that 89% of survey respondents from the 2019...
Lead with inspiration—A few ideas on inspiring creative teams
The experienced talent should have the next generation do the work, just under their very careful eye.
Plan and run better meetings
Meetings are a necessary evil in our business. Between staff meetings, project planning and review meetings, vendor meetings, and of course client meetings, its any wonder we get real work done at all. But one thing I have learned in almost 25 years in the creative...
In-House Perspectives 2019: Save The Date
Join us for an evening of insight and networking at the next InSource Signature Event: In-House Perspectives 2019 Early bird tickets are on sale now, so reserve your seat today! In-house managers are more than brilliant creatives, they are mentors, coaches, and...
Lessons learned working in-house that helped me be a better consultant
By the end of 2015, after being an in-house creative director for nearly 8 years and working in this field for over 20 years, I found myself self-employed for the second time in my career. Now, as I enter my fourth year as a brand and creative strategy consultant, I attribute some of my success as a business owner to my experiences and the lessons I learned by working in-house. Reflecting on that time being in-house, I can also say that my consulting mindset, and teaching instincts, also attributed to my success leading in-house creative teams.
2019 In-House Creative Management Report
InSource and inMotionNow are excited to announce the 2019 In-House Creative Management Report! Over 500 creative and marketing professionals across industries participated in the survey which took a deep dive into the leadership, collaboration, and relationship between marketing and creative teams.
The Changing Relationship Between In-House and Outside Agencies
There has been a shift of power – creatively speaking – regarding to who “owns” brand and creative in corporate America. There was a time when anyone but the internal creative teams did new creative work or managed the outside creative agencies. However, for many...
In-house leaders are shaking things up and disrupting the status quo.
Join us for an evening of insight and networking at the next InSource Signature Event: In-House Perspectives: Disruption In-house leaders are shaking things up and disrupting the status quo. Join us in September to hear how. In-house creative teams, and those that...
Be the best boss, by not being a boss at all
"Don't be a boss, be a coach" is one of the best pieces of advice I ever received about managing people. I took that advice to heart when I was leading in-house teams, and it has always paid off in regards to loyalty, team cohesiveness, and performance. I've got proof...
ANNOUNCING THE 2018 IN-HOUSE CREATIVE MANAGEMENT REPORT
inMotionNow and InSource are excited to announce the 2018 In-House Creative Management Report! Aggregating feedback from over 400 Marketing and Creative professionals and industry thought leaders, the report contains 5 key findings about the state of creative...
PRESS RELEASE: 2018 IN-HOUSE CREATIVE MANAGEMENT REPORT
Creative Marketing is Measured in Impact, but Businesses are Highly Dependent on Small Teams Answering to Many Stakeholders, Finds Study by InSource and inMotionNow Challenges Emerge at Project Intake as Demand for Volume, Variety and Velocity of Creative Rises in...
What’s Next For In-House Leaders? Part two: Influence without management.
In my last piece I discussed the traditional path of a creative career that we learn in school of first being an apprentice to a master to learn your craft, mastering your skills on your own, and finally becoming a master in your own right which often includes taking...
What’s Next For In-House Leaders? Part 1: Post-Mastery
As is my tradition before an InSource event, I like to take the featured speakers out to dinner the evening before as a way of thanking them for their time and insights. I try to find a higher-end restaurant where we can enjoy a great meal (not just a good one) and an...
3 Career Paths (Part 2): Agency, Freelance or In-House?
As I mentioned last month, it’s hard to believe I’ve been at this for 25 years. Few people in my network of friends and colleagues have stuck with the same career for so long. Many of my peers who I graduated with from SVA gave up on design a long time ago for...
3 Career Paths (Part 1): Agency, Freelance or In-House?
It’s hard for me to believe I’ve been at this—being a design professional—for nearly 25 years. I grew up around relatives who worked on Wall Street, in the legal profession, sales or other business pursuits. So I’m fortunate that my parents encouraged my talent and...
I Am In-House: Trish Olives
Trish is the Creative Studio Manager at YETI, the popular Austin-based manufacturer of premium outdoor lifestyle products (think coolers, tumblers and assorted accessories). As a seasoned creative leader, she spends her days working with the absolute most badass creatives and marketers in the outdoor industry, creating idea-driven, on-brand, award-winning work so nobody has to suffer from melted ice ever again. Her work in this field has been recognized by GDUSA Magazine several times over, and she’s been featured as a speaker at the HOW Design Live Conference.
I Am In-House: Vanessa Dewey
Vanessa Dewey is an award-winning Downtown Los Angeles-based designer who champions development and creative endeavors. Prior to her current role at Mattel, Vanessa was an Art Director and worked across numerous IP properties as well as properties for licensors such...
I Am In-House: Jim Woods
Jim Woods is the Creative Director of Spectrum Brands PHG Aquatic division. He and his team create all the collateral materials for PHG’s industry-leading aquatic brands such as Tetra, Marineland, Instant Ocean, Jungle, or half a dozen other store brands, which means...
I Am In-House: Kevin Mau
So far, Kevin Mau’s career focus has been—and will always be—about putting creative strategy rst. To stay true to that focus, he actively seeks out collaborative environments and like-minded people. Kevin gures that if he gets the creative right, everything else falls wonderfully into place; and he can enjoy himself at the same time!
Setting Yourself Up to Freelance, Successfully
by Erica Flores and Nathalie Heywood More and more, the question comes up, “Should I get a permanent position or should I freelance?” The answer depends on what is your ultimate goal. Being a freelancer is much like running your own business. You will need to feel...
3 Ways You Can Find a Great In-House Design Gig
We've all heard the old saying that it's “not what you know, but who you know” when it comes to getting a new job. Look, lets be honest with ourselves for a moment shall we? We’re all talented, creative, and experienced to one degree or another. And we have great...
I Am In-House: Martin Schott
Martin Schott is Creative Director at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, one of 11 resident organizations on Lincoln Center’s 16.3 acre campus. He responsible for developing creative visual strategies to support Lincoln Center’s brand identity, including programming (American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, Mostly Mozart Festival, White Light Festival and Live from Lincoln Center), fundraising and education.
Train the Trainer: Sharing Knowledge & Expertise on Creative Teams
You’ve likely seen the meme below on LinkedIn and thought to yourself “Yes, this is so true. But what can I do about it. I don’t have a budget for training and development”. Or maybe you see that meme and think about yourself and wish your boss could break with a...
Inspiration, Career Influencers and Design Heroes
Early influences I am one of those lucky people who knew early on what I wanted to do when I grew up, and my parents always encouraged me to develop my talent. Growing up in a family full of business professionals I was encouraged to “do more art” rather than...
Metrics Monday – Project Management Systems
The most common approach remains home-grown solutions through FileMaker Pro, SharePoint or open source design.
Flash of InSpiration, from Arnold Glasow
One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.
Metrics Monday – Account Management
When asked “Does your team provide DEDICATED account management services to your clients?” 49% of in-house creative departments responded that they do not.
Flash of InSpiration, from Harvey Firestone
The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.
Flash of InSpiration, from Brian Tracy
Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position
Flash of InSpiration, from Ken Kesey
You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case.
Flash of InSpiration, from Andrew Carnegie
No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it
Flash of InSpiration, from Ken Blanchard
The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.
Flash of InSpiration, from John C. Maxwell
Leadership is influence.
Flash of InSpiration, from Teddy Roosevelt
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
Metrics Monday – Strategic or Commodity?
When the creative team is positioned within Marketing, Communications, or Advertising, the organization is more likely to be considered strategic and value-adding.
Flash of InSpiration, from Jack Welch
‘Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.’
Metrics Monday – 45 Hour Work-Week for Most.
Almost 3 quarters of in-house teams work less than 45 hrs per week, but half of managers feel they are appropriately staffed.
Flash of InSpiration, from Grace Hopper
“You manage things; you lead people.”
Metrics Monday – Training Budget and Time
31% of creative leaders have very limited funding for training—the most critical component of a creative department’s non-personnel budget.
Flash of InSpiration, from Lao Tzu
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
Metrics Monday- Growing Team Size
The number of small teams (teams of 10 people or less) has decreased by 10 percentage points (from 69% to 58%).
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 12: Failure is an Option
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 11: Recognition & Reward
It’s important to remember that there are more ways to reward employees for good work than yearly raises, bonuses, or even promotions.
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 10: Goal Setting
How many of us set new years resolutions around December 31st only to forget them by January 3rd? Last month I journaled about performance reviews and measuring your work for the past year. The only way to do this is to set some goals for yourself, but make sure you...
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 9: Performance Reviews
Well, it’s that time of year again for many corporate creatives… the year-end performance review cycle has begun again. Unlike many of my colleagues on the outside, I need to follow a prescribed process whereby I self-evaluate my performance against several goals (SMART ones) for both the business and my own professional development.
As if providing an evaluation to my boss about my own work wasn’t hard enough, I’ll also need to review the evaluations my staff wrote about themselves. And if I’m very lucky, no one has any delusions of grandeur about their accomplishments (or lack thereof), including me.
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 8: Admitting Mistakes
“Steve jobs would never have done that” I thought to myself, as I read the open apology by Tim Cook regarding the new Maps app in iOS6. As I said those words I realized that I don’t actually think that Tim Cook was wrong to do it though. While not the approach that Jobs would have taken, Cook did something few leaders are bold enough to do…admit when they make a mistake.
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 7: Sell The Work, Not The Process
Any in-house creative services leader knows that process is important. From how clients initiate new projects, to how the team gets work done. It’s a very important way to manage workflow, effectiveness, productivity, and frankly…order. If we have done our jobs well, things run smoothly for the most part. Clients are happy, designers are engaged and creative, things are good.
Thoughts on Management
Thoughts on management from Paul Hawken, environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author.
“Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them”
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 6: No One Will Come To Your Party, Unless You Invite Them
Like any business that is launching new products or services, all of the planning and development we have put into the new creative services department will have been for naught if we don’t announce the launch of new processes to our clients.
Thoughts on Leadership
Thoughts on leadership from Pat Riley, widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time,
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 5: Planning the Rollout
After a couple months of planning, the time has come to institute the plans that I have been developing since the day I started. I’ve built some key relationships, assessed a few situations, identified needs, designed processes, and (I hope) built some trust. Now all I need to do is stop talking about the “big plan” and start getting it going already.
Flash of Inspiration
- Jim Rohn (September 17, 1930 - December 5, 2009) was an American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker.
Flash of Inspiration
– Mahatma Gandhi, October 2 1869 – January 30 1948. Led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 4: Assessment and planning at less than warp speed
While my gut tells me we need to flip a switch on Monday and have things work in a new way, my experience – and observations of human behavior – tells me that change really needs to be incremental or I’m at risk for clients getting things done the way they used to, undermining the new process and potentially compromising the company’s strategic plans.
Flash of Inspiration
Your weekly inspirational quote to help you manage and lead your creative team from John D. Rockefeller, American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist and founder of the Standard Oil Company.
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 3: All May Not Be What It Seems
After a few weeks on the job I have heard more airing of dirty laundry than I would have expected. Instead of getting mired in how things were though. I focus on the task at hand which is to make things better.
Flash of Inspiration
Your weekly inspirational quote to help you manage and lead your creative team from Colin Powell, American statesman and a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army.
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 2: Talking Less and Listening More
You’re going to learn more about the business and people in your first few weeks on the job than you may realize. Now is the time to listen more than you talk.
Flash of Inspiration
Your weekly inspirational quote to help you manage and lead your creative team from Stephen Covey, author of several best-selling management and leadership books including The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The Leader in Me.
In-House Business Startup Journal Part 1: The New Guy In Town
When running a business of any kind it’s important to remember that you, as a manager, have just three resources at your disposal – Money, People, and Information. When someone starts a new job they need one of those three things more than the others: information.
The First 5 Days
As the day approaches for my new hire to start working with the team, I’m thinking about how important his first few days on the job are. These first few days are my only opportunity to make sure he has a smooth transition to his new position, and get him to want to come back after the weekend.
InSide InSights: Shel Perkins
This month’s interview features a conversation with Shel Perkins, exploring some of the challenges that face in-house teams today.
Q: Tell us a bit about your background and credentials.
A: I’m a graphic designer who is very active on the business side of professional practice. I’ve managed the operations of leading design firms and consulted with a wide range of creative services organizations in both traditional and new media. I also teach professional practices in an MFA program.
Q: As a frequent lecturer, what topic are audiences most interested in?
A: Right now, everyone is worried about the recession. Apart from that, I’m often asked to do presentations and workshops related to intellectual property, designer/client contracts, project planning and tracking, new business development, pricing and proposals, teams, financial management, and ownership transition.
Q: What is the biggest challenge facing today’s in-house teams? How has this changed from even 5-7 years ago?
A: Corporations are more aware than ever of the importance of effective and comprehensive branding. There’s also increasing pressure on U.S. companies to innovate in order to remain viable. Successful in-house teams have positioned themselves at the center of these issues.
Q: Do you see more companies investigating an in-house agency business model given today’s economy?
A: Yes. To function at the highest possible level, I think it’s important to recruit, manage, and market in-house creative resources very much like an independent consultancy.
A New Dimension to Performance Management – Part 1
Most performance management systems focus on tasks and outcomes, clarifying what each individual needs to do or deliver, and what is the result. This is important. After all, that’s why we are employed. There is work to be done, and results are required.
However, for a creative team—and arguably for every employee— there is a critical dimension missing from the above simplistic approach to performance management. It’s the measure of behavior. You’re probably thinking, behavior…we’re not in grade school anymore!
Read this article by Steve Benfield, Senior Director, Corporate Communications and Creative Director, SAS Institute Inc. and Insource Board Member, and learn Steve’s unique approach to measuring performance.
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