Steering the ship: Essential leadership lessons for thriving creative teams

Vicky Hope

November 23, 2023

Culture

Creative

When my daughter and I recently returned from a cruise, I expected to come back with wonderful memories. Little did I know that I’d also gain a valuable lesson in leadership and insights on steering a creative team.

Harmonising warmth with efficiency: The Marella Cruises philosophy

You see, Marella Cruises prides itself on being famous for its smile, integrated visually within the TUI logo too.

But it’s not just a hollow brand promise, it seems that their team truly believes in this mission. Being "friendly" 24/7 is no easy feat, but the management style and work culture they've built are designed to support their team and make them feel valued and motivated. They understand that their people are their most valuable asset and that a strong team culture is essential for the success of the organisation.

From onboard to in-house: Cultural parallels in leadership

When working on internal communications campaigns, it’s important to engage specialists to conduct health checks to gather feedback through surveys, focus groups, and user testing. Good communication programmes and campaigns are then an essential part of improving engagement, by getting to the heart of the matter, but it also needs to be genuine and backed by supportive management.

Back to the cruise experience... There's no room for gloss or pretence when you have to keep that smile going around the clock. It's like managing a hard-working team that needs to deliver exceptional client service while juggling multiple briefs and demands from different stakeholders.

Without the backbone of efficient operations and genuine warmth from a strong team culture, things can easily get choppy.

So, what can we learn from the cruise experience? Drawing from our experience of building hybrid, high-volume creative services teams particularly in financial services and regulated services, it’s important to treat all roles with equal importance.

Take something as basic as a hybrid team with different contractual hours, some finishing at 5.30 pm with others needing to work until 6.00 pm. Closing that 30-minute gap is not only fair but essential for a one-team culture and to stop any simmering resentment.

Fostering a sense of team with a common goal is also crucial. Communicating the vision and mission of the organisation ensures that everyone understands how their individual work contributes to the bigger picture.

When you're an in-house creative services team, it's important to remember that you're a guest in the client's house. We need to ensure that our work aligns with the vision of that organisation. Ensuring that the team is clear about WHAT they’re here to do is key and then it’s the agency’s role to manage all aspects of HOW that great work is delivered.

Peer beyond the titles: Leading with humanity

Empowering people and encouraging initiative is another vital aspect. Just like on a cruise ship, the team needs autonomy and ownership over their responsibilities which fosters a sense of pride and accountability. And beyond all of these management ques’, it boils down to treating people as people. Not resource, headcount or capacity. Getting to know people on a human level when they’re working in-house will enable you to offer support for work issues and broader ones.

The role of the captain on board is similar to that of a leader in a business. Setting the overall direction, providing guidance, and making critical decisions are all important. I was particularly moved by how the captain allowed the back kitchen and below-deck engineers to take centre stage during the closing-night celebration. It showed true leadership to lead from behind.

Applause where it's due: Celebrating team victories

Lastly, celebrating achievements and focusing on the customer experience is key to success. Whether it's the project going live or getting a campaign out of the door, recognising outstanding contributions and celebrating as a team builds camaraderie and motivates everyone to keep delivering exceptional results.

In house or on deck: United principles for team leadership

To sum it up, building a strong creative team culture, just like on a cruise ship, involves treating all roles equally, fostering a shared goal, and empowering and celebrating together while prioritising the client/customer experience. The captain's role is to steer the ship and look out for potential dangers, allowing the team to shine.

Apply these principles, and you'll have a happy agency team that will put a smile on the client's face.