"Move over, I'm driving."
I'll never forget those dreaded words as an Art Director at Draft, an ad agency, in Chicago.
"Move over, I'm driving.", followed by a chuckle.
This was how my boss at the time handled giving direction. He didn't give it. He did it. He would basically ask me to get up with his statement and then proceed to do my job for me until he liked it. It was completely demoralizing. I'm sure I learned a little by watching him do my job for a bit, but I couldn't understand why he wouldn't just give me direction so I could do it.
15 years later I think I understand a little bit of what he was going through as I'm in that place some now. It's tough to not over direct someone when you have a vision for what something should look like. But, it's the worst thing you can do for a creative. The best thing you can do is give them pointers or talk through things, teach them tricks on how to do their job, but don't do it for them. You might know what would look better and could maybe do it faster, but that's not helpful for those that work with you if they need to learn.
So, don't drive. Instead, sit in the passenger seat and direct. It may feel like you're gonna hit a tree sometimes but remember that this is not life or death and they're not actually driving a car. They may hit a tree in the process, but I bet they won't keep hitting the tree once they've hit it. Let newer, younger creatives drive and learn and through the process you might learn something too.
"Move over, I'm driving.", followed by a chuckle.
This was how my boss at the time handled giving direction. He didn't give it. He did it. He would basically ask me to get up with his statement and then proceed to do my job for me until he liked it. It was completely demoralizing. I'm sure I learned a little by watching him do my job for a bit, but I couldn't understand why he wouldn't just give me direction so I could do it.
15 years later I think I understand a little bit of what he was going through as I'm in that place some now. It's tough to not over direct someone when you have a vision for what something should look like. But, it's the worst thing you can do for a creative. The best thing you can do is give them pointers or talk through things, teach them tricks on how to do their job, but don't do it for them. You might know what would look better and could maybe do it faster, but that's not helpful for those that work with you if they need to learn.
So, don't drive. Instead, sit in the passenger seat and direct. It may feel like you're gonna hit a tree sometimes but remember that this is not life or death and they're not actually driving a car. They may hit a tree in the process, but I bet they won't keep hitting the tree once they've hit it. Let newer, younger creatives drive and learn and through the process you might learn something too.