In this article, I will highlight the importance of building effective teams in the Creative Industry
Talent Development; I had shared earlier that talent development is one of the important pathways in the Creative industry this year, currently, there is a huge imbalance between employers and employees in the Creative industry.
Employers struggle to find the right talent, especially talents that are consistent and committed, whilst the talents (employees) struggle to find the ideal work environment (culture and system). Since Covid, workplace structure has evolved, and a lot of organizations now embrace dynamic work cultures and talents now lean towards freelancing and consultancy, but studies and feedback show that the input and results from this new approach might not be matching up, hence the current imbalance. Employers want more, Employees want to give less.
So how do you build an effective team in the Creative Industry?
I recently sat on a panel where we discussed “Building Effective Teams for the Creative Economy, here are key takeaways from the session;
• Just as with building an organization to last there’s a system to building and managing an effective team. It goes beyond the surface and is deeply rooted in core touchpoints affecting the employer and the employee.
• While Employers look out for individuals who are visionary, self-sufficient, pragmatic, and innovative. so also employees and by virtue of being a leader of a company demand certain qualities in employers such as Emotional stability, empathy, Vision, structure and so much more.
• We established that putting systems and structure in place is vital in building and hiring an effective team. Should friends & family be hired? Yes, if they meet the standard of the company and if a work structure has been put in place that clearly states the expectations required from each individual on the team and also to reduce contempt and overfamiliarity.
• Having Empathy as an employer is about connecting with your team on a personal level. It’s one way to retain impressionable minds.
• From the Employee standpoint, the questions considered before partnering with the vision of a company:
– How does joining this team/organization and its vision align with mine and my growth?
– What value does it add to me?
– How fast can I grow?
– What is the starting compensation and the possibility of future compensation?
– Flexibility: Will my ideas be shut down or taken up?
– Capacity building: is the company thinking about my growth? Because leadership isn’t about building followers but leaders.
• Do GenZ understand sacrifice or do they call sacrifice suffering, maybe it’s about balance. Knowing when to stay and when to call it quits.
In Summary as an Employer looking to build an effective team, lean towards Vision sharing and empathy, create room for flexibility and innovation in the workplace, and set clear-cut systems and structures for talent compensation and growth. Be willing to embrace a dynamic work system and culture.
For Employees, invest not only in your talent but also in developing a clear sense of purpose, direction, and a growth plan, lean towards organizations and brands that align with your vision, and be willing to compromise and adjust to systems that make the organizations work.