Unlocking the Potential: Mastering the Art of Creative Management
They say there are countless ways to manage creativity—some effective, some not so much. So how can we navigate this intricate landscape and ensure we're doing it right? Let's dive into the realm of managing creative minds, exploring the ups, downs, and everything in between.
Setting the Stage: From Macro to Micro
Remember that iconic line from Ocean's 11? "You're micromanaging. You gotta find people you can delegate to. Otherwise, you'll never have a life." These words hold a grain of truth. While most managers recognize the drawbacks of micromanagement, certain circumstances can trigger this behavior. It might be due to a team's dynamics, a member's tenure, or even the manager's approach. However, micromanagement should never be a long-term solution. Both managers and individual contributors need to make a conscious effort to avoid it.
The Ultimate Management Goal: Empowerment and Delegation
Irrespective of their level, all managers should strive to delegate tasks and tap into their team's skills and experience. The key lies in empowering team members to make autonomous decisions while aligning them with the product's vision and team objectives. This approach not only boosts productivity but also allows managers to regain control of their own lives.
Setting The Stage
Crafting a Seamless UI/UX Workflow
In my experience, UI/UX flow has often been a challenge in every company I've worked for. But fear not! I've identified a few areas where we can make it more efficient, rewarding, impactful, and innovative.
Product Feedback: Beyond Specific Solutions
Close collaboration between the product team and UI/UX teams is essential. However, a common pitfall is when the product team requests a highly specific solution, which UI/UX delivers faithfully. Unfortunately, the end result often falls short of expectations and requires extensive A/B testing iterations. The solution? Instead of fixating on specific solutions, the product team should communicate their goals and desired outcomes, allowing the UI/UX team to devise the most effective path forward.
Streamlining Implementation and Iteration
Traditionally, UI/UX integration heavily relies on engineering, which can slow down the iterative process and limit experimentation. However, I've successfully shifted this approach in several organizations. By empowering designers to handle 80% of the integration themselves, we accelerate the implementation phase. Subsequently, UI/UX designers can iterate independently, unencumbered by engineering constraints, once the initial implementation is complete.
Embracing Innovation, R&D, and Experimentation
When faced with tight production deadlines, feedback loops, and A/B testing, it's easy to gravitate towards conventional solutions for new features. However, we can overcome this by allocating time for concept development even before defining the UX. By infusing a narrative touch into our features from the start, we equip the team with a solid strategy for subsequent iterations.
Carving Paths
A New Horizon: The Impact and Autonomy of Efficient Teams
An efficient team with a well-oiled pipeline and the confidence to make autonomous decisions can operate on autopilot. While this may affect a director's job security, perhaps it's a sign to embark on the next exciting project. After all, success lies in nurturing self-sufficient teams capable of thriving independently.