I’ll be me, you be you
Well at face value, the answer is a simple one. We see something we admire in that person — be that a characteristic, a style, an ethic — and we try to imitate it, right? In the same way that we do within our creative deliverables, we take bits from this, and pieces from that. The secret is in making it your own, and not falling foul of becoming a cheeky plagiarist. French film director Jean-Luc Godard concisely and famously said: “it’s not where you take things from, it’s where you take them to.” And in that little pearl is the master plan! It doesn’t matter if we take design thinking from here, or leadership styles from there, as long as we evolve them into something that we can call our own.
Is there creative or artistic merit in imitating a design style purely to appease the brief, without adding your own creative prowess or signature styles? Probably not. It’ll result in something that fits into a current trend — which will invariably move so far, and then stop.
In a similar vein, is there merit in trying to imitate the styles of our most revered design leadership idols, without doing things the way in which you know you do them best? Sadly the answer is the same. Unless you can add your own take on those leadership styles, the mask eventually slips — people struggle with your approach and it creates a bigger divide than ever within an agency — which is the mirror opposite of what you were trying to achieve. By all means, observe and make your mental notes on the touches and finesses of others that motivate you. More importantly though, you must understand the reasons why those approaches resonate with you, and you’ll find that if you conduct yourself with those same values and ethics, you’ll definitely resonate with others. When you resonate with others, that’s where you reach a point where people want to help you because you’re you — not because you told them to do it and you’re the boss. Some people call it respect.
I’ve picked up many of my leadership styles and techniques over the years from high-level business-types that I’ve known — ironically they are usually from outside of the creative industry — but I’ve always poured over why I like the way those people do things. In doing that I’ve understood why I want to do things in certain ways and therefore, can take those techniques and execute them in my own way.
Anyone who has worked with me will know that I’m a very relaxed manager and Director, but that shouldn’t be mistaken for not having both eyes firmly on the ball and my teams have always known where the line is that shouldn’t be crossed. It’s an extension of who I am as a person, rather than an alter ego that I switch into when I step through the door of the studio. Likewise, people will know very well my fandom of the “no is the right answer” approach to things. But again, it’s all in the execution. I don’t need to tell anyone where an unflinching rigidity to saying “no” all the time will get them! But where “no” will serve you well is when you’ve done your initial analysis and saying “yes” because the client is king is simply not going to work out viable for the agency!
What’s the point to all this I hear you bark? Think of it like this: Tiger Woods could easily show me how he plays golf. He could share with me his tips and tricks. He could even lend me his golf clubs. It might up my game a little, but there is one thing that it will never do — it will never make me Tiger Woods. And until design professionals and leaders bank on their strengths, acknowledge and build on their weaknesses, in tandem with borrowing and personalising from the people they admire — and understanding why they’re doing that, they’ll never see the results they are hoping to.
As I said above, I’ll be me, because that’s what I’m good at — you be you, because that’s what you’re good at.