The Importance of Flexibility and Fluidity in Creative Companies

How do you find the right people?

Nick Law is the Global Lead for Design and Creative Tech at Accenture Song.

Nick has had a storied career. He was Global Chief Creative Officer at R/GA. Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe. And the VP, Marcom Integration at Apple, before joining Accenture Song in early 2022.

He has led and unlocked creativity across thousands of people. He’s seen what works. And what doesn’t.

In my experience, the very best leaders understand three things. Their business, their people and themselves.

But not in that order.

Most leaders prioritize their understanding of the business. After all, it's the reference point that most people use when measuring the success or otherwise of an individual leader.

So, leaders rightly worry about the vision, the strategy, the execution and the performance of the organization. They pour themselves into KPIs and P&Ls.

But getting those numbers to sing, to really sing, is the consequences of two things.

How well you understand your people. And how well you understand yourself.

The creative thinking and innovation that every modern business depends on is amplified a thousand fold when its people trust and believe in the leaders of that business.

Better visions, better strategies, better systems will move the needle a bit by themselves. But only a bit. And nothing like as far as when your people believe in you.

And what drives that belief? Your courage, your confidence, your consistency. And your humanity.

And all of those depend on how well you understand yourself.

So if you’re struggling to find the right people, start by finding yourself and deciding what really matters to you.

And then say it out loud so that your people can find you.