Greetings;
I write this because I have been on both sides of the fence. There's an age-old conflict that creatives or any place where creatives and suits find themselves having to work together.
One of the most successful ad campaigns today is Apple's "Mac vs PC" Commercials http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntEBCTv4Q-M . These commercials are amusing because they are an accurate portrayal.
Creative's tend to be progressive. New and different and chaotic and risky excite them. Suits on the other hand -- the strategists, the bean counters, etc. -- tend to be conservative. They're often frightened by new and different. This isn't meant to be a criticism or a put-down. Their job is different from creative people. Their role and aim is to mitigate risk, to ensure a predictable outcome, to make a profit.
While both groups tend to get frustrated with each other, they each serve valuable roles because, at least in business, success is often found someplace in between
One perplexing difference
One reason creatives dislike meetings so much is that they're on a different type of schedule from other people. Meetings cost us more.
To me there are two types of schedules, which I'll call the bean counter schedule and the marketers schedule. It's embodied in the traditional appointment book, with each day cut into one hour intervals. You can block off several hours for a single task if you need to, but by default you change what you're doing every hour.
Most powerful people are on the bean counter's schedule. It's the schedule of command. But there's another way of using time that's common among people who make things, like creatives. They generally prefer to use time in units of half a day at least.
When you're operating on the creative's schedule, meetings are a disaster. A single meeting can blow a whole afternoon, by breaking it into two pieces each too small to 'put the running shoes on' in. Plus you have to remember to go to the meeting.
For someone on a creative's schedule, having a meeting is like throwing an exception. It doesn't merely cause you to switch from one task to another; it changes the mode in which you work.
There's sometimes a snowball effect. If I know the PM is going to be broken up, I'm slightly less likely to start something ambitious in the AM. I know this may sound wacked, but if you're a creative, think of your own case.
To me there are two types of schedules, which I'll call the bean counter schedule and the marketers schedule. It's embodied in the traditional appointment book, with each day cut into one hour intervals. You can block off several hours for a single task if you need to, but by default you change what you're doing every hour.
Most powerful people are on the bean counter's schedule. It's the schedule of command. But there's another way of using time that's common among people who make things, like creatives. They generally prefer to use time in units of half a day at least.
When you're operating on the creative's schedule, meetings are a disaster. A single meeting can blow a whole afternoon, by breaking it into two pieces each too small to 'put the running shoes on' in. Plus you have to remember to go to the meeting.
For someone on a creative's schedule, having a meeting is like throwing an exception. It doesn't merely cause you to switch from one task to another; it changes the mode in which you work.
There's sometimes a snowball effect. If I know the PM is going to be broken up, I'm slightly less likely to start something ambitious in the AM. I know this may sound wacked, but if you're a creative, think of your own case.
Do you find joy in the thought of having an entire day free to work, with no appointments at all?
Well, that means your spirits can be depressed when you don't. Ambitious projects are by definition close to the limits of your capacity. A small decrease in morale is enough to kill them off.
Each type of schedule works in its own world. Problems arise when they colide. Since most people operate on the bean counter's schedule, they're in a position to make everyone work with what they are comfortable with. But an effective leader acknowledges this conundrum and they know that some of the people working for them need long chunks of time to work in.
Each type of schedule works in its own world. Problems arise when they colide. Since most people operate on the bean counter's schedule, they're in a position to make everyone work with what they are comfortable with. But an effective leader acknowledges this conundrum and they know that some of the people working for them need long chunks of time to work in.
Till recently I wasn't clear in my mind about the source of a problem. I certainly wasn't able to formulate cause and effect. I took it for granted that I had to either blow my schedule or offend people. But now that I've realized what's going on, perhaps there's a third option: to write something explaining the two types of schedule. Maybe eventually, if the conflict between the bean counter's schedule and the Creative's schedule starts to be more widely understood, it will become less of a problem.
Those of us on the creative's schedule are willing to compromise. We know we have to have some number of meetings. All we ask from those on the bean counter's schedule is that they understand the cost of a meeting.
Those of us on the creative's schedule are willing to compromise. We know we have to have some number of meetings. All we ask from those on the bean counter's schedule is that they understand the cost of a meeting.
