Photo Props:

We envy the overnight success.
We marvel at the campaign or idea that sweeps in and succeeds effortlessly.
We’re amazed by the product that changes the way we do life almost overnight.

None of these successes actually appear out of nowhere. Behind every single one of them is a lot of work.

In order to do anything great we have to remember: It takes Hustle. It takes Passion. It takes Execution

Daniel Coyle writes in his book, The Talent Code, about how important it is to focus on the small things, not the “hail marys,” in order to create success behind our creative team and creative ideas.

We can apply the same concept to how we manage our creative teams. We have to remember that we’re not going to wake up to success one morning – we have to build success day by day, task by task, execution by execution. It’s up to us to build success.

• Little is Big – Are we focused on only the BIG parts of the creative process, or are we digging into the details regardless of size? It’s not about the massive unveil, but the execution we implement leading up to that moment. Every action, step, and decision is a chance to create a win or suffer a loss. Consistency builds upon itself and when we’re able to replicate wins, we move towards success methodically – step by step.
• Identify Game Changers – Who is paying attention? Who is listening, focusing, and creating momentum on our teams or in our organizations? Who has hustle? Who is anticipating and problem solving, not just identifying problems? The people who’s names you filled in after these questions are the ones we must pay attention to, they’re the people who are going to do the most with the opportunities that come their way. They create trust.
• Blueprints vs Renderings – Architectural renderings look great, but they can’t build buildings. Blueprints can. Blueprints aren’t as sexy as renderings, but they create steps to success. Stay focused on the fundamentals. Without them, we have a lot of sparkle but very little substance. Idea fundamentals remind us to ask if our ideas communicate our desired story. Do they create emotion? Do they force conversation or questions? WIll people like and connect with our ideas?

These are just three steps to build success – there are so many more. Do you have a concept you would like to share?