What’s different about creative partnerships? When two creative personalities get together in a commercial environment are the challenges and issues they face unique?
With the end product closely tied to self-esteem and identity, it’s no surprise that creative partnerships are intense affairs. Control issues and vision clashes abound and the industry divorce rate is high. The good news is that none of these problems is insurmountable. In this post I will explore some of the key issues affecting creative partnerships, and offer advice for anyone who is currently in a creative partnership, or considering entering into one.
Vision and Values
‘Entering into a working partnership is like entering a relationship, or a marriage – there’s the same necessary element of compromise, of listening, of communication... It’s important to ask – “what does success look like for each of us?” And then support each other in achieving those goals.’ Stephen Cribbett and Tom Watts, Dub Studios
Do you have a shared vision and a shared set of values? Do you think the same things are important? Do you have similar priorities, ambitions and goals?
Often partners in creative businesses find themselves in conflict without realising the source of the unrest. Often each partner has a different value set, believes different things to be important. A creative product or output is usually closely tied to self-esteem, self-image and identity, and creative people often define themselves through their work, so clashes of opinion can have a serious and damaging impact in these areas.
Control issues can also loom large owing to the personal nature of creative vision, and vision clash can feel impossible to solve.
Some creative partners make the mistake of assuming that having complementary skills is enough, but establishing what is important to you personally, to your partner and to the business is crucial. What do you want to have happen as a result of being in partnership/business together? Creating a common objective for the business is essential. Spend time goal setting. Make sure your goals are specific and measurable, based on shared values, and you have an agreed time within which to achieve them.
Personality Clash
‘You have to put yourself in the other’s position… I always think, “How would she respond to this? How is this going to affect her?” It’s important to embrace and respect differences – just as much as you appreciate similarities.’ Katya Thielen and Heidi Lightfoot, Together Design
Are your personalities and working styles well matched? Are there conflicts between creative and commercial targets? Can you find a way to work together that suits each of you? How will you balance different creative agendas?
Personality clashes can affect any partnership but where creative personalities are involved problems can arise due to the nature of the creative process. Even if there is unity and shared vision, partners can be challenged by different working styles. Do they work best in the evening or the morning, in solitude or creative chaos and collaboration? Does constant communication help or hinder their process and does delegation and problem sharing appeal or threaten a sense of control? These are practical issues which, if overlooked can create discord and resentment, but if explored, may also determine the outcome of decisions regarding environment, workspace and staffing levels.
If one partner is creative and the other business oriented, conflict can occur due to differences in agendas, priorities and perspectives, the creative not appreciating the pressure of deadlines or commercial targets and feeling the threat to his or her creative vision posed by financial restraints. Equally the sales and commerce-oriented partner might feel financial imperatives are being ignored, that projects aren’t commercially viable and that creativity is indulged and over-prioritised. All of this comes down to a clash of values, goals, ambitions and objectives, which is often compounded by a lack of effective communication and knowledge sharing.
Communication
‘It’s good to get out of the office environment regularly. Something like a walk in the park, or a drink in the pub can stimulate open discussion – it helps with a pint in your hand! If we were a larger team, it could potentially be counter-productive, but we think it works because it’s just the two of us.’ Stephen Cribbett and Tom Watts, Dub Studios
How (how often) do you communicate? How do you resolve differences of opinion?
Creative personalities often lead to issues around control, creative vision and self-esteem. How can you deal with any problems and disagreements that arise? It is important to develop a communication/problem solving strategy before it is needed.
Clear communication upfront is especially crucial when it comes to legal issues. It is important that your legal situation is dealt with and agreed straight away, however well you know each other. The moment you’re reaching for the agreement, you know you’re in trouble. Lots of businesses don’t have the difficult conversations until it’s too late. Get the legal stuff sorted and know where you stand.
It’s essential that partners take a little time every day to catch up with each other and discuss what’s happening. Ultimately, if you don’t communicate, it’s impossible to collaborate.
‘We have breakfast together once a week – every Tuesday morning, the team know we will be in late… Though we obviously do talk about the business, we just need time to catch up with each other. These breakfast meetings are essentially an opportunity to ask each other “how are you?” During the week, we’re so focused on work, and it’s important to keep checking in with one another.’ Katya Thielen and Heidi Lightfoot, Together Design
And then there were three (or four, or five…)?
If these issues are tackled early on in the relationship, it will help should the two of you decide to ‘start a family’ and expand your business. Establishing values and vision early on makes it easier to choose employees who will fit in with the organisation, and an understanding of different personalities and working styles will ease the day-to-day workings of the business. Finally, good communication skills will help you both to effectively convey your shared vision and values to your team. Involving your employees will make them feel like stakeholders in the business, that they are helping to shape the company as it grows. Such an approach will strengthen trust within the growing organisation.
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