The Loyal Support System
A flexible network to help you make good decisions and move forward with confidence.
If there is one thing Creative Leaders have in common, it’s definitely the uncertainty in which they operate. Engaged in an organisation fueled by big ideas and dreams. Driven by risky assumptions about customers, competition and in-house abilities. Inspired by what seemed to work for others, not knowing whether these actions will have the same effect on their own teams.
If you are in this business of figuring things out, your most vital function is to discover what works and discard what doesn’t. The problem is that many leaders seem to think they should come up with these insights all by themselves.
I’m here to tell you this is not the case at all. Having access to high-quality advice and support is actually a lot faster. And way more fun and healthier too.
This is why you might want to consider investing in a Loyal Support System: a flexible network of people committed to give advice and feedback. To help understand what’s going on, make good decisions and move forward with confidence.
Loyalty is key
Nobody can build a great initiative alone and yet most leaders find that their jobs are lonely. For some it’s because they find it hard to trust other people or ask for help. For others it’s the complexity of the business that makes it difficult to reach out. This is where loyalty comes in.
Don’t forget that offering advice is not only about doing someone a favour. It’s about having a chance to be involved in something meaningful & feel appreciated for the support.
Explain people why your company exists and connect with those who share deep interest in bringing this cause to life. These are the people who will take your request for advice seriously and provide thoughtful advice.
Set up flexible feedback groups
Before you gather or meet with people, it’s important to define what you want to learn or figure out. I can already tell you this will be a very dynamic list.
For example: once you have discovered what your customers really value, you’ll want to figure out how to build and deliver this properly. And you’ll want to find out how to reach more customers. Once you have more customers you might want to increase your profit margin. When this leads to more cash you will explore in what to invest, …
And so the list of things to find out evolves. While most of your questions will relate to each other, you don’t need a single group of advisors to discuss all of these items with.
More interesting is flexible feedback: a few specific groups or communities you can interact with, whenever you need to. The beauty of this setup is that it enables you to involve as many engaged people as possible. The variety of perspective will allow you to capture honest feedback and form a realistic bird-eye view.
Some groups will be more focussed on customer related topics, others on human resources. Some groups will be temporary, others more structural. Some will be informal over burgers and beers, others more formal through workshops or strategic meetings.
To have high-quality dialogue you shouldn’t invite more than 7 people for each session. The more people in the room, the more difficult it gets to facilitate the discussion.
Here’s an example of feedback groups I consulted during my time at Little Miss Robot. You might want to set up a few of them yourself.
Ask the right questions & listen carefully
The key to making good decisions is forming a better understanding, reframing the problems until cause and effect are perfectly clear. Your main task here is to ask the right (and often difficult) questions and listen to what people have to say.
Enter every conversation with an open mind and a desire to learn. Explain what you are trying to figure out and why it’s important for the company or team to address.
Engage with your audience and their point of view. Try to understand what they say and why they say it. Personally I’m a big fan of the 5 Whys technique: a powerful tool for quickly uncovering the root of a problem, simply by asking ‘Why?’ five times in a row. Check out a dialogue example here.
And one more thing: never take feedback personal, just see it as a chance to improve. Bill Gates did it too and see where it got him.
What about compensation?
Depending on whom you are asking and how involved you need them to be, compensation can vary from just providing food and drinks to covering expenses, providing stock options (0.1 to 1% of equity is typical for early stage) or cash payments (250€ to 1000€ for quarterly meetings should be enough).
Remember that many mentors and advisors don’t mind helping out for little or no pay. What they are looking for is to network with other industry players and build their own credibility. Introductions throughout your Loyal Support System is what they’ll find most valuable.
If you find someone you would really like to involve, compensation shouldn’t be a big issue. It just proves that you respect and value their contributions. Be honest about what you can offer in return and double-check if they are ok with that.
Whatever you do, don’t stress out. Good advisors don’t care about getting rich quickly, they care about building something great in the long term.
Time to open up
When I ask leaders how they make important decisions, most of them say this happens on management meetings. When I ask them who is involved in these meeting the answers are always the same: shareholders and managers.
The problem is that most of these discussions never leave the meeting room. They are hidden from the outside world. This limits the ability to form a realistic bird-eye view.
Great Creative Leaders don’t hide, they open up instead. They invest in a Loyal Support System. They involve as many engaged people as possible through flexible feedback groups and confidently move in the right direction.
Even at the earliest stages, asking advice and finding loyal supporters makes a big difference. You’re growing a culture where people help each other out. Not because they need to, but because they want to.
Doesn’t this sound like an environment where creativity thrives? It sure does to me.
Have a great week,
Thomas
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— Thomas helps people grow their ability & courage to lead creative teams. He provides in-house coaching and writes weekly publications on Creative Leadership. Previously Creative Director & Managing Partner at Little Miss Robot.
