Can you talk a little bit about your experience managing teams in your last role and what it taught you?

Working as a creative lead on projects was a huge transition for me. No longer was I defending and presenting my ideas and work but the ideas and work of my team. They say you need to be working with people smarter than you and learning to put your ego aside. Doing that and focusing on the talent that was in front of me was one of the best things I did for the work and for our clients.

Leading the team to really discover what they needed and what they already had to think and work creatively and fill gaps where needed. At times, leading a team can often feel like assisting a team and I think that’s the right way of looking at it. I believe a lead designer or a creative director isn’t in that position because they are the creative everyone looks up to, but instead, they are the one that recognizes talent within the team and focuses on developing and elevating it.

What is one piece of advice you could give a woman starting out her career with intentions of becoming a creative director?

To any woman looking to be a creative leader:

I ask “what are your intentions?” - the position of the work creative director sounds like the dream right?! But as mentioned previously it may not be what you really want in reality. Maybe you want to conceptualize all day long… maybe you want to be given projects you can own…It’s important for your own success to really dig into what’s driving you and then get clear and align on what positions in your industry could provide that opportunity.
Fake it till you make it… Ok so lets be real, all the men in your office are doing this already. Quit listening to that imposter syndrome voice inside your head and get on with it already. Be honest about your intentions and feel out that space of what it would mean to truly be in the role. Take on any opportunities you can that help you get there.
Don’t pigeonhole yourself. When I first started as a designer I told my boss I never wanted to manage/lead people or do any sort of public speaking (how times have changed) Ask yourself why you don’t want to do these things. If its coming from a place of fear then that’s probably not a good enough excuse.

What’s the most difficult part of being a team leader you’ve experienced?

Ditching ego - As a designer, starting out it’s easy to look up to creative directors with the desire to be in that position to validate yourself and your work (this is ok) but it doesn’t always mean that you will feel fulfilled once you're there. This role requires different skills developed with time, experience and truly understanding the dynamics of the client-creative team relationship and how to be the bridge between the two.
Switching hats - Being a leader can often mean helping out where needed and being accountable for any dramas that arise. Learning how to find space to get into flow state while also being the buffer for chaos is a learned skill to be sure. Learning to be diligent with my time and understanding how to be resourceful to make these roles feel like they are not always at odds.
Being an adult - This one was hard for me. Understanding how to be a team leader means setting an example. It means leaving your drama and anxiety (remember fake it till you make it) a the door. Making sure you are not generating negative energy is REALLY important because it affects your team too. Broke up with someone the night before? Maybe work remote for the day. Had a bad meeting with a client? Tell your therapist. One of your coworkers complaining about the work? They should be telling a team leader not dragging down the morale of the entire team. Being a “boss” doesn't mean you can’t go out for a team drink after work, but it does mean setting an example of the kind of behavior that is appropriate. Just don’t get on a high horse about it.

How would you describe the value of having women in these types of leadership roles?

Women need to be represented evenly at EVERY level. And same goes for diversity in general. Being in the creative industry means that we are the ones sharing stories with the world. Can you see the problem if the only people making these stories have similar life experience? The fact that there are generally more men in positions of decision making means that these are the narratives that are normalized (I mean this is the concept of a patriarchal society). But in all seriousness having more female creative directors/Business owners/CEOs only helps us create new and diverse narratives.