Start building your creative resilience
In all creative roles, both in-house and in agencies, pressures, setbacks and changes are inevitable. As much as we might try and hide from them, it’s these everyday challenges that can actually teach us how to cope with clients, tackle difficult briefs, nail pitches and embrace feedback. And, ultimately, makes us better creatives and team players, and have bolder ideas. What gets us there is resilience.
Having trained with The Resilience Institute, Kaos Pilots, Barefoot Coaching, and Academy of Executive Coaching - Resilience Accreditation Programme, Kate Rees knows a thing or two about resilience and embracing challenges. Here, she shares a key team exercise to help you face everyday challenges, taken from her D&AD Masterclass, ‘Build your resilience to fuel creativity’. So, gather your team, some post-it notes, and let’s get started.
Step 1:
Individually, write down everything that you love doing, that gives you energy, and that gets you in the zone on individual post-it notes.
Step 2:
Now, write down all the things you could think of that drain your energy and make you feel tired even thinking of it.
Step 3:
When you have all of your post-its filled out, take a look that the things that give you energy, and write down how you can do more of these - make sure it’s realistic and achievable.
Step 4:
Now, take a look at everything that drains your energy. See if there are any that you don't have to do, and take them off your list. Or, maybe someone else in your team might like to do it because it gives them energy. You might be surprised that someone else wants to do what you don't want to, so offer it up to your team and see what happens.
Step 5:
Take a look at what’s left over and see if there is a way you can do less of the things that drain your energy, or find a way to make it more palatable to do - again, make sure it’s realistic and achievable.
Step 6:
As a final step, share everything that you are committed to doing more or less of with your team and work together to make this possible for everyone.
