Ep 45 Leadership: Become a better leader with the 10/80/10 ratio

In this episode of The Crazy One, Stephen Gates explores the art of leading a creative team by finding the ideal balance between giving your team creative freedom and maintaining your own influence as a leader. Discover the 10/80/10 rule—a powerful three-part framework that helps you calibrate your leadership style, allowing your team’s ideas to flourish while guiding them effectively. Tune in to learn how to empower your team, foster innovation, and strike the perfect leadership balance.

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Stephen Gates : 0:00

What's going on everybody, and welcome into the 45th episode of The Crazy One podcast. As always, I'm your host, Stephen Gates. And this is the show where we always talk about creativity, leadership design, and a whole host of other things that matter to creative people. Now, over the course of the show, we've talked a lot about leadership. And the reason why it's a topic that I keep coming back to, is because it's probably the number one thing that I see creatives struggle with, they struggle with it because it just requires such a totally different set of skills than what you've been used to, to what you found success with. And as a result, the transition to leadership for a lot of creatives is insanely hard. Well, today, I wanted to revisit leadership, but I wanted to talk about something slightly different. Because what I wanted to talk about is how you can become a more effective leader and how can you become more effective in the way that you apply your leadership to your team? How should you think about it? How do you find the right balance between your leadership and their creativity? That's what we're going to talk about today. And this is gonna be another one of our little mini crazy episodes. These are the ones that I feel like there's subjects we need to talk about. But they're not going to be the full length of a show. So it'll be short, it'll be sweet. But with any luck, it'll be just as strong as a regular episode. Now, we've been over this a ton. Leading creative teams is a real challenge. And it's a challenge because you have to find the balance between your team's creativity and your leadership. And it's a balance that becomes really hard because I've hired creative people, they have their own way of doing things, they have their own process, they have their own approach. I need those diverse perspectives. I need these people who come in and do things differently than I do. But at the same time, I've got to lead this team, I have to actually make it perform and go somewhere and do good work or maybe do better work or these sorts of different things. And so you end up with this real struggle because for so many of us You start out as being a creative you start out as a designer or a writer doing something where you're actually creating. And the real bitch about this business is that the longer you're in it, the further it's going to take you away from what you love. That means that I started as a designer, I still love to do that. But because of the seniority that I have, because of the team that I have, design is what I very rarely get to do. Because for me, it's much more about a whole new set of things about leadership and leading teams and performance and a lot of other stuff. But that transition is so incredibly hard because I have to go from doing the work myself, to now trusting other people to do it to figure out how do I support them, give them the space to work, give them the space to succeed, but still let me be a part of that process. And that's really what we're talking about is that you as a leader, you have to understand that everybody's process is different. You have to leave room. For that process to flourish and grow, and you've got to respect everybody to let all of that happen, you've got to trust them. And that's a real challenge. But while all of that is going on, you also have to ask something for your team. Your team needs to be able to follow direction your team needs to be able to work with you so you can influence and gain that work so that they can listen to you and then it's a given take, right? This is creative jazz, this is dance, this is whatever you want it to be, but as an improvisational sort of approach to things, which also makes it incredibly hard and creativity. There's not a right answer most leadership, if you're an accountant, there is a right answer. There is how much tax needs to be withheld. How much money does somebody need to pay to do something like there is an actual numerical answer to things which I think whenever you look at that makes leading that a lot simpler because the answer the end of the rainbow, what's not subjective, you need to find this balance between the two between respective Your team giving them the space that they need, but then also applying your leadership to that. And so this is something I've spent a lot of time thinking about trying to perfect trying to work on with my teams and different things like that. And the best way that I know to approach it, is whenever you think about how do you want to work with your team, to try to break it down into three different parts. And in this particular case, it's going to be three different percentages. And I always will call it the rule of 10 at 10. And it's what I want to do 10% of the time, what I want to do 80% of the time, and then what I want to do 10% of the time, but it's basically just trying to say Okay, look, you know, mentally I need to make sure that if my leadership is going well, and that if I'm making sure that I'm respecting the boundaries that are there, I need to be able to step back, look at what I'm doing, look at the way that I'm applying my leadership and make sure that these percentages Hold up. Let's actually just jump in and I'll explain what these are and then we can we can kind of talk about it a little bit more. The first 10 of the 10 8010 is that 10% of the time, what I need to do as a leader is to just leave my people, my person, my studio, my whatever it is, I need to leave them the hell alone. I need to let them work through something. And now that may sound a little bit strange, we're talking about leadership, how is leadership not leading? Well, the reality is, is that you're going to find that there are times when there are groups or there are people that they need to work through a problem on their own. And that what needs to happen is that they need to figure out how to work together, they need to figure out how to solve a problem. They need to be responsible and accountable for a solution. Because there are teams and especially as a leader, you have to watch out for this that what they're going to do is they'll make themselves busy, they'll just kind of be able to just kind of go through and go through the motions, but what they actually really want to do is they want to wait for you to give them the answer. Or the other thing you'll see is you'll see two teams Who may be? Well, maybe they're working at each other, but they aren't really working with each other. So it's one of those things where I need genuine teamwork I need each have to be responsible for some part of this problem. And they need to come together to figure it out, well, maybe they're not actually doing that maybe each side has an idea that they want, and they want that to win. Maybe they're each responsible for half of something. And they aren't really invested in working with the other part of the team to make make it successful. When the time is, when that happens, what it is up to me is that I want to come in, and I want to clearly set boundaries, I want to set expectations, and then I want to leave them alone to solve it. Because it's one of those cases where I don't want to be a babysitter, I don't run a damn daycare. I need people who are adults, I need people who can collaborate. I need people who can get over their egos and come together and actually start working together. So in that moment, I want to set the expectation that my expectation is that the two groups can come together and find a solution. The two groups can come together and that they're going to come Figure out how to combine those two ideas together. But what I don't want to do is to get involved in this. Because if I do, that's going to be a failure for everyone. Because if I come in, it means that this group of adults, this group of professionals are incapable of actually working together to find a solution. And that for me, it is very much about empowerment. It's very much about people taking on responsibility. But with all of that comes accountability. But that's why 10% of the time, I know I'm going to need to be able to do this, and that I really only want it to be 10% of the time because if I'm having to get involved with this all the time, I have a much bigger problem with my team. I've hired the wrong people. My culture is screwed up something is wrong. That is keeping people from feeling like it is their responsibility to solve problems. We've talked about this in the past your leadership will fail. If everyone is sitting around waiting for you to give them the answer. You are not going to be able to do that it is not sustainable. You You cannot do all that work, you cannot wipe all those noses hold all those hands, Pat all those backs and butts to be able to tell everybody that it's gonna be okay. Everybody has to buy in, everybody has to be accountable. And there are times that you need to demonstrate that. And these are those times. But like I said, I just want it to be 10% of the time. Because I don't want to have to be involved in this all the time, I don't want to run a damn daycare. This is why in these moments, I want to leave the team alone just to work and to figure it out, and then hold them accountable that they can do that. Now the vast majority of the time, the 80% of the time, what I want to be able to do is to come in and to help guide the team. I want to be able to provide insights, areas of opportunity, high level feedback, that can help set them on their way towards where they need to go. What I don't want to do is to come in and actually be super prescriptive. I don't want to give them the solution. I don't want to dictate what they need to do. No creative wants to work for somebody if all you are is a pair of hands if all you're doing executing on somebody else's vision. There's no growth in that there is no learning in that. And this is where I want to be the majority of the time, because as a leader, I think it's up to me to have the long view, it's up to me to understand what are some of the areas of opportunity to do a lot of the work, and to see some of the insights that can help guide them in the moments when they get stuck. Maybe it's looking at the way the team is interacting, maybe it's looking at the work, maybe it's looking at the process, it could be a lot of different things. But it's trying to provide them guidance. And it's coming in close enough that I can provide that guidance, but still leaving enough space, that I'm sure that I'm respecting their work and respecting their process, then that's really what I want to do is if I'm going to give feedback, I want to say, look, this is what isn't working for me. I need you to be able to go out and work on that. Come back with different solutions for that. I'm not going to tell you how to solve it. But I'm going to tell you is what's not working. Or I'm going to tell you that this is the area of opportunity. I think you guys would be better to go explore. Now then go and explore That, because in that case, I'm still a part of the process, I'm still able to lead, I'm still able to influence but I'm still giving them the space, I'm still giving them the accountability and the responsibility to be the one that's solving the problem. And that's the thing is that this is gonna be the moment that especially as you started into leadership, and that you're new at it, this is gonna be the moment that's going to kill you. Because what you want to do is you want to take it back and you want to do it yourself, you know that you have the answer, you know that you can do it faster, you know that you might be able to do it better? Why am I going to give it to these people who are going to take twice as long? Maybe not even get the solution at all that I know that I have? But that's the thing is that creativity is a team sport. And that many times what you're going to find out is what the solution comes back is better than what you thought of in the moment. Sometimes it's not, but most of the time it is in those moments isn't. Then it's up to you to again, how do you push them how do you set that expectation? How do you work with them so that the work gets better? But this is the thing is that you want that dance, where I can guide I can influence I can drink instruct, I can fix where I need to, but I can still leave them the accountability and responsibility to actually do the work. Now, the last 10% of the time, is a little bit like the first 10% of the time where he said, you don't want to end up there very often. And I feel like for the last 10% of the time, it's exactly the same thing for me, it is, quite candidly, the nuclear option. And that is where I want to come in and tell the team exactly what I need them to do be incredibly prescriptive, to tell them that this is what needs to happen. And the reason why this happens is because as a team or in working with our clients, we have run out of time, clients have run out of patience, we've run out of political capital, or we're in a position where we just simply need results and we no longer have the luxury of letting the team work through the problem. Now, if this is something that happens from the very beginning, then you need to go work with your friendly neighborhood producer, project manager client or something else like that. So that that isn't the place you're getting put into because I've talked time and time again. about what your team needs is a problem to be solved, not a solution to be vetted. This is that moment. Because whenever you're showing up with a solution that you just need them to do. And if that happens all the time, you as a leader are letting your team down. There is no simple way of sugarcoating that you're screwing up and that you need to push back you need to fight for them, you need to give them that space, and then hold them accountable that now that you bought them that space, they need to respect that and step up to it. But that's the thing is that this is really just that nuclear option where you've got to tell them what to do. And it happens, there are times that it happens for a lot of different reasons. But again, you want to make sure that you're keeping it to a minimum and that first 10% and that last 10%, those are really the rarities, those are a bit more of the nuclear options that you're going through and helping to guide to correct to be in the moment, because that's what a lot of this comes down to is that for you to be able to really utilize that middle 80% you as a leader need to be doing your job. If something is going wrong. You need to make that a coachable moment. Talk to your leadership talk to your team in that moment. So they understand what went wrong. And what is your expectation? What do you need to correct their, whenever they do something right to support it to make sure that they understand it, that they capture it, savor it, and really make sure that they can do it again. But that's the thing is that there is a lot of investment here. And that's what so much of this comes down to is that if you're living in that first and last 10%, the majority of the time, you as a leader aren't investing the way that you need to, you're not investing to understand your team's process, you're not understanding the dynamic that is going through that team, you're not making sure that they're getting set up, right, you're not making sure that the clients are giving them the respect and the time that you need something is going really wrong. And that's really the part of all of this is that what you need to do here is to create freedom and a framework. Because the reality is, is that if it's all me all the time, if everybody's just going to do what I say, then my team isn't gonna stick around. They're gonna get bored, they leave. They don't want to be a part of that. It's fascist. It's boring. No creative wants to do that. But if it's the other way, that's just all of them all the time they're running around doing whatever they want, they have total freedom. Your work is a mess. There's no consistency. Some teams are high functioning, some look like it's the Muppet Show, and everything else in between. So that's the thing is that I need the structure, the discipline, the expectation, the place where I'm leaning in to guide and to make sure we're doing the right thing. But at the same point, I need to respect the people that are on my team, I need to give them that freedom, I need to give them the freedom and a framework. So think about that. Take a little bit of time, take this next week, and just do an assessment. Start on Monday start to just be able to jot down what are the projects that you're working on, get to the end of the week, and then go through and look at each one of those and try to put them in one of these three buckets. Did I leave the team alone? Did I give them guidance? Am I leaning in and telling them exactly what to do and look at where your percentage is at and a week is all you need to do it because you need enough time because you have one bad day that can totally throw your numbers off, but it Five days is a large enough sample that you should be able to do that. But go through, write it all out, make just simple check marks and see if you have that sort of like a performance curve going. And if you don't, then you need to start to think about why not? What are the changes that you need to make? What are the expectations that you need to set? Do you need to sit down with your team and be clearer about what it is that you need them to do about the way that they need to perform? Because this is the challenge is that is leadership. A lot of what this means is that we have to take on the uncomfortable, we've got to take on the ugly, we have to take on the unpleasant, we have to have the conversations that you just don't want to you have to have sit down and look somebody in the face and say, Look, you need to do better. Your work needs to be better, you need to work harder, or the inverse of that is you also get the great moments I'm congratulating somebody I'm seeing somebody when they rise up whenever they find that voice. They didn't know that they had whenever they find the power that they lost. But that's really the thing is that you've got to sit down and be able to do this for it to really work. So hopefully you got something of value out of this hope You're gonna be able to do that exercise over the next week and see how your leadership is looking. If you got any value out of that if you actually did that exercise Give me just a couple seconds, head over to iTunes, head over to your favorite podcast platform. Please leave me a review. If you're feeling like you just have literally a couple seconds click the stars you feeling a little bit more verbose, write a review, it makes a big difference brings more people to the show makes a really big difference. Also, make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode. I try to do them at most, you know, probably one at least every two weeks. Sometimes the travel and work Gremlins get ahold of me, I'm not able to do that cadence. But subscribe, so you're sure you don't miss any of them. If you want to find out more about this podcast, look at related articles or get the show notes from this or any other show. Head over to podcast Stephen Gates comm you can listen to all the episodes, there's extensive show notes that are the notes that I work from whenever I actually record the show. You've got all that there. If you've got any questions, somebody want to hear more about something you think I need to talk more about something you agree with or really don't agree with? Head over to Facebook and like The Facebook page just type in the crazy one. Super easy to find first one on the list go and like it. I post articles, answer questions, do all stuff every week. As always, the boys down illegal want me to remind you that the views here on my own, they don't represent any of my current current or former employers. They're just me out here talking about my own views. And I say it every time because I mean it every time. But thank you for your time. I know that time is truly the only real luxury that any of us have. I'm always incredibly humbled that you want to spend any of it with me. So hopefully this helps. Hopefully, you can get your leadership into this 10 8010 sort of way of looking at things and that you can help us that to find a better way to apply your leadership to your team. And so no matter what, and as always, stay crazy