What It Takes to Be a Great Creative Project Manager

What It Takes to Be a Great Creative Project Manager

The most important details are that a creative project manager must be self-aware and aware of others, have a view of the big picture and the details that make it up, have prior experience with creatives, have integrity and be honest, excel at communications, be inspirational, have the ability to resolve conflicts peacefully and productively, be flexible and have the agility to adapt when changes come, and have emotional intelligence. These skills are essential for a successful creative project manager. Jennifer boiled down the pathway to success as a creative project manager to the following three keys: be empathetic, communicate, and have the right tools. To foster the creative side of her skillset, it can help to work towards mastering creative thinking and giving yourself downtime to recharge and contemplate. Working with creatives requires a high level of awareness of self and others, as well as managing the big picture of the project and the deliverables of the creatives.

Challenges include project definition, deadlines, and roles. Understanding how to work with different types of deliverables and their personalities is important. The most important details are the scope, awareness of self and others, managing the big picture, having experience with creatives, integrity and honesty, communication styles, being able to inspire and motivate creatives, managing conflict, flexibility, adaptability and agility, and ensuring the results are on time, within budget and according to the scope. Three critical keys are empathy, communication styles and tools.