The Modern Creative Director (Survey Results, Part 7 - What skills do you lack?)

(This is seven of seven questions in the survey. Here's the first question, second question, third question, fourth question, fifth question and sixth question.)

Finally, I asked respondents to survey themselves and reveal how they rate their own capabilities. 

I'm extremely grateful to everyone who took the time to participate and share their comments and perspective. Thank you all!

QUESTION #7:  If you're a Creative Director: What skill set do you lack today that is holding you back? (Please illuminate why it's holding you back and what you plan to do about it.) Or, if you work with a Creative Director: What skill set do they lack today which you think is hold them back, and why?

RESPONSES:

1. "Hopefully none. What I can't do myself I know how to get done through others."

2. "Better understanding of digital technology and social media strategies. It's tough to call since it seems like it's evolving constantly, but in the meantime, I'll continue to self-educate. Thank god for the internet!"

3. "Time to learn how to talk about particulars in code and databases to know more of not only what's possible but what's easily done and what's more advanced."

4. "fluency in social web technology"

5. "Oh, obviously technology is hard to keep up with. I plan to try to keep up as best I can--to find appropriate opportunities for clients, and to push creatives who need to be pushed and become pushed by those closer to young."

6. "Getting all the different skill people/skills needed for multi faceted engagement plans working in synchronicity."

7. "The ability to connect with people, especially clients"

8. "Incredible presentation skills."

9. "Knowing enough about all the digital production processes and new possibilities to manage creative and costs effectively without losing focus on doing great work. I think I'm going to buy a bar."

10. "The ability to stop being a day to day Creative. Meaning, writing/art directing/designing vs nurturing work, teaching/mentoring and thinking about client strategy and how to sell the work/create more opps/get more new biz."

11. "Understanding and utalization of typography on the web. Working understanding of how to properly write copy for the web."

12. "Being able to include technology as part of the concept development process."

13. "I lack the the ability to humor the old school mentality that it's still all about the :30 spot."

14. "Nothing is holding me back"

15. "Inability or lack of desire to listen. Tend to fall into known patterns of behavior/solutions. Non-innovative and predictable. Don't address the business problem, but prefer to execute pre-determined solutions."

16. "tech"

17. "Deep strategy rooted in achieving measurable results. There's still a lot of 'cool for cool sake'."

18. "The ability to navigate the political landscape to get what I need accomplished without another creative director looking over my shoulder. Too many layers these days for the speed of the business. Old heirarchical(sp) model needs updating."

19. "I'm pretty sure I need a catch phrase. Or a foreign accent."

20. "Wish I was better at selling ideas--literal client presos. I often think work should sell itself, but it doesn't. I've actively sought coaching in this area."

21. "Collaborating on Client Strategy"

22. "Keeping up with technology and / or communication trends. With the advent of social networking as a viable communication medium and the advancements in web technology. It's difficult to keep up with new technology/code/methodology/ and use patterns. This can be limiting in terms of what you can bring to the table from a solution standpoint. You cant integrate into your strategy/marketing plan/deployment solution what you don't know about."

23. "N/a"

24. "hmmmmmm.... "

25. "Not sure. I wear many hats, concept, writing through to production and directing. But I specialize in broadcast. Could use more web technology skills."

26. "The best CDs I work with are collaborative and remain students of the craft — no matter their age or experience. I've worked with young CDs whose egos are too big to see the best idea and veteran CDs who are quicker on their feet than counterparts half their age."

27. "patience to fill out surveys."

28. "The ability to be scrappy, self-starting. CDs need to be able to prototype their ideas sometimes, rather than just give direction."

29. "To effectively solve client's business issues within the deliverable."

30. "Most creative directors are limited by the ability to the team above them or the team below them to see and execute on thevision. Many times agencies or clients are afraid of the big idea. More times than not the CD is responsible for selling that idea. Teams that are resistant to change will kill great ideas."

31. "in the technology arena, getting shit done. learning curve."

32. "EQ -- Emotional Quotient -- the ability to read a room, feel empathy for clients, and find a way to persuade"

33. "Some of the creative directors I work with don't have the level of interactive experience/knowledge that they should."

34. "Writing, art direction, business strategy, knowledge of web production and social media, media, presentations skills, establishing trust and the ability to lead. The best can do it all."

35. "I am a CD but am lacking in full knowledge of the tech world. It's changing so fast it's hard to keep up and manage all the other components - Magazine, Newspaper, ROP, TV and Direct. I'm reading/researching tons, classes and seminars. Also hiring those who know on my team."

36. "Seek input from your creative staff and be sure to block out time to hear them out on ideas."

37. "As a CD, I would love to know more about how digital campaigns work most effectively (as opposed to "wouldn't this be cool" and crossing fingers). I'm diving into it head first."

38. "a constant strain to get out of the weeds of day to day to create proactive visionary creative ideas on behalf of the brands I'm responsible for "

39. "Motivating, inspiring, getting the best work out of creatives."

40. "Understanding the digital/interactive space to know what's within the realm of possibility and how to get there."

41. "I lack experience of working on a integrated campaign because Arnold kicked me to the curb before I got a chance to there. Hard to pick up that kind of responsibility out here in freelance / small client land."

42. "I lack the skill of creating time. Just kidding ,we all lack that. I'm lacking the brain of a 19 year old."

43. "Coding."

44. "Technical skills involving web tech"

45. "I need to understand the new media environment intuitively the way I understand traditional media. So I enthusiastically sign on to every new social media trend. I try to read voraciously. I don't let myself give in to the temptation of mastering the status quo."

46. "Inability to grasp the breadth, scope, and impact of a project."

47. "Lack of digital understanding or interest, tendency to express ideas as tv spots/print ads."

48. "digital"

49. "**Mentoring.** They need the ability to communicate effectively with all styles and positions."

50. "Neglecting creative and focusing too much on logistics."

51. "The lack of imagination to think beyond messaging and to know how to communicate a brand via systemic communication that travels along many different touch points. (most "big ideas" simply aren't big enough.)"

52. "I don't fell I'm laking any skills. I feel pretty damn good about my abilities and contributions."

53. "Most traditional agency CDs are still focused creating clever ads, not on innovative solutions"

54. "More IT & technical knowledge."

55. "I guess I'm a CD. My title is ACD, but I often run jobs on my own. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "holds me back" but I will say something I have to overcome is my unwillingness to let things go. I think I hold on too tight to ideas I love. Sometimes, rather than try and fix a broken idea, you have to take it out back and shoot it in the head. Then just start all over. Not an easy thing to do. Especially after you put in weeks of effort. But if you have the guts to do it, it usually wipes your internal slate clean and leads to better ideas. (Rather than some compromised piece of shit that no one likes.)"

56. "Comprehension of Digital Strategy and Overall how users interact with Digital communication/technology"

57. "N/A"

58. "I personally lack deep experience in specific verticals."

59. "Developing/Coding would have to be the weakest link on this list of skills. Time would have to be the absentee resource."

60. "tact and accent"

61. "Lack of knowledge of the digital space"

62. "I'd love to have a "Client Courage Wand." No amount of passion, drive, solid creative output, feet stomping, breath holding, statistically relevant data examples, etc will ever cause a client to buy the kinds of courageous work it takes to break through these days if they don't have the innate stomach for it. No matter how often they tell you they want it."

63. "the big idea and fostering it. no one is perfect at it and everyone could be better at finding ways to see it through."

64. "Holding me back from what? Not sure what you're asking but depending on agency size, there's the various types of CDs (ECD, GCD, CD). So there's always some level to attain. At a smaller shop, a CD could be it, you've peaked and you're partner."

65. "consciousness of implementation logistics with new technology is pretty consistently lacking in CDs i work with, if you can't envision how most people with experience your idea, it can only go so far and must work within the confines of a media landscape you do have a working understanding of whether it's primarily experienced there or not"

66. "Keeping up with the fast changing consumer trends and staying ahead on how consumers digest advertising and brand messages."

67. "Seeing Design as a noun and approaching work strategically"

68. "Nothing is holding me back outside of my age. I'm 52. And nowadays people think you're dumb if you're experienced."

69. "The biggest lack is understanding the proper process of digital development for success, versus the way most companies do it."

70. "Showmanship. It holds me back because so much of this industry today is flash, short term. I have worked with presenters to find out how to better present."

71. "They end up having to do a lot of the account person's job because the account person isn't doing their job."

72. "Need to learn photoshop so I can make the stuff that's in my head as an example to people I'm trying to teach."

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(I will admit to not being a professional pollster. Only 72 individuals responded to my survey in roughly 72 hours. I used email and Twitter to connect with current CDs, ECDs, CCOs, media planners, account executives, art directors, designers—and even a few client marketers. The process was anonymous, via Survey Monkey. So, perhaps these results are merely the result of 72 monkeys. I can't say for sure.)

The end.