Want to Build a Creative Culture? Here's the TL;DR playbook.

I’ve had a great career at some of the most innovative and creative companies in the world, from Letterman to MTV Networks to Twitter. Now, I’m helping companies build creative cultures — which I believe is the single most important tool an organization can have to remain competitive and innovative. 

Today, I launched my consulting business and website, FredGraver.com There, I’ve shared my lessons learned and experiences and outlined how I help companies build a creative culture. 

You are no doubt VERY BUSY. So, below, please find a TL;DR version of the creative lessons I’ve learned. (If you’re interested in hiring me, I also have an “Elevator Pitch” for you, Busy Person, to use as a way of bringing me in. You’re welcome!)

1. MISSION IS EVERYTHING. I saw this first-hand when Letterman was creating Late Night and at MTV Networks. Mission is what kept those organizations operating for decades at top speed. You have to aim high. Try to change the world, or at least your business ecosystem. Your consumer / audience expects you to have SUPERPOWERS and clear obstacles for them. The higher you aim, the more joyful and creative your work will be. 

2. ALWAYS ASK: WHAT IS THE AUDIENCE (AKA: CONSUMER) SEEING? I learned this from Norman Lear. We all live in our heads, or in our offices, or our conference rooms. The world looks very different from the consumer’s point of view. Always ask yourself: What are THEY seeing? Is my story clear? Am I guiding them from one step to the next? 

3. TRUST YOUR TEAM. Trust your creatives. Judy McGrath trusted a bunch of somewhat inebriated comedy writers to create the promos for the early days of MTV. She also gave us the sport and resources we needed. YOU should assume everyone has superpowers and wants to bring them to the job. Really! Give your creatives the support and resources they need, and let them go!

4. ALIGN YOUR STAKEHOLDERS. There’s bad results if you don’t go in and find out what EVERYONE is asking for, what makes them successful. I saw it go wrong at Disney and right at Discovery. Create collaborative teams that move across the silos in your organization. Let them demonstrate the power of creative work to hyper-charge your innovation and productivity. 

5. BELIEVE IN THE MVP. Minimum Viable Product / Project. Every night at Letterman was essentially the “Minimum Viable Product.” And we changed the way people watch TV at Twitter, with just an app and human inputs. Pilots are GREAT! Know what your hypothesis is, test it, rinse and repeat. Devote just the amount of time and money you can afford to lose, and let the team go. 

6. SAVE YOUR SCRAPS. Some of the best projects I’ve ever been involved in began as the “castaways” from bigger, failed projects. See the Zoogs and Best Week Ever. 

7. EMPOWER YOUR TRIBE. Assume your audience / consumer is smart and wants to be engaged. Find out who they are and give them a chance to engage and celebrate your brand. They’re creative, too, and you need to give them a way of showing the love. We did great work at Discovery around Shark Week, using this theory. 

8. ALWAYS ASK: CAN I MAKE THIS BETTER? Or, as Samuel Beckett said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better.” You can ALWAYS do it better. Check out my 4 steps to a Creative Culture. 

9. HAVE LUNCH! Human beings are made to goof around. It might be what we’re best at. Go ahead, take an hour. Invite me over. Let’s see what happens! You can contact me through that link there.