In my years as a creative director, there are some truisms I find myself coming back to over and over. When people ask “What’s your style as a manager?” I can point to sayings like these as a general barometer. Some I invented. Some I shamelessly stole from CDs who were my mentors.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/1813f13b-12e7-4b75-be36-cf0b29b3b7bc/254d3e8f-daf7-40b6-b56b-a642fa669703_rw_1920.jpg?h=e6c0a1e4ff34cb3532880ad1130f1f60)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/1813f13b-12e7-4b75-be36-cf0b29b3b7bc/e906ae7f-98a5-45bd-baa0-8f05eaa869b3_rw_1920.jpg?h=b920d381e7adf9d33cbefb7fde29558b)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/1813f13b-12e7-4b75-be36-cf0b29b3b7bc/9403cb4c-0fb3-4a4a-ae23-e794c5810aac_rw_1920.jpg?h=ae55e538f55dc417ca7990d9e1721702)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/1813f13b-12e7-4b75-be36-cf0b29b3b7bc/e79a2cd5-1d75-4e69-b37a-9c2d9c44dfc2_rw_1920.jpg?h=5f0b5d2ac3eb2e23a4840c4f9d96822a)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/1813f13b-12e7-4b75-be36-cf0b29b3b7bc/75004293-9274-463d-9867-2b2af32e4ddd_rw_1920.jpg?h=aa78d57b259674067eaedf4b76d77223)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/1813f13b-12e7-4b75-be36-cf0b29b3b7bc/658003fd-2a1d-4b5f-a012-75a4bfab021f_rw_1920.jpg?h=32415f9d12d44096128ca2b09f391f3e)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/1813f13b-12e7-4b75-be36-cf0b29b3b7bc/b6a52c04-a9ea-4945-8fb3-b97c3eda4960_rw_1920.jpg?h=239e14211dae7a84d48449a75e1e44cc)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/1813f13b-12e7-4b75-be36-cf0b29b3b7bc/a2d18760-8cde-4bef-be26-ce9f80adcf47_rw_1920.jpg?h=feeff62b987d830f18ddc5e2fb104a93)