From Creative Director to Chief Creative Officer: Atlassian

Are you a Creative Director who wants to grow to a Chief Creative Officer role? Are you curious about how to become one, which skills you need and which mistakes to avoid? Find out answers to these and many more questions we discussed during our Design Leadership series.

Ex-Chief Creative Officer at Meta, Design Director for Barack Obama’s 2012 historic campaign, Josh shared the number one lesson he's learned from working with Obama. He also shared tips on how to talk to CMOs, CEOs, and CSOs to get what you want in organisations like Meta, the rules you need to follow when scaling the teams and how to get a C-level position in the design industry. Watch the full interview or read highlights below: 👇

1. 👍 Trusting your team and allowing them autonomy is crucial for maintaining brand consistency. It involves empowering them to make decisions aligned with the brand's vision, ensuring a unified approach across all touchpoints.

2. 🧑‍🏫 Part of a creative leader's role is educating others on the value of design. This often requires empathy, understanding that not everyone will instantly see the value of design decisions, and navigating these challenges patiently.

3. 📈 When talking to CFOs, it's important to speak their language and focus on data-driven insights and financial impact.

4. 🌎 Seeking outside perspectives can help ensure that the brand remains relevant and resonates across different audiences. It's vital for creative leaders to look beyond their immediate surroundings to understand how the brand is perceived more broadly.

5. ⭐️ When presenting big ideas or trying to gain trust in your strategic vision, prototyping can make abstract concepts tangible. It allows stakeholders to 'feel' and interact with the idea, making it easier for them to understand its value.

Want to make the next big step in your career?

Want to go further with your leadership journey? Learn Business Strategy, Finance and Leadership hands-on from leaders at Pentagram, Wolff Olins, Zaha Hadid Architects, Saatchi & Saatchi, Google, Amazon, and many more on our Design Leaders programme.