From Creative Director to Chief Creative Officer: Saatchi & Saatchi

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.

Kate shared great tips on giving effective feedback and hiring and talked about the importance of coaching when you are at the top. We also loved the advice she gave on how to get to a Chief Creative Officer role and the skillset you need for it. Watch the full interview below. 👇

Hiring tips from Kate Stanners

1. 💛 Fast hiring based on a gut feeling about a person can be effective. It's important to feel the potential in someone, even if it's not fully articulated or evident in their current skill set.

2. ⭐️ Skills can be acquired, but fitting into the company culture and having the right attitude is crucial. It's valuable to hire for culture fit as well as potential for skill development.

3. 🙌 When considering candidates, think about how they would complement and enhance the existing team dynamics. Hiring someone who brings a unique or missing strength to the team can be more beneficial than duplicating existing skills.

4. 💎 Especially for leadership roles, understand that the skills required may differ significantly from those of individual contributor roles. Assess potential leaders for their ability to guide and inspire others, not just their technical or creative skills.

5. 📚 Look for candidates who are eager to learn and grow. Being teachable and having a growth mindset can be more valuable than having a fixed set of skills, particularly in fast-evolving industries.

6. For those looking to move into leadership roles, give them responsibilities that will prepare them, such as autonomy over a project or leading a small team. This helps in assessing their readiness and interest in advancing.

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.