Advance Insights: On creativity, culture and communication
Advance Insights:
On creativity, culture and communication
According to Mads Thorsted Hald, the most important indicator of a strong creative department is a culture where people feel free to collaborate, trust one another and push creative boundaries. “When you cultivate an environment that allows for healthy processes, you make room for a trust-based creative flow that can lead to some truly inspiring work,” says Mads, who joined Advance as Executive Creative Director in 2022 and recently joined the partner group.
With more than 10 years of creative leadership under his belt, Mads has learned through experience what it takes to foster such an environment where creativity can thrive. In this article, our ECD reflects on what a strong creative culture means to him and shares insights into what keeps Advance’s creative flame burning.
What did you want to focus on when you first started as ECD?
One of the main reasons I joined Advance was because of the people. I knew I was stepping into a talented and well-functioning team of 22 creatives with a lot of seniority and experience, and I wanted to make sure from the start that everyone feels like they’re working in a trust-based environment that is inclusive, inspiring and brings out the best sides of our people and our work.
How do you create such an environment?
It’s not something you can do by yourself, which is why one of the first decisions that management and I made together was to appoint five Creative Directors. We wanted to create a structure where creativity and people can thrive, and each Creative Director ensures the quality of the work we do and contributes to keeping the creative teams motivated and supported.
In my opinion, sharing the responsibility for maintaining a healthy work environment is the key to building a strong creative culture and delivering the best solutions for our clients. This is reflected in our diverse creative team: from our most experienced creatives to young talent that’s eager to learn, everyone is highly ambitious about the work they do and genuinely cares about each other.
”Sharing the responsibility for maintaining a healthy work environment is the key to building a strong creative culture and delivering the best solutions for our clients.”
- Mads Thorsted Hald, Executive Creative Director and Partner
What does a strong creative culture mean to you?
A strong creative culture is inclusive, supportive and allows people to come together and trust one another no matter what. It’s about fueling each other’s passions and recognising that everyone has a unique skillset that can contribute to great creative work. We are eager to learn from each other and about each other, which lets us push each other creatively and celebrate collective wins.
What can cause creative roadblocks (and how do you overcome them)?
Just like with any job, challenges arise when deadlines, expectations and teams change. Most of the time, the solution is the same: communication. When people know the reasoning behind such changes and understand how it impacts what’s expected of them, they also know what they can do to deliver. It makes life so much easier for everyone, and I’m proud that Advance is a place where asking for help, vulnerability and knowledge-sharing is normalized. It keeps up a positive energy that’s great for the creative flow. But it’s also why we should always strive to improve our ways of communicating with one another.
”I’m proud that Advance is a place where asking for help, vulnerability and knowledge-sharing is normalized.”
- Mads Thorsted Hald, Executive Creative Director and Partner
What 3 words best describe Advance’s creative department?
Trust, culture and passion. Being able to trust each other’s skillsets and best intentions helps create an atmosphere where we can dare to speak our minds, share our wildest ideas and ask for help when we’re unsure of which direction to take.
A strong culture helps us take care of each other, influences how we work with clients and impacts the quality of the work we deliver. We know that our teammates will deliver what’s expected of them and that they will take responsibility for their work, their coworkers and the creative process, which opens up avenues for creative freedom and exploring new realms.
Finally, passion is our great superpower. We are creators, we are nerds, and we are always trying our best to deliver great solutions, improve our skills and inspire each other.
What’s an important lesson that you’ve learned in this role?
Collaboration and creativity are not god-given gifts: they are muscles that needs to be trained and nurtured at all times. Great creative work requires a constant, collective effort towards communication and knowledge-sharing, and that is only possible with the right structures in place. We’ve built a foundation here at Advance that inspires creatives to engage with their peers, collaborate with the other talented teams at the agency and create meaningful work for our clients, and to see the results of those collective efforts is incredibly rewarding.