The creative industry can be toxic and hierarchical, a both/and mindset can help.

With decades of experience in the creative service industry, we’ve seen firsthand the issues that arise when teams can’t work together. Relationships become draining, cultures turn toxic, and the work stagnates. 

“A toxic culture is a ‘huge issue’ in advertising, and it speaks to the grind that most people have in the marketing industry.”

— Michael Cruz, former Creative Director at Drum Agency

Ultimately in all creative endeavors, our success depends on our ability to work together. Differing perspectives within a team can lead to dysfunction – but they don't have to. At both/and we embrace different perspectives, understanding that these moments of tension can actually serve as portals to creative breakthroughs that wouldn’t be possible without them.

When teams are stuck in a traditional “either/or” framework – hierarchy rules, egos drive the work, and outcomes are reached in spite of each other. This approach puts opposing perspectives in conflict with each other. We have a limited set of options. We can prove that our solution is the best, align with another's idea, or agree on a compromise that doesn’t actually serve the project. 

A both/and mindset invites a new way of thinking and problem solving that breaks down traditional silos, offers an open platform for all voices in the room to be heard, and leverages different perspectives to access new solutions that transcend the framework of “this or that,” “my idea or your idea.”

“In a culture of psychological safety people feel safe to criticize the ideas of others – respectfully – regardless of their place in the pecking order. This is necessary to overcome the inherently hierarchical nature of organizations.”

— Faris Yakob, former Chief Innovation Officer at MDC Partners

A both/and mindset begins with letting go of the expected and getting comfortable with the unknown. For an idea, a project, or a new business to be successful we need to cross the threshold from what we know – conventional solutions, to what we don’t – new potentials.

We can start to cultivate a both/and mindset by creating spaces that allow for new ideas to emerge. In an environment of openness, we see our differences and tension as opportunities to open our thinking and see beyond our own rightness. Most times two or more things are true at once, and when we embrace this truth, real creative breakthroughs can happen. 

What we've learned… It’s the way we relate to difference – both within ourselves and a team – that makes all the difference.