THE CREATIVE SQUEEZE

Price, the founder of Florida-based marketing agency Vers Creative, presents a point-by-point overview of how to manage the creative side of a business.

The author structures his book around the tensions between conventional philosophies (which he asserts are lies) in the creative-management world and what he characterizes as realities, which are far more likely to lead to successful outcomes. Each chapter is oriented around a standard “lie,” such as “The path to success is the one that avoids failure” or “To get the most out of your team, push them as hard as you can,” and a corresponding “truth,” such as “Getting the most requires trust, respect, and balance,” or “Growth comes from doing the right things, not more things.” Price outlines his own past as a creative director and freelancer, and the shift he made from being a creative to being someone who tells creatives what to do: “Creative leaders must guide their teams through ambiguity, identify and remove obstacles,” Price writes, “and foster an environment that encourages innovation and resilience.” The book addresses some familiar business-school concepts, such as key performance indicators and return on investment, but Price is mostly interested in the personal elements of corporate leadership. The glimpses he gives into his own company will bring refreshing clarity to managers struggling with the ambiguity that exists between creatives and leadership. However, occasional recollections are awkward (“Our staff…is always ready for me to jump on the drums for a 10-minute jam session between meetings”), and readers may not share the book’s veneration of billionaire Elon Musk: “Musk’s unyielding drive and resilience have propelled his companies to unprecedented heights,” the author writes at one point, with no mention of the many documented setbacks these same companies have faced. Still, Price’s insistence on “a systematic approach that blends creativity with structure” will appeal to those facing that workplace conundrum.

An unevenly executed but passionate and people-centered management approach.