Here at Lateral Action we are committed to helping you succeed in your creativity, your career and your business. In addition to the articles and videos we publish, Lateral Action Co-Founder Mark McGuinness is available to provide coaching and consultancy for you or your company.

Creativity and Productivity

One of the most valuable things you can do for yourself and/or your creative team is to take a good look at the work habits that are enabling creativity or holding it back. Productive creativity depends on getting the right balance between structure and freedom: try to organise it too tightly and you risk stifling your imagination; give yourself too much leeway and your inspiration evaporates into non-productive daydreaming.

Obviously there is no ‘one right way’ to approach creative work. The habits that work best for you will depend on many factors, including personality, your creative medium, company/industry culture and the demands of specific projects. Most of us develop a way of working based on trial and error – but given how critical your creative process is to your success, taking time to review and refine your work patterns with an experienced professional could be one of the best investments you make.

Mark McGuinness has been writing poems for 20 years, on and off – so he knows the ups and downs of the creative journey at first hand. Over the past 13 years he has accumulated a wealth of knowledge about the creative process by coaching creative professionals of all kinds – including writers, designers, actors, directors, musicians, dancers, producers and entrepreneurs. He has also studied the various theories of creativity at Masters level.

To sample Mark’s approach to creativity and productivity, feel free to download and share his acclaimed e-book Time Management for Creative People.

To find out how Mark can help you and/or your company achieve your creative and commercial goals, please use the Consultancy Contact Form below. (All enquiries are treated in strictest confidence.)

Managing Creativity

Managing creative people can be uniquely rewarding – and uniquely challenging. More than most employees, creative professionals value their independence and individuality, so getting the best out of them often demands an outstanding performance from a manager. Personalities aside, the creative process itself is notoriously unpredictable, fraught with risk and resists being shoehorned into corporate-style production processes.

So managing creativity requires a creative approach to management. A manager, director or producer needs to adapt his or her approach to the specific demands of the individuals, team, industry and project. Most managers do a pretty good job of making it up as they go along – but given the stakes involved, it can be well worth spending time with an experienced professional, to review your management style and adjust it for maximum effectiveness. Even taking just one hour out of your week can make a significant difference to your impact as a manager.

Mark has coached and trained hundreds of managers to develop their people management skills. He is comfortable at speaking both the language of creativity and the language of business – which makes him a valuable ally to managers who have to bridge the two worlds, delivering creative excellence and commercial success.

To sample Mark’s approach to managing creativity, you can download his e-book Creative Management for Creative Teams and share it with your colleagues.

For a confidential discussion about your current management challenges and how Mark can help your team achieve its goals, please get in touch via the Consultancy Contact Form below. (All enquiries are treated in strictest confidence.)

Services Available

Coaching – for individuals or teams (face-to-face or via telephone/webcam)

Training – for creative or management teams

Consultancy – for organisations

Mark McGuinness

Mark is a poet, creative coach and one of the founders of Lateral Action. He originally qualified as a psychotherapist and is registered with the UK Council for Psychotherapy. He also holds an MA In Creative and Media Enterprises (with distinction) from the University of Warwick, UK. Organisations Mark has worked with include the BBC, Channel 4, Transport for London, Vodafone, BT, Thomson Publishing, the University of Warwick, Arts Council England and Arts & Business.

Mark’s session proved to be that very rare thing: an enlightening seminar that inspires you to really question (and improve) your creative process, rather than a shopping list of trite ‘how-tos’ on the subject. Part history lesson, part creative road map, Mark’s presentation and workshop was illuminating, entertaining and, most importantly, beneficial to my development team.

Sean Kirkegaard, Development Executive – BBC Children’s Television

Consultancy Contact Form