For Creative Leaders, Directors and Producers
with Mark McGuinness – Coaching Creative Professionals since 1996
Is this you?
A creative leader, such as:
- The Head of a creative agency or studio
- The Founder or Owner of a creative enterprise
- A Creative Director
- A Creative VP
- A Director or Producer in Film or TV
- A Thought Leader in your field
You are creative, ambitious, and have high standards for yourself – and those you work with.
Maybe you have always felt called to leadership, and embraced the role early in your career.
Or maybe you started out as a creative and rose through the ranks, and are now grappling with the challenge of leading others.
Maybe you founded a company, out of passion for your product or service, and you are now at the stage where your team is growing and you need to develop your leadership skills.
Maybe you are in a partnership, and want to strengthen your relationships, to be a more effective leadership team (and enjoy each other’s company more!).
Maybe you are a thought leader in your creative industry, addressing the issues that matter via public speaking, campaigning, or your books, podcast or other media.
Whatever your particular role, you are at a stage of your career where you feel the desire and need to step up as a leader, to become a bigger, better version of yourself – and to inspire others to do the same.
You also want to be able to discuss these issues with absolute trust and discretion.
If this sounds like you, we should talk…
(If you are an HR or training professional looking for coaching for a leader at your company, you can contact me here.)
Mark is especially insightful.
Dorothy Byrne, former Head of News and Current Affairs, Channel 4
This is where I can help
I’m an award-winning poet and a Creative Leadership Coach. I work exclusively with high-performing creative professionals and leaders like you. I’m approaching my 30th anniversary as a coach, so I’ve learned a lot about the very specific challenges and needs you have as a leader in the creative industries.
I can help you with many aspects of your role as a leader – from dreaming up a new vision, to making a pivotal decision, galvanising your team, facing up to a difficult conversation, or prepping for a big pitch or keynote. As well as finding moments of calm and clarity amid the complexity you encounter every day.
Clients tell me they value my poet’s ear – helping them find words that convey not just information but the right tone and feeling, especially when an issue is ambiguous or contentious.
If you are also a creative, I can help you balance your own creativity with fostering it in others. And I hope to show you that leadership is a creative opportunity in its own right – a chance to inspire others to create something that is bigger than yourself, and greater than the sum of its parts.
I work internationally, so most of my coaching is via secure video calls, with phone and email support between sessions. Some clients travel to Bristol, UK, to work with me in person. I occasionally provide coaching and retreats on location.
Coaching places are allocated by invitation after an initial session. To apply for coaching, answer the questions on this page.
I have a lot of irons in the fire every day. I am a serial entrepreneur and I own a high-end luxury company. I work in many fields with all ranks of people.
A person like me needs a space to agglomerate his experiences and take a look at them with someone who offers a fresh perspective. It would be tough to overestimate the value Mark brings to our meetings.
Daniel Boettcher, Founder and CEO, The Intrepid Wendell
Typical Creative Leadership Coaching goals
Here are some of the big themes of my work with creative leaders:
A space for big picture thinking
Coaching is a chance to ‘stop the world and get off’, to look at the big picture. In a busy world, this is one of the hardest and most important things for a leader to do. Only by focusing on the big picture can you clarify your vision, devise an effective strategy and properly consider the crucial decisions that will shape your company’s future. And it’s much easier to do this – regularly – when you allocate dedicated time to it via coaching.
The one meeting where YOU are the agenda
All day long you have people coming at you with problems and demands. Yes, you are a high performer who can shoulder a large burden – and you are also human. To thrive in a high-pressure environment, you need to take time out, to check in with yourself and recharge. To think things through and figure out your real priorities – as a person and as a leader (and maybe as a partner and parent as well). I can offer you the one meeting on your schedule where you and your priorities are the agenda.
High-stakes decision making
As a leader, you aren’t paid for working harder or faster than others. Your role is to find clarity amid the turmoil, and to make the crucial decisions on which so much depends. You often face high-stakes choices in uncertain circumstances. Sometimes it’s not just about outcomes, but about presence and integrity under pressure. So you need to slow down and consider every aspect of a decision carefully. I can help you with that.
Navigate complexity
Creativity is complex. People are complex. And the world we are living and working in is increasingly complex. In the midst of complexity – and sometimes chaos! – coaching can help you find and maintain your bearings, and stay true to your values, your vision and your strategy. So that you can be the one others take their bearings from.
Leading creative people
When it comes to leading others, job number one is to inspire them with your vision; job number two is to support and develop them to make it happen. You need to do this with actions, words, and above all, with your presence. It’s a different skillset to the creative or entrepreneurial role where many of my clients started out. I can help you develop these skills and become a more influential leader. Don’t worry if it doesn’t come naturally – there are many different leadership styles and I can help you discover your way to lead.
Balance leadership with your own creativity
If you’re a creative yourself, one of your biggest leadership challenges is letting go of how you would approach a brief, and allowing others to come up with ‘different but great’ solutions. I can help you avoid the trap of micromanaging creatives (which never goes well) and find ways to harness the creativity of your whole team. We can also look at ways you can keep your own creative spark alive.
Presence and communication
When a real leader speaks, people listen – in meetings, in the boardroom, on stage, and on podcasts, radio and TV. Some are born speakers, while others – like me – have to work at it. As an introverted British poet who has delivered international conference speeches and bared my soul on stage at poetry readings, I’m a self-made man when it comes to public speaking. I tell my clients: ‘If I can do it, so can you!’ I’ll be happy to share what I’ve learned about speaking with presence and making a real connection with your listeners.
Grow your authority
If you want to spread your ideas and grow your authority beyond your company, there are various ways you can put yourself out there in public, including writing a book, or an article for a respected industry journal, appearing on podcasts or launching one of your own, and delivering speeches or keynotes. I can help you identify the right ‘authority project’ for your talents and industry, and carry it through to completion.
Strengthen your business partnership
If you are a partner in your business, then you’ll know that the level of commitment a partnership demands is comparable to a marriage. (I previously worked as a couples therapist, and although the context is different, I can assure you there are a lot of similarities.) I’ve been in three partnerships myself, so I know what it’s like to make that kind of commitment. If navigating and strengthening your partnership is a goal for you, I’ll be happy to talk about this – either with you alone, or jointly with your partners.
I could keep going, but hopefully the above gives you some idea of the possibilities of coaching for your development as a leader. If something is pivotal to your success, the chances are we can have a conversation about it that will make a big difference.
My established company with several employees, a fantastic reputation and a great client list was hit by the pandemic pretty hard. It was a really tough time and I lost a sense of direction for the company … Mark really helped me to discover exactly where I wanted to be as a creative and where I wanted and needed the business to be from a creative and practical viewpoint.
Tom Bairstow, Creative Director and Founder, NorthHouse Creative
I am now at the helm of a new entrepreneurial venture – Outshinery – that came to fruition in record time with Mark’s encouragement and guidance.
Laurie Millotte, Designer and Founder, Outshinery
Now having had the experience I can definitely see the importance of coaching if one wants to tackle something of very high stakes or wants to jump into unknown territory.
Stathis Athanasiou, Film Director
This sounds as if I’m making it up but it turned into a miracle year, all during Mark’s tutelage: I got the promotion, the grant, the fellowship.
Lucia Jacobs, Professor at Berkeley in Psychology and Neuroscience
The result was achieved. I completed my first book: The SHED Method: How to Make Better Choices When It Matters.
Sara Milne Rowe, Performance Coach and Founder, Coaching Impact
AI and your business
AI is the biggest wave of disruption in the creative industries for a generation – and it’s your job to guide your team and your company through it.
I see it as part of my job to understand AI and its impact on the creative economy, so that I can be an informed sounding-board for my clients’ decision making. You can read my thoughts about these issues in the series I’m currently writing, AI for Creative Professionals.
I’m currently helping clients think through the implications of AI for their core offering and the marketplace, and the new strategic challenges that are emerging. And to reconfigure their business models, creative processes and internal systems – while retaining the confidence and enthusiasm of their team.
My aim, as always, is to help you strike the right balance between bold creativity, strategic clarity and inspirational leadership.
Who am I to help you as a leader?
My experience of leadership…
I’ve been self-employed for virtually my whole career. As well as periods of working solo, I’ve been part of three different partnerships, and learned a lot from working with outstanding partners. We always kept the companies lean, without permanent employees, but each business has required me to lead and direct others, including associates, contractors and external partners, as well as clients.
So I know what it’s like when the buck stops with you. What it’s like to lie awake at night trying to figure out a way forward. I also know the joy of creating a successful purpose-driven business, and making a difference in the world that would never have happened otherwise.
Coaching is itself a leadership role. I work with high achievers who are extremely meritocratic; to earn their respect, I need to show up as an inspiring, empathetic and trustworthy presence.
I’m proud of having done this for many, many individual clients, as well as delivering coaching and training for organisations including the BBC, The British Film Institute, British Telecom, Channel 4, The Design Trust, Frog Design, HOW Design, The UK Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Magnum Photos, McCann Erickson, The Royal College of Art, Transport for London, The University of Warwick and Vodafone.
… and thought leadership
In 2006 I was one of first coaches to start blogging to share my ideas and promote my business. Back then, it felt like a risk to devote so much time to publishing my work for free, but it turned out to be a career-changing move. I attracted first readers, then clients and customers from all over the world – even business partners on another continent for one venture.
Since then I’ve written four books for creatives, two of which have been translated into Russian. I also contributed to two international best sellers from 99U, Manage Your Day-to-Day and Maximize Your Potential. I’ve spoken at conferences including HOW Design Live in Boston and Chicago, and coached delegates for several years at the 99U conference in New York.
I host the popular podcast The 21st Century Creative and my work has been featured in media including Creative Review, Vogue US, The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal.
When I was a psychotherapist, my work was featured on the Discovery Health Channel documentary In Therapy.
More recently, as poet I have stepped up in the poetry community, hosting A Mouthful of Air which has been named one of the best poetry podcasts by The Guardian and Podcast Review.
If growing your authority is important, I’ll be happy to share what I’ve learned from my own experience of stepping up and speaking up in public.
Mark’s presentation and workshop were not only informative but inspirational as well. They powerfully addressed the challenging leadership responsibilities of providing effective feedback and the more nuanced aspects of managing creative staff.
Mark’s humor, authenticity and intelligence made for two very effective sessions. He clearly connected with the 500+ audience and they clearly walked away with valuable insights and advice.
Andy Epstein, Program Director, InHOWse Managers Conference, HOW Design Live, Boston 2012
I can help you with the emotional side of leadership
Leadership is sometimes described as ‘soft skills’, but anyone who has tried it knows it’s often harder than the so-called ‘hard skills’. It requires self-awareness, a thick skin for criticism and resilience, and the ability to communicate with empathy and eloquence. At times, it also demands courage.
I spent 19 years as a psychotherapist, including work with couples and families. This gave me a lot of experience of helping people in emotionally challenging situations, and an understanding of relationships and group dynamics that has proved invaluable in working in business.
It’s important to emphasise that my coaching is not therapy. My clients are high-performing professionals, not people suffering from mental health issues. But my background in therapy means we can ‘go deep’ on the emotional issues at the core of leadership, and help you develop your emotional intelligence, to be a more self-aware and influential leader.
And sometimes life intervenes and you’re faced with challenges in your personal life in the midst of working on your professional challenges. My clients tell me they value the fact that they can talk about anything in our sessions, including personal issues that threaten to interfere with their professional work.
I’ve studied creative leadership at Master’s level
Back in 2005 I was one of the first students to enrol on the innovative MA in Creative and Media Enterprises at Warwick University. I took the course because knew I was good in a room with my clients, but I wanted a wider understanding of the world they operate in.
The course was a bit like an MBA for the creative industries: we studied the creative economy, intellectual property law, theories of creativity, and many aspects of creativity in business – including managing creativity and organisation theory and creativity.
I graduated with a distinction and a greatly expanded understanding of my clients’ world. They tell me it makes a big difference working with a coach who understands the often unspoken but powerful codes that operate in their creative industry.
Mark is remembered by fellow graduates from the MA in Creative and Media Enterprises as a thoughtful and engaged contributor to debates. Now as a much valued guest lecturer, he brings these same qualities to bear in his teaching.
As a speaker, Mark has real presence. His easygoing, even diffident manner, belies the sharp thinking and deep understanding of creativity and creative practice that informs his approach. Prepare to be challenged.
Ruth Leary, Senior Teaching Fellow, MA Creative and Media Enterprises, University of Warwick
I’ve worked with many creative leaders like you
I started coaching creatives in 1996, and by the early 2000s I was working with leaders in business. As a partner in a consultancy called Coaching Solutions, I trained hundreds of managers in coaching skills, at organisations including Transport for London, Vodafone and Gist.
I have also coached many creative business owners, creative directors, creative VPs and others, on the very specific challenges of leading creative teams and balancing commercial imperatives with creativity.
At this point I’ve worked 1-2-1 with scores of creative leaders like you, and spent hundreds of hours helping them. So whatever is going on in your life as a leader, I’ve probably encountered it in some shape or form.
You can read about my clients’ experience of working with me on my testimonials page.
Mark has a gift of asking the right questions and the patience and grace to wait as I would process my answers out loud. Many times it is in these moments when the light bulb would come on for me, my mind was expanded, and the seeds of change were planted … I couldn’t recommend Mark more.
Milan Klusacek, Creative Director
Mark was responsible for developing coaching skills in a number of middle and senior managers in the Surface Division of Transport for London, via training workshops and 1:1 coaching.
This made a considerable difference to the management style and subsequent performance of staff in the directorates concerned.
Keith Brown, former Head of Learning and Development, Surface Division, Transport for London
So these are four big reasons why I’ve been able to help so many clients over the years, and why I believe it’s likely I can help you. But I don’t expect you to take my word for it…
Would you like to find out for real?
If you are serious about taking your leadership to the next level, the first step is to answer the coaching questions on this page.
Once I review your answers, if I think we may be a good fit for working together, then I will invite you to a coaching session where we’ll start working on your challenges and goals for real.
Creative Leadership Coaching is such a personal process that the only way to know whether the magic is there for you, is to actually do a session. So you will experience my coaching, and have concrete evidence that I can help you, before deciding whether to work with me.
I have limited coaching places, and there is always demand for them, so when you answer my questions, be sure to dream big, speak from the heart and tell me what you really want to achieve in your career!
Creative agencies and studios
If you are a HR or training professional looking for coaching for your company’s Creative Director, Creative VP, or other senior creative or leader, you can contact me here to discuss your requirement in confidence.
Important:
I spent 19 years as a psychotherapist, and my background in therapy means I can ‘go deep’ with clients and address the emotional truth of their creative work and their career decisions. But my coaching is not therapy. My coaching clients are high-performing leaders and creators who engage me to help them realise their full potential – creative, personal and professional.
I take confidentiality very seriously for every client, and I am used to working with senior leaders and clients who have a public profile, for whom discretion is essential.
Sessions take place via secure video call or in person, with no recording or AI transcription. Confidentiality and other terms of engagement are covered by a written coaching agreement.
Is Leadership Coaching all you are looking for?
Creative Leadership Coaching is one strand of my work with creatives. I also help them with Creativity Coaching and Creative Career Coaching.
Some clients focus on a single strand, but others find that their goals and challenges are intertwined, so it makes sense for us to work on two or three strands together.
So if you think you may need help with your creative work or the wider picture of your career, have a look at those pages before you answer the questions and apply for a coaching place.
