Strong egos at work can be challenging, especially in the creative industry, where collaboration and innovation are key. Addressing this issue is essential for maintaining a productive and peaceful work environment. This blog explores strategies to manage and harness the positive qualities of working with strong-ego clients while mitigating their negative impacts, ultimately enhancing the client experience.
Strong-ego clients can make collaboration difficult by dominating meetings, shooting down ideas, demanding attention in unreasonable ways, and often being defensive and dramatic. Despite these challenges, they usually possess positive attributes such as a dedication to quality and results. Managing their egos effectively can transform stressful interactions into opportunities for mutual success.
Protecting Your Energy and Practicing Compassion
Dealing with strong-ego clients requires protecting your energy and practising compassion. Here are some strategies to help you navigate these interactions:
Protect Your Time
Minimize the time spent with strong-ego clients without avoiding them entirely. Shorten meetings, opt for phone calls instead of in-person meetings, or work in a more private location. This optimization helps conserve energy and peace of mind, allowing you to focus on delivering high-quality work.
For example, a sales manager works with a client who insists on frequent in-person meetings. To optimize time, he introduces a bi-weekly progress report covering critical updates and milestones and schedules a brief, 30-minute follow-up call to discuss any pressing issues from the report. This approach minimizes unnecessary meetings and allows him to focus on his broader sales strategy.
Protect Your Mind Space
Limit the mental space you allocate to strong-ego clients. Write shorter, direct responses to their emails and messages. Instead of reacting instantly, respond when you have time, maintaining your work schedule. This approach teaches them patience and prevents their ego from growing, contributing to a more balanced and professional relationship.
For example, a project manager at a creative studio deals with a client who expects immediate answers to all queries. She sets a precedent by responding to emails and messages at two fixed times each day. This disciplined approach teaches the client to expect thoughtful, well-considered responses rather than instant reactions, helping her maintain her productivity and work-life balance.
Softening the Ego Over Time
While it’s not your job to change a client’s ego completely, you can behave in ways that gradually soften it. Here are five strategies to improve your working relationship with strong-ego clients:
Involve Leadership and Management
Clients with solid egos often need guidance from upper management to release stubborn views. Involving leadership can provide the authority to influence their perspective, ensuring the client feels heard and respected while aligning with your team’s goals.
For example, a marketing director handles a client with a strong ego who insists on a specific, ineffective marketing strategy. He arranges a meeting with the client and his company’s CEO. The CEO’s broader industry insights and authoritative presence help the client see the bigger picture, leading to a more open and collaborative discussion about alternative strategies.
Use Support from Your Team
A group approach can be practical. Strong-ego clients value being liked and respected. Gathering support from colleagues can present your opinion as the famous and correct approach, helping to convince the client. This collective support reinforces the validity of your ideas and promotes a more collaborative environment.
Always Explain Your Approach
Meet with strong-ego clients and always explain your approach. Keep meetings concise and to the point. This helps build an alliance without “sucking up” to them. When a client proposes an idea you disagree with, instead of saying “no,” ask them to explain their reasoning. This approach acknowledges their opinion and helps them think through the practical steps and implications, often leading to a more realistic perspective.
For example, an operations manager deals with a client who frequently challenges his team’s methods. She ensures every meeting includes a segment where she explains the team’s approach in detail. When disagreements arise, she asks the client to elaborate on their perspective, which often leads to a deeper understanding and alignment of goals.
Align and Make Alliances
Meeting with strong-ego clients to gain support can make them feel included and important. This doesn’t mean agreeing with everything they say but finding common ground and respecting their input. This helps build an alliance and fosters a more cooperative relationship.
Get to Know Them Personally
Building a personal connection with strong-ego clients can help soften their egos. Learning about their interests and hobbies can reveal their softer side. This approach can make work discussions more comfortable and productive, as clients feel more understood and valued.
For example, a creative agency often deals with a difficult client. They try to learn about the client’s interests, such as their passion for golf. They occasionally reference these interests in conversations, which helps to humanize their interactions and build a more personal connection.
Managing Ego Within Your Team
Ego management is equally essential within your creative team. It fosters a collaborative and respectful work environment where creativity can thrive. Effective ego management also minimizes conflicts, enhances communication, and ensures that the focus remains on collective goals rather than individual glory. This improves team morale and drives the overall success of projects in the creative industry.
Start by acknowledging and appreciating your team members’ contributions. This helps build a supportive environment and encourages everyone to take creative risks. Also, try to promote a culture where all ideas are considered. Use a “Someday/Maybe” list to collect ideas that aren’t immediately applicable. This approach ensures that team members feel valued and that their creative input is acknowledged, even if it needs to be implemented immediately.
For example, the Creative Director at a marketing agency manages a high-stakes campaign by recognizing individual team contributions, promoting inclusive idea generation through round-robin brainstorming and anonymous submissions, and using a “Someday/Maybe” list to capture all ideas. She addresses conflicts by pairing strong personalities in collaborative tasks and holding conflict resolution workshops. Additionally, Sarah introduces “Innovation Days” for personal projects, ensuring continuous learning and respect for creativity. When the client raises concerns, she involves the CEO to validate the team’s approach. These strategies create a collaborative, respectful environment, driving the campaign’s success and exceeding client expectations.
Managing strong egos isn’t just a necessity; it’s a game-changer. By protecting your energy and practising strategic compassion, you can transform complex interactions into opportunities for growth and collaboration. Embrace the challenge of working with strong personalities, not as obstacles but as catalysts for pushing boundaries and achieving excellence. This will foster a culture of mutual respect and innovation, driving your creative business to new heights.
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