This is also true in our industry. It is very rare to find individuals who possess an exceptionally developed imagination, (digital) advancement, strategic thinking, good organizational skills, financial literacy, leadership abilities, and many other traits required to execute successful communication projects.

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All these qualities, necessary for effective communication campaigns, ultimately lead to good sales and, ultimately, the successful operation of a company, can be found in teams. A campaign can be extremely creative, but if launched at the wrong time and under the wrong circumstances, inappropriate for a market, or ineffective for a target audience, it will not work. It can be highly creative, but perhaps it deviates significantly from the usual communication tone of the brand/company or even conflicts with the organization's values. I firmly believe that it is the collaboration of a well-coordinated team that can consistently deliver good results – the right messages, in the right form, at the right time, to the right people.

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If we assume that teamwork creates standout and successful campaigns, brands, and companies, then we need to form a team that will bring together the characteristics and competencies required to achieve the goals. I would not necessarily focus on imagination in an individual's employment contract because I doubt that a team of purely creatives will be able to deliver successful communication. It is not only the competencies and knowledge of the individual that matter but how they are placed in the context of the group they are to work within. Moreover, we are not just assembling a mosaic of individuals with compatible and complementary traits, but it is ideal for the assembled team to function well, and for the group dynamics to work smoothly.

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A campaign can be extremely creative, but if launched at the wrong time and under the wrong circumstances, inappropriate for a market, or ineffective for a target audience, it can fail. It may be creative, but it could significantly deviate from the usual communication tone of the brand/company or even be misaligned with the organization’s values.

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Team dynamics are key to its success. Even teams that bring together the greatest talents in their fields can face difficulties if the members cannot find common ground or if there is no proper leadership guiding the work and resolving conflicts. Because of just one team member (who may have excellent competencies and knowledge), the entire team dynamic can collapse, slowing down work processes, decreasing engagement and commitment, and, ultimately, leading to lower-quality projects/products. What good is creativity if it’s impossible to work with you?

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I believe that a team's success is not measured solely in numbers but also in how its members feel in their roles. When team members feel respected, valued, and included, their motivation increases, which directly reflects in the quality of their work. Furthermore, relationships within a team are also important because they create an environment where members feel safe enough to express their ideas, contribute to solutions, and learn from mistakes. To create such an environment, we need to consider not only individual competencies but a range of other factors.

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Team dynamics are key to its success. Even teams that bring together the greatest talents in their fields can face difficulties if the members cannot find common ground or if there is no proper leadership guiding the work and resolving conflicts.

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Imagination is certainly important, especially in combination with resourcefulness. Not just imagination in terms of conceptualizing interesting, high-level, perhaps even unusual campaigns, but also imagination in seeking slightly different, out-of-the-box solutions in strategic communication, which is typically not known for creativity. However, I still believe that imagination alone is not enough. The team leader plays a crucial role in aligning the different personalities, competencies, and work styles. It is not enough for the team to function as a collection of individuals; it must become a unified whole that shares a vision and goals.

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And with this, we return to the beginning. To relationships. I believe that relationships are not just an addition to successful work – they are the foundation of a successful story. Relationships can help individuals unlock and realize their potential. They allow us to push past our limits, create new ideas, and together achieve results that would be difficult to accomplish alone.

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The column has been adapted for publication on the NC3 blog; the original version (in Slovenian) can be read in the magazine Super znamka.

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