Build a Team That Can Change Direction

The direction changes. The commitments are still on the calendar.

A brand wants a different look. A client needs a new service. Technology creates another way to deliver the work.

The team still has deadlines to meet. How do you make room for the next direction without losing the knowledge and reliability the business depends on?

My role often begins before the operating plan: helping leadership clarify what needs to change, weigh the options and decide where to invest.

I’ve faced that question while restructuring established teams and building new operations. My experience is in creative production, but the decisions apply more broadly: what capability should we own, what expertise should we bring in, and what will help people work confidently across both?

01 / Build around what the business needs to accomplish

When planning a new studio operation for a client, I recommended a smaller footprint than they initially envisioned.

That recommendation came from reviewing a full year of planned marketing activity: the volume, schedule, types of production and capabilities required. I also considered how capturing subjects physically and creating some environments virtually could change the space needed for set construction.

The plan combined a permanent core team, specialist crews engaged around the assignments, and access to a wider studio network. We could support the recurring work locally and draw on additional capabilities when an assignment required them.

I took the proposal through client approval, helped identify the space, developed the layout and worked through the buildout, hiring and workflows. The operation is now delivering ongoing work and supporting additional services for the client.

The smaller footprint was one part of that model. The people, planning and access to other resources made it workable.

02 / Know what belongs inside the team

For that operation, we hired permanent producers, account leadership, merchandise management and digital technology expertise.

Those roles carried knowledge we needed every day: the client’s expectations, the production calendar, the products moving through the operation and the systems behind delivery. Recurring demand supported the investment in dedicated people.

Around that core, we brought in specialists for the creative requirements and volume of each assignment.

That balance needs to be evaluated over time. Sustained demand can make a permanent role more economical. A capability that becomes central to the client relationship may need to live within the team. An occasional requirement may be better served by a specialist partner.

The same reasoning applies to other teams. Start with the work and knowledge the business needs consistently, then examine where additional expertise will make a difference.

Preserve the knowledge. Make room for a new point of view.

03 / Give people the information and authority to act

The harder adjustment was helping experienced people work as part of a connected operation.

Some had built their careers managing projects independently. They were accustomed to touching every component. Asking them to remain accountable while trusting another team to carry out part of the work required more than an introduction.

I brought teams together so they understood each other’s strengths. We established shared project visibility, regular conversations about production needs and concerns, and remote access to review the work as it happened.

The producers also had estimating tools, rates and margin targets. They could engage specialists and work directly with clients to shape an approach within the agreed financial expectations. The account lead was accountable for the operation’s profitability.

That made it possible to choose where and how work should happen while keeping a consistent team in front of the client. They could run day-to-day delivery independently, while I supported larger equipment and facility decisions.

Giving people responsibility works better when they can see the information behind the decision and understand the authority they have to make it.

04 / Use new capabilities to solve a specific problem

In another long-standing client engagement, I recognized that the service model needed to evolve. Working with our internal team, I presented options to the client and introduced experienced leadership that could help shape requests and guide a different approach.

One opportunity involved repeatable product imagery. We recommended building a reusable 3D model and applying new graphics to it, reducing the cost of subsequent variations compared with photographing each one separately.

The client adopted that approach and continues using it. It also enabled imagery for advertising before physical products were available, using supplied design files.

That is the kind of value I want the team to look for: understand what the client needs to accomplish, then bring forward a better way to achieve it.

I approach AI with the same expectation. Define the requirement, test the result and understand the complete effort needed to deliver it. Product accuracy, creative quality and review remain part of the work. We need to account for any effort that moves into planning or finishing.

New technology becomes useful when the team knows where it fits and can explain the choice to the client.

05 / Prepare people for the responsibility you give them

Building capability also means recognizing what people already on the team could grow into.

One colleague began as a freelance photography assistant. As his work developed, I recognized his aptitude for technology and supported his growth through coaching, introductions, regular feedback and involvement in internal and client-facing meetings.

After seeing his progress, I appointed him to a global digital technology leadership role. He went on to lead studio technology and serve as a liaison with IT. His growth helped us build capability from within.

Looking back at the newer studio operation, I would invest more time in that kind of personal preparation from the start.

Moving from independent freelance work into a larger organization meant learning new systems, relationships and financial expectations while delivering live projects. We worked through that transition, but I could have done more earlier to help people understand and practice the decisions they were authorized to make.

Telling someone they are empowered is a beginning. They also need preparation, feedback and confidence that you will support them as they exercise that authority.

Build the ability to move together

A flexible team brings different expertise together around a shared understanding of the work, the standards and the decisions that matter.

Leaders have to make that practical: commit to the capabilities the business needs, provide access to additional expertise and prepare people to use both responsibly.

When the direction changes, the team needs more than a new brief. It needs the capacity, authority and support to deliver it.