Creative Leadership & Culture Transformation

700% Leadership Effectiveness Increase: From Lowest to Highest Engagement Company-Wide in Six Months

THE CHALLENGE

When I joined Demco as Director of Creative Marketing and Brand, I inherited a creative team facing significant culture and morale challenges. The team's engagement scores, measured through Peakon's anonymous employee survey, ranked among the lowest in the entire organization. Creative leadership's Net Promoter Score was 700% below the organizational average.

The team's low engagement wasn't just a morale issue—it was a business problem. Low engagement typically correlates with reduced productivity, higher turnover, lower creative quality, and difficulty attracting top talent. For a creative function that needed to drive transformation across the organization, the cultural foundation was fragile.

The challenge was clear: transform the team culture and engagement while maintaining—and improving—creative output quality and business impact. The team needed to deliver award-winning work, drive measurable business results, and support major initiatives like the enterprise rebrand and ShelfSpark launch, all while fundamentally rebuilding trust and engagement.

THE STRATEGY

The strategy centered on a leadership philosophy built on three core principles:

Professionalism as Foundation

Establish clear expectations for professional conduct, quality standards, and business discipline. Creative excellence and business impact require rigor, accountability, and mutual respect. Build a culture where professionalism isn't about formality—it's about respecting each other's time, expertise, and contributions.

Mutual Respect as Requirement

Insist on an environment where every team member treats colleagues with dignity and respect, regardless of role, seniority, or creative disagreements. Create psychological safety where people can share ideas, give feedback, and challenge thinking without fear of judgment or retaliation.

Engaged, Supportive Team Culture

Build a team that genuinely supports one another's success, celebrates wins together, and helps each other navigate challenges. Move from individual contributors working in silos to a collaborative, high-performing team that trusts one another.

The strategic bet: People do their best creative work when they feel valued, supported, and empowered. By transforming the culture through leadership that models respect and builds engagement, we could unlock the team's full creative potential while dramatically improving morale.

THE EXECUTION

Leadership Approach

Modeled the culture I wanted to create through every interaction: direct but respectful feedback, recognition of contributions, transparent communication about decisions and priorities, and consistent follow-through on commitments.

Team Structure & Development

Built a clear organizational structure with defined roles and growth paths. Established a 12-person creative department including multimedia photographers/videographers, graphic designers, copywriters, production manager, and traffic manager. Created opportunities for skill development and cross-functional collaboration.

Communication & Transparency

Established regular team meetings with open dialogue about priorities, challenges, and wins. Made decision-making processes visible. Shared context on business goals and how creative work connected to organizational success.

Recognition & Celebration

Celebrated individual and team achievements—both business results and creative excellence. Ensured contributions were visible to leadership. Advocated for the team and their work across the organization.

Accountability with Support

Set high standards for quality and professionalism while providing the support, resources, and guidance needed to meet those standards. Held people accountable for results while being understanding of challenges and flexible when needed.

Conflict Resolution

Addressed interpersonal issues directly and quickly. Facilitated productive conflict around ideas while preventing destructive conflict around personalities. Established clear boundaries for acceptable behavior.

Empowerment & Trust

Gave team members ownership over their work and decision-making within their domain. Trusted their expertise while providing strategic direction. Created space for creative risk-taking and experimentation.

The execution was consistent, sustained, and authentic. Culture change doesn't happen through announcements or initiatives—it happens through daily actions, decisions, and interactions that demonstrate what leadership values and how people should treat one another.

THE RESULTS

The culture transformation delivered exceptional results across engagement, team performance, and business impact:

Engagement Transformation

• 700% increase in creative leadership Net Promoter Score measured by Peakon's anonymous employee engagement survey

• Team engagement elevated from lowest to highest company-wide within the organization

• Transformation achieved in six months—demonstrating rapid, sustained cultural change

• Scores validated through independent, anonymous third-party measurement (Peakon)

Team Performance

• Team achieved team satisfaction and motivation (TOMO) scores well above organizational benchmarks while delivering record business results

• Zero turnover—retained all high-performing team members through cultural transformation

• Team members reported significantly higher job satisfaction, clearer understanding of expectations, and stronger sense of purpose

Creative Excellence

• Creative quality and output increased even as culture was being rebuilt

• Work drove measurable business results: 200% sales growth (ShelfSpark launch)

• Team delivered high-impact work across enterprise rebrand, product launches, and marketing campaigns

  
  

Organizational Impact

• Transformed creative function from service organization to strategic partner

• Increased executive confidence in creative team's ability to drive business results

• Created model for high-performing, engaged creative teams within the organization

Sustained Results

• Cultural transformation proved durable—engagement remained at high levels

• Team continued to deliver award-winning creative and measurable business impact

• Culture became self-reinforcing as team members modeled values and supported new hires

The transformation proved that leadership culture directly drives both team engagement and business performance. By building an environment of respect, support, and empowerment, we unlocked creative excellence that delivered exceptional results.

LEADERSHIP ROLE

Culture Building

Set clear vision for team culture and values. Modeled desired behaviors consistently. Made culture a deliberate leadership priority, not an afterthought to business results.

Team Development

Invested in developing team members' skills, careers, and confidence. Provided coaching, mentorship, and growth opportunities. Built clear paths for advancement.

Change Management

Navigated cultural transformation while maintaining business performance. Managed resistance, addressed concerns, and built momentum for change through early wins and visible progress.

Measurement & Accountability

Tracked engagement metrics rigorously through third-party survey (Peakon). Held myself accountable for culture outcomes, not just business results. Adjusted approach based on feedback and data.

Organizational Advocacy

Represented team's needs, contributions, and accomplishments to senior leadership. Built understanding across organization of creative function's business value and impact.

KEY TAKEAWAY

The creative leadership transformation demonstrates that culture isn't a soft skill—it's a business driver. By transforming team culture through leadership that prioritizes respect, support, and empowerment, we achieved a 700% increase in engagement while delivering award-winning creative work and record business results. Great culture and exceptional performance aren't competing priorities—they're complementary forces that amplify each other when leadership makes both non-negotiable.