Many firms consider their professional creatives to be the most difficult to manage, but one artistic freelancer says there are some simple tips to get the best outcome for all involved.

Speaking to the UK’s HR Magazine, illustrator and art director Ben Tallon said “the main skill required in order to successfully manage creative people is the ability to adapt to different personalities”.

“Some are bold-natured and others are more fragile,” Tallon said.

“We’re all individuals selling a specialist service that is a product of who we are as humans and this is the crux of the aversion to traditional business speak.”

Whether creative employees are a permanent part of an organisation or just one-off freelancers Tallon says some key points can ensure the partnership is successful.

“Establish early whether a creative likes to lead with their own ideas or if they prefer to be explicitly directed,” he said.

“Bring the creative in at the earliest stage. Nobody likes to be force-fed a clichéd idea.”

And finally; “Do not be fooled by age, many graduates are in business way before they enter the professional world,” Tallon says.