Manage Like Mick — Obvious Pixel

In 1969, Mick Jagger sent a letter to Andy Warhol, commissioning artwork for the Stones new album. That note eventually turned into the cover for The Rolling Stones 1971 album, Sticky Fingers. You can see the cover here, but what’s more important for us, is how Mick framed the work with Andy. Check out the letter Mick sent to Andy.

There is much to love here. If you manage people, there is an entire masterclass in how to work with others in these three short paragraphs. Let’s tease out some highlights of the arrangement:

Clear Outcome: “Do the art-work for our new hits album”.
Available Resources: “Here are 2 boxes of material which you can use, and the record.”
Expert Guidance: “The more complicated, the more fucked up.”
Creative Freedom: “I’ll leave it in your capable hands to do what ever you want.”
Fair Compensation: “Write back saying how much money you would like.”
Air Cover: “He will probably look nervous and say ‘Hurry up” but take little notice.”

The man could do more than just sing a tune! When you delegate work, are you as clear with your team? Imagine if you treated every team member the way Mick treated Andy? What would your results look like?

Manage like Mick.

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