Michael Allosso | Why Frameworks are Necessary for the Creative Mind - 025

Nov 2, 2021

We know It goes against the typical belief. So how does structure liberate creativity? For any group of people, whether an acting troupe, a film set, or a marketing department, operating within a framework is the key to creating content that best reaches your set goals. And on today’s episode of Aligned, Sean is joined by actor, writer, producer, coach, and speaker Michael Allosso to discuss why structure doesn’t limit creativity; it liberates it. 

It’s one of the most overused phrases in the English language: think outside the box.

• You need the box, and you need a direction. Otherwise, how will you know when you’ve accomplished your goals?
• In 2009, Michael worked on the Pink Panther 2 movie with actor and producer Steve Martin. While Michael was in just three scenes throughout the film, he had to endure five callbacks for the role. 
• In auditions, the best directors are the ones who provide a structure to act within. The bad ones don’t. Boundaries serve as guidelines to give people a space to operate within. 

There are many different types of boundaries.

• Whether it’s a physical, mental, or another type of boundary like time, boundaries motivate you to be excellent and find unexpected solutions to problems.
• We as leaders forget to ask the most crucial question: what is the objective?
• People in teams might have different objectives, especially across departments.
• Communicating what needs to be done is a structure necessary for creating what best supports objectives, especially when multiple objectives are in place. 

Do not have a meeting if you don’t have an objective.

• If you don’t know the objective, how can you properly prepare for a meeting or presentation? Your thinking should’ve come before you came into the room.
• If you want better answers in those meetings, give boundaries to your marketing department. It won’t constrain the results you get; it expands them.
• Solving problems doesn’t happen in a given moment; it happens organically.

Episode Resources:

• Aligned is a podcast for executives of emerging middle-market companies and executives pursuing growth or looking for new levers to pull. 
• Read more about cognitive marketing on FitzMartin’s website.
• Order Sean’s book Shift for practical, business-driven ideas for marketing executives.
• To connect with Sean Doyle, find him on LinkedIn, or learn more about FitzMartin on the company web page. 

To get in contact with Michael, connect with his website michaelallosso.com. His website details 35 secret weapons that make for a great communicator. He might be bad at doing the dishes, but his website has excellent content. (And we’ll count that as a net-positive.)