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Herding Tigers: Be the Leader That Creative People Need
A practical handbook for every new manager charged with leading teams to creative brilliance, from the author of The Accidental Creative and Die Empty.
New managers in creative fields got the job because they were good at being makers--and learned to strategize their time, relationships, and mindset to produce the best creative work possible on their own. But when they're put in charge, the rules change, and they must unlearn their hard-won working habits in favor of new ones, and navigate a minefield of complex relational dynamics with colleagues and bosses.
Successful leaders of creative teams have mastered the difficult transition from doing the work to leading the work, and this book shows how. Todd Henry picks up where The Accidental Creative left off, and provides an indispensable handbook of on-the-ground, tactical advice for new managers of creatives. He draws from interviews with brilliant leaders and his experience consulting in creative organizations to share a wealth of practical advice, including:
· Why conflict can be a good thing, and how to manage it in a healthy way.
· How to build time and attention buffers to protect your team's ability to do its best work.
· How to deal with the imbalance of power on your team, and manage inevitable struggles that arise.
· How to create "hunting trails" that will keep your team inspired and motivated to deliver brilliant work.
· Why you should still "get your hands dirty", even as you strive to remove yourself from the work.
· Why you should fight to measure value, not time, when evaluating your team's work.
New managers in creative fields got the job because they were good at being makers--and learned to strategize their time, relationships, and mindset to produce the best creative work possible on their own. But when they're put in charge, the rules change, and they must unlearn their hard-won working habits in favor of new ones, and navigate a minefield of complex relational dynamics with colleagues and bosses.
Successful leaders of creative teams have mastered the difficult transition from doing the work to leading the work, and this book shows how. Todd Henry picks up where The Accidental Creative left off, and provides an indispensable handbook of on-the-ground, tactical advice for new managers of creatives. He draws from interviews with brilliant leaders and his experience consulting in creative organizations to share a wealth of practical advice, including:
· Why conflict can be a good thing, and how to manage it in a healthy way.
· How to build time and attention buffers to protect your team's ability to do its best work.
· How to deal with the imbalance of power on your team, and manage inevitable struggles that arise.
· How to create "hunting trails" that will keep your team inspired and motivated to deliver brilliant work.
· Why you should still "get your hands dirty", even as you strive to remove yourself from the work.
· Why you should fight to measure value, not time, when evaluating your team's work.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 16, 2018
459 people are currently reading
2450 people want to read
About the author
Todd Henry
15 books308 followersTodd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of seven books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, The Motivation Code, Daily Creative, The Brave Habit) which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.With more than fifteen million downloads, his podcast offers weekly tips for how to stay prolific, brilliant, and healthy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
August 2, 2022
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Leading is about more than just hitting your objectives; it’s about helping your team discover, develop, and unleash its unique form of brilliance.
- Release the creative potential in others.
2. Stability & Challenge: Creative people want boundaries.
Clarity & Protection: Clear about expectations early in the process.
- Clarity allows team members to have the mental bandwidth to do their job with excellence.
- Protect the team by going to bat for them.
- The most fertile time is at the beginning. Demand calculated risk.
- To experience full freedom, your team needs clear boundaries.
- Cement your faith in your team by establishing expectations, clearing the path, and then getting out of its way. “Bounded Autonomy”.
Range: Angry-Lost-Stuck-Thriving.
3. If not explicitly spelled out, your team’s attention might drift to whatever shiny object comes along.
- You should dedicate time on a weekly basis to pruning your priorities.
- Tie what the team is doing to why it is important. Help them understand the bigger pattern.
4. Your Role: define those problems clearly and ensure clear accountability for solving them.
- Your objective is to teach you how to think about the work, not what to think about it.
- When you lead by influence, you multiply your efforts and reproduce your values in their lives of others.
5. Once you are in a position of authority, people will treat you differently, whether consciously or not.
- Speak truth to people in a way they can hear it.
- The best creative leaders are freedom fighters. Creative work requires protected time.
- Set specific time blocks.
- Prune aggressively: Have a frank and concrete discussion with the team and with your own manager about which balls you’re willing to let drop.
6. A coach sets the stage and helps you arrive at the answer yourself.
- Helping people come to their own conclusions, with perspective and guidance from you.
- When they fail, postmortem. Biggest coaching opportunities.
- Have the group “why chats” about big decisions.
- Be vulnerable enough to invite team members into the decision-making process in order to help you.
7. Types:
Builders – figure things out as they go.
Fixers – feel needed to fix a specific problem.
Optimizers – make meetings more efficient, workflow more productive, and more focused.
8. Clearly communicate the consequences of decisions to the stake-holders.
- Never surprise people who have the ability to override your decisions. Remind them of why the decision was made and why it’s still the right one.
- Expectation escalation can suffocate your team and prevent it from performing at its best.
- Assess the “why” behind the request. They don’t understand the implications of the team’s focus and energy.
- Protect your team from the tyranny of the inbox.
- Nobody should come to the meeting unprepared. Who will do what by when?
- Don’t set a recurring commitment on the calendar unless it meets all of the criteria of having a “specific imminent outcome.”
9. If you overlook minor missed deadlines, it makes it harder to impose urgency later, over more important ones.
- Dysfunctional cultures often begin with a series of seemingly insignificant choices to normalize mediocrity, and those minor choices have major ramifications down the road.
- Make sure you are effectively incentivizing people to engage in the kinds of behavior you want.
10. Creative people are always looking for a problem to solve. They are wired to look for ways to contribute value, and if not given clear direction, they might squander their valuable focus creating wonderful solutions to peripheral problems.
- Make individuals accountable for specific solutions by defined deadlines.
- A lack of finality in conversations kills focus.
- Keep the scoreboard in front of them so that they know what you are measuring.
1. Leading is about more than just hitting your objectives; it’s about helping your team discover, develop, and unleash its unique form of brilliance.
- Release the creative potential in others.
2. Stability & Challenge: Creative people want boundaries.
Clarity & Protection: Clear about expectations early in the process.
- Clarity allows team members to have the mental bandwidth to do their job with excellence.
- Protect the team by going to bat for them.
- The most fertile time is at the beginning. Demand calculated risk.
- To experience full freedom, your team needs clear boundaries.
- Cement your faith in your team by establishing expectations, clearing the path, and then getting out of its way. “Bounded Autonomy”.
Range: Angry-Lost-Stuck-Thriving.
3. If not explicitly spelled out, your team’s attention might drift to whatever shiny object comes along.
- You should dedicate time on a weekly basis to pruning your priorities.
- Tie what the team is doing to why it is important. Help them understand the bigger pattern.
4. Your Role: define those problems clearly and ensure clear accountability for solving them.
- Your objective is to teach you how to think about the work, not what to think about it.
- When you lead by influence, you multiply your efforts and reproduce your values in their lives of others.
5. Once you are in a position of authority, people will treat you differently, whether consciously or not.
- Speak truth to people in a way they can hear it.
- The best creative leaders are freedom fighters. Creative work requires protected time.
- Set specific time blocks.
- Prune aggressively: Have a frank and concrete discussion with the team and with your own manager about which balls you’re willing to let drop.
6. A coach sets the stage and helps you arrive at the answer yourself.
- Helping people come to their own conclusions, with perspective and guidance from you.
- When they fail, postmortem. Biggest coaching opportunities.
- Have the group “why chats” about big decisions.
- Be vulnerable enough to invite team members into the decision-making process in order to help you.
7. Types:
Builders – figure things out as they go.
Fixers – feel needed to fix a specific problem.
Optimizers – make meetings more efficient, workflow more productive, and more focused.
8. Clearly communicate the consequences of decisions to the stake-holders.
- Never surprise people who have the ability to override your decisions. Remind them of why the decision was made and why it’s still the right one.
- Expectation escalation can suffocate your team and prevent it from performing at its best.
- Assess the “why” behind the request. They don’t understand the implications of the team’s focus and energy.
- Protect your team from the tyranny of the inbox.
- Nobody should come to the meeting unprepared. Who will do what by when?
- Don’t set a recurring commitment on the calendar unless it meets all of the criteria of having a “specific imminent outcome.”
9. If you overlook minor missed deadlines, it makes it harder to impose urgency later, over more important ones.
- Dysfunctional cultures often begin with a series of seemingly insignificant choices to normalize mediocrity, and those minor choices have major ramifications down the road.
- Make sure you are effectively incentivizing people to engage in the kinds of behavior you want.
10. Creative people are always looking for a problem to solve. They are wired to look for ways to contribute value, and if not given clear direction, they might squander their valuable focus creating wonderful solutions to peripheral problems.
- Make individuals accountable for specific solutions by defined deadlines.
- A lack of finality in conversations kills focus.
- Keep the scoreboard in front of them so that they know what you are measuring.
May 10, 2022
This was so incredibly niche, that I felt it was written just for me. I loved how useful all the information was, as well as very actionable- which is important to me because I learn by doing not just reading. I can’t wait to dive into the supplied workbook and really start putting these great tidbits into play!
100% recommend must read for anyone who is trying to move into a people leader in the creative industry- or a leader who just wants to improve their skills- this was quick, easy to follow and really made me think- and offered a LOT of great ways to overcome issues I know I have as a creative leader.
I give it 5 out of 5 brainstorms 🧠⛈🧠⛈🧠⛈🧠⛈🧠⛈
100% recommend must read for anyone who is trying to move into a people leader in the creative industry- or a leader who just wants to improve their skills- this was quick, easy to follow and really made me think- and offered a LOT of great ways to overcome issues I know I have as a creative leader.
I give it 5 out of 5 brainstorms 🧠⛈🧠⛈🧠⛈🧠⛈🧠⛈
May 16, 2025
Common sense that is, unfortunately, not very common
November 29, 2025
Fantastic book for anyone managing creatives. I underlined, highlighted and dog eared half the book to reference back to later. HIGHLY recommend!
March 26, 2021
In the realm of leadership books (which are all crazy similar btw) this one stands out.
Not because it says anything crazy new or revolutionary, but because it effectively synthesized the most important principles found in leadership literature into a tight digestible package.
I liked it, and will recommend to up and coming leaders on my team as well as existing ones before recommending one of the other thousand leadership books out there.
Not a 5 because it wasn’t like super mind-blowing but a 4 is pretty good when I find the average leadership book to be a 2
Not because it says anything crazy new or revolutionary, but because it effectively synthesized the most important principles found in leadership literature into a tight digestible package.
I liked it, and will recommend to up and coming leaders on my team as well as existing ones before recommending one of the other thousand leadership books out there.
Not a 5 because it wasn’t like super mind-blowing but a 4 is pretty good when I find the average leadership book to be a 2
August 22, 2020
I read a lot of these creativity and management books. This one was recommended to me by someone I am mentoring as part of a leadership program. A short quick read (I did the audio version) it was packed full of good ideas and leadership antidotes on how to spur creativity or avoid pitfalls. Recommended for managers and project leads.
Read
September 14, 2018Rock solid book. Found myself in a meeting where I had a very difficult situation and the book's advice was right there. It emphasizes humility and that it is up to you to make a group succeed 90 percent of the time.
April 26, 2020
Best book I’ve ever read for how to be a creative director. Practical advice, relevant stories, prompts for discussion and directions for daily, weekly and quarterly tasks.
June 13, 2022
I appreciated that this book was so specific to the creative/ad industry. 3 stars because, while it offered great reminders (and a few good anecdotes), it was all stuff you’d already know.
June 3, 2018
I initially thought this book was pretty basic in leadership lessons depth and value. However, I found myself highlighting more and more in this book, quoting this book in conversation and social media, and thinking about what I read more than planned. Naturally, I came to find how awesome this book really is. I highly recommend this read. It covers a lot of different topics; there are books solely dedicated to singular chapters from this one, so you get a great variety. I enjoyed this read and think many others will too.
August 21, 2018
You'll pretty much highlight the whole book
This book is ideal for those who struggle to find their own inspiration/motivation in industries where having to perform consistently at 100% is required, in addition to the added pressure to lead a team to do the same. Full of ah-ha moments, you'll end up re-reading and underlining tons of great words of wisdom.
This book is ideal for those who struggle to find their own inspiration/motivation in industries where having to perform consistently at 100% is required, in addition to the added pressure to lead a team to do the same. Full of ah-ha moments, you'll end up re-reading and underlining tons of great words of wisdom.
March 29, 2020
While there was a lot of office jargon that doesn’t necessarily apply to education, I still very much enjoyed reading this from a perspective of being a leader of students as opposed to a leader of a company. The weekly, monthly, and quarterly reflections were also a very nice addition. 👍🏼
August 12, 2021
Super bummed that I didn’t love this one more. It was very well written and insightful, and I did enjoy it, but it just felt repetitive at times and fairly common sense-type thinking. I think it would be helpful for early career/grad school professionals.
November 2, 2019
First of all I must express an appreciation for a leader who is willing to step back and become a study for the ways of his minions. This kind of leadership is in and of itself, rare, which means that if you are a leader and have picked up this book, then you are already a good leader just by the nature of your own quest to be better at it.
And while the author is well versed in the needs of the creative worker, being one himself, my argument is that the delivery of said message is ineffective. Other books where he delivers insights on being an effective creative are spot-on, but his insights into leadership need further development in the areas I mention here ...
First off, if you are the “tiger” reading this book then you will probably feel more like a specimen than a valued colleague. The title reflects a very subtle attitude problem which threads its way through this book that will go unnoticed if you aren’t careful. There is a “zoo” mentality here that can be insulting to the “tigers” - a strong thematic dichotomy that suggests tigers cannot be trusted to speak for themselves about what they need. Seems like a lot of work went into the scientific study of the non-conformists, when much of this overhead could have been mitigated by asking several of the village oddballs how they roll. You will get the truth ... but the caveat in the dichotomy I’m speaking of is that the truth revealed is actually what you may not want to hear. Why? Because that will require trust in someone you don’t understand and ultimately can’t control. Ask yourself: do you want the real truth or a version of the truth that fits handily into your ego bubble?
The other misleading message can be found in the metaphorical play on the original cliche about herding cats - it seems effective on the surface but only serves to muddy the lens by which managers view their artsy villagers and will definitely have an adverse effect on the resulting expectations in the relationship. Why? By changing the reference from “cat” to “tiger” the author is creating more chaos than he realizes:
1) that creatives can and should be tigers if only they were placed in the right zoo and fed at the right time of day,
2) that tigers are better than cats (I totally disagree) and a creative still in cat mode is not really quite good enough,
3) that the ways of the tiger are much more successful than the ways of the cat,
4) and lastly, it infers that other persons, leaders, or peers, have that level of control, and that the role of the leader is to change someone. This, unfortunately, is the direct opposite of what is needed to make you, the leader, a total rock-star.
These are the mind-bending paradoxes that will send you down a path of assumptions that I fear could actually serve to damage the relationship, or at the very least derail an attempt to establish respect between a mayor and his citizens.
The other dichotomy is the promotion of an existing stereotype, one where society values tigers over cats — a sense of kill or be killed, become king of the jungle, go big or go home, throw your ego around and get **** done. And, frankly, that is still the very opposite of what you really want from a creative team. A creative team cannot operate under that sort of tension and pressure - you will simply not get your best work from them - and so I insist that we return to the old cliche.
To truly foster creativity and drive up production you must work on these paradigm shifts:
1) Embrace cats - lets make sure our cats feel confident and valued (if that is the truth) no matter how elusive, finicky, weird, or stubborn they may be,
2) Be Very Patient - cats are slow to respond, aren’t in the business of people-pleasing, don’t really need you, and will wander the edges of his world no matter how much space you give them - all of which can be nerve-racking to “managers” who are in the business of controlling output,
3) Expect “Procrastination” - you need to work in at least one third of actual production time as a task dedicated to Thinking - a highly underrated and misunderstood necessity for solid results. If your creative innkeeper goes quiet and becomes suddenly aloof, avoids you at all costs, and hides in the bathroom stalls, I can guarantee that he is in a very deep state of creativity. Just because the hands aren’t moving and the mouth isn’t babbling doesn’t mean work is not getting done. It is... and the more distance you can give them better the work will be. You can set a limit on that time, but at least know that some daydreaming time is a requisite.
When the creative’s intellectual reputation is on the line you can bet she will deliver, and it will most certainly be close to the last minute. Bet on it. But step away and trust that he will speak up if things are not going as planned. And tigers do not belong in the programmers office - let them wander the political and athletic streets of the city - they need to eat raw meat, and you don’t want creatives eating each other. For sure.
And while the author is well versed in the needs of the creative worker, being one himself, my argument is that the delivery of said message is ineffective. Other books where he delivers insights on being an effective creative are spot-on, but his insights into leadership need further development in the areas I mention here ...
First off, if you are the “tiger” reading this book then you will probably feel more like a specimen than a valued colleague. The title reflects a very subtle attitude problem which threads its way through this book that will go unnoticed if you aren’t careful. There is a “zoo” mentality here that can be insulting to the “tigers” - a strong thematic dichotomy that suggests tigers cannot be trusted to speak for themselves about what they need. Seems like a lot of work went into the scientific study of the non-conformists, when much of this overhead could have been mitigated by asking several of the village oddballs how they roll. You will get the truth ... but the caveat in the dichotomy I’m speaking of is that the truth revealed is actually what you may not want to hear. Why? Because that will require trust in someone you don’t understand and ultimately can’t control. Ask yourself: do you want the real truth or a version of the truth that fits handily into your ego bubble?
The other misleading message can be found in the metaphorical play on the original cliche about herding cats - it seems effective on the surface but only serves to muddy the lens by which managers view their artsy villagers and will definitely have an adverse effect on the resulting expectations in the relationship. Why? By changing the reference from “cat” to “tiger” the author is creating more chaos than he realizes:
1) that creatives can and should be tigers if only they were placed in the right zoo and fed at the right time of day,
2) that tigers are better than cats (I totally disagree) and a creative still in cat mode is not really quite good enough,
3) that the ways of the tiger are much more successful than the ways of the cat,
4) and lastly, it infers that other persons, leaders, or peers, have that level of control, and that the role of the leader is to change someone. This, unfortunately, is the direct opposite of what is needed to make you, the leader, a total rock-star.
These are the mind-bending paradoxes that will send you down a path of assumptions that I fear could actually serve to damage the relationship, or at the very least derail an attempt to establish respect between a mayor and his citizens.
The other dichotomy is the promotion of an existing stereotype, one where society values tigers over cats — a sense of kill or be killed, become king of the jungle, go big or go home, throw your ego around and get **** done. And, frankly, that is still the very opposite of what you really want from a creative team. A creative team cannot operate under that sort of tension and pressure - you will simply not get your best work from them - and so I insist that we return to the old cliche.
To truly foster creativity and drive up production you must work on these paradigm shifts:
1) Embrace cats - lets make sure our cats feel confident and valued (if that is the truth) no matter how elusive, finicky, weird, or stubborn they may be,
2) Be Very Patient - cats are slow to respond, aren’t in the business of people-pleasing, don’t really need you, and will wander the edges of his world no matter how much space you give them - all of which can be nerve-racking to “managers” who are in the business of controlling output,
3) Expect “Procrastination” - you need to work in at least one third of actual production time as a task dedicated to Thinking - a highly underrated and misunderstood necessity for solid results. If your creative innkeeper goes quiet and becomes suddenly aloof, avoids you at all costs, and hides in the bathroom stalls, I can guarantee that he is in a very deep state of creativity. Just because the hands aren’t moving and the mouth isn’t babbling doesn’t mean work is not getting done. It is... and the more distance you can give them better the work will be. You can set a limit on that time, but at least know that some daydreaming time is a requisite.
When the creative’s intellectual reputation is on the line you can bet she will deliver, and it will most certainly be close to the last minute. Bet on it. But step away and trust that he will speak up if things are not going as planned. And tigers do not belong in the programmers office - let them wander the political and athletic streets of the city - they need to eat raw meat, and you don’t want creatives eating each other. For sure.
June 10, 2025
Let me start this review by saying that I loved, loved, loved Todd Henry's The Accidental Creative (5 out of 5 stars)! It resonated so much with me and I took copious notes while reading it. I plan to read it again in hopes to glean even more inspiration from it. So, that being said, I was optimistically drawn to this title and had extremely high expectations for it, having just read The Accidental Creative immediately before. Unfortunately, this book did not resonate with me in the same way.
The book had some great leadership takeaways, but I found it hard to stay engaged with the writing. The discussion seemed highly geared toward leaders managing teams in purely creative roles like design, marketing or media. That's great —but it just doesn't resonate with someone like me who works with teams in a field where creativity is just part of the equation. I practice law and feel that creativity separates good lawyers from phenomenal lawyers. A phenomenal lawyer knows the law, can write and argue persuasively, but also knows the importance of using creativity to develop killer legal strategies, negotiate thinking-outside-the-box agreements, and engage in results-driven problem solving.
To be fair, the author offered some valuable insights about trust and autonomy — concepts that are important in all professions. And I really went in with super high expectations based on his other book. But overall, this book just didn't land with me and that happens even with good books when they are put in the hands of an unintended audience.
The book had some great leadership takeaways, but I found it hard to stay engaged with the writing. The discussion seemed highly geared toward leaders managing teams in purely creative roles like design, marketing or media. That's great —but it just doesn't resonate with someone like me who works with teams in a field where creativity is just part of the equation. I practice law and feel that creativity separates good lawyers from phenomenal lawyers. A phenomenal lawyer knows the law, can write and argue persuasively, but also knows the importance of using creativity to develop killer legal strategies, negotiate thinking-outside-the-box agreements, and engage in results-driven problem solving.
To be fair, the author offered some valuable insights about trust and autonomy — concepts that are important in all professions. And I really went in with super high expectations based on his other book. But overall, this book just didn't land with me and that happens even with good books when they are put in the hands of an unintended audience.
Read
March 9, 2020This is one my most favorite books. Todd puts words around many of the thoughts and ideas I have had, but hadn't made the time to clarify and record. So many great thoughts and language around things we can do when we lead creative people.
BTW, this book is not just about "arts" creative people. I lead a team of technical staff and they fit so many of these same traits!
Recommended for anyone in technical leadership. I have given a copy to every one of our new technical leaders, especially for those who were promoted from within their peers. The first 93 pages are essential (from my perspective) for every leader who has been promoted from within.
BTW, this book is not just about "arts" creative people. I lead a team of technical staff and they fit so many of these same traits!
Recommended for anyone in technical leadership. I have given a copy to every one of our new technical leaders, especially for those who were promoted from within their peers. The first 93 pages are essential (from my perspective) for every leader who has been promoted from within.
March 30, 2019
I've needed this book for a long time.
Keeping a creative team going is a balancing act... if you are too rigid, people rebel or become resentful because their creative freedom is too restricted... if you are too flexible, then everyone loses focus and nothing gets done. It's literally too opposing functions of the brain (creative vs analytical) at odds with eachother played out in a group scenario. There's a sweet spot between the two, a lose grip... he argues that indeed it's not easy to find that sweet spot, but when you do magic happens.
Keeping a creative team going is a balancing act... if you are too rigid, people rebel or become resentful because their creative freedom is too restricted... if you are too flexible, then everyone loses focus and nothing gets done. It's literally too opposing functions of the brain (creative vs analytical) at odds with eachother played out in a group scenario. There's a sweet spot between the two, a lose grip... he argues that indeed it's not easy to find that sweet spot, but when you do magic happens.
August 2, 2020
«Укрощение тигров», Генри Тодд
Начну с того что, пожалуй это самая лучшая книга за последний год. Вот уже больше года, как я взяла на себя ответсвенность руководителя рекламного агенства. И фух, скажу честно, это очень очень сложно. Вы несете ответсвенность за все, что происходит в агенстве и около него.
Руководители в творческих областях получают повышение, потому что были хорошими исполнителями. Но когда они оказываются у руля, правила меняются.
"Я бы даже сказал, что, если вы ни разу за последние годы ни о чем не поменяли мнения, вы либо обманываете себя, либо недостаточно любопытны."
Начну с того что, пожалуй это самая лучшая книга за последний год. Вот уже больше года, как я взяла на себя ответсвенность руководителя рекламного агенства. И фух, скажу честно, это очень очень сложно. Вы несете ответсвенность за все, что происходит в агенстве и около него.
Руководители в творческих областях получают повышение, потому что были хорошими исполнителями. Но когда они оказываются у руля, правила меняются.
"Я бы даже сказал, что, если вы ни разу за последние годы ни о чем не поменяли мнения, вы либо обманываете себя, либо недостаточно любопытны."
June 25, 2022
I appreciate the practical ways the book provides to employ the lessons but I am disappointed in the overall premise that leading creative people is somehow a unique or specific approach. The majority, if not all, of the lessons in this book can be applied to leadership in any setting. Knowing yourself, creating a positive work environment, building teams, and managing requirements and resources (to include people) are fundamental leadership lessons and skills. Again - the upside of this book is truly the practical methods the author provides to develop/ employ the skills.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2022
I was on a serious Todd Henry kick, so I made Herding Tigers my third consecutive read by the author. I enjoy the cadence and insights, but truly, this book is written for someone who manages a group of creatives, which I do not. If you do, definitely give it a whirl! It really is specific to creatives (ex. graphic designers, ad creators, etc.) so the ideal scenario for a reader is to go in with the hope to learn a tried and true approach on how to motivate and lead people in these types of roles within the context of a greater organization.
November 18, 2018
This book is a must for anyone attempting to manage creative teams (understanding “creative” as anyone who has to create things, processes, projects, etc. in order to provide value to an organization)
It functions as an introductory manual for the role and a good lecture to remind yourself about needed rituals to lead a team for the path of happiness.
I found this book because of Todd’s podcast (which is also a must 👌🏻).
It functions as an introductory manual for the role and a good lecture to remind yourself about needed rituals to lead a team for the path of happiness.
I found this book because of Todd’s podcast (which is also a must 👌🏻).
April 13, 2019
Hands-on and inspirational at the same time
This is a short and handy manual for any leader (or anyone aspiring to become one), whether creative or not. I truly appreciated the mix of no-nonsense advice threaded with a moral and principled approach to leadership. I have taken many notes and will no doubt refer to this book in the future to better chart my own leadership journey.
This is a short and handy manual for any leader (or anyone aspiring to become one), whether creative or not. I truly appreciated the mix of no-nonsense advice threaded with a moral and principled approach to leadership. I have taken many notes and will no doubt refer to this book in the future to better chart my own leadership journey.
December 15, 2019
I read this book on and off for about a month and a half (which is a bad sign for a book for me, as I’m a fast and persistent reader). Todd Henry has solid insights about making meetings more purposeful, fighting fair, and carving out time to do meaningful work. But it was a bit dull and repetitive. I had a hard time engaging.
It’s also not as relevant to me since I don’t manage a team, I just run my own business in the creative field. A solid book, but not revolutionary.
It’s also not as relevant to me since I don’t manage a team, I just run my own business in the creative field. A solid book, but not revolutionary.
February 18, 2025
I had the pleasure of hearing Todd Henry speak at the the Global Leaderahip Summit a while back. I picked his book up on my way out andddd it sat looking pretty on my shelf for about 5 years. It just so happens I finally picked it up at the exact right time - where many of his thoughts aren’t groundbreaking, they are written in a digestible fashion with clear steps on how to execute well. My brain is abuzz with all the ideas I want to implement.
March 15, 2025
Pretty well compiled ideas, particularly given the frame of the intense individual - regardless of whether that is limited to the creative, this ends up giving proper respect to the complexities and difficulties of individual humans as opposed to simple leadership advice that ignores or dilutes this. Only weak chapter is that on conflict - for truly individual individuals that the book talks of, the magnitude of conflict that can arise seems under explained both in description and prescription.
May 30, 2018
Todd Henry does an excellent job in his presentation of how to lead creatives well. Hearding Tigers is an easy but to the point read. This book should be a must read for leaders in creative organizations to aid or improve their leadership skills. Additionally, the book provides rituals that could be added to their processes.
January 2, 2019
Having read all of Todd Henry's books, this one was a tad underwhelming. I love the message, but this one is so niche that I didn't get much from it. How many people are designers who get promoted to be managers? It's a small slice of humanity... I get how to manage designers, so there wasn't much to glean here. :/
February 18, 2020
Herding Tigers is all about taking that creative force that resides in every organization, giving it a shared purpose and freeing it to thrive. Creative people need two things: stability and challenge. It's up to the leader to cultivate an environment with meaning, boundaries, resources, and measurement.
March 4, 2020
This was a good book on management. Not much was new, though. It quoted from other books on leadership and generally was helpful. I was a bit disappointed at how little was devoted to the unique nature of leading creatives. 99% of the advice had nothing to do with that unique environment, it was just management 101.
December 4, 2025
Great book! Easy read— took it slow to take it in. The first part of the book made me feel seen as a creative myself. So on point!!! The book is filled with practical steps for leading creatives of all types. Each chapter ends with thoughtful questions to use in your regular meetings with team members and practical steps for every leader to take personally. 4.5 stars.
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