Why waiting for approval limits creativity

User testing is killing your creativity. You design something new. It goes to stakeholders. Someone says, “Let’s test it.” So you test it. Then someone else wants to test a variation. Then you’re A/B testing headlines. Then you’re scheduling another review meeting. Six months later, what ships is a watered-down version of what could’ve been great. The problem isn’t testing. It’s using testing as a shield against making decisions. No one wants to own the call. So we keep gathering feedback. And in that process, we de-risk each word and drain every ounce of personality from our work. We optimize our way into beige. A while back at SparkToro, we knew our onboarding was too long and unfocused. We didn’t need another round of user feedback to confirm what we already knew. We shortened it. We clarified the path. We shipped it. It wasn't reckless; it was decisive. We knew we'd gathered enough insight to see the problem clearly — then we made the call instead of hiding behind one more test. Design-by-committee culture has convinced us that every decision needs unanimous approval and statistical significance. But the best marketing I’ve seen came from someone saying, “I think this will work,” and having the audacity to ship it. So the next time you’re about to run another test, ask yourself... Am I looking for insight, or am I looking for permission? If it’s permission, just ship it.

Does your team need permission, approval, or “sign off” before they act? If so, then you’re not leading. “Sign off” is a phrase I’ve grown to actively avoid. It’s rarely about alignment, it’s about control. And in fast-paced environments like fashion e-commerce, control quietly kills momentum, accountability, and culture. I’m re-reading No Rules Rules (probably for the fifth time - thank you Netflix Reed Hastings), and it’s always a reminder of what high-performance culture really requires: Trust replaces control. Context replaces instruction. One example from the book: A Netflix employee noticed the Japanese subtitles were poor quality. No one told her to fix it, she just did. She hired a specialist firm, spent tens of thousands of dollars, and improved the experience. No meetings. No approvals. Just ownership. Netflix’s response? Support and recognition. That’s what happens when you hire brilliant people, communicate clearly, and build an environment where people are trusted to make decisions, not taught to wait for permission. In my own experience leading creative and operational teams, I’ve seen this play out time and time again: Empowerment beats micromanagement, autonomy increases speed, and accountability. Leadership isn’t about knowing and controlling everything; it’s about providing clarity on the goal so your team can act. The teams I lead don’t wait for permission. They understand the mission, and they move. If things are moving slowly in your teams, If someone on your team still feels they need “sign off” for every smart decision? That’s not on them. That’s on you. 🫵

This is the silent killer of marketing performance. You want to know what kills marketing more than bad creatives or wrong targeting? Approvals. I’ve seen a ₹2,000 crore company where the CEO insists on signing off every piece of marketing. Forget getting his calendar slots, it takes days just to get a callback from his EA. They took 18 months to finish a website. Yes, 18 months. Because every banner, button, and sentence needed clearance. I’ve seen approvals for event standees come one hour before the event started. That’s not a process. That’s a performance killer. Why does this happen? Because marketing is creative. And creativity has no rulebook. So everyone thinks they get a say. So everyone, from HR to CEO to the chai guy, feels entitled to an opinion. And guess what? They’re not wrong. Once I was launching a campaign, my daughter (she was 12 at the time) gave me an idea. It sounded silly. But I ran an A/B test anyway. Her ad beat mine by 300%. Creativity can come from anywhere. But decisions? Decisions must stay inside marketing. Let the team listen, gather inputs, experiment, but let them call the shot. You can’t run every creative by a CXO. That’s not quality control, that’s insecurity in the disguise of process. Approvals should not be a group activity. You don’t grow marketing by making it stand in line. You grow it by giving it freedom to try, fail, learn, and win. So if you’re a CXO reading this: The next time your marketing team sends something for “approval”... Stop. Instead, ask them what they would do if they didn’t need to ask anyone. Let them do it. Because in marketing, performance is the only approval that matters. #growthmarketing

I quit. I quit the system of waiting for someone else to say "yes." I realized we don’t need permission. I see the power of building an audience. I didn’t feel ready. Not when I worked at CAA. Not when I was at Lionsgate, seeing the relentless hustle it takes to get a movie to the big screen. Not even when I was at Netflix, learning what really goes into building an engaged audience. But here’s the thing: I was tired of waiting. → You don’t need a perfect plan, you need a plan that bypasses their approval. → The daunting part wasn’t the vision itself, but the sheer volume of talent being held back by a few powerful gatekeepers. I started looking for a different path. Because relying on gatekeepers wasn’t an option anymore. Watching talented people struggle within that system made it clear: we had to build our own. The power doesn’t lie with the gatekeepers; it lies with the audience. Witnessing talented storytellers being told “no” not because their work wasn’t good, but because they didn’t fit the pre-approved mold solidified this belief. It felt wrong. It felt like a system designed to stifle creativity and maintain the status quo. I knew there had to be a way to connect those storytellers directly with the people who would appreciate their work. Over time, I saw the patterns. I figured out what wasn't working in the traditional system – a system that actively prevented direct connection with an audience. Here’s what I learned: → You create by connecting directly, not by waiting for permission. → You build an audience by sharing your work, not by waiting for a greenlight. → The future belongs to those who build their own platforms. Here’s my advice: Stop waiting for the gatekeepers to validate your idea. You don't need their approval to start. You need an audience. Start creating. Connect directly. Share your work, your ideas, your vision. Stop seeking validation from those who benefit from keeping you out. Clarity comes through action. Your audience is waiting for you. What story are you ready to tell, without waiting for permission? --- Hi, I’m Jerrica! 👋🏽 I write Greenlight Yourself with Jerrica Long, a weekly newsletter to help content creators, storytellers and creative entrepreneurs bet on themselves and build sustainable careers. Every Friday, I share actionable strategies, templates, and opportunities to take your ideas from script to screen—on your terms. Subscribe via the link on my page! #creatoreconomy #entertainment #audiencebuilding #media

Here’s something I’ve learned teaching leadership to highly technical, high-performing professionals: The hardest thing to teach isn’t strategy. It’s how to start. So when I designed the Level Up Leadership experience, I kicked it off with a challenge that made half the room uncomfortable… and the other half laugh. The instructions were simple: “Here are two random words. You have 20 minutes to build a business, product, or innovation using them. Go.” We call it the Half Baked Challenge. It’s messy. It’s weird. It’s fun. And it’s one of the best metaphors I’ve ever found for innovation leadership. Because the biggest problem inside most orgs? Leaders wait. They wait until it’s perfect. Until the data is in. Until it’s been approved. But in Founder Factories—the companies that consistently produce future entrepreneurs—leaders are trained to start before they’re ready. This is how I now teach leadership: Not by teaching how to lead meetings. But by helping people build momentum through initiation. Here’s the full post if you want to see how we do it: Post #2: Why the Best Leaders Don’t Wait for Permission --> https://lnkd.in/dc2khEbb This is part of my 14-week series sharing how I train leaders differently—based on my research at Georgetown and my award-winning teaching pedagogy. Because the truth is: Innovation doesn’t start with a plan. It starts with a spark. #FounderFactories #LeadershipDevelopment #LevelUpLeadership #Georgetown #InnovationLeadership #LearningByDoing #TeachingInnovation #HalfBakedChallenge

Analysis paralysis is a real issue. It slows down progress. It kills innovation. As a fractional CPO for large enterprises I understand this problem well. Especially at this large client's office I am at now. Too much thinking leads to no action. People get stuck in their heads. They worry about making the wrong choice. They crave the perfect answer. This fear stops them from moving forward. Everyday I see common traps that lead to analysis paralysis: ☑ Perfectionism: The need for a perfect solution can block good ideas. ☑ Fear of failure: Worrying about mistakes can hold back brave choices. ☑ Information overload: Too much data can trap us in endless loops. ☑ Option overwhelm: Having too many choices can make decisions harder. ☑ Consensus seeking: Trying to please everyone slows down action. These traps show up in many ways. Teams may have endless meetings to discuss plans. They may refine ideas but never act on them. Enterprises exacerbate this problem. ☑ Extensive market research: Understanding the market is useful. Over-research delays quick actions. ☑ Hierarchical decision-making: Too many approvals stall important choices. ☑ Risk-averse cultures. Fear of failure makes the safer choice inaction. ☑ Comprehensive business plans: Spending months on plans waste time when testing ideas quickly leads to better results. ☑ Perfectionist quality control: Obsessing over perfection stops valuable feedback. When I engage with a new client who wants to innovate like a startup; nothing fights analysis paralysis better than implementing a philosophy of bias towards action. A process that must be enforced from c-suite down to IC. The results? Quick decisions. Good ideas implemented over perfect ones on paper that never happen. (Testing ideas in real life is key.) This approach leads to faster growth and better results. By acting quickly, your team will learn and adapt. You will create a culture where making mistakes is okay. Mistakes fuels creativity and innovation. Break free from analysis paralysis. Embrace action, and watch your team thrive.

Still waiting for approval? That’s your biggest block. Back in school, I used to wait for it. The nod. The praise. The "yes, this is good." From teachers. From classmates. Even from people who didn’t care about me 1%. I’d tweak my tone. Tone down my personality. Choose safe ideas just to fit in. And the worst part? I thought this made me likeable. But the truth is Approval doesn’t build a career. Options do. And no one gives you options. You create them. ⟶ You create them when you stop editing your truth. ↳ Say what you mean. Say it out loud. ⟶ You create them when you show up before you're ready. ↳ No one's going to announce, "You're allowed now." ⟶ You create them when you stop waiting to be chosen. ↳ Choose yourself. Publicly. Unapologetically. This hits harder when you’re building a personal brand. You can’t build your brand while living for their approval. Because every time you hesitate Every time you second-guess your ideas Every time you mimic someone else’s post You don’t just lose attention. You lose yourself. So here’s what I’ve learned: Your brand is not meant to please everyone. It’s meant to resonate with the right ones. You don’t need permission to be yourself. You need clarity. And a bit of courage. Say the thing. Share the story. Start the project. Change the tone. Let your presence feel like truth Not performance. #PersonalBranding

“The Best Advice I Ever Got? Stop Waiting for Permission.” A few years ago, a friend had a brilliant idea for a side project. She spent weeks perfecting the plan, gathering feedback, and overanalyzing every detail. But there was one problem—she kept waiting for someone to validate her idea before she took action. “What if people don’t like it?” “What if I fail?” “What if I’m not qualified enough?” Eventually, someone told her: “No one is coming to give you permission. If you believe in it, start.” That hit hard. She finally launched her project—imperfectly, but with momentum. It wasn’t a huge success overnight, but it opened doors she never expected. Looking back, she regrets not starting sooner. And honestly? Most of us do the same. We wait for approval, for the “right time,” for a sign that we’re ready. But the truth is—the only permission you need is your own. Whatever you’re hesitating on, take the first step. You’ll figure out the rest along the way. #TakeAction #GrowthMindset #NoPermissionNeeded