What does it mean for a cinema industry leader to be prepared?

30 techniques that will help you lead well, or at least better.

can we always spot the leader in the crowd?

I have been wanting to write an essay on what constitutes good leadership in the cinema industry these days. Or rather what it would look like if good leadership was there in our film world. Not what passes for it these days.

To be clear, you are all leaders. Or should be. Things work best when we recognize the power we all have and are willing to use it responsibly and in service to each other.

Like many things, I realized that to write that essay, I had to write a few other posts first on some of the components that make up good leadership for our community. And as I embarked on doing just that… I got distracted. Life took over. New ideas appeared. Some posts require a series, which require stopping much of everything else. There lies the rub.

Admittedly, I also hesitated because I didn’t want anyone to think I was directing it at them specifically (as opposed to all of us generally) — as if they’d actually read this and be worried! Ha! I drafted my initial post up quite some time ago, but then never decided to actually stack it in the publishing pile, so it just lingered longer. Fermenting, as it were. I guess I knew it wasn’t “finished”.

But as cinema gods would have it, one day, there it was… surfaced by a search for something else. Fate? Fortune? Impatience?

When I returned to it, I added twenty percent more. I was no longer the same person I was when I began writing this post. I had continued to learn. New concerns were exposed. And generally because of you. Because of this community. Because of FilmStack.

I started this particular ponder on leadership with trying to define what good preparation is. I threw it out to the community via Substack’s chat function and got a good discussion started.

And I took a walk to meditate on the question. That’s pretty much how I do things here: throw it out to the group and think long and quietly. An essay starts to form… or at least a bullet list. Today, hopefully you are satisfied with the bullet list. Because that’s what I’ve got for you. Maybe one day I will get to the essay if too much doesn’t get stacked up before it first.

And yeah, if this looks like the sort of check list someone like me might have to hold himself accountable, well, you are right. I just wish I encountered more people in our industry who seemed to do the same… particularly if they are in a leadership position.

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What does it mean for a cinema industry leader to be prepared?

1. Do the work you need to do before you can do the work.

   1. Develop what you will need, before you will need it.

   2. Go deep. Think through… everything!

      1. what will your team want to know about you, from you, and with you.

   3. Recognize what you will need in your tool kit, and acquire them, be they people, things, knowledge or experience.

2. Set First Principles that you will stand for.

3. Base your priorities, tenets, and tactics on these First Principles.

4. You are a leader so be a leader.

   1. Leaders have vision.

   2. Leaders have principles.

   3. Leaders say what they do and do what they say. Or they shouldn’t be leaders.

5. Know your long term, short term, and present priorities. I call this “now, soon, later”. A bit obvious, right? Keep a list for each. Review it regularly.

   1. Get the NOW done now, friend. Don’t let that sh*t linger. But ponder how you can get to the LATER quicker. Each is what we need leaders to do.