Come Follow Me

What makes a good leader?

It’s likely that I could write an entire volume (maybe a slim one) on what makes a good leader, based on my experiences as a theatre director in academia. Fortunately for you, and for the sake of brevity, I’ll only look at one aspect for this particular blog post.

The greatest compliments I often received on my productions concerned the actors. “They all did so well!” “They were so well cast!” “You really brought out the best in them!” These compliments also reflect on me and my leadership style, and so it explains part of my approach. Even though I chose the shows, cast the roles, and shaped the production through the rehearsal process, the show was not about me, and instead the focus should have been on the actors.

One of my primary goals for the actors was that they looked good on stage, that they didn’t seem to be out of their depth, and that they belonged in the moment. And so I endeavored to structure the shows to show the actors in the best light.

Once someone asked me, “Why don’t you go up for the curtain call, so the audience can see and applaud you?” In fact, I did this in my first job, because that was a tradition the students started by bringing me onstage. But I didn’t see the need to continue that. As I would often say, “If I do my job correctly, you don’t see me on stage, but rather you see the actors doing what they do.”* I only ever put myself into one curtain call because I felt the audience needed to know what my contribution to the show was, because the music director did everything he could to put himself at the center and I needed to have my role in the show acknowledged. (On an organizational chart, the Director should be above the Music Director.)

This focus also extended to the crew. There was a local theatre director who once wrote a very long Facebook post about why the crew shouldn’t be brought out for the curtain call. He felt that they were part of the magic of the theatre, and should remain invisible. For me, since they are part of the magic, they also need to share in the applause.

To summarize, a good leader puts the focus on others, not on him/herself. Any recognition for work should go to those who do it (and that may include the leader), and not be usurped by someone who has to be the object of attention. The leader should never be employee of the month; everyone should share in the success and glory.

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* At the same time, I have been told that there is a “Schrumian” directing style that could often be detected in my shows. I would love to have someone define that for me!