The Sixth Face of Innovation: The Director
Editor’s Note: This is part of a multi-part series about the book, The Ten Faces of Innovation, written by Tom Kelley. You can read the other parts in this series here.
Season two of The Mandalorian is currently underway. I watch it with my daughters every week and we enjoy the new characters, special effects, and, of course, Baby Yoda. The individual episodes are directed by a variety of different people. These directors bring their own set of experiences, styles, and personality to the studio but they all concurrently support the show’s mission and want to make a great product. Thus, an organization or team can have multiple directors even if there still is team leader (or executive movie producer on set). You might not be the leader on your design engineering team but there may still be opportunities to take on the role of Director.
In Tom Kelley’s book, The Ten Faces of Innovation, Kelley shares an old adage from Hollywood: “directing is 90 percent casting.” Likely, you and I have been occasionally disappointed with the choice of an actor who was assigned to play some beloved character. Similarly, we’ve probably been very impressed with the performance of some actor and can’t possibly see that character portrayed by anyone else. A good movie director knows how to bring out and accentuate the skills of their cast. Indubitably, a director needs a capable group to work with, but with that in place, they can really make the actors shine.
On a design team, a good director does the same thing. They know how to let others shine. After all, we aren’t watching the director on screen, we watch the actors. We might know the director’s name but couldn’t pick them out of a crowd. Likewise, a design team might have behind-the-scenes directors getting things done. Perhaps you aren’t the one standing up and verbally presenting to your client but if your role was that of director on the team, working behind the scenes, take a moment and feel proud you helped make it possible. After all, you gave someone else the center stage which is exactly what directors do. (On the other hand, if you find yourself on center stage, even on a design team, take a moment to realize that there may be someone on our team out of the limelight who brought you there.)
Movie directors are also pushing into new territory – at least the good ones. They experiment with dialogue, plots lines, camera angles, audio and visual effects, moods, props, and many other things. Their movies don’t just follow a formula, even if they still leave their thumbprints behind. A design team director would do the same. They aren’t afraid to try something new and take on a new project. They realize that they must continually improve and refine their craft if they are to be a good director. They let their own unique style come through, though it may be different than others, since there really are multiple ways to successfully direct a team. Regardless of style, almost always a Director is optimistic and full of contagious energy which helps others to get on board and join the cause.
Directors are also willing to aim high and fail if necessary. If the cast doesn’t succeed, the movie director will shoot another take. He or she is willing to make and correct small failures so that the overall project does fail. If a design team fails, a design director will take another iteration or lead out on more brainstorming. Likewise, they will want to fail early, fail small, and fail often, so they can recover early and often in small increments. Tom Kelley compliments his brother by writing: “[David] is really good at getting people to take intelligent changes and giving them the opportunities to recover from their failures.” How many of us could work on deserving that compliment? Do we let others take intelligent chances, fail, and recover? Are we likewise taking intelligent chances, failing, and recovering? Do we even work or study in an environment where that’s possible, permitted, and encouraged? We should.
Directors are also aware of the tools and improvise with what’s available. Occasionally I learn about directors taking advantage of the weather, set-up unusual lighting conditions to recreate a certain mood, or letting their actors improvise with the dialogue. They are adaptable, open to ideas, and aren’t afraid of brainstorming sessions while listening to others. Even if they direct the path that the team will walk down together, they still will want to be aware of the other alternate paths, options, and techniques available to them during the subsequent phase of their project. This means directors are decisive, but only after gathering data.
These above traits and discussion might sound like a grocery list for an ideal leader. Admittedly, leaders are often expected to take on the role of Director, but these directorial characteristics can exist in anyone. Often, a novice, young, or inexperienced team member can contribute to the design team in the role of director, even if one’s title does not formally designate one to those expectations. Practice the above directing skills as an actor (i.e. as a design team member) and it will pay big dividends later when you’re behind the camera calling the shots as the director (or the team lead). “That’s a wrap!”
