You may be wondering – what do the Oscars and the Art have to do with Business Leadership? There are a few things I think Oscar nominees as well as winners demonstrate that earn them preeminent recognition for their artistic successes.
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Vision
Having an ideal vision is nearly a cliche attribute of a manager. But, it is difficult without it to provide an exceptional and authentic performance as an actor. In the nonappearance of – where am I going with this character? the actor would possibly wander, missing chances to visibly define what expresses him. How would they understand how to respond in particular situations?
When an actor can do this, we discover ourselves watching an act unfold that suggests powerful emotions within us that fixate us on the screen and the characters. The lack of vision would create directing a movie just as challenging. The director should connect the vision of the whole project so the actors can meet and clarify their roles in the film. Then players can bring their best selves to the role and also forge a path toward the vision that is uniquely theirs.
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Intention
I looked up the definition of Intention in the dictionary because even though I know it when I feel it, I wasn’t sure how to define it. An act or instance of mentally determining some action; attitude or purpose. The most revealing definition, however, was that of the word as used in a health context: a form or process of healing.
This brought an entirely new outlook to what goes on in acting, filming, directing, and leading. See that the intention one brings imitates the healing and merging of two disparate entities, purposes, characters, and people. In this way, it reflects a kind of willingness to reunite what could not have occurred that leaves the new whole greater than the sum of its parts.
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Do Everything Possible
“Leave it all on the floor” – You may have heard the phrase. Oscar nominees put everything that they’ve got into their performance. They are completely used up. I have heard actors say that they actually let go of their own persona and dive as deeply as they can into the character they’re playing.
That type of passion, energy, and commitment also serves a Leadership role. Keep talking about the people who have extremely inspired and motivated you. They didn’t lay down their own personality, but they perhaps gave what they were working for, everything they had.
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Attention to Detail
Think of the mountain of detail that needs to go into movies as visually complicated as Avatar and Inception. Even the Origin characters focused on keeping all the details of the dream levels as truthful as possible. You don’t need to attend to all the details when you’re a leader, but you do need to care a lot about them and communicate that concern to the individuals whose work it is to attend to them.
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Challenging the Limits of Reality and Possibility
It’s a tricky trick to balance possibility and reality. Movies need to have some resemblance to reality or else they won’t understand each other. But if all they reflect is reality and they don’t defy the edges, we will get bored watching them. Successful screenwriting needs some kind of break from the predictable; some unexpected dichotomy or crisis is required to keep the plot interesting. Good actors can take ordinary people and make them memorable characters.
Exemplary leaders can stand in the reality of where things are now, both the people and the circumstances. They are just as capable of articulating what is possible and encouraging people to get there. They don’t succumb to it’s never been done before. Actually, that challenges them and they rise to the occasion. As they rise up and light the way ahead, they lift us all up. Imagine what it would cost you to bring the traits of an Academy Award winner to play your Leadership role, whether at home at work, or in your community. Read more about Leadership.