Leadership Principles I Currently Exhibit:
“Learn and be curious”
This is easiest the leadership principle that I can give the most examples for. If you recall from my previous blog post, I was dropped into a high-level role at SIFF as the Technical Manager with minimal training. I had to continually learn a lot of new things on my own. For example, I needed to transcode a lot of video and needed a ton of processing power in order to crank out all those goddamn films in a timely manner. After doing extensive research, I figured out that I really needed a custom-built PC to meet all of my specific needs, but I had never built a computer before. So I dug in and did my research and taught myself how to build my own machine. Most recently, during quarantine SIFF, like many film festivals, decided to do a virtual festival on-line… So, I taught myself how to use OBS and stream live events, with auto generated captions, to their streaming service.
“Hire and develop the best”
At SIFF I managed the projectionist team, which is a high-pressure frontline position. The tip of the spear, so to say. In order to ensure that my team didn’t lose any shows, or get over worked, I needed to set this specific role up for success. The first step was to hire people with experience in working projection in a festival environment, and most importantly, whom give a shit about the job. The second step is to make sure that they are trained on all of the equipment and have all the resources they need to perform their duties efficiently. The final, and most important, is to make them feel supported, so that they know that I have their back and they feel comfortable to reach out to me with any problems.
“Insist on the highest standards”
Again, at SIFF I was in charge of quality control for all the films before they went on screen. Getting the best possible presentation for every film was an everyday priority. Oftentimes I would receive film files from first time, or novice filmmakers, whos’ films would need to be transcoded and reformatted in order to get the best presentation on screen. If something is off by even a few pixels, it becomes a glaring mistake once it gets blown up and projected onto a 35 foot wide screen.
Most Difficult Leadership Principle for me to Adopt:
“Customer Obsession”
In my general life experience, anticipating people’s needs has always been a struggle for me. I also have a difficult time hyper-focusing on details and overlooking others, which can have a negative impact on customers. I’m also just an introverted person who has difficulty engaging in conversation with people I don’t know. This will, by far, be my greatest hurdle in this program and afterwards when I join the actual marketplace.