Borrowed Brains
There is an old Yiddish proverb that holds, “Borrowed brains have no value.” However, the American President Woodrow Wilson asserted, “I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow.” When it comes to production, it’s my experience that you can’t go wrong following Wilson’s example.
Given the sheer quantity, magnitude and complexity of creative & technical issues that contemporary production crews are faced with - LEVERAGE is the order of the day. The most effective leader is not the individual who “knows everything” (or more likely, thinks they do), but the individual who serves as a hub around which collaborating talents revolve.
I recall a lunch conversation with a highly regarded producer who confided to me, “I didn’t graduate from Harvard or M.I.T., but I employ the people who did – and I value their contributions. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
As a leader, are you leveraging your brain upon the “borrowed brains” of your team?
What do you value more: the glory of being a “hero”, or the results of being a hub?
Tags: animation production efficiency, animation production leadership