Spielberg is a leader because he is enthusiastic about life and eager to live it to the max. He has proven to be independent, and truth-seeking in an effort to establish his creative and moral purpose. Throughout his movies, you can sense that Spielberg's emotions are deep, intense and confusingly complex. He's passionate and determined, and he wants to be in control.
In addition, Spielberg is a family man and eager to develop and maintain his relationships (he and wife Kate Capshaw have a slew of kids, and E.T. starlet Drew Barrymore is Spielberg's goddaughter). “I don't work weekends. Weekends are for my kids. And I have dinner at home every night when I'm not physically directing a movie - I get home by six. I put the kids to bed and tell them stories and take them to school the next morning. I work basically from 9.30 to 5.30 and I'm strict about that” (McBride, 1997). The director appears to be nurturing, traditional and very much in touch with his history, his present and his future. I admire him for those qualities.
The renowned director is a principled thinker who's very well read about the things that interest him most, and wishes to share his knowledge through his movies. In addition, Spielberg is a hard-working professional who is driven and determined, and he does not quit. Instead of fearing mistakes he expects them. He has shown me that risks are for learning, and not to be feared.
The fact that Spielberg’s combined films have grossed well over one billion dollars attests to his power in connecting to his mass audience, and his ability to cultivate change through his vision. If nothing else, Spielberg’s films have becomee landmarks in special effects, both in their visual and aural aspects, and they have the knack for eliciting audience response. Spielberg's successes have allowed him to pursue numerous philanthropic and cultural projects like no other filmmaker of his generation.
Reference:
McBride, J. (1997). Steven Spielberg: A biography. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
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Erin,
ReplyDeleteThe ability to build and share knowledge was a leadership capacity that both Steven Spielberg and Sam Walton possessed. I found it comparable that both men learned from their mistakes and expected mistakes to occur along their journey of fulfilling their visions. David Glass stated, “Two things about Sam Walton distinguish him from almost everyone else I know. First, he gets up every day bound and determined to improve something. Second, he is less afraid of being wrong than anyone I know I’ve ever known. And once he sees wrong, he just shakes if off and heads in another direction” (Walton, 1992, p. 39).
These two leaders were able to do just that. They were able to change directions when necessary. If they would have given up and feared failure and change, then our country would have been at a great loss.
Erin-
ReplyDeleteBuilding and maintaining relationships is vital to the success of any human being. How many individuals in this world have been intelligent, creative, and insightful, but lacked the ability to build relationships? Because they lacked this ability, they struggled to find success. Both Disney and Spielberg possessed a strong aptitude for maintaining relationships. They valued family above work, and proved that regularly with their daily interactions. Each man also demonstrated a high level commitment to their relationships, both at work and at home. If they hadn't possessed a strong commitment to maintaining these inter-personal skills, I doubt they would have experienced much success in their careers.
What a great choice. When anyone lists the top directors in film history, Steven Spielberg is at the top. His leadership ability is evident in every picture he creates. He also shares common traits with Schwarzenegger in that they both are hard-working professionals who are driven and determined, and do not quit. They do not fear their mistakes, they welcome them and that allows them to become better.
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