Lessons from the Devil

While traveling, I caught The Devil Wears Prada (2006) on TV late one night in my hotel room. I have to admit, this is not my first time to see this 2006 Comedy/Drama. I have to confess it’s actually one of my favorite guilty pleasures. It’s not a particularly original story, but there were a few elements that really touched me. I know, I know, bear with me.

The plot surrounds the main character, Andy, played by the ‘doe eyed’ Anne Hathaway. She is an aspiring journalist and out of desperation settles as an intern at Runway Magazine (like Vogue). What she discovers is that she is working for the notorious Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the Darth Vader of the fashion world. In the first third of the film, Andy follows the predictable route as the ‘ugly duckling’ stumbling through her job and making a fool of herself while still scoffing at the superficiality of the Runway culture. The second third has her transformed into a supermodel and she starts being successful part of the Runway machine. As expected, the final chapter of the movie has Andy’s world imploding and she finally realizes she has lost herself and decides to walk away from it all. This whole movie is basically a string of Meryl Streep’s masterful performance as an overbearing, larger than life tyrant and Andy changing clothes every 2 minutes. While the movie is pretty simple, it is done very clean, with strong visuals, and an appropriate soundtrack. Overall it was very enjoyable.

There are three things that I took away from the film. The first is the question, how willing are you to compromise to succeed? Are you willing to change your looks, adjust your priorities, and sacrifice your private life? Are you willing to become another person in order to rise in the organization? This may come to a surprise but my answer would be absolutly YES!

The idea of ‘who you are’ is a very fluid concept. In your 20’s and early 30’s, you have no idea who you are and what you are capable of. It’s easier to let immaturity and inexperience define the person you are to become. The fact is we live, work, and play in a world that we do not control and sometimes we do not like. You have to learn to adopt and adapt in any environment in order to gain influence to make real change in the future. Am I suggesting like Andy that you stab your friends in the back and sleep with a stranger? No of course not. But in order to find what you want in life, you have to understand what everyone else wants first. Succeeding in an environment that you hate means you will be that much more equipped when you are in an environment that you love. But you usually have to do the first in order to have the second.

The next big lesson that I learned is that it’s not always good to be nice when you are the boss or manager. Nice let’s people off the hook, makes people feel comfortable, and creates a painless environment. As pleasant as that is, it stunts growth for others. A majority of people only grow when pushed (and sometimes threatened) by the authority. As the head of Runway, Miranda Priestly expected nothing but complete excellence and miracle producing results from her employees. Surprisingly, she usually got it. If you commit yourself to impossible standards, you will always be surprised what you can achieve. It won’t be easy and it will cause pain, but the real juicy stuff of character and leadership is worth it. So if you are a boss, crack the whip a little. If you are an employee, be grateful for a boss that pushes you to and beyond your limits.

The last lesson learned is that life is like fashion. It’s always changing, very bizarre, and never at rest. You can scoff, but you will be left behind. The sooner you embrace the ever changing tools and tactics this changing world has the offer, the farther ahead you will get.

This is not an academy award winning movie by any stretch of the imagination. It is however, a fun and fashionable way to view success and leadership. I probably got more out of this than what was intended by the director- but that’s what creative leadership is all about, finding the fashion out of any momentary fad.

Overall, I give it 3 1/2 out of 5 Babbles:

Click here to watch my favorite scene and how Merryl Streep’s performance stole the show.

I would love to see you angry

As a kid one of my favorite TV shows was the Incredible Hulk. Bill Bixby starred as the mild David Banner, a scientist in search of unlocking the human potential. A freak radiation accident, resulted in David Banner’s transformation into the infamous, green skinned Hulk. After some provoking by the antagonist, the Hulk would dish out justice and oppressed would be freed. The Hulk would then return back to his mild mannered state as David Banner.

We all have a ‘David Banner’ in each of us. We limit our potential based on our mild manner ways. The David Banner in us says ‘no, that is too hard…’ and we give up. But I also believe God has put a ‘Hulk’ in us as well. The Hulk says ‘no, I will not stand for it anymore…’ and pushes us into action. Whether it’s tackling a big home renovation project, helping someone in need, or taking on a global cause, we all need the Hulk to help us achieve.

I am continually amazed with what people can accomplish even in extreme circumstances. It might be renovating on a dime, a single mom working two jobs, or sacrificially giving $ to a stranger who is struggling. There are Hulk heroes all around us saving the lives of those in need. The world desperately needs your heroic passions. We know it’s sometimes hard to find your place but don’t give up- the Hulk certainly wouldn’t.

So put a new spin on ‘going green’ and release the Hulk for the sake of others.

Super-failures

  

My son just turned 4 last month and is starting to get into superheroes, which is a personal dream of mine. He already has a bunch of the action figures, gadgets, and play sets. Ironically, he has not watched any of the movies or TV shows. He is still too young for a lot of it and I am in no rush for him to grow up. So his primary form of information about the superhero world is through my storytelling- which is fine by me. He will soon come an age where he can enjoy the superhero genre as much as I have. What blows my mind is that he will grow up in a world of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight and Bryan Singer’s X-Men and Superman. When I was a child, I longed to see costumed heroes on screen. However, when they arrived, it was less than heroic.

The journey of the live action comic book hero has been a long and painful one. With a rare exception of Superman the movie in 1978, the superhero genre was nothing less than a joke. It was a stepping stone for lesser actors and directors until the ‘real’ opportunities arrived. There was no vision for the potential of superheroes except to entertain kids- which it even failed to do that. As a result we got Supergirl, Swamp Thing, and the TV version of a very lame Captain American and Spiderman. These were awful versions of the characters we had known and loved- geez, I could have done better with a Super 8 camera than these failures. 10 years pass and superhero in movies was almost dead until Tim Burton’s Batman resuscitated it back to life in 1989. Finally a superhero movie with potential! But like most things, it didn’t take long for Hollywood and the money making machine to ruin the franchise and send comic book movies back to the dark ages with the creation of Joel Schumacher’s Batman and Robin. It would then be an additional 10 years later in 2000 that Bryan Singer’s X-Men would come to our rescue and usher in the new ‘Golden Age’ of comic book movies. There have been plenty of ups and downs since then but no doubt that this decade has yielded an amazing crop of heroic incarnations- some super and some not quite. We are concluding this decade with a movie like Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight, which is more than a fantastic superhero movie but a legitimate masterpiece.

What I have learned is this. You can’t have Dark Knight without Adam West’s Batman. You can’t get Sam Raimi’s Spiderman without Nicholas Hammond’s cheesy TV version.  You can’t get Bryan’s Singer’s Superman without the Salkind’s travesty of Superman III & IV (and don’t forget Supergirl!). A great product comes with a price, and that price is failure. It might not be yours but somebody had to fail to give you the opportunity to succeed. Someone’s dreams had to die for yours to live. Anything of beauty, wonder, and awe comes at a high price and it only lasts for a moment. The unseen failures of past attempts are the fertile ground for success to take root. You may ask, what does this have to do with superhero movies? It’s just a challenge to appreciate superhero movies on a continuum. As critics, it’s easy to bash movies and hold others up as the Holy Grail. My desire with this rant is to remind us all to appreciate how far we have come and be excited for the future.

My son will never be able to appreciate the journey like I can because I lived it. I feel fortunate to have lived through the tumultuous 70s, 80s, & 90s. I may never be a kid again, but I can pass on the appreciation to the next generation, not to just make fans but to make super fans.

Leadership from the 23rd Century

 

I enjoyed a weekend of watching Star Trek not once but twice. It’s been over 15 years since the valiant crew of the original Starship Enterprise had sought out new life forms and civilizations. It was worth the wait. It is sure to please both long time faithful Trekker as well as new ‘Trek-verts’. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t worry there are no spoilers. But, I would recommend reading my earlier blog: Star Trek: Mission Impossible.

JJ Abrams vision was to retrace the origins of Kirk, Spock, and the crew as they not only discover their new home aboard the venerable Enterprise, but reclaim their place in the pop culture universe. As fun and exciting as the movie was, I really gleaned some valuable insights in regards to creative leadership. While the people, places, and scenarios were far from reality, I believe there were some very real lessons that could impact how we lead in the church.

As I watched each of the legendary characters come to life, I noticed something common among Kirk, Spock, and the rest- they were all foolish leaders. Not negatively, but in a way that made them daring, reckless, impulsive, and bold. Kirk was a desperate leader, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. The particular exchange that stood out in my mind was when he was imploring Spock to pursue the enemy verses regrouping with the rest of the fleet. He said ‘we have to be unpredictable if we are going to survive’. The establishment will always play it safe. The majority always wants predictable and manageable results. In conservative minds, risk is bad and should be avoided. Whether you are trying to save a starship, a business, or a church, the creative leaders think differently.
You should be more concerned with movement rather than destination. You should think more about the edges of the bell curve instead of the middle mass. You may not be certain of what will work but you are certain of what won’t.

Lesson #1: Foolish leadership is thinking as the minority in order to save the majority.   

Foolish leadership won’t make you popular and it will probably get you ejected onto a frozen planet, but no one said that the creative process was easy. Original thinking comes at a high cost and can be a very lonely road. It’s a burden that only a few can bear. Like James T Kirk, you have to believe that you were saved for a special purpose. Living foolishly is the road to discovering it.

 

Another aspect of creative leadership I noticed from the crew of the Enterprise was the benefit of conflict. This may sound counter intuitive, but healthy teams fight. They push each other. They challenge and test the validity of creative ideas. Leaders should be passionate, and passionate leaders get into conflicts- not over each other but over concepts, values, and processes. A team that does not regularly engage in ideological debates is not experiencing its full potential.

Lesson #2: When everyone is thinking alike, no one is thinking at all.

Don’t strive to remove conflict within your teams. Should we be whipping out phasers, fist fighting or giving the ‘Vulcan nerve pinch’ to opposing teammate? Of course not. However, learn the art of cultivating healthy conflict among your team. Allow for tension and challenge. Creative leaders like to push and be pushed. For a team, conflict is not a sign of weakness but great strength.

I know Star Trek is just a movie with carefully scripted circumstances. Real life is messy and problems can’t be resolved in 2 hours with a tub of popcorn. Movies are like parables; they are stories to glean wisdom from and to remind us of how to live lives. The adventures of Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise serve to inspire us to lead creatively and courageously even in the midst of pain and discomfort. I have a feeling that the crew that Jesus led fought, challenged, and acted foolishly quite a bit. For them it was about movement not destination. Let’s do the same and discover the final frontier as foolish leaders.

Wolverine: The beast within

Everyone needs to know where they came from. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, tells the story of one of the most favored comic book characters in the Marvel universe. Wolverine is the rebel, anti-hero, and mysterious character that helped make the original X-Men movies so successful. From a critical standpoint, this movie was mildly enjoyable in parts but lacked in the overall execution. Fans of hero movies will be pleased while others may not. It’s not the best hero movie to come out in recent years, but it did get me thinking about Creative Leadership.

Logan, AKA ‘Wolverine’, is a tormented soul cursed with a lifetime (or many lifetimes) of death, war, and pain. More killing machine than human, Logan gives up his mercenary lifestyle for quieter days in the mountains. The problem is that you can take the beast out of the world but you can’t take the beast out of the man. After a series of unfortunate events, a revenge driven Logan is transformed into the indestructible, metal claw wielding Wolverine.

While watching this movie, the phrase that kept coming to mind was ‘I am my own worst enemy’. As creative leaders I think we have all felt like a mutant at times. Born with a special purpose, we endure all kinds of pain and hardship only to discover that the most ferocious and deadly enemy is ourselves. Regardless of special gifts and abilities, the beast within keeps us from experience true heroism. The best we can hope for is infamy.  I believe every leader and artist will come to a crossroad in their life where they will have to decide, will I live for the beast or live for the hero? Beast living is easy. It’s reactionary, impulsive, and brings immediate gratification. It gets results but it usually leaves a wake of destruction behind it. In contrast, hero living is calculated, patient, and the benefits are sometimes never seen. Sure everyone wants the fame and the love that a hero receives, but fail to realize what any true hero must first endure; death.

In a pivotal scene in the movie,  Logan is about to begin the excruciating process of transforming  into Wolverine. The mastermind behind process says this to Logan;

“We’re going to make you indestructible, but first we must destroy you.”

Completely submerged in water, Logan dies for a moment only to return as a new creation. After the process, Logan looks in the mirror with his newly formed indestructible claws and realizes he is no longer the unrefined, ferocious beast but something more. It’s in this new form that he can begin the journey of hero living and most importantly, self discovery.

We will always have the beast within tempting us to lash out and fulfill our carnal desires. Fortunately, there is another force calling us to heroic living. Have you gone through the process of total and utter destruction? In the movie, one technician tells Logan that the process will be the most painful thing he has ever experienced. Are you willing to endure the pain of dying to yourself in order to live for others? You were born with special gifts to make a difference in this world. The beast is the only enemy standing in your way.

Are creative leaders made or born? I believe they are made AND born. You are born with the gifts but you also have to make something of it. Dying is the key.

It’s through your own death that will lead to saving your own life.

Great Frakkin’ lessons

As I watched the finale of one the greatest shows in history, I pondered how Battlestar Galactica (or BSG) can teach lessons on creative leadership. Here are a few of my musings:

• Story is everything. No amount of fun, action, sex, flash, or bangs can replace a good story. Lesson learned: Be a master story teller.
• There are no true heroes or villains. Everyone has a good side and a dark side so you shouldn’t be surprised when you see both. Lesson learned: People are shades of grey.
• The solution to any crisis is not strength, luck, nor manipulation- it’s leadership. Creative leaders turn obstacles into opportunities. Lesson learned: Leadership matters.
• People are their worst enemy. Persons are smart, people are dumb. Follow the crowd and they will lead you into destruction. Lesson learned: Lead the masses before they lead you.
• There are no atheists in fox holes. Crisis and terror creates spiritual moments and a need for a higher power. I think this is by design. Lesson learned: Rely on a higher power BEFORE you need it.
• The mighty and powerful do not always win. So if you choose sides, don’t always go with who has the biggest guns. Lesson learned: Don’t play the odds.
• Sex sells. Regardless of time, culture, or people, too many leaders are compromised by the allure of sex. Lesson learned: Be in control before you get controlled.
• Finally, it’s hard to create momentum from nothing. It’s easier to gather friends when it’s around a great TV show. Lesson learned: Use something good to create something great.

Not sure if we will ever experience a show that is good on so many levels like BSG. The four short seasons (and a few specials) has served to remind me of the potential of the medium of TV & great storytelling.

“So Say We All!”

Who watches the Watchmen

I went to the highly anticipated Watchmen on opening weekend. It’s very unlike your typical ‘superhero’ movie. Regardless if you liked the movie, it did bring up interesting (& controversial) ideas in regards to creative leadership. No, I am not going to talk about wearing spandex or having cool gadgets. But, I do want to discuss the important role of criticisms in our lives. I believe there is a symbiotic relationship between criticism and creative leadership. The ‘heroes’ of Watchmen lead in very unorthodox and impractical ways. They are extreme characters in an extreme time. They realize that only creative solutions will solve the destructive dilemma of their world. However, regardless of motive or actions, they become scrutinized, outlawed, and eventually hunted. Why? The status quo majority did not like extreme solutions nor did they like being ‘out of control’. In general, people want safe and easily understood leaders. They want leaders that are just slight exaggerated forms of themselves- but not too extreme. They want a leader that fits in a nice little box, cleans up after themselves, and plays well with others. In Watchmen, even though the heroes were normal humans, they were nothing like those that they protected. They had near obsessive convictions, passions, and resolve to do ‘what is right’ no matter the cost. The result: loneliness. The characters of Watchmen were lonely and desperate. I’m sure that they thought that being a hero meant popularity and loved by the masses- what they got was more like infamy. 

Creative leadership means you may be the hero AND villain of your story.  Everyone loves the Creative Leader willing to take courageous steps, create new art, and to lead where no one else can. But it isn’t too long before criticism and judgment follows. As you and your leadership grows so does the target on your back. That’s actually a good thing. That means you are doing exactly what you are suppose to be doing- shaking up the comatose majority. The Watchmen heroes aren’t just cops and firemen, they are revolutionaries willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. I’m of course not advocating criminal activity, but I am calling you to a heroic fearlessness in this chaotic world. Creative leaders may never get the thanks they deserve. Jesus never did- except from the one that really mattered.

As a creative leader, what have you done lately to garnish criticism? Has it been a while- or at all? If you are living to your potential, prepare yourself for criticism. Get used to it, live in it, and thrive in it. That means you are being something that no one else is willing to be- a hero.