One of the best things I love about photography is the necessity of the outside world. Without it, how can we show the great ideas and visions in which they reside? We have to collaborate with others in order to share it. All ideas are thought up in the mind first but always need a place in the world outside ourselves to take fruit and influence to the people around us. We must be able to mold and bend to the ideas of others as we work together for a common goal.
That's why setting up the space for these values must be implemented from the beginning. If not like many companies and projects, ideas will clash and first intentions can very well lead to new enemies. Cooperation, leadership and being able to carry visions into reality requires discipline and understanding. That's why being the boss is always harder then perceived.
“A captain runs his ship no matter how big the ocean”
As much as will like to have help from others the difficulty in leadership comes from knowing when to say yes to ideas or when to push them in a new direction. Being captain has it's responsibilities. In some cases your the worker, in other cases your the psychiatrist. The number of hats we pull out of our bag can be overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be that way. Like discussed in previous posts all elements of communication will be put to the test. But the most essential thing to consider is playing the fine line between a tyrannical dictator and a wishy washy push over.
In essence a good leader sets up the environment for others to lead themselves. That's one of the most crucial steps to making a group of people achieve something no one woman or man can do on their own. It's impossible to know everything and there will be people who have put their time into other areas you probably never knew about. That's why a company has it's departments and figure heads as representation. When things get bigger it creates complexity. But the only way to keep is simple is to let the pros who know what to do, do it best while still having a clear vision on where the ship is actually going.
Flexibility in ideas will be one of the greatest assets for leadership. Creating breathing room for ideas gives others the feeling of truly being part of what's being put together. The days of bureaucratic leadership models are slowly failing behind to the new collaboration models of today. Access to information has increased the intelligence potential to many new workers if hungry to know and grow.
“A thought is a thought is a thought is a thought is a thought is a…”
