{"id":263,"date":"2012-12-19T17:27:48","date_gmt":"2012-12-20T01:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/?p=263"},"modified":"2012-12-21T02:49:52","modified_gmt":"2012-12-21T10:49:52","slug":"producer-protector-part-deux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/?p=263","title":{"rendered":"Producer = Protector – Part Deux"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SONY<\/a><\/p>\n

…picking up the conversation from the previous post\u2026<\/p>\n

As Producer, as Leader of the Team, Admiral of Your Chosen Metaphor, you set the tone and establish the standards of and for your Team. It is your example by which members of your team should be inspired and offer themselves measure. Your integrity must be sacrosanct; the respect with which you treat others should be unshakeable, your communications clear and complete, your leadership inspirational and enlightening.<\/p>\n

This really isn\u2019t difficult, if the commitment is within you. That and a little zen discipline and you\u2019re there.<\/p>\n

As producer, you stand accountable. Responsibility for anything that goes wrong with the production is on your shoulders. This means that you jump up and acknowledge responsibility for anything that goes wrong or falls short without a second thought. Never let an employee take the fall; not publicly, in any case.<\/p>\n

Conversely, anything that goes uniquely or impressively right with the production is an opportunity for you to publicly acknowledge the professionals on your team who are or were directly responsible for what stood out. \u2018Tis a good Rule of Thumb to simply never take credit; always find someone to credit, or simply credit your Team.<\/p>\n

Without that team, you\u2019re just a big, good-looking bundle of Good Ideas (and maybe not even all that good, without the collaboration of the gang that makes it great).<\/p>\n

Remain approachable. Work to be<\/i> approachable, watch out for seeming \u201ctoo busy\u201d to be interrupted. Each such interruption likely bears the potential for some Learning, some Evolution, some exchange of ideas or even the sharing of some bit of information that can perhaps save time and or money, down the line. Guard against dismissiveness and discount no one.<\/p>\n

Vest your people with responsibility and let them know you mean it. (This takes discipline for the Type A; but if s\/he really wants to build a dependable and ultimately reputable team, then delegate, one must \u2026 and mean it)<\/i>.<\/p>\n

I launch virtually any production with a few, regular conversations; one of which is the stressing of the fact that, on my teams, no one will be penalized for making a mistake, miscalculation or mis-judgement. Penalty is levied when that mistake is hidden or kept secret.<\/p>\n

The moment one sees that what is intended may not happen as envisioned; that\u2019s the moment to raise the flag.<\/p>\n

Someone makes a mistake: that person is probably the person best qualified to devise and implement the solution. Ergo, when someone comes to me with a mistake, my first response (after the \u201coops,\u201d \u201comg,\u201d or \u201choly cr*p!\u201d) is usually \u201cwell, what would you suggest we do?\u201d And we figure it out together.<\/p>\n

This teaches practical skills and problem-solving and is a compelling and resonant example of the trust you are placing in your team. This makes what you have been saying tangible and makes you trustworthy to them.<\/p>\n

And, pertinent to what I was saying, above; should one of the team come under fire for a real or perceived error, the immediate response of the Producer is to stand by his team and take any heat, resolving direct responsibility issues offline and in private.<\/p>\n

If your team knows you will stand by them, they will go the extra mile for you, push their own envelopes and take considered (and some not-so-considered) risks in the pursuit of higher standards of storytelling and production.<\/p>\n

I want to underscore the Responsibilities of the Producer from last week by reprinting the comment from Ben Tripp, brilliant artist and author\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one-point-of-contact thing really is critical. \u00a0A couple of other things that happen with diffuse communication:<\/i><\/p>\n

Conflicting critiques — a couple of executives may have directly contradictory opinions. \u00a0They deliver their reactions independently and expect results. \u00a0This leads to creatives acting as liaisons, taking sides, or believing the process had broken down (which it has).<\/i><\/p>\n

In addition, specialists can create difficulties by delivering their criteria without regard for the rest of the show — I was once on an entertainment project in which the PM gave equal voice to a guy way upstream whose central role was leasing real estate. \u00a0So the entire design ended up geared to making it really easy to swap out retail tenants. \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

You need communication to flow through the point man — the filter.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Time and again, I see weak producers taking opinions from far too many others; not trusting professional instincts enough to take responsibility for the result. Go out on a limb, dammit, and stand behind your beliefs, your instincts, what you trust in your heart.<\/p>\n

To illustrate, I am going to repeat an anecdote I\u2019ve cited, before, in this space\u2026<\/p>\n

Twenty years ago, in the final months of run-up to one of my first globally-visible ceremonial spectacles, the Board of Directors suddenly began to second-guess and challenge my concept and the execution of it (because, as you know, everyone\u2019s<\/i> a Producer). I spent many a sleepless night exploring the course I should take. Finally, winnowed it down to this crux:<\/p>\n