I was very intimidated by the visual effects world. But I began to realize that you don't have to know everything. You have to be able to talk about story.
Ron HowardRead
I used to feel that I had to be dictatorial in order to be respected, but after I did a couple of TV movies, I began to see that authority came with the job. So I began to relax and let more people into the process, and my work really improved.
Interpretation
Respect can be earned through collaboration rather than authoritarian control.
In the quote, Ron Howard reflects on his initial belief that he had to impose strict authority to be respected as a leader. Over time, he recognized that true respect and authority emerge naturally from the role itself, and by fostering collaboration and allowing others to contribute, he was able to enhance the quality of his work and create a more positive working environment.
In practice
During a team-building workshop, I shared Ron Howard's insights on leadership to emphasize the importance of collaboration.
I was very intimidated by the visual effects world. But I began to realize that you don't have to know everything. You have to be able to talk about story.
I think child stars have a leg up, actually, because they have an innate sense of what creative problem solving is all about. But to make a life out of it, you have to be ready to take on project after project. You have to like the action.
Even when you're 22 and you feel immortal, you know in your heart you're not.
Unlike the twisters he famously chased in the movies, Bill Paxton was the kind of force of nature you ran toward and never away from.
My grandmother was kind, but she knew what she wanted and she wasn't afraid to give a command. When, eventually, I ran my own kitchen, I realized I had a leadership model reaching back into my earliest memories.
I ignore polling as a method of government. I think that shows a certain weakness of mind - an inability to chart a course whichever way the wind blows, whichever way the media encourages the people to go, you follow. If you can't force or are unwilling to force your people to follow you, with or without threats, you are not a leader.
I don't pretend there aren't biological differences, but I don't believe the desire for leadership is hardwired biology, not the desire to win or excel. I believe that it's socialization, that we're socializing our daughters to nurture and our boys to lead.
When you have people together who believe in something very strongly - whether it's religion or politics or unions - things happen.
Public officers are the servants and agents of the people, to execute the laws which the people have made.
I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn't be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn't be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters - who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.