A Visionary, A Fearless Leader And...
Elizabeth Hyde Stevens, author of Make Art Make Money, writes in Fast Company, "Jim Henson is remembered as a visionary artist and the creator of the Muppets, but he was also the boss of hundreds of employees who called him “fearless leader.”"
We intuitively know that Henson was a “good boss.” But how should we define a “good boss,” and better yet, how can we become one? Brian Henson has said of his father.
How Do We Become One?
A Leader Like Jim Henson That Is:
- Identify a person’s talent, nurture that talent, and encourage them to look to themselves for a solution
- Be a teacher, empower the people who work with you
- Be patient, you are developing people, not showing how smart you are. Henson did not need to display a big ego, and heaven knows he had a lot to crow about
- Create an infectious mood of laugher and fun – yes you can do serious creative work at the same time. And, did the Muppets demonstrate that over and over again
- Listen for the genius in people, find a way to make others' ideas work
- Master treating failures as experiments on the way to something great
- Love your work and the people who are sharing it with you
- Enjoy the successes and accomplishments of people around you. Having them be great does not diminish you – as Jim Henson has demonstrated
- Be unafraid to try new things – it's the only way innovation happens, really
- Be a role model of fearless, hardworking, generous, and calm, that attitude will easily spread and be as contagious for you as it was for Jim Henson
And Remember…
What's going on around you, the results that are being produced, and the tone of your organization, is a reflection of your leadership.
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