Go Ahead, Make My Day – Leading Like Clint Eastwood?

“Go ahead, make my day” is what we think of when we hear Clint Eastwood. Maybe you imagine a man who is angry and extremely demanding. You may like him or you may not, but recently I watched one of the extra features on the movie Sully and learned some leadership lessons from how he directs movies.

As I watched this documentary I realized that he embodies empowerment to those he directs. As an actor he understands what is expected of actors. Those that worked with him on this movie said he created an atmosphere of peace. He simply lets the work occur. How does he demonstrate empowerment?

Leadership expert John Maxwell in his book Developing the Leaders Around You: How to Help Others Reach Their Full Potential says there are three things people need to feel empowered:

1. Security – As I reflect on what was said about Clint Eastwood this is the first need he met. Through the comments of numerous actors involved in this movie I heard that he created security by simply providing an atmosphere of peace. Actors did not feel they were going to be yelled at or criticized because Clint is silent most of the time when he directs. They may have been given suggestions and had Clint to think with on how to do the work better, but they never felt threatened. This safe environment led to the second part of empowerment Maxwell gives.

2. Freedom – Since the actors felt safe they had the freedom to let their natural gifts come forward. Mr. Eastwood knows what it means to be an actor therefore he has empathy for the stresses, both positive and negative, those he leads feels. I would assume because of this empathy he intentionally creates the atmosphere of security mentioned above so the actors can operate out of their strengths.

3. Opportunity – During this documentary the actors explained that Clint does not do “takes”. He allows the scene to happen and keeps the cameras rolling through the entire scene. He may film the entire scene more than once, but he will not stop midway. This practice gives the actors opportunity to work without fear of failure. For example, one scene in this movie Tom Hanks was struggling to figure out how to release the life raft so it didn’t look “perfect,” but in the end it was real. The real Captain Sullenberger also struggled to figure out how to release the raft. Opportunity provides room for growth and creating something special.

So in whatever you lead, do you direct like Clint Eastwood? Do you provide those you lead with a safe environment to function? Do they feel they are free to be themselves or are they feeling pressure to be something that does not fit their natural strengths? Do you give them opportunity to be stretched and grow in their strong areas or develop new skills you see but they may not be aware they have? What is one way you can grow in your empowering leadership skills today? Comment below and share with others if you found this helpful.