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James Cameron: Before Avatar ... a curious boy | Video on TED.com
I haven't seen Avatar yet, but now I need to after watching this James Cameron talk on TED. He discusses leadership, a subject I have been very interested in studying after my experiences as an underground miner and a deployed Soldier. What is leadership? What is success? What makes life worthwhile? These are questions that most human beings wrestle with, but few answer in any meaningful, life-altering way. James Cameron explains how his curiosity as a child has led him to newer, riskier, and more meaninful things on each project. He has been striving to "close the loop" on the imagination and creativity of science fiction with the majesty and awe-inspiring reality of nature and the technology and scientific leaps in human space exploration. In short (as Pirsig was trying to do in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) he is narrowing in on truth, in all its forms; science, art, spirit.
Cameron then diverts into a discussion of leadership. "I didn't learn leadership from making movies, I learned leadership by leading these expeditions. Leadership is developed in doing a difficult, dangerous job well; in doing a job that cannot be explained in mere words, but must be experienced; and in doing a job that unites a team into a family forged from shared risks, and shared reward." (Summarized by me.) He is exactly right. Manager's are not necessarily leaders. Leaders make things happen by their very presence, and their experience, their expectations, their force of will, and most importantly (and Cameron mentions this) on their respect and admiration for the members of their team. In short, character matters. It can't be faked, and it can't be developed overnight. It is developed over a life-time of choices and decisions. Its a rare man who develops himself into a real leader, and the organization that has a true leader is blessed. It sounds like James Cameron has been developing himself into that kind of leader. Success isn't guarranteed, and it is also not an accident. Any successful person, business, or organization had good leaders that make things happen. When they leave, or lose heart, those organizations die.
He ends with advice for young filmakers; don't put limits on yourself, the world does to you plenty. Don't be afraid of failure, because any great achievment will have risk, and requires a leap of faith. Failure is an option, but fear of failure is not. That's exactly right. Its ironic that a Hollywood film maker realizes those truths at the exact time that the government is trying to remove all risk from our lives. Success and risk are co-dependent. Take away risk, and success is not possible. Try to make life safe, and exceptional lives will never be lived. Tragedy may be avoided in terms of bodily injury, early death, or bruised ego's and damaged reputations...but that in itself is a travesty, a life that is lived in safety is not lived to its full potential. On a purely political note, those running the government of the US are making war on the people of this great nation. They are putting limits on the ability to fail and to succeed. They are taking the wind out of the sails that has propelled this nation from beggar colonies into a sole world super-power. Its the ability to fail and succeed, the ability to gain and keep the material rewards of success, and the ability to choose one's own destiny that is being attacked, and that is a tragedy.
Great talk, great lessons learned, good leader, good example. Thanks Mr. Cameron!
(p.s. His ex-wife did a fantastic job with The Hurt Locker, which was a great movie as well. I think he deserves a little credit for that, since he was an influence in her life, at least for a few years. /dwb.)
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