JJ Abrams (Director) re-launched Paramount’s Star Trek franchise in 2009 resulting in the highest grossing film in the series. How did he do that and what can entrepreneurs learn from his example?
Here are ten things entrepreneurs can learn from him:
1. One controlling mind is needed. (If you have a partnership, make sure you agree, in advance, that one of you will have the final call on big decisions.)
2. Leadership counts. (JJ understands both big action scenes and small intimate moments, rare in film Directors. Demonstrated competence is key.)
3. Inspiration is important—high EQ counts at least as much as high IQ. (Can’t get along with colleagues, suppliers, peers, sub-ordinates, clients, direct reports, superiors, investors? You won’t get far in life. Abrams insisted on shooting the film using widescreen anamorphic lenses and hellated lighting—despite pressure to use digital cameras. Anamorphic lenses gave the film imperfections and a grittiness you cannot get from digital cameras. He persuaded the studio to back him on this and many other controversial steps he took to rescue the franchise.)
4. Keeping your cool under pressure matters. (Mastery of the Seven Deadly Sins (see: http://www.eqjournalblog.com/?p=32) including anger is important. If you can’t master yourself, you won’t others. Despite the pressures of a big budget film, a large cast and a huge audience of potential critics, Abrams kept his cool throughout production, another rarity amongst Directors.)
5. Putting round pegs in round holes… getting the most out of your team is paramount (so to speak). (Don’t ask your team members to go to Mars without providing them with a rocket ship. Abrams wanted to add more life to the film using light flares. These were produced using a simple device—manually shining flashlights into the lens at key intervals. Get in the trenches with your team and make it happen.)
6. Innovation is vital—magic is regularly pulled from a hat. (JJ used an old technique—he shot the space jump and the Kirk/Sulu fall from the Romulan platform with the actors standing on mirrors on a sunny day. The result—a realistic sense of the actors falling head first from the sky: cheap and effective. This is an important skill for successful entrepreneurs who are regularly called on to innovate in the face of ‘certain’ death of their enterprise.)
7. Doing things in the real world gives authenticity which people crave today. (Whenever possible, JJ shot the film on location instead of on a sound stage—initially thought to be 20/80, the released version of the film was shot 40% on location. This opened up the film and gave it an expansive, realistic feeling. He also used sets and puppets whenever possible instead of green screen. Zappos.com never requires their call centre staff to use scripts or hurry a customer off a call because of time constraints. Clients know, understand and appreciate the fact that they are talking to a real person who has real authority to deal with any issues that come up during or after a transaction. For a deeper sense of what the search for authenticity means in today’s world, read ‘Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work’ by Matthew B. Crawford whose journey from motorcycle mechanic to PhD to head of a high profile Think Tank and then back to motorcycle mechanic provides an interesting perspective on this.)
8. Youth and energy count for a lot. (JJ’s joy in the doing of the thing was contagious.)
9. Pursuit of excellence is widely recognized. (There is a market for things done very well. Design matters. Insanely great design matters even more.)
10. Human spirit and life force shine through. (Abrams shook the camera manually to give scenes a sense of random motion and extra drama. The strange frequency of his shaking came from inside him and produced an effect that could not be replicated by computer. People like to deal with empathetic people.)
Prof Bruce