Leadership is a crucial aspect of any project, and in the field of animation, it is no different. However, many people believe that leadership is a gift that only a select few possess. But, in my opinion, leadership is something that can be developed and nurtured over time through hard work and dedication. While some may be more naturally inclined to lead, anyone can develop the skills and qualities needed to be a successful leader.
Being a leader in animation is a great challenge and responsibility. There are many different goals that need to be met, such as speed and quality, and the relationships between leaders and their subordinates, as well as between leaders and the technologies, sectors, and customers they work with. These relationships can be complex and challenging, and it takes a lot of skill and effort to manage them effectively.
It’s important to note that there is no such thing as perfect leadership or bad leadership. The goal is to strive for balanced leadership, where everyone involved in the project is able to maintain their mental health and well-being, and this is reflected in the final quality of the project. In animation, this balanced leadership comes from a positive and evolutionary view of everyone involved in the project. Animation is a collective and collaborative activity, and as such, the leadership required in this field is different from other more traditional areas.
Animation is a field that requires a lot of creativity, and as a leader, it’s important to foster a culture of creativity and innovation. This means encouraging your team to think outside of the box and to take risks. It’s also important to be open to feedback and to be willing to adapt your leadership style to the needs of your team.
Another important aspect of leadership in animation is communication. As a leader, it’s important to clearly communicate your vision and goals to your team, and to make sure that everyone is on the same page. This means being open and transparent in your communication and being willing to listen to the concerns and ideas of your team members.
I bring here 8 tips that can make leadership in animation more sustainable and balanced:
1. Empathy:
Look at each other with understanding and care. Empathy doesn’t mean trying to be nice to everyone all the time. I believe that being empathetic is something that can be practiced to be increasingly developed internally. Having a speech with transparency, truth and affection, and especially an extremely active listening, in which you listen more than you speak, putting yourself in the shoes of those in the relationship, understanding that when that relationship is clearly friendly, it brings comfort to everyone and peace is being empathetic. In animation this becomes stronger as we are talking about artists, people with a lot of sensitivity and a very unique look at life. Being empathetic in animation makes the project more willing to take part and give your best.
2. Flexibility
Adapting to the director’s point of view but also, and in my opinion, mainly, adapting to the animator’s point of view for the development of the scene and knowing how to accept the point of view of the animator in the scene is to be positively flexible. This is a very important factor for good leadership to bring about a differentiated rapport and an appreciation of trust in the leader-led relationship. This flexibility has a lot to do with not being carried away by personal tastes, not being personal when supervising a scene or distributing a block of scenes and not passing on the creativity of the team being led. It is very important to let the creative freedom flow in the initial stages of the production of a scene by the animator, he is the closest original to the scene, he has the energy of the scene more outcropped, so the leader must give confidence and this confidence is related much with creative freedom and flexibility.
3. Collective commitment
Commitment to the team means being available to the supervised team whenever possible. It does not mean overloading and not having any time for yourself or other tasks, but being willing to give yourself to the team confidently in individual and collective work. It means being truthfully open to the team in good times, but also sharing the challenges with truth and a collaborative spirit, knowing that everyone in that team is a great professional ready to understand challenges. In addition, it is important within this commitment to always be attentive to the needs of each individual on the team, getting to know each member as best as possible and recognizing each one of them as unique beings.
4. Types of leadership and social tools:
The best possible understanding of types of leadership and social tools that can be used in the implementation of the project is a beautiful attribute to understand actions and decision-making with more awareness. There are several types of positive leadership. I would like to highlight 2 very interesting types that are starting to be used more in the corporate environment, in addition to fitting well into a project that involves artists. They are decentralized leadership and collaborative leadership. The names out there just say their meaning. The decentralization of leadership brings more autonomy and divides responsibility among all those involved. Collaborative leadership, on the other hand, brings collective confidence and self-esteem within the group. Social tools are techniques used to facilitate collective communication, bringing simplicity and clarity. In terms of social tools, I highlight Dragon Dreaming, CNV and the talking stick as positive. I want to make it clear here that these tools are technical. Many professional leaders think they know non-violent communication because they have read about it or are simply friendly with their subordinates. One more personal opinion. These techniques require study and dedication, not just being nice to each other. I highlight these 3 that have depth and grandeur and it would be very difficult to speak synthetically about them. I leave here a suggestion to delve into these 3 tools.
5. Technical-artistic integration:
Good artistic and technical integration with the project that is leading the animation is essential, I would say that all these elements are important, but in fact this factor is the only one that cannot be missing. A synonym for this integration is coherence. That is to say, not to be carried away once again by personal tastes. The leader who integrates well into the project technically and artistically must be very open to adapting to each project without imposing or having any rigidity, in addition to studying the varied artistic nuances a lot and having a good understanding of various animation techniques. This makes it much simpler to embark on a show, adapt to it and it is much easier to explain to your team members about the paths of that project.
6. Decision power:
Deciding is not very easy. The leader who is well confident and technically and artistically prepared is able to make faster and more effective decisions. Decision-making should always be done calmly, without haste and without anxiety. I say that and I am convinced that even if there is a lot of pressure for a decision to be taken, it should not be taken before the leader has a moment to reflect. Now if any decision must be taken immediately, always think at that moment, what is better for the team either productively or artistically! Think of the team first of all. Remember that they are close to you and any attitude or decision that will make them overload is not a positive path at all. Another reminder: exertion is different from overload. Effort is a virtue in my opinion.
7. Power of motivation:
Motivate. Powerful tool that leaves the team always fresh and mentally invigorated. Like everyone else, I am completely confident that anyone can develop this motivational ability. It is very important and must always be present in the heart of the animation leader. As we are talking about artists, motivation comes a lot from the artistic ability of the leader. We are able to motivate an artist in many ways, running courses, workshops, scheduled or even daily feedback sessions, and film screenings, as well as promoting deserving ones to higher positions. Now what I like most about all these forms of motivation is sincere and transparent praise. Many say that I praise too much and this is a technique that is used for the team to work, but I say emphatically that it is mine. I do not force or apply any praise techniques. It is always sincere and transparent. There are many ways and what remains here is a suggestion that the leader should maintain positivity as much as possible as this is the most
efficient factor for leadership to reach their team of artists positively.
8. Develop the spiritual part:
For me, practical spirituality is the most important factor. I will not talk about theoretical spirituality here, but about how to apply it in everyday life. To do this, I will present three fundamental pieces for a good spiritual practice: meditation, introspection, and personal reform. Start by meditating for at least 5 minutes before work or a meeting and notice the difference it makes. Try to listen more than speak and stay quiet in meetings, avoiding unnecessary talking. I say this based on my own experience. Lastly, always be aware of your attitudes and behaviors, striving to be a better person every day.
Ready. It’s all there.
In addition, a good leader in animation should be able to manage the different aspects of a project, such as budget and timelines, while also being able to make difficult decisions when necessary. They should also be able to work well under pressure and to be able to lead by example.
In conclusion, leadership in animation is a great challenge and responsibility. It requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and skill to be able to lead a team effectively. While some may be more naturally inclined to lead, anyone can develop the skills and qualities needed to be a successful leader in animation. The goal is to strive for balanced leadership, where everyone involved in the project is able to maintain their mental health and well-being, and this is reflected in the final quality of the project.
As a leader in animation projects, I have had the opportunity to supervise and direct animation teams and complete projects. Although I have made many mistakes and faced many challenges, I also had a lot of willingness to learn and grow as a leader. As with any activity, the more we practice, the more we improve and I can say that I still have a lot to learn, but with each project I led, I became a better leader, more empathetic, more flexible, more collectively committed, more motivated and more experienced. Leadership is an opportunity that God has given us to test our ego. I would like to thank all those who I have led, as they were essential for my evolutionary journey. As a leader, it is important to always be open to criticism and opinions of others, as this allows us to learn and grow.
In summary, leadership is a constant journey of learning and growth. As a leader, it is important to always be open to criticism and opinions of others, be flexible, empathetic, collectively committed, motivated and experienced. I would like to thank all those who I have led, as they were essential for my evolutionary journey and I hope to continue learning and growing as a leader.
Add a Comment