| MANAGEMENT CREDO: I've seen too many businesses, and teams within them, run wrong over the years. Getting team management right is important to me, because work ought to complement a healthy life, not be a challenge to it. Running a business is full of difficulties. It can be hard to innovate, and hard to deliver a complex product in a highly competitive environment, as in the visual effects business. All too often, business is hard because of 'people issues' - poor communication being the chief obstacle in the category. There are antidotes to these problems: Grow teams where the best ideas are free to be expressed and adopted. Don't shy away from difficult conversations. Be an advocate for those you supervise. In the absence of understanding, people tend to assume the worst - especially with regard to motive - so communicate often and effectively. Loyalty springs in part from a high standard of fair treatment of staff. Creativity simply will not thrive where people are over-worked or mistreated. The best managers have first-hand experience in the tasks and environments that they oversee. ... Personally, what drives me is finding ways to do what I love. I'm interested in working beside people with fine minds, who enjoy what they do. |