The old adage “the journey is the reward” has been around for thousands of years and has been known by many names. The Tao Te Ching refers to it as the way, while in ancient Greece the Oracle at Delphi spoke of “living life in the present moment” when she prophesied about her own death. In business terms, it’s known as process versus product: we all need processes because they help us achieve our goals, but we also need products because they keep us occupied. It particularly applies to for-profit, commercial theatrical productions where we as Stage Managers are often challenged with supporting the creative process while also keeping things on time and within budget.
Product, Process, Purpose
A common question in the world of leadership is whether you should focus on process or product. The problem with this question is that it’s asking the wrong thing. It’s a false dichotomy because there isn’t an either/or situation here: Process and product go together to create something greater than they could ever be on their own.
The product is what we make, and ultimately sell, which has its own set of requirements and specifications based on our audience–and as such requires its own unique set of specifications that are often different from those required by other products made by other companies or individuals who follow similar processes as yours does but produce different products than theatre does. What we do is the easiest part for we Stage Managers. It’s loaded with our technical skills like making to-do lists, completing tasks, scheduling rehearsals and fittings, writing and sending emails, creating tracking documents, and attending meetings. It’s the first layer of what makes up what we do. It’s easy to get stuck and focused on the details of what we do. I challenge you to look beyond and dig deeper.
The process is how we do something and defines our methods for getting things done–the steps we take, how we get from point A to point B, etc. It can be the way we approach problem-solving, communication tactics, and nuanced technical skills we’ve honed by trial-and-error, like calling a show, and what I refer to as adaptive skills, which are skills that require a non-tangible component. For example, I recently wrote an article about how to prepare for a hard conversation and I discuss how to dissect the facts, feelings, and identity from difficult conversations so that we can understand the heart of the issue present in conflicts. It is the second layer of what we do and makes up how we do something.
So, if the product (the end-product of a finished theatrical piece being shown to a live audience) is what we do, and the process (our methods for getting things done and how we approach solving problems as they arise) is how we do what we do, then, what is our “why?”
The purpose is our why and it is unique to us. It is informed by the values that guide us, our experiential background, childhood upbringing, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, race, and geography. Once we investigate why we make theatre, why we are leaders, and why we continue to show up, it helps us to define our personal mission. I find that the more you can communicate with a why behind it, the more likely people you are leading are more on-board with what you’re asking of them, and it invites them to join in the why.
Have you taken the time to reflect on your why? What drives you to be the leader you are? I encourage everyone to discover or dust off what you identify with as your core values. It’s our sense of morality and connection with the outside world, especially how we relate to it. Our experiential background and unconscious biases can inform how we lead. Look at them and work to understand them so you can be aware of the impact you might have. Our why is the third inner layer of what we do, and it steers us, whether we realize it or not. If we are aware of our why, we can be not only more effective leaders but inspirational leaders.
It’s easy to focus on what we do and all the tasks we need to accomplish to make a successful production come to life; how we accomplish our tasks and how we deal with problems as they arise; but when we start with our why and lead from our values and allow space for the unknown, we can lead with impact and inspiration. What’s your why?