One of the more common questions I am asked as a production manager, is how do I decide what department or element of production gets priority over another. Or, who trumps who when people can’t agree. This is often viewed as a political question, as if the answer boils down to authority or a matter of who you can and can’t say no to.
As soon as this political mindset is adopted, there is no win to be had. Why? Because you have already decided that there must be a winner and a loser, and now the only question left is to determine who is going to lose. Playing a political game will never result in the best decision. Instead, it will lead to circular discussion, time wasting, and ultimately division.
Instead, I take all politics and personalities out of the decision making process and assess each decision as an equation by implementing this simple management principal. It is probably one of the most effective and universal tools I utilize as a manager.
The first thing I set out to identify is what I call “fixed” quantity and “variables”. Let’s look at a great example (while the events of this story never actually took place, it is easily my favourite example of this principle):
This is the transcript of a radio conversation of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.
Americans: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a Collision.
Canadians: Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.
Canadians: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.
Americans: This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, the second largest ship in the United States' Atlantic fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers and numerous support vessels. I demand that YOU change your course 15 degrees north, that's one five degrees north, or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship.
Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
While the US Captain thought of himself as being the fixed quantity in this equation, and the immovable object, the bigger picture context revealed him to be the variable in the equation. As the manager, it is your job to play the impartial third party and identify what is actually fixed and what is, in fact, a variable.
Here is a real-life example that I personally come across time and time again. Visualise this: a panel discussion to be broadcast for TV. Cue cameras vs lighting vs set placement vs talent - a very common “who trumps who?” debate.
“I want the furniture here”
“There is no light back there”
“Talent wants to face this way”
“But that’s side on to the camera”
“But that’s what they want, so that’s what we need to do”
As you can see, you first need to piece together the full equation before you can produce an answer.
Scenario 1: Live Conference. Panel discussion session. One interviewer, four panellists.
· Venue - Auditorium
· Live Audience - Yes
· Performance Space - Stage
· Camera Broadcast - Yes
In this scenario, we need to place furniture on stage for our panel discussion. Our stage crew, TV crew and lighting designer all need to come to an agreement on the best placement of the furniture. First thing we are going to do is assess what is a known quantity and what is a variable.
· Furniture to be positioned – fixed. It’s gig day, it’s picked. It’s there.
· Stage – fixed. It’s built, it’s not changing.
· Lighting – presumably fixed. If there is no light there, there is no light there.
· Camera positions – possible mix. Let’s say fixed camera positions, with possibly one roaming camera.
· Furniture placement – variable.
Now, when you look at the equation like this, it becomes pretty black and white: turn the lights up, frame your camera shots, then position your furniture on stage so the talent have appropriate eyelines for both looking at the camera and interacting with each other, and spaced so the cameras can pick out individuals or groups if needed. Easy.
Yet how many times have you seen that conversation turn into a giant committee meeting and take forever? Starting to get the picture?
Let’s look at an almost identical scenario, with some slight changes, and see what that does to our equation.
Scenario 2: Pre-record TV show. Panel discussion session. One interviewer, four panellists.
· Venue – Small TV studio
· Live Audience - No
· Performance Space – Pre-built TV set.
· Camera Broadcast - Yes
In this scenario, we still need to produce a similar result, but our equation needs to change. Let’s assess what is fixed and what is a variable.
· Furniture to be positioned – possibly variable. Likely to be options to choose from.
· Stage (set) – fixed. It’s built, it’s not changing.
· Lighting – variable. If we need to tweak it, we have time.
· Camera positions – variable. Put them wherever you like.
· Furniture placement – fixed. Small set, maybe you can angle, but not really room to move.
This time, use your furniture selection to ensure the on screen talent is happy and comfortable with the setup, but the placement doesn’t change. Once the furniture is selected and positioned, move cameras around until they have the shots they need. Does the lighting work for the shot? No? Cool, reset lighting to work for the shot. Dead space in the background of shot? Cool, the shot stays the same, get stage crew to put some eye candy back there.
You can see how this is a very different hierarchy to the first scenario. However, in both instances, there are no winners and losers. There is no politics. There is just a logical path to achieving a goal.
Anyone who works with big personalities and strong-willed people will tell you that not everyone is prepared to see their area of responsibility as being a variable. Often, like the captain, they will enter a meeting or discussion seeing themself as the lighthouse. If such a personality is making it difficult to determine if their element is a fixed quantity or a variable, apply this filter:
Manager – “I understand that your ideal scenario is X, but is it also possible to do Y”?
Note: Make sure Y is very obviously something that is possible, but still a slight compromise to their ideal.
Hopefully, their response will be:
“Yes, Y is possible”
To which you respond “Excellent, let’s try and achieve X for you, understanding that if that cannot happen then we will need to work out an alternative, such as Y, which we are all happy with”.
If, however, their response is “No, it can only be done as X”, then it might be time for some tougher management. Maybe don’t call them out then and there and get them offside but proceed in your equation knowing that that element is, in fact, a variable and you may need to drop the hammer on that once a clear decision is made.
Is everyone going to fall in line with this process every time? Heck no. There will always be people wanting to play the political games or the big personalities thinking they should trump everyone. Bring the different parties into your equation-driven thought process. The professionals will get on board, and if there is any push back, your black and white process will put you in a much better position to enforce your decision without creating division on a personal or political level.
Try it!