Leading Like a Director: Theater Skills for Leadership

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What script are you telling as a leader? Drawing from years of theater experience—from acting to directing community productions—Holly Curby reveals how leadership resembles directing a play in this illuminating episode. Just as directors set the stage, communicate vision, and develop their cast, great leaders create environments where team members understand their roles and feel empowered to excel.

Discover how to "set the stage" properly in your leadership context. Are new team members greeted warmly? Is your physical space welcoming and intuitive? Do family members have what they need when they arrive home? These seemingly small details create powerful first impressions that either invite engagement or prompt retreat. As Holly explains through vivid examples from both business and family settings, intentional stage-setting allows you to craft the experiences you want others to have.

Beyond creating environments, leadership requires providing the right "props"—tools and resources that enable success—and developing your team through clarity, empowerment, and courageous conversations. Through personal stories (including a lead actor abandoning a production three days before opening!), Holly demonstrates that leadership isn't about avoiding mistakes but learning from them. Perhaps most powerfully, she introduces her concept of "experiencing the experience"—intentionally observing how others interact with your systems to continuously improve them. Remember: every person in your sphere has a story you don't know, and your leadership script has the power to enhance that story. Subscribe now and learn how to craft a leadership narrative worth following!

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Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi friend, welcome to Holly's Highlights, a podcast
designed to encourage, inspireand equip you to intentionally
live your life full of purpose.
I'm your host, holly Kirby,motivational speaker, leadership
cultivator, marketingstrategist and personal
cheerleader.
Let's check out today'shighlights.
Ready to inspire, motivate andspark real change, I'm now

(00:25):
booking speaking engagements forleadership teams, women's
groups, schools and nonprofits.
From empowering leaders toinspiring women in business and
ministry, or igniting passion instudents and volunteers, I
bring engaging talks that make alasting impact.
Let's make your next eventunforgettable.
Reach out today to book anexperience that will leave your

(00:54):
audience motivated and ready foraction.
Contact me throughwwwhollykirbycom.
That's H-O-L-L-Y-C-U-R-B-Ycom.
Hi friends, today we're goingto talk about something really
powerful the script you tellevery day.
Now you might not realize it,but every day when you wake up,
you get to tell a story and as aleader, whether at work, at
home or in your community,you're the one communicating
that script to those youinfluence.
That could be your coworkers,your kids, volunteers that you

(01:17):
work with in church settings orschool settings or out in the
community, even your neighbors.
So let's dive in and explorehow you can take that script and
turn it into something thatmotivates, empowers and even
inspires.
Now, I've always had a love fortheater, something that's been a
part of me for as long as I canremember.
My dad used to take us ondaddy-daughter date nights where

(01:39):
we would go to the ballet anddifferent theater performances.
My first experience directing aplay, and even being in a play,
was in elementary school.
In middle school I won a shortstory competition here in our
district and by high school Iwas landing lead roles and
theater productions.
In college I went on to takeprofessional acting lessons and
then I taught theater at aprivate school, even putting on

(02:01):
a musical, hello Dolly.
And then, of course, for 10years I had the pleasure of
directing in the West Valleycommunity, where we did dinner
theaters and skits and all theseplays I would write as well.
Now, for a time I planned onmajoring in theater and becoming
a high school theater teacher.
Of course, plans shifted butneedless to say, I love theater.

(02:22):
But what's fascinating aboutthat to me is how much theater
has influenced my approach toleadership.
I realized that leading othersis much like directing a play
the way I set the stage,communicate the vision and
support the actors on theirjourney.
It all ties back to leadership.
As an actress, I got to stepinto different roles and play
different parts.

(02:42):
I was always challenged.
Sometimes I didn't get the roleI wanted, but it taught me how
to step up and contribute tosomething larger than myself.
The goal wasn't just to perform, but to be a part of something
special, something that made theaudience feel something as a
result of the performance as aleader that resonates.
You step into different rolesdepending on the situation,

(03:04):
whether that's mentor, coach,teammate or parent, and
sometimes we step into roles wedidn't even want, such as those
who are divorced, a widow orwidower, those who have
experienced a job loss.
Sometimes you need to step back, sometimes you need to step
forward, but you're alwayscontributing to the bigger
picture.
As Tom Peters said, greatleaders don't create followers.

(03:26):
They create more leaders.
It's about helping othersperform at their best, just like
an actress on stage.
Now, when I moved into directing, things shifted.
I became responsible for thevision, the plot we were all
working toward, and I had toguide the cast and help them
develop their roles and makesure every piece fit together to

(03:47):
create a memorable performance,from ticket design and
promotional pieces to thescenery, backdrop and even table
decor at dinner theaters as weaim to transport our audience
into a different time when theyentered there.
Does this sound familiar?
As a leader, you too areresponsible for the vision.
You set the stage.
Perhaps at work that's theappearance of things as you park

(04:11):
your car.
Upon arrival, is the parkinglot clean?
And as you enter, is there adirectional signage clear as to
what guests or even employeesshould do next or where they
should go?
I visit somewhere frequentlythat well, they could really
benefit from this.
Guests there walk in, and I gotto tell you it.
They could really benefit fromthis.
Guests there walk in and I gotto tell you.
It's almost like peopleoverload, standing around
everywhere.
It's not clear where to go,what's offered, and, honestly, I

(04:33):
could see why many people wouldbe tempted to just turn right
back around and walk back out.
So set the stage.
You want your guests, youremployees, your volunteers, even
your family, your children, toexperience.
How do you want them to feel?
How do you want them to connect?
Abraham Lincoln said the bestway to predict the future is to
create it.

(04:53):
So create that stage for thecurtain call you're wanting.
As a leader, you work onimproving each scene too.
I also think of a church Ivisited once, where I walked in
and felt so welcomed.
It was made clear to me whereto go and what to do, what my
options were.
So how can you improve yourscenes in your job?
Are your guests greeted whenthey enter?

(05:15):
Do your employees make eyecontact and share welcoming
smiles as they encounter thatguest?
Is the process of working withyour business smooth and
prepared for the guest when theyleave, so that they feel a
sense of belonging, loyalty toyour brand, even an excitement
to return again?
There's a place that I frequent, often for business, where they
have a stellar employee who'struly exceptional at doing this,

(05:36):
to the point.
I've even asked the owner ifthat gal could be my main point
of contact.
She just delivers every time.
So help set your scenes, helpimprove your scenes.
Make sure that this is not onlyfor guests but also for your
employees, from the time ofinterviewing and hiring,
onboarding, going to orientationand then training for their job

(05:58):
.
What does that look like?
Or even on a day for their job,what does that look like?
Or even on a day to day, whatdoes the transition look like
from the time that they arriveat work and are greeted or not
go into working on whateverprojects they have and then
maybe go to lunch or even clockout for the day.
What are the differenttransitions, the different
scenes that you can help improvefor both your guests and your

(06:20):
team?
Also, as a leader, you providethe props that help everyone do
their best work.
Is the equipment workingproperly for people to get their
work done?
Is everything stocked so guestscan order?
What they are wanting Is theappearance of everything being
stocked?
Look good to where you looklike you are clean.
Appearance of everything beingstocked.

(06:40):
Look good to where you looklike you are clean, high quality
, even professional andentrusted business to do
business with.
Do your children have thesupplies they need to excel?
The right size of cleats forthat soccer tryout a backpack
that fits all their added stuffnow that they're in high school?
You name it.
But make sure that you'reproviding the props that the
team and your guests need.
You also help develop your team, ensuring their strengths are

(07:03):
being used and providing claritybehind the why of what you're
doing.
You empower them to grow intheir roles by having some of
those difficult conversationsand providing constructive
feedback.
Now, a hard piece of truth I'vehad to embrace is that feedback
is a gift, so don't be afraidto have those hard conversations
with others.
As a director, I learned holdingcast members accountable the

(07:23):
hard way.
I didn't have the hardconversation and three days
prior to opening night, the leadbailed Guess, who had to
quickly learn all the parts andfill in Yep me.
But leadership is not aboutavoiding the mistakes.
It's about learning from them.
And, as a director, ifsomething goes wrong, it's not
just about assigning blame, butlearning and improving together.

(07:45):
After all, as the saying goes,leadership is not about being
the best.
It's about making everyone elsebetter, and even through
failures we can fail forward.
In doing that, being an actressalso taught me resilience and
adaptability.
Not everything goes as planned.
I remember a time during aproduction of Oklahoma when I
got really sick just hoursbefore our final night.

(08:08):
It was a challenge, but I hadto push through and adapt, all
while trying to inspire my teamto stay motivated.
No matter the circumstance, asa leader, you're going to face
challenges and sometimes thingswon't go as planned.
The key is how you respond.
You have to be flexible andshow resilience in those tough
moments.
Just like in a play, your teamneeds to see your attitude, your

(08:32):
tone and your actions, tounderstand how to goes the way
and shows the way.
And, just like an actress or adirector, you need to inspire
your team to take action, tocreate something that resonates,
whether it's a performance onstage or a project at work.

(08:54):
One thing that really helped methroughout the years is
something I call experience, theexperience.
I made it a point to attend asmany plays as I could, going to
professional theater, localcommunity theater, even high
school theater performances.
Why?
Because I wanted to experiencethe experience.
I wanted to see what worked,what didn't, and how I could

(09:16):
make our next show even better.
As an actress or a director, asa leader, I encourage you to do
the same Experience theexperience.
Attend those events that you'resending your team to Observe
the encounters of your guestwith your team.
How do people feel?
What works in theircommunication?

(09:36):
What can you improve to set thestage for the better outcomes,
whether that is at work, at homeor in your community?
I often will walk through ourown home and try to get a sense
and a feeling for just settingthe stage, how everything is
laid out.
Is everything ready for thekids when they get home?
Do I have snacks prepared.
Is there an area where they cancall their own to be able to do

(09:58):
homework or even retrieve, justfor a little bit of quiet,
peacefulness?
What are they experiencing whenthey wake up in the morning,
when they come home from school,when they go to bed at night?
Same thing with my business.
I'll go through ourdrive-through.
Try to experience what a guestwould experience, from the order
taking to receiving the food,to even the quality of it.

(10:21):
Warren Bennett said leadershipis the capacity to translate
vision into reality.
Experience the experience soyou can create the reality of
what you're wanting your guests,your team, your employees, your
family to experience.
Something I've learned is thateveryone has a story that you
don't know anything about.
Your employees have a storywhen they arrive at work.

(10:42):
Your kids have a story whenthey come home from school.
Your volunteers have a storywhen they arrive at work.
Your kids have a story whenthey come home from school.
Your volunteers have a story asthey give their time.
As a leader, it's not justabout understanding their story,
but enhancing their story.
Help them grow in their role,empower them and provide the
tools they need to succeed.
Listen to them, be availableand make sure you're

(11:04):
communicating with them in a waythat makes it feel seen and
heard, valued and appreciated.
Simon Sinek said leadership isnot about being in charge.
It's about taking care of thosein your charge.
Remember this we have theopportunity every day to be the
reason someone smiles.

(11:25):
Whether it's throughencouragement, recognition or
just lending an ear, you havethe power to make someone's day
brighter.
How will you intentionally showup today?
What script will you deliver?
Perhaps as a result of justthis intentional time together.
As a leader, you get to writethat script every single day.
It's your tone, it's yourattitude, it's your example that

(11:47):
sets the stage for everythingthat happens.
Will you create an environmentwhere your team feels empowered,
where they know their roles andcan contribute to something
greater?
Will you lead with empathy andinspire action?
As Professor Lauren L Lee says,your life is your message to the
world.
Make it inspiring.
After all, you're not justtelling a story, you're actually

(12:10):
influencing a story.
I hope today's conversation hasinspired you to think about the
script you're telling.
As a leader, every action,every word, every decision you
make shapes the story you'rewriting.
So take the time to experiencethe experience.
Embrace the challenges.
Make a meaningful difference insomeone's life today.

(12:30):
Lead like a director, craftingeach scene with a vision and
passion, guiding your team withpurpose and always, always,
always, writing your script witha genuine heart.
When you do, you'll create astory that doesn't just make an
impact, but it leaves a legacy.
The script you tell every dayhas the power to inspire,

(12:52):
empower and elevate those aroundyou.
So make it one worth living.
Until next time, my friends,may you intentionally live your
life full of purpose.
Thank you for joining me onthis journey of life.
I hope that today's highlighthas been encouraging, inspiring
and equipping so you can go outand live your life full of

(13:15):
purpose.
I'd be honored if you'd take amoment to leave a review or,
better yet, subscribe.
We can also stay in touch byjoining my email list at
hollykirbycom, that'sH-O-L-L-Y-C-U-R-B-Y dot com.
Until next time.
Make it a great day for a greatday.