Leading Like a Director: Theater Skills for Leadership

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!

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Speaking Engagement Intro
• 0:56 The Power of Your Daily Script
• 3:35 Theater Background and Leadership Parallels
• 7:20 Setting the Stage as a Leader
• 9:19 Developing Your Team Like a Director
• 10:34 Experience the Experience Approach
• 12:31 Everyone Has a Story
• 13:00 Writing Your Leadership Script

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hi friend, welcome to Holly's Highlights, a podcast designed to encourage, inspire and equip you to intentionally live your life full of purpose. I'm your host, holly Kirby, motivational speaker, leadership cultivator, marketing strategist and personal cheerleader. Let's check out today's highlights. Ready to inspire, motivate and spark real change, I'm now booking speaking engagements for leadership teams, women's groups, schools and nonprofits. From empowering leaders to inspiring women in business and ministry, or igniting passion in students and volunteers, I bring engaging talks that make a lasting impact. Let's make your next event unforgettable. Reach out today to book an experience that will leave your audience motivated and ready for action. Contact me through wwwhollykirbycom. That's H-O-L-L-Y-C-U-R-B-Ycom. Hi friends, today we're going to talk about something really powerful the script you tell every day. Now you might not realize it, but every day when you wake up, you get to tell a story and as a leader, whether at work, at home or in your community, you're the one communicating that script to those you influence. That could be your coworkers, your kids, volunteers that you work with in church settings or school settings or out in the community, even your neighbors. So let's dive in and explore how you can take that script and turn it into something that motivates, empowers and even inspires.

Speaker 1: 1:32

Now, I've always had a love for theater, something that's been a part of me for as long as I can remember. My dad used to take us on daddy-daughter date nights where we would go to the ballet and different theater performances. My first experience directing a play, and even being in a play, was in elementary school. In middle school I won a short story competition here in our district and by high school I was landing lead roles and theater productions. In college I went on to take professional acting lessons and then I taught theater at a private school, even putting on a musical, hello Dolly. And then, of course, for 10 years I had the pleasure of directing in the West Valley community, where we did dinner theaters and skits and all these plays I would write as well. Now, for a time I planned on majoring in theater and becoming a high school theater teacher. Of course, plans shifted but needless to say, I love theater. But what's fascinating about that to me is how much theater has influenced my approach to leadership. I realized that leading others is much like directing a play the way I set the stage, communicate the vision and support the actors on their journey. It all ties back to leadership.

Speaker 1: 2:39

As an actress, I got to step into different roles and play different parts. I was always challenged. Sometimes I didn't get the role I wanted, but it taught me how to step up and contribute to something larger than myself. The goal wasn't just to perform, but to be a part of something special, something that made the audience feel something as a result of the performance as a leader that resonates. You step into different roles depending on the situation, whether that's mentor, coach, teammate or parent, and sometimes we step into roles we didn't even want, such as those who are divorced, a widow or widower, those who have experienced a job loss. Sometimes you need to step back, sometimes you need to step forward, but you're always contributing to the bigger picture. As Tom Peters said, great leaders don't create followers. They create more leaders. It's about helping others perform at their best, just like an actress on stage.

Speaker 1: 3:35

Now, when I moved into directing, things shifted. I became responsible for the vision, the plot we were all working toward, and I had to guide the cast and help them develop their roles and make sure every piece fit together to create a memorable performance, from ticket design and promotional pieces to the scenery, backdrop and even table decor at dinner theaters as we aim to transport our audience into a different time when they entered there. Does this sound familiar? As a leader, you too are responsible for the vision. You set the stage. Perhaps at work that's the appearance of things as you park your car. Upon arrival, is the parking lot clean? And as you enter, is there a directional signage clear as to what guests or even employees should do next or where they should go? I visit somewhere frequently that well, they could really benefit from this. Guests there walk in, and I got to tell you it. They could really benefit from this. Guests there walk in and I got to tell you. It's almost like people overload, standing around everywhere. It's not clear where to go, what's offered, and, honestly, I could see why many people would be tempted to just turn right back around and walk back out. So set the stage. You want your guests, your employees, your volunteers, even your family, your children, to experience. How do you want them to feel? How do you want them to connect? Abraham Lincoln said the best way to predict the future is to create it. So create that stage for the curtain call you're wanting.

Speaker 1: 4:58

As a leader, you work on improving each scene too. I also think of a church I visited once, where I walked in and felt so welcomed. It was made clear to me where to go and what to do, what my options were. So how can you improve your scenes in your job? Are your guests greeted when they enter? Do your employees make eye contact and share welcoming smiles as they encounter that guest? Is the process of working with your business smooth and prepared for the guest when they leave, so that they feel a sense of belonging, loyalty to your brand, even an excitement to return again? There's a place that I frequent, often for business, where they have a stellar employee who's truly exceptional at doing this, to the point. I've even asked the owner if that gal could be my main point of contact. She just delivers every time.

Speaker 1: 5:43

So help set your scenes, help improve your scenes. Make sure that this is not only for guests but also for your employees, from the time of interviewing and hiring, onboarding, going to orientation and then training for their job. 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, what does the transition look like from the time that they arrive at work and are greeted or not go into working on whatever projects they have and then maybe go to lunch or even clock out for the day. What are the different transitions, the different scenes that you can help improve for both your guests and your team?

Speaker 1: 6:21

Also, as a leader, you provide the props that help everyone do their best work. Is the equipment working properly for people to get their work done? Is everything stocked so guests can order? What they are wanting Is the appearance of everything being stocked? Look good to where you look like you are clean. Appearance of everything being stocked. Look good to where you look like you are clean, high quality, even professional and entrusted business to do business with. Do your children have the supplies they need to excel? The right size of cleats for that soccer tryout a backpack that fits all their added stuff now that they're in high school? You name it. But make sure that you're providing the props that the team and your guests need. You also help develop your team, ensuring their strengths are being used and providing clarity behind the why of what you're doing. You empower them to grow in their roles by having some of those difficult conversations and providing constructive feedback. Now, a hard piece of truth I've had to embrace is that feedback is a gift, so don't be afraid to have those hard conversations with others.

Speaker 1: 7:21

As a director, I learned holding cast members accountable the hard way. I didn't have the hard conversation and three days prior to opening night, the lead bailed Guess, who had to quickly learn all the parts and fill in Yep me. But leadership is not about avoiding the mistakes. It's about learning from them. And, as a director, if something goes wrong, it's not just about assigning blame, but learning and improving together. After all, as the saying goes, leadership is not about being the best. It's about making everyone else better, and even through failures we can fail forward.

Speaker 1: 7:55

In doing that, being an actress also taught me resilience and adaptability. Not everything goes as planned. I remember a time during a production of Oklahoma when I got really sick just hours before our final night. It was a challenge, but I had to push through and adapt, all while trying to inspire my team to stay motivated. No matter the circumstance, as a leader, you're going to face challenges and sometimes things won't go as planned. The key is how you respond. You have to be flexible and show resilience in those tough moments. Just like in a play, your team needs to see your attitude, your tone and your actions, to understand how to goes the way and shows the way. And, just like an actress or a director, you need to inspire your team to take action, to create something that resonates, whether it's a performance on stage or a project at work.

Speaker 1: 8:54

One thing that really helped me throughout the years is something I call experience, the experience. I made it a point to attend as many plays as I could, going to professional theater, local community theater, even high school theater performances. Why? Because I wanted to experience the experience. I wanted to see what worked, what didn't, and how I could make our next show even better. As an actress or a director, as a leader, I encourage you to do the same Experience the experience. Attend those events that you're sending your team to Observe the encounters of your guest with your team. How do people feel? What works in their communication? What can you improve to set the stage for the better outcomes, whether that is at work, at home or in your community?

Speaker 1: 9:43

I often will walk through our own home and try to get a sense and a feeling for just setting the stage, how everything is laid out. Is everything ready for the kids when they get home? Do I have snacks prepared. Is there an area where they can call their own to be able to do homework or even retrieve, just for a little bit of quiet, peacefulness? What are they experiencing when they 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 our drive-through. Try to experience what a guest would experience, from the order taking to receiving the food, to even the quality of it.

Speaker 1: 10:21

Warren Bennett said leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. Experience the experience so you can create the reality of what you're wanting your guests, your team, your employees, your family to experience. Something I've learned is that everyone has a story that you don't know anything about. Your employees have a story when they arrive at work. Your kids have a story when they come home from school. Your volunteers have a story when they arrive at work. Your kids have a story when they come home from school. Your volunteers have a story as they give their time. As a leader, it's not just about 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 available and make sure you're communicating with them in a way that makes it feel seen and heard, valued and appreciated.

Speaker 1: 11:12

Simon Sinek said leadership is not about being in charge. It's about taking care of those in your charge. Remember this we have the opportunity every day to be the reason someone smiles. Whether it's through encouragement, recognition or just lending an ear, you have the power to make someone's day brighter. How will you intentionally show up today? What script will you deliver? Perhaps as a result of just this intentional time together. As a leader, you get to write that script every single day. It's your tone, it's your attitude, it's your example that sets the stage for everything that happens. Will you create an environment where your team feels empowered, where they know their roles and can contribute to something greater? Will you lead with empathy and inspire action?

Speaker 1: 12:00

As Professor Lauren L Lee says, your life is your message to the world. Make it inspiring. After all, you're not just telling a story, you're actually influencing a story. I hope today's conversation has inspired you to think about the script you're telling. As a leader, every action, every word, every decision you make shapes the story you're writing. So take the time to experience the experience. Embrace the challenges. Make a meaningful difference in someone's life today. Lead like a director, crafting each scene with a vision and passion, guiding your team with purpose and always, always, always, writing your script with a genuine heart. When you do, you'll create a story that doesn't just make an impact, but it leaves a legacy.

Speaker 1: 12:48

The script you tell every day has the power to inspire, empower and elevate those around you. 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 on this journey of life. I hope that today's highlight has been encouraging, inspiring and equipping so you can go out and live your life full of purpose. I'd be honored if you'd take a moment to leave a review or, better yet, subscribe. We can also stay in touch by joining my email list at hollykirbycom, that's H-O-L-L-Y-C-U-R-B-Y dot com. Until next time. Make it a great day for a great day.