Directing Is Leadership: 10 Commitments That Define a Good Director

We didn’t start Be You after a brilliant rehearsal period. We started it after a terrible one.

The director wasn’t untalented. They had skill. But they lacked leadership.

They didn’t model the behaviour they expected. They didn’t share vision. They micromanaged every choice, even outside their expertise. They talked down to people, undermined them, and controlled the process so tightly that no one else could breathe.

The result? A room full of creatives who felt smaller, silenced, and disconnected.

That’s when it clicked for me: directing is leadership. And too often, that part of the job gets ignored.

Later during my Masters study I discovered The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner. Their 10 Commitments of Leadership line up beautifully with what I’ve noticed through my career in rehearsal rooms - both the bad ones and the good ones. Let me take you through them, one by one, with a director’s lens.

1. Find your voice by clarifying your personal values.

A director who doesn’t know what they stand for leads a room into confusion. Your values act as a compass. Without them, you drift. With them, your decisions make sense to others. We’ve all been in a room where a director says one thing on Monday and the opposite on Thursday. The cast stops trusting them. Contrast that with a director who says: “We put story first, always”. Suddenly every decision has a clear anchor.

Clarify your values before you walk into the room. Write them down. Share them. They’ll keep you honest, and they’ll give your team something to believe in.

2. Set the example by aligning actions with shared values.

Leadership is credibility, and credibility is built by walking your talk. If you want commitment, you need to show it first. People mirror their leaders. I’ve worked under directors who demand punctuality but turn up late and unprepared. The cast and crew notice. Morale drops. On the flip side, a director who arrives early, prepared, and respectful creates a standard without ever needing to lecture.

Model the culture you want. The rehearsal room is a mirror, and it will reflect you.

3. Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling activities.

Directing isn’t just logistics (read: blocking). It’s about painting a picture of what could be. A shared goal inspires energy. Without it, rehearsals feel like a slog. I’ve seen casts light up when a director describes the feeling they want an audience to have leaving the theatre. Suddenly, every choice makes sense. Without that vision, people lose motivation.

Practise your vision pitch. Two minutes. No jargon. If you can’t excite your own team, you won’t excite an audience.

4. Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.

A vision hoarded dies. A vision shared multiplies. People commit to what they help create. Directors who shut down input end up carrying the weight alone. I’ve seen directors ask their team: “What excites you about this story?” The responses made the vision richer and gave everyone ownership. I’ve also seen directors refuse collaboration and end up exhausted, resented, and isolated.

Invite your team into the vision. Collaboration doesn’t dilute leadership, it strengthens it.

5. Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow, and improve.

Theatre stagnates when directors recycle old ideas without thought. Innovation keeps the art form alive. It also keeps casts engaged. We’ve all seen productions that felt like photocopies - safe, predictable, forgettable. And we’ve sometimes seen directors reimagine classics in ways that made audiences sit forward in their seats. The difference? Willingness to ask, “What’s possible here?”

Don’t reinvent for the sake of ego. But never accept “It’s always done this way” as good enough.

6. Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes.

Rehearsals are experiments. Failures are not disasters, they’re data. If mistakes aren’t safe, creativity dies. A culture of fear makes people shrink. I’ve seen casts consistently shut down by directors who scolded every wrong choice. The room becomes flat. I’ve also seen rooms where a failed experiment led to laughter, learning, and breakthroughs. The second room always made better theatre.

Encourage risk. Celebrate small wins. Learn from the flops. That’s how growth happens.

7. Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust.

Directing is not a solo sport. A team that trusts each other will take creative risks. A team in competition will not. I’ve watched ensembles transform when directors built simple rituals like check-ins, reflection rounds, even shared meals. Trust blossomed, and so did creativity. Compare that with a room where competition reigned. Everyone played small to protect themselves.

Build collaboration deliberately. Trust doesn’t just happen - it’s cultivated.

8. Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion.

Micromanagement is not leadership. It’s insecurity in disguise. A strong director empowers others. They know they don’t need to control every detail. I’ve seen directors try to re-choreograph numbers without any dance experience undermining the actual choreographer (often in front of them). It didn’t make the show better. It made it weaker. Meanwhile, directors who share power get stronger work from everyone.

Share authority. Trust your experts. The show is always better when others bring their best.

9. Recognise contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence.

People want to feel seen and valued. Recognition builds loyalty and motivation. Silence erodes both. I once saw a director pause rehearsal to thank a cast member for an unnoticed quick solution. The whole room shifted. Everyone felt they would be valued. Compare that with directors who ignore effort - resentment grows, energy drains.

Say thank you. Be specific. Gratitude is free, but its impact is priceless.

10. Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community.

Theatre is hard work. It’s also meant to be joyful. Celebrations mark progress and strengthen bonds. Without them, productions feel transactional. I’ve seen casts build tradition, hanging out after rehearsals, tech week snacks, opening night rituals. Those moments made the work sustainable and memorable. Rooms without celebration? Just burnout.

Celebrate deliberately. Rituals of joy create community - and community is what keeps people coming back.

Final Word

Directing is leadership. At its best, it’s not about control or perfectionism. It’s about creating a room where people feel trusted, inspired, and free to do their best work.

The ten commitments are practical ways of making rehearsal rooms healthier, braver, and more creative. I’ve seen what happens when they’re missing: mistrust, fear, and silence. And I’ve seen what happens when they’re present: collaboration, courage, and joy.

If we want better theatre, we need better leaders in the director’s chair. Not leaders who hoard power, but leaders who model values, share vision, foster trust, and celebrate people. That’s the kind of director worth following - and the kind of rehearsal room worth being part of.