Cracking the Leadership Code

Chapter 9MOTIVATIONThe Search for the Magic Pill

Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.

—Dwight Eisenhower

The famous film director Alfred Hitchcock was known for his disdain of actors. Early in his career, he became known for saying that “actors are cattle.” Later in Hitchcock's life, he claimed that he had been misquoted. “I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.”¹

From Hitchcock's perspective, actors should be putty to be molded precisely as the director envisioned. Any attempts on their part to “act” just got in the way. He had a command-and-control style of leading. As Hitchcock explained,

In my opinion, the chief requisite for an actor is the ability to do nothing well, which is by no means as easy as it sounds. He should be willing to be utilized and wholly integrated into the picture by the director and the camera. He must allow the camera to determine the proper emphasis and the most effective dramatic highlights.²

Hitchcock didn't want his actors thinking too much, and he most certainly didn't want their input. There's a story about Hitchcock working with Paul Newman in late 1965 on the movie Torn Curtain. At the time of filming, Newman was a bona fide Hollywood star and had already been nominated twice for a Best Actor Academy Award.

Newman came to Hitchcock and wanted to discuss the character he was playing. Hitchcock dismissed him, saying, “It's in ...