ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role of the leader and the importance of the self and the consciousness. Film productions are a good example of the type of projects where the vitality of the leader is critical. In leadership theory, a distinction is sometimes made between soft and hard elements, as though “never the twain shall meet”. Soft elements concern people, society, morals, and the psyche, while hard elements revolve around technology, science, measurability, and business. Based on this division, the humanities and social sciences vision of leadership would be soft – concerning the subjective and everything that is difficult to pin down – and the leadership vision coming from engineering, the technological sciences, and economics would be hard – concerning cold, hard facts. Modern Western society puts a heavy emphasis on individual utility and success in ways that reflect the objectivist philosophy and rational self-interest.
