Thwart institutional cowardice

Many years ago I watched Fitzcarraldo, the story of a rubber baron trying to build an opera house in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. The creator of this mad masterpiece was Werner Herzog, an absolute outlier and genius then and now. At the base of this blog see a clip about the making of the film, and I do recommend watching both the film and the documentary “Burden of Dreams” about the making of it.

Herzog is, well, eclectic. I love this list of his maxims, with one, in particular, standing out for me, to “thwart institutional cowardice”.

“Brave” is a keyword for me and often clients seek me out to support them in being brave. I see myself as both brave and grounded, so with both feet on the ground yet also always prepared to take a leap. I, therefore, love the maxim to “thwart institutional cowardice”, it resonates with one of my phrases, that the six most dangerous words in business are: “we’ve always done it this way”.

Almost all of the following 24 maxims can be linked to being brave. As a leader, consider which of them you can choose to adopt, in what circumstance and when, ie now or later? So, to Herzog’s maxims:

1. Always take the initiative.
2. There is nothing wrong with spending a night in jail if it means getting the shot you need.
3. Send out all your dogs and one might return with prey.
4. Never wallow in your troubles; despair must be kept private and brief.
5. Learn to live with your mistakes.
6. Expand your knowledge and understanding of music and literature, old and modern.
7. That roll of unexposed celluloid you have in your hand might be the last in existence, so do something impressive with it.
8. There is never an excuse not to finish a film.
9. Carry bolt cutters everywhere.
10. Thwart institutional cowardice.
11. Ask for forgiveness, not permission.
12. Take your fate into your own hands.
13. Learn to read the inner essence of a landscape.
14. Ignite the fire within and explore unknown territory.
15. Walk straight ahead, never detour.
16. Maneuver and mislead, but always deliver.
17. Don’t be fearful of rejection.
18. Develop your own voice.
19. Day one is the point of no return.
20. A badge of honor is to fail a film theory class.
21. Chance is the lifeblood of cinema.
22. Guerrilla tactics are best.
23. Take revenge if need be.
24. Get used to the bear behind you.

PS Number 23 I do not believe in