Leadership Encouragement “Keep Pushing”

Keep Pushing

The filming was brutal and this was only the first phase. They were in a desert. Sand had already ruined one camera. Now the gritty mess was making the props malfunction. Some were remote controlled and the batteries wouldn’t cooperate. To improvise, he tied fishing line to make them move, so he could film them. 

It hadn’t rained at their location for seven years, but during the first week of filming it rained for four days straight. More equipment was lost…this time in the mud.

His trucks got stuck. In fact, it was so bad that the local Tunisian army had to come and pull everything out of the mess. One actor’s costume was so harsh when worn that it continually cut him, causing him to bleed.

After only two weeks of filming the young filmmaker wanted to quit. He’s quoted as saying, “I was seriously, seriously depressed at that point, because nothing had gone right. Everything was screwed up. I was desperately unhappy.”

But he didn’t quit. He found his own grit and kept filming. He pushed through hurdles and led his team to dream of new ways to accomplish what seemed impossible. That guy was George Lucas. As you may have guessed, he was filming Star Wars: A New Hope.

Here’s the lesson: leaders keep pushing.

Lucas found solutions to his problem. He provided bandages to actor Anthony Daniels–the plastic C-3PO costume Daniels wore cut him. Lucas also tied fishing line to his most important droid prop–the now iconic R2-D2–and dragged him through certain scenes.

Whatever the problem, leaders find a way.

Today, no matter what you’re facing, be like George. Don’t quit. Keep at it. You never know…you may end up telling a story that defines a generation.

Brian Sanders serves as Executive Vice President of Positive Alternative Radio. He regularly writes and speaks on leadership topics. His new book, “Leadership Endurance,” can be purchased HERE.