Filmmakers are the ultimate team leaders. Every auteur — think of Stanley Kubrick, Wong Kar-wai, Robert Altman — must manage tens of millions of dollars, staffs of hundreds, and intense deadlines, all while executing a creative vision.

“It’s exciting when you can keep refreshing the talent pool for a television show,” legendary actor, producer, and director Ron Howard tells IdeaCast host Alison Beard. “What’s going on behind the camera, it does affect the outcome of a film. And so casting the crew is vitally important.”

Howard has made popular and critically acclaimed movies, like A Beautiful Mind (2001), Apollo 13 (1995), and Frost/Nixon (2008). He’s directed Hollywood A-listers like Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Jay-Z, and even Bette Davis.

He reveals how he vets top acting talent for his movies and how he manages creative differences on set — including what he learned about handling temperamental collaborators from coaching kids basketball.

Key topics include: leadership, film making, cinema, fulfilling a creative vision, mentorship, leadership lessons from unexpected places, careers, creativity, and talent management. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.