Ryan Reynolds recently delved into his leadership style on movie sets and in the office. In an interaction at the Wall Street Journal CMO Council Summit, the actor revealed that he welcomed “dissent” and feedback, stressing that he felt uncomfortable when people simply agreed with his ideas because he was the leader.
Ryan Reynolds comments on his leadership style
Ryan Reynolds recently spoke with the Wall Street Journal Leadership Institute chair, Maryam Banikarim, at The Wall Street Journal CMO Summit. The pair discussed the former’s acting career, business ventures, and his views on creative risk-taking and the future of creativity.
During the discussion, Reynolds opened up about his leadership on movie sets. He explained that while he handled areas he was confident about, he would also pitch in jokes and lines for feedback from Maximum Effort’s crew. He added that he would deliberately pitch “s***ty” versions of jokes and lines with the intention of sparking “dissent.”
“I’m screwed if people start agreeing with me, cause I’m the boss or something,” he added. “That makes me ill.”
The Deadpool star explained that this approach not only created “wonderful conversation,” wherein he could get suggestions for improvement, but also gave taciturn people an opening to speak their mind.
“‘Yes, Mr. Reynolds, it is s**t. But what if we added this and that and this and that, and this and that?’ Next thing you know, we’re exploring some incredibly fun, sparkly idea that it gets to be executed,” he further explained.
Also in the interview, Reynolds touched on his mentality when he was younger and not fully established in the industry. He stressed that he had “strong opinions” which he didn’t voice to not spark discord on set. The 49-year-old added that the accountability he faced for his leading roles in films motivated him to be assertive and take charge on sets.
Reynolds’ unique perspective on leadership reflects his success as a producer and businessman. Maximum Effort has produced several recognizable and successful films like Deadpool & Wolverine, Free Guy, and The Adam Project. Meanwhile, his beverage brand, Aviation Gin, and mobile network operator, Mint Mobile, have reached considerable heights of success.
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on Mandatory.
