by Craig Colby
Quitting en masse is an attention getter. Quitting an international festival en masse in a slumping industry weeks before the big event is a Times Square LED Billboard outside your bedroom window. 10 members of the Hot Docs team resigned together on March 25, just a month before the world renowned Hot Docs Festival is set to begin on April 25. While I have no first hand knowledge of the situation, and the details are scarce, the bread crumb trail that exists leads to a failure of leadership that was both preventable and is still fixable.
The article breaking the news was scarce in details a post on Reddit, from someone claiming insider knowledge, filled in some blanks. The author says this mass quit is only the latest exodus, with 50 people leaving in the last few years. “The turnover rate was like nothing I’ve ever seen.” The post also describes futile attempts to make executives understand the problems the teams were facing. “I've never seen such a hardworking and passionate group of people who could not get through to management.” Other issues are listed, high pay for executives and low pay for employees and an inability to reach the boss, but the main problem is already clear: the organization did not hire leaders in leadership positions. Experienced executives, perhaps, but not leaders.
Three Pillars of Employee Inspiration
Way back in business school, and in subsequent management training sessions, I was taught that there are three ways to get employees to be passionate about their jobs. The first is listening to them. It’s not enough to just let them talk. You must acknowledge what they are saying and act on it as best you can. The employees are doing the work. Ignoring their input is not just throwing out useful data and processes, it’s telling them they don’t matter. When you involve them, you will get better results and more engagement. This has clearly been ignored at Hot Docs.
The second is to acknowledge achievements. The author of the Reddit article says that the staff at Hot Docs “are some of the most dedicated in the industry and are so invested of the future of these filmmakers.” Having attended Hot Docs for many years, I can attest to this firsthand. There is a buzz that comes from the enthusiasm of the people working there. Again, it’s clear their contributions have not been recognized.
The third is the ability to grow in your job. It doesn’t mean a promotion necessarily. It does mean the chance to develop skills and try new things. According to the Reddit article, when people quit, they were so angry they didn’t provide documentation to help their replacement, if there even was a replacement. This is not the recipe for growth. They are the ingredients for a breakdown.
You Have to Know It Before You Can Show It
For these three pillars of workplace inspiration to be in place, a leader must at least know what they are and why they’re important. This is not always the case. However, when the pillars are employed, they are powerful tools for accomplishment. Employees will run through a wall smiling for the cause. When my big break came as a television producer, my team and I worked 7 days a week for six months. At the end of it, the people I had pushed so hard bought me my favourite team’s football jersey with my high school number and my nickname on the back. It was a special, personal thank you. There was no magic trick to how that happened. I just listened to them, acknowledged their accomplishments, and gave them chances to grow. That’s it.
Things To Do Now
Hot Docs was already in trouble before this mass quitting. An email from President Marie Nelson said the organization need more funding or this might be the last year for the festival. But the situation is still fixable. There are a few things the Hot Docs board can do right now.
Get rid of the cause of the problems and the problems will go too. The board knows the cause.
Hire an interim executive to get Hot Docs through the festival. In an industry shedding talent, there are boatloads of candidates. An executive producer or high-end showrunner could do it. After all they organize disparate elements of a production to create a quality product all the time. That’s what happens at a festival. Prioritize leadership skills in the hiring. If the word “inspiring” is used to describe them, get them in for an interview pronto.
Hire back all 10 people who resigned this week. They didn’t quit because they didn’t care. They did it because they cared deeply and just couldn’t take it. Hot Docs has already lost too much institutional knowledge, it can’t afford to lose more.
After the festival, hire someone with expertise in fundraising to run Hot Docs. That’s the biggest existential threat, at least according to Hot Docs. Again, make sure this person is a leader. A background in festival or the documentary industry would be an asset, but a smart person who knows how to listen can learn what is needed about those.
This point is for everyone everywhere who is hiring someone in a leadership position or promoting someone to one – pay for some leadership training! It’s the least expensive investment you can make in a crucial position. I guarantee you will see benefits.
Failure Is Not An Option
All of this should happen for one big reason – we need Hot Docs. As someone working in television and film in Canada, I need Hot Docs. It puts the Canadian Industry on an international stage, provides training and opportunity for emerging talent, and gives experienced filmmakers a chance to find a home for their work. This part of the industry was already fragile. Now it’s damaged. We need Hot Docs to help us find a new path. We need Hot Docs to have real leadership.
Craig Colby is a television executive producer, producer, director, writer and story editor. He runs a storytelling consulting and production service.
Craig is also the author of the multiple award winning ALL CAPS: Stories That Justify an Outrageous Hat Collection.