Directors and Actors
Even the best actors will only churn out a mediocre movie without a solid director.
The director holds the vision and works to bring out the best in the actors. Actors sign on because they believe in the project and want to be a part of it (they’ve likely turned down other roles to accept this one).
You won’t see Christopher Nolan in Oppenheimer, but his fingerprints are all over it. Ideally, you’re so immersed in the story that you don’t even think about the director—you’re thinking about how the movie makes you feel.
If the movie flops, we blame the director. If the movie does well, the actors get most of the shine.
I can’t think of a better analogy for running our company.
You likely won’t find the owners on the floor, but our ideas are everywhere. Our work is holding and communicating the vision, getting the right people on the team, and creating an environment where they can do their best work.
Employees aren’t here because they have to be but because they want to be (working might be a necessity, but every Cat & Cloud team member could easily get any number of other jobs).
If the business fails, it’s on us. But our guests rarely think about us. They know our team members (the stars) and keep showing up because they love how going to Cat & Cloud makes them feel.
This is the essence of leadership. It’s not about physically being front and center. It’s about imbuing ideas with meaning and facilitating bringing them to life by creating an environment that empowers the contributions of others—all in service of your guests, customers, or clients.